The other panels I was on included City as Character, which was an interesting discussion about cities, their different natures, and their role as both setting and character. Cities don’t just exist as a place for things to happen; characters are shaped by cities because cities have personality. Just compare New York City to Dallas, for instance. Ilona Andrews brought up the history of Atlanta — it’s not just a modern steel-and-glass Southern megalopolis, but was marked by being burned to the ground in the Civil War.
Martha Wells recounted the criticism that if you compared a Robert E. Howard story to a Lin Carter story, in a REH story you had the sense the city was real and continued on around the hero. In a Carter story, if the hero took a left instead of a right the city would be made of false fronts made of cardboard.
I’m a country girl at heart, but I love cities, because they do have character and a fingerprint as unique as any human being.
Agents and Editors: Why you need them–We didn’t get too much into the horror stories, but yes. You need them. A good agent protects your interests, a good editor is your champion inside the publishing house. Copy editors keep you from looking stupid.
The agent and editors panel.
Tomorrow — the YA panel and more ArmadilloCon goodness.
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