The inaugural San Diego Festival of Books was held on August 26th, at Liberty Station in Point Loma. One of the main features of the Festival of Books were the panel discussions.





The last panel SDLS attended was called, "Futurecasting: Pragmatism, and the Faux Utopian/Dystopian Dichotomy". The panel featured authors David Brin, Stephanie Diaz, and Scott Sigler. The moderator was Gary Robbins.





Stephanie Diaz decided she wanted to be an author when she was in second grade. At the age of twelve, she began querying her first novel. As a nineteen-year-old, she landed a literary agent and a three-book deal for her debut novel. S he lives in San Diego.





Scott Sigler is a science fiction and horror writer, as well as an avid podcaster. Scott is the New York Times #1 bestselling author of sixteen novels, six novellas, and dozens of short stories.



David Brin is a New York Times bestselling author, whose novels have won the Nebula & Hugo awards, as well as many others. His novel, The Postman, was adapted into a film by Kevin Costner. He lives in San Diego.



This was a great panel, featuring a lively discussion on topics such as what are the components of a utopian or dystopian novel, what are the challenges in writing these stories, and why do they connect so much with readers.



In response to a question about writing in the past, present or future, Brin responded: You can write in the present, the near present, or the distant future. It's the 50 year range that is the hardest. Dystopias have some simplistic tropes. Some try to pander to the reader, but for a near future story to work, you have to believe that it is plausible that the things you write could happen. The closer it is to the future you write about, the harder it becomes to do that.



In response to a question about how difficult it is to write utopian/dystopian stories, Sigler, who also writes horror stories, replied: Cellphones have ruined horror writing. It used to be much easier to isolate a character and create fear and tension, but now? All you have to do take out your phone and dial 9-1-1.



In response to the question on who gets to decide what a utopia or dystopia is, Diaz replied: Leaders do not lead in a vacuum. Leaders need followers and supporters, people who believe in the cause. You can't lead without followers. Therefore, who is going to create dystopia or utopia? We are.



The authors were asked if they consider themselves to be optimists, or pessimists, about the future. They replied:



Diaz: I'm an optimist



Sigler: I'm optimistic about the future



Brin: I'm neither optimistic or pessimistic. I'm a contrarian.







































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Labels: Author Appearances