I’ll be attending WorldCon in London next week, and I was persuaded to participate in the programming, so here are the details of the panel I’ll be on:
Friday, August 15 10:00 – 11:00, Capital Suite 8 (ExCeL)
Swords that go schiiing! as they’re drawn, hay bales lying around in medieval times, and flames in a vacuum: just a few examples of factually erroneous writing. The panelists will look at the most anachronistic and scientific blunders and descriptions that just don’t make sense, but continue to be used over and over again. Do these obvious errors serve a purpose within the larger context of story? Are they comforts from which an author can build discomfort?
Ian Nichols (M), Andrew Barton, Amanda Kear, Alison Sinclair, Amy Sundberg
This should be an interesting panel, if only because I am one of those readers who often doesn’t care about these sorts of factual mistakes. As a writer, however, I do want to get it as right as I can, because perfectionism, but I also care a great deal about the story and about everything working together in service of telling that story. So perhaps we can find a way to make this panel a little more lively and less predictable than simply a list of all the stuff writers always get wrong. We’ll find out next week, when I will be in all my jet-lagged glory!
In the meantime, I should probably crowdsource and discover more of these factual mistakes that I often overlook but that drive other people nuts. I’d love to hear about your factual pet peeves in science fiction and fantasy. What would you like me to spread a little awareness about next week? I’m looking forward to referencing Kameron Hurley’s “We Have Always Fought,” for starters.
The Practical Free Spirit 
You’ll be almost near enough to share a cup of tea, Hope you have a brilliant time