Furry exists in a surprising amount of fantasy, science fiction, and modern fiction. Werewolves, talking horses, and sentient felines abound, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Come hear us talk about where you might have found furry, and didn’t know it.

How people say something is just as important as what they say. Dialogue is more than just words; it’s accent, inflection, and cadence. Come listen to some of our panelists discuss how they include this into their work, and how you can too.

Your audience often times determines your style of writing. Certain things you can do in older literature don’t always sit well with a younger audience. Come and listen as our Guest of Honor and two of RainFurrest’s veteran panelists discuss this topic.

Kyell Gold has been one of RainFurrest’s friends from the beginning, and every year that he’s come, he’s always brought a new story to tell. Come sit and listen as he spins a tale for his audience from some of his current works, and perhaps get a question or two about your favorite characters or books answered at the same time!

Once more, RainFurrest is happy to host its yearly Writing Competition. We get a topic, and we give our writers two days to try and write a completed short story. Do you think you have what it takes to meet the challenge? Come and see! Even if you don’t, everyone needs support, beta readers, and proofers. Anyone is welcome!

Writing is an art. Art is talent honed with skill and experience. Come on by if you are just beginning as a writer, or even have had a few stories under your belt, and listen as our panelists give their words of wisdom for new writers, and feel free to ask for their advice.

Characters need to have a place to live in. And a character who exists in an environment that is just as vibrant and real as they are helps make a story dynamic and interesting. Our panelists will talk about the processes they go through to help design everything from simple fantasy towns to sprawling science fiction megaplexes.

Writing takes practice. Practice is more than just writing itself, but also doing exercises to take yourself outside of your comfort zone. In this panel, we talk about different little tricks and tools that an author can use to help get that engine going.

Erotic fiction can often times be a tricky topic to tackle. It’s not just about how you get into the market, but the differences in how you write towards that audience. Come and listen as our panelists talk about their experiences in getting into the business.

Writing is about painting a picture inside the mind of the reader and trying to describe how a furry character is more than just their species. Our panelists will sit and talk about their techniques for ensuring the reader can see the furry character clearly on the page, and they’ll answer questions from the audience on how they can do the same.

Defining “furry” can be a tough thing to do in the context of a story that is not inherently furry. But often times writers do it in surprising ways. In everything from children’s stories to complex high fantasy, writers have given their animal characters an interesting life of their own. Come and listen as our panelists discuss how “furry” can exist in your fiction, even when it’s not considered furry.

Mary Lowd has quicky become one of RainFurrest’s favorite local authors, and she brings to the table a wonderful sense of whimsy and delight as a writer for everything from children’s stories to science fiction. With more than fifty short stories under her belt, come and listen as Mary tells one of her tales to an audience, and then answers questions about her time as being both an author and mother.

With twenty-four hours under their belt, the writers in our competition get a day to get together and bounce ideas off of each other, find someone to proof- or beta-read their work, and even ask the panelists or our special guest judge, Phil Geusz, for assistance!

This year’s RainFurrest Writer Guests of Honor are not just writers! Fuzzwolf, Tieran, and the rest of the FurPlanet team attend RainFurrest every year so that the latest in furry fiction, comics, and magazines are available for our attendees. Come and meet the faces behind the business that brings you some of your favorite literature in our furry world.

The “elevator pitch” is a term used in the media circles for the short presentation of your idea to try and capture the interest of a publisher or studio. You have from the time you get on until the time they get off to get their attention. In this panel, you can hear about how to get your work submitted to small and large publishing houses, and how to deal with everything that comes with it. Not just the successes, but also the pitfalls, the setbacks, and the rejection.

With the creation of the Kindle, the ability to self-publish has become much easier now that the e-book format has become very popular for a reader on the go. But even before that, some authors were willing to take the risk and print their own work without the support of a publishing house. Along with FurPlanet, this year’s Guest of Honor, sit down with some authors who have made the jump into self-published fiction and how they did it.

RainFurrest, the preeminent furry writing convention, would like to cordially invite you to join Ryan Campbell and the SofaWolf staff in celebration of the launch of Gods of Clay, Ryan Campbell’s newest novel and the latest SofaWolf release.

Ryan Campbell brought us the book Smiley and The Hero and regularly adds his pen to New Fables. Now he’s begun a new trilogy called The Fire Bearers, and the first book, God of Clay, is set to release at RainFurrest! Come get a sneak peek into Ryan’s works as he reads from his newest work, and answers questions of new readers and fans alike.

Come and see the creative process at work! As the audience, you supply the characters, the setting, and the situation. The three authors who have volunteered their time will have one hour to write a story based on this, and then will get a chance to read them aloud. Can these three meet that challenge? There’s only one way to find out!

Everyone writes. Even if it’s just bits in a blog on Facebook, to stories on a paper pad you think no one else is ever going to see. But it takes some talent and dedication to take those little ideas and bring them to the next level. Our panelists will come together to help you learn what it can take to be a writer.

Characters are who drive your story forwards, and because of this they need to be as varied and organic as the people who read about them. Building a good and believable character is often times as hard as crafting a good plot, and our panelists will help give you the tricks and tools to help give your readers that real edge.

As a part of Soul Mate Publishing, Garrett Marco is no stranger to either side of writing, being an author and a publisher. As a newcomer to RainFurrest, we would like to welcome him to our convention and fandom, and would like to invite you all to listen to some of his work, and answer your questions.

Today is the day when everyone will turn in their work, and the judges will begin to look over all the entries. As with every year, our first prize winner will receive not only a membership for next year’s convention, but they will also have their work printed in the 2014 conbook. The winner, and the second and third place prizes, will be announced at Closing Ceremonies.

Join Buck Turner, Kyell Gold, and Ashe Valisca as they discuss both the science and the dark art of editing a story. They will discuss why you need a good editor, the right ways to work with your editor, and how to become a better editor of your own work.

Genre can sometimes be a hard thing to define. What does it really mean to be a comedy or tragedy, or a romance, or even an adventure story? Our panelists will help provide you with their insight into the differences that help you figure out where your stories might fall.

Horror can be one of the harder genres to get into, as the elements that help make up a good horror story are hard to master. During the panel, these writers will discuss how to write a horror story to grab the heart and the fear of the reader, and help keep them engaged all the way to the climax.

Some topics are hard to put into books... drugs and alcohol being one of them. Things like teenage rebellion are rife with booze, cigarettes, recreational drug use, and often times can lead to other things. During this panel, our writers will talk about how you can realistically include these kinds of things in your work.

What-ifs are a wonderful thing, taking something and then putting a new twist on it in order to try and find a new perspective. Re-telling history into historical fiction is often times an exercise in getting the reader to become interested in the truth of the events that lead to your story. These writers will sit down and talk about their favorite historical fiction works, and how to create your own fiction in truth.

RainFurrest, the preeminent furry writing convention, would like to cordially invite you to join Phil Geusz and the FurPlanet staff in celebration of the launch of Evolutionary Action, Phil Geusz’s newest novel and the latest FurPlanet release.

In the background of any fantasy world, there is usually a magic and mysticism that helps give a vibrancy and life all its own. From oppressive theocracy or enlightened religions, from demonic cults to ancient covens, listen as our writers discuss how to artfully craft the mystic and unseen into their worlds.

Sometimes there can be a thin wall between what you can consider your own work, and just an extension of someone else’s work. Fan fiction is an increasing viable medium for writers to cut their teeth and hone their talent, but eventually a writer needs to strike out on their own.

There is a lot of adult furry fiction. A lot. Sometimes the fandom is a bit pigeonholed because of it. But despite this, it is still a viable writing medium. In this after-hours panel, you will get a chance to talk about the ins and outs of being an adult fiction writer, and ask some of the more uncomfortable questions you might not have been willing to ask otherwise about the topic.

Everybody has a favorite kink they like to write about, be it macro, BDSM, muscles, or paws, but there are ways to make a kinky story into a really good story too. Come join Teiran, Ashe Valisca, and Ianus J. Wolf for tips and tricks to make your kinky writing better.

Fiction has its good, its bad, and its downright ugly. Some stories are so bad they’re good, but some of them are just plain horrid. But there can even be some diamonds in the worst offerings that you have either written, or have been passed by someone’s desk. Come in, sit, and listen to the discussion about bad writing.

Who are Mary Sue and her brother Gary Stu? They are characters of self-insertion – the people who are the author’s avatar inside their stories, and often times end up being empowered to do things within the plot that would make even the staunchest hero blanch. Mary Sues can be the death of a good piece of writing, and our panelists will help you figure out if she has either moved in, or is waiting in the bleachers.

Popularity is not something that everyone can handle. In many respects it’s more work than people think it is. There are book launches, signings, appearances, social media. Everyone wants to see you, and everyone wants to learn from you. Our Guests of Honor and one of our the most popular and profilic furry authors will sit down with you to talk about how to handle this as best possible.

Writer’s Block is something every writer has to eventually deal with. Our panelists will tell you about the things they’ve used in the past to help get past the block and get back to the craft. Come by to listen, learn something new, and perhaps ask a few questions too.

Teamwork in writing seems like an odd thing, but having another writer to bounce and carry the plot off of can help get life into a story you never expected to be there. Our writers will sit down and discuss the ins and outs of successfully working together to craft something that both they, and their readers will enjoy.

A writing group is a great but often-times underused tool by writers. Bringing a group of aspiring writers together to bounce their ideas off one another, to read each other’s works, and to provide honest critique can improve everyone’s ability to write well. There are many writing groups out there, but sometimes if you’re not close to one, forming your own can also work. At this panel, our writers will talk about their experiences with writing groups, and what needs to be done to create and keep a successful one.