Post by Admin Kbatz on Mar 1, 2019 21:41:46 GMT -5
We asked and you told us what you thought of HOW in our Final Thursday Late Night Chat. Some great ideas to think of for future events!
Admin Kbatz: It's the LAST DAY of HOW CON! What have YOU learned this week?
Admin Kbatz: Be sure to Tell us what you think of HOW! horroraddictswriters.freeforums.net/thread/42/
Admin Kbatz: Do you have any tips or ideas about the conference?
lilyauthor: i would have liked to see a screenwriting workshop.
Admin Kbatz: Did you like any of the other workshops?
lilyauthor: The submit a short story is especially useful to me, because I'm at that point.
nkassa: I really enjoyed the Youtube interviews too.
nkassa: They were great! So informative and fun!
trin: I'd love a screenwriting workshop too since I'm working on a couple of them.
Admin Kbatz: For Wicked Women Writers looking to continue on HOW as another group resource, here's your thread: horroraddictswriters.freeforums.net/thread/86/wicked-women-writers-brouhaha
Admin Kbatz: Trin what workshops did you like or didn't she that you'd like us to do in the future?
kgfinfrock: I liked the resources shared and the videos of the discussion panels.
trin: I really enjoyed the videos of panels too. I also enjoyed the chats.
Admin Kbatz: Looks like I need to do more videos
Admin Kbatz: I know there were a few genres that were light. Do you prefer the general writing topics or genre specific material? Now I'm asking the questions!
trin: This chat format reminds me of the old computer games I used to play in college. It feels comfortable. I really liked the discussion of genre and films too.
kgfinfrock: I'm good with both general and specific topics.
Admin Kbatz: Emz can you tell us the Second Life details? Some were confused about where to go there.
Admin Kbatz: Here's also a thread for Second Life to leave your handles and info or such: horroraddictswriters.freeforums.net/thread/5/second-life-meet
Emz: Okay, sure. Second Life is huge, so you should just follow the link we had in the forum topic. It goes straight to the HA hangout in Mimielle's shop and has a cemetery next to it.
Emz: Normally when you click the teleport and you have the software, it will load up. If you don't, it usually links you to Second Life to downlaod the software
Emz: I know that the bitly link for SL should work. But this is the long link:
Emz: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Babbage%20Square/192/76/106
Admin Kbatz: Were there any other tech questions, tips, or ideas?
Admin Kbatz: All at HOW will remain open to browse even though the conference is over, just now we move back into the Fun Section and leave the Workshops as a resource
Emz: Would you gals like a led writer's workshop next time? Where you sub your work and pros crit it?
Emz: We used to do it, but we stopped our writer's workshop when we did #NGHW
Admin Kbatz: The critique section was open for anyone to post a problem publicly or ask for a writer buddy to go private message, so it was a peer review style rather than ask an editor or send review material in advance style
Emz: I think a lot of writers are scared to post their work for open crit. I would be too
Admin Kbatz: Yes never post the whole thing anywhere. Just what your problem is or if you want to have a private one on one
Admin Kbatz: Screenwriting was mentioned. I did post the ideas from the earlier chat
trin: I'm back. Just took a minute to read yesterday's chat. Excellent information.
Admin Kbatz: We asked your favorites. Were there any drawbacks?
trin: Wow, it's hard to pick a favorite. I like to read over them a couple of times to sort of digest it all. I know if you're organizing you'll want to know which are the favorites of participants to hone the con.
trin: I may have to give that input a little later on so I can have a chance to really enjoy and learn from all the presentations.
Admin Kbatz: We didn't have anything for illustrations and drawing
trin: I would be interested in that since I have several short pieces that I'd like to make into Edward Gorey style books.
trin: Emz, I know you've written several interesting horror poems. Have you ever considered illustrating them and putting them out as short books?
trin: I was an artist before I was a published writer. I worked in charcoals and loved the contrast of black and white and working in gray scales.
Admin Kbatz: Sounds like an anthology idea, book of horror poems with artwork as well
Emz: I have never thought of illustrating them... well, not exactly true. I did back in the 90s for a zine... but right now I am compiling a poetry book because someone requested it. But it will be horror, love, and hate?
trin: I think dark poetry with black and white illustration is enticing.
Emz: In my coloring book, a few of my drawings had either a poem or writing attached but that is big form. I tend not to do doodles like Gorey.
Admin Kbatz: But that is all much more labor intensive after all the creation when it comes to publishing, like if you are self pub and have to do the format and all that. Is it better to have a collaborator or graphic designer?
Emz: I am a graphic designer, so to me, formatting is easy and fun.
Emz: I just finished a consult job for that. I love formatting and designing. I hate editing.
trin: What's held me back some is that I don't see much published work with illustration in e-book formats. I think that changed a bit with the introduction of coloring books. Do they do manga for kindle?
Admin Kbatz: Yes there was talk of crossover interactive ebooks with new media like a decade ago and it never really came on And you can totally tell which self pub books didn't have a professional editor.
trin: So true. The lack of professional editors is what leads to people at fairs asking stuff like is this from a real publisher?
Emz: that's a whole lot of questions in one... I'll answer them each...
Emz: 1. Now that Kindle accepts pictures, there is more eBooks like that with pictures.
Emz: 2. They do manga in Kindle form but it's not eBook format, it's un-movable PDF.
Emz: 3. There are interactive coloring book apps and such, but I haven't seen the straight up kindle doing that
Emz: I've formatted a couple of illustrated kids books. They are fun.
Admin Kbatz: More on new media and graphics. check check
Emz: Editors are hard to come by. Usually, I can edit better than most, but I hate doing it. It's not fun for me. Being a content editor is different. It's like curating an art gallery. You get to pick and choose what stories go together.
Admin Kbatz: It will be interesting to see how many Dark Divinations submissions say they found us through HOW
Admin Kbatz: That was the most popular chat, ask the editor about your submission
Emz: Oh yes. Hope they do.
Admin Kbatz: But see we were talking about pitches, but something that has graphics and new materials you can't pitch but in person
Admin Kbatz: That is more like non fiction, where you go with your template and idea proposal for approval and then write the piece, as opposed to must be completed to submit fiction
Emz: I think an artist can pitch it with art these days. Scans are pretty easy.
trin: I'm actually pretty excited about Dark Divinations. I have a story that would fit that book very well.
Admin Kbatz: Nobody asked about agents. That is interesting. 5 years ago every panel I did was about if you need to have an agent
Emz: I haven't seen an agent at a con in like... YEARS
trin: I've noticed agents are friendlier than they used to be.
Admin Kbatz: They have to be. When agents started submitting to epubs and small press that an author could do themselves that's when it shifted.
trin: They are always at the writer's conferences sponsored by writing clubs.
Admin Kbatz: Twitter also does a lot of their work for them with no overhead.
trin: I have to say. Don't pitch to agents until you're pretty close to done or finished with what you want to pitch. They say yes a lot and if you're not ready to hand the work over it doesn't do any good to pitch it.
Emz: All I see are Scrivner reps and Goodreads reps and everyone who's making money off of us. lmao I think agents are old news. But I remember then.
Admin Kbatz: I think in Ilene's speech she talks about being prepared to spend money to go places and network and don't start writing without money to fall on because you will need it
Admin Kbatz: Well Emz on Thursday for the regular WWW you can direct people here and see how it goes. Keep the Conference link in one of those announcement posts at the top of the group maybe so folks can find it
Emz: I did put a poll in the WWW so we'll see.
Admin Kbatz: Thanks for being part of HOW KG.
Emz: Thanks for joining us! Keep in touch.
Emz: Thank you Kbatz for all this. I am counting it a success.
trin: I think this has been great. I've really enjoyed each chat session and I hope it can happen again. Thank you for putting on a great HOW event. Good night!