Hal-Con 2013

Science fiction is often called "the literature of ideas," and with good reason: the fresh central idea is often the defining characteristic of a science-fiction novel. Join bestselling author Robert J. Sawyer for a discussion of how to come up with and develop a high concept for your own science-fiction or TV series by finding the theme that will give rise to your plot and characters, and enthrall your audience. Sawyer's own Aurora Award-winning novel FlashForward had its theme summarized in the opening narration of every episode of the ABC TV series based on it: "On October 6, the planet blacked out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds. The whole world saw the future." Come prepared to try to distill your own notions down to something equally succinct and exciting, so that you can focus on what your story is really about.