Schmucks, schmendricks and schlemiels: that was how founding member and proctor David Robbins described the myriad of rough-and-tumble writers as they congregated Friday and Saturday at the Library of Virginia for the fourth annual James River Writers Conference. The conference was set up with hour-long panels addressing different topics that are important to writers, from story ideas to sex to poetry, in addition to journalism, freelance writing and working with publishers.
The conference was set up with individual panels in which professionals of the given field discussed topics with moderators and took questions from those in attendance. It was a great opportunity for writers to approach experienced authors and agents on issues that were important in their writing.
On Saturday, some of the more interesting and popular panels included “The Book of Your Life: The Difficult and Courageous Art of the Memoir,” “Screamwriting,” “We’re Not in Kansas Anymore: How to Build a Fantasy World” and “Taking the ‘Free’ Out of Freelance.”
In the first session, author Jeannette Walls, writer of “The Glass Castle” and an established MSNBC columnist, shared her experiences of growing up in poverty with an alcoholic father.
– Don Mancini, creator of the “Child’s Play” movies, on being the “daddy of Chucky”
“I was lucky to have a really hard childhood,” she joked.
“Truth is stranger than fiction,” she went on. “People like reading a good story of survival.”
“Screamwriting” actually took a different turn on writing; Richmond writer Clay Chapman interviewed Don Mancini, the creator of all five “Child’s Play” movies. Chapman, known for his disturbing and controversial writing, saw the panel as a great opportunity.
“I will fight you tooth and nail if you try and say you are a bigger fan of the ‘Child’s Play’ series than I am,” he said, pointing an accusing finger at the audience.
Chapman’s mother, Sue, had also come to the panel to watch her son work. She recalled how Chapman used to go see horror films in theaters as a youngster and how they became a great inspiration to him as a horror-centric writer.
“He would analyze the films. It wasn’t for entertainment. As a mother, there’s always concern that that kind of thing is on your son’s mind, but writing about it is a great way to discuss those issues. And there’s always a great moral at the end,” she said.
Mancini was very relaxed throughout the panel and bounced off Chapman’s enthusiasm well. He shared how his early interest in the dark side of children and consumerism fueled inspiration for the movies about a psychopath’s soul trapped in a doll and the ensuing murders. He did divulge, however, how out of place he felt in the convention with so many esteemed novelists and journalists.
When asked about being the “daddy of Chucky,” Mancini explained, “I’m very proud of that. But it’s very easy to condescend to this stuff. It’s the collision of art and trash.”
Mancini also had appeared at VCU the night before for a discussion with film critic Daniel Neman of the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
The panel about creating alternate fantastical universes featured Fantasy/Sci-Fi writers C.S. Friedman and Dave Kuzminski. They discussed at length the difficulties of creating new worlds for their characters.
“I didn’t want it to look like a D&D (Dungeons and Dragons) game,” Friedman explained, pulling together the hardships of finding settings for her books such as “Feast of Souls,” a novel that was given out to all those present for the discussion. The book will not be out until January.
Both writers encouraged learning about the world and developing from it. “I use cultures that did exist or do exist,” Kuzminski said, “merging two together and three religions with a fourth one emerging.”
“What happens when you take our society and throw magic in the mix?” Friedman said. “All science fiction, at its root, asks the question, ‘What if?’ ”
Afterward, professional freelance writer Phaedra Hise tried to control a room full of aspiring magazine writers as she was bombarded with question after question about the best way to make a living off selling essays and articles. Her answers were well planned, and she did remarkably under the pressure.
The last session of the conference was a Q-and-A panel for many of the renowned authors who had come together to make the event happen. They shared their different viewpoints on writings and things they had learned along the way. Each personality and perspective was unique, making the sit-down a great way to conclude the weekend.
“You have to catch lightning in a jar,” Martin Clark said. He had spoken in the “Sex and Sensibility” discussion Friday.
Hampton Sides, historical and wilderness writer, shared, “I wish I had known how unglamorous this life really is.”
Dramatic writer Alex Kershaw added, “We’re being privileged enough in being able to do this until we die. It’s a long haul.”