Realm Makers Virtualcon 2020 Recap

Photo by Gretchen E.K. Engel

Two weeks ago I attended Realm Makers Virtualcon 2020 from the comfort of my own home. While I plan to be in St. Louis next year, I'm glad with the craziness that's 2020, Virtualcon happened. It was a much-needed event that was the perfect virtual version of an in-person conference. I'm an extrovert and was concerned there wouldn't be enough face-to-face audio/video interaction, but I found ways.

Normally, I'm Realm Makers' Friendly Neighborhood Volunteer Coordinator. This year that role looked a bit different. All new skill sets meant different volunteers and different duties. My main role was as tech support and as a Discord moderator. I did tech support, helped coordinate prayer on Discord, and helped with appointments.

I spent the weeks leading up to Realm Makers learning how to break Discord in every possible way, sometimes on purpose but mostly figuring out that my laptop didn't have a webcam and how to load Discord on different computers including my daughter's laptop since she was attending as a teen. Her first Realm Makers!

Making an at Home Event Special

To make Realm Makers an event, I bought special food including the ingredients for nonalcoholic strawberry daiquiris. We ended up drinking them later, but they were a hit. I bought special crackers and cheese. Most importantly, I knew I'd be busy and wanted an immersive experience, so I enlisted my husband and son on cooking duties.
Good thing. I was very busy Thursday and my son's shrimp tacos were amazing! Thursday night my husband brought home a takeout feast--great timing. We had some technical difficulties and had to pivot from Crowdcast to Zoom. I was supposed to moderate C.J. Redwine's Harry Potter Trivia and we had to make adjustments to switch it. All went well. Whew!

My home office is cluttered because it was designed as an open office space with four work stations, so my daughter's desk is behind mine and windows make it tricky with lighting. Because I had to moderate panels on camera, I moved downstairs and set up in our living room, the only "camera friendly" part of our house. Since we were going to be on different sessions at the same time, I let my daughter use her laptop in her room, a temporary arrangement that she appreciated.

We live out west, so I had to get up early to prepare for the day and sessions started at 8 a.m. my time. I decided to sleep in our guest room to keep from interrupting my husband's sleep. It was so nice because it was like staying in a hotel room. I had no idea being in my own home could feel so much like a vacation.

Friday and Saturday my husband and son fixed dinner. One of the meals was lasagna roll-ups, a family favorite that takes a bit of time to prepare.

Socializing Happened
Two things made Realm Makers for me, nightly gaming and video chatting. We gamed on Discord using video chat. All of the hilarity and inside jokes that make tabletop gaming one of my favorite parts of Realm Makers happened at Virtualcon. Those game conversations drifted into late night visiting where we joked around but also deepened friendships. Saturday, I attended the Havok after party where the anthology finalists and winners were announced. I loved hearing the authors discuss the story behind their winning stories. The party continued on and I loved hanging out with the Havok Hive who include longtime friends and new friends. We had a great time and as usual turned into some memorable moments. The evenings hijinks included a prank that involved a sock puppets and a hazmat mask.

Quality Content

From N. D. Wilson's mindblowing keynote to C.J. Redwine's closing one, it was a conference full of fantastic content. As conference staff, I don't usually get to attend much in the way of sessions, but with the Crowdcast and Discord format, I was able to attend some sessions. I learned a lot from C.J. Redwine's marketing session and can't wait to attend the other sessions over the next few weeks.

I moderated the Why Write Short Fiction Panel. It was so good. The conversation flowed, and I rediscovered my love for short stories and the impact they have on us. We had a great discussion on a story that hit two panelists very differently. It was a story that made one panelist uncomfortable because it was convicting but resonated with me on a deep, emotional level.

To sum it up, Realm Makers Virtualcon 2020 was the perfect event for this year! And for 2021, I hope you'll Meet Me in St. Louis!

Realm Makers Conference 2019 (Lizzie)

If you're a writer and you get the chance to go to Realm Makers Conference, go. It's a wonderful experience with lots of friendly, fun, kind people and great teachers. (If you're unfamiliar with Realm Makers, it is an association for Christian writers of speculative fiction.) This was my first time to attend the Realm Makers Conference, and I really hope I can go next year.

Today, for this Writers Life Post, I'm going to share some of my notes. (This is one the few times in my life I actually went home and typed up the notes from a lecture or conference!) To give you some reference, these notes comes from the classes I attended and Brent Weeks's (amazing) opening and closing key note addresses.

[Side note: This post is more focused on encouragement and wisdom in the writing life with some practical tips. If you want a dose of practical writing tips as well, check out my recent guest post on NobleBright about making villains your readers will want redeemed.]

Opening Key Note with Brent Weeks

Brent Weeks on his conversion to Christianity: “It only took a huge miracle and literature.”

Horace: The purpose of writing is first to delight, then teach.

1) Trust what God tells you. Put up your Ebeneezers (reminders of what God has done)
2) Sometimes what the world thinks is dumb is what God wants.
3) God uses our screw-ups. He shines a revealing light to show what is blinding us.


It took a long time and a lot of hard work and rejection and odd jobs and sacrifice (including not taking a normal, steady job and having a house, etc.) for Brent Weeks to start making it as a writer.

How to succeed in Hollywood (without losing your soul) by Dr. Ted Baehr

You’ve got to care about every scene.
A story starts with a promise that the story will lead somewhere.

Family friendly movies sell better than "Restricted" movies. Hollywood wants more family friendly movies.

A great script has a strong premise. It’s not obtuse. It must have a clear premise and direction.

No excuses. If you're not serious, get out.

A lot of people in the Christian community feel sorry for themselves. Don’t know why they do. We are more than conquerors in Christ.

From Michael Howell (Dr. Baehr’s assistant) on using bad language: Sergeant York didn’t have cussing, but you believed the character. You don’t have to compromise on language.

Don’t Preach: Organic Writing and the Christian Worldview by Morgan Busse

The God you know is the God you bring to your story. Know your God better, and it will come out in your story. What drives your character? Use this to bring your characters closer to God.

Have a heart for the people you are trying to reach.

Tips and Tricks to Capture Your Reading Audience by Ronie Kendig

Every story has been written, but not the way you write it.

If you’re questioning something, fix it.

Closing Key Note with Brent Weeks

He told story of Admiral Stockdale, a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. It was a terrible story of torture and hardship, but Admiral Stockdale persevered. He created a system of communication with his men (they were in solitary confinement) using sweeps of the broom as Morse code. He gave them a code of conduct and told them what torture to expect that day because he went first. When he found he was going to be used for propaganda purposes, he hurt himself to prevent it—cut of his own scalp, beat himself unrecognizable with a chair because he knew they wouldn't showcase a disfigured POW. Eventually, the captors became lighter on him and his men because they couldn't break him. Later, when interviewed, he said it wasn’t the optimists who made it. They would say “we’ll get out at this next holiday.” They died after the holiday passed. The realistic ones made it.

You must confront harsh reality. Ask, what is stopping you from completing your books?

What is stopping you from achieving your dream?

He also spoke of locking himself away for a long time to try to finish a book by the contract deadline and the damage that did to his health and family and creative ability. His wife and kids needed his presence. He believed they needed his money. He saw his contract and fans as his top promise. 

We have a duty to love those around us.
We can’t defraud and abandon our friends and family for art and expect God to say “well done.”

Don’t abuse yourself for art. Your body is the rugged temple of the Lord. It needs real exercise, food, relationships. 

He mentioned Proverbs 6, where it speaks about begging to have your name erased—meaning, try to get out of bad contracts. He asked for extension on the book contract.

Recognize the lie that you don't have time for exercise. The truth is that you’re much more focused and creative if you take time to exercise.

We aren’t literature vending machines. We’re human beings.

If God made you a confronting Jeremiah, don’t try to be a comforting Isaiah.

He writes for kids he doesn't even know and may never know.

Put your light on a lamp stand for her dark night.

We don’t write off the world because it hates us, but we write for the world because it needs us.

Ask God for wisdom. What is he calling you to do at this point in your life?

Exodus 31:6 “Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you.” To all who have aptitude for craft… He has given us skill. He’ll be with you. Be bold.

I'd like to close with this quote from Michael Howell and a reminder to keep writing. If that's your passion, stick with it!

Stay true to the gift God has given you… bring him glory and the rest will fall into place.

Realm Makers 2018 Overview + Announcement! (Laurie)

I just got home from Realm Makers 2018 on Sunday night, and it was amazing! For those of you who aren't familiar with it, Realm Makers is a writing conference specifically for Christian writers of fantasy and science fiction, but through the community they've built online and in person it feels just as much like a family reunion as a conference :) I've hardly begun to process what I learned, so I thought instead I'd recap with some pictures!

I had the opportunity to connect with so many friends new and old, writers who are just beginning and authors who have won prestigious awards (can you spot fellow Lands Uncharted blogger KaLyn in one of these photos?). And I love them all!!

A fun dinner on the first night!

Hanging out with author H.L. Burke and her pineapple :)

Lovely ladies from my local writing group!

One of the highlights of Realm Makers every year is the awards banquet, where attendees are encouraged to wear costumes from their favorite fandoms. I found a cool dress at Goodwill and went as a sorceress, but as you can tell, some people's ensembles are much more elaborate!

This amazing lady made her own wings!

Selfie with my dear friend and fellow Love2ReadLove2Write author Deanna Fugett!

My fabulous roomies!

Two years ago, I attended Realm Makers and pitched Common to several agents and publishers. It was unbelievably exciting and humbling to see my own book at the bookstore this year and get to participate in a giant book signing!

Eeeeeek!

I also got just a few books signed while I was there... Don't worry, I already owned all but three of them :)

They were heavy to carry around, but so worth it!

It's good to be home, but I miss all my writer friends already! What have been some of the highlights of your summer?


Now, are you wondering about our announcement?? We've decided to cut back a bit on our blogging schedule to free up more time for our writing! Plus, we have a new Instagram account and will be making pretty graphics for it! (Find us here.) But we'll all still be here, continuing to provide the content we hope you've enjoyed during Lands Uncharted's two and a half years of existence :) Starting next week, we'll be posting every Tuesday, alternating between talking about the Writer's Life and What We're Reading, Top 3s every Saturday (you knew we wouldn't cut back on that, right?), and special guests on some Thursdays and Fridays. Thanks for continuing to follow us, we so appreciate you all!

See you next time!
Laurie