Did you miss this great interview with horror writer, Michele Roger?
Tag Archives: advice
#HOWCon Video Replay – An Interview with Loren Rhoads
Did you miss this great interview with horror writer, Loren Rhoads?
HOW CON: Preventing the End
Preventing the End
by Michele Roger
Remember the voice? She spoke to you the moment when it became clear that combining sounds and letters made words, words made sentences, sentences made stories, and stories made friendships in other worlds. She was the one who opened the door to the first book that swept you away and kept you up all night.
“Go ahead,” she said. “Here’s the key to this door.” Then she handed you a ring of keys (or she did back then, now kids tell me she just shows them how to use the retinal scanner.)
Later on, it was her who reminded you that while Asimov could take you to other planetary systems, if you didn’t stop reading him and start studying for your physics test, you’d never get into college. Part of you argued.
“College-smollege, as long as I have the library I’ll be fine. It worked for Ray Bradbury.”
“Ooooh,” she smiled. “You never said you wanted to be a writer.”
“Wait, what? I didn’t say that.”
“Yes you did.”
“No. I distinctly remember saying the library worked for other authors…”
“Mmm Hmm.”
“Ok, fine. I admit,” I myself confessed at this point. Hence why I’m a writer. I wasn’t cut out for interrogation. Your experience may be different when it happens to you.”
And then it started happening.
They walk (and sometimes crawl) across the earth at night. Sometimes they fill the moonless sky. The ghosts just float up and hover over my bed, chilling my bones in an attempt to tell me their story. The witches arrive next and recite terrifying incantations in my ears. Vampires politely wait outside in the garden. They haven’t been invited inside but they wait patiently. They have a lifetime to sit outside my window and wait for me to fall in love with one of them on a starry, sleepless night.
The broken-hearted lovers who have died tragically are the worst. All they do is cry and moan, begging to tell their tragic story to anyone, particularly me, who will listen. I toss and turn and put the pillow over my head. I tell them to go away. I have a real job I have to get up and go to in the morning. Go haunt another writer.
Instead, they come. Night after night they become more insistent.
“Tell our stories or we’ll cast a spell that makes your door to the hallway return back here to your bed.”
I protest, “But I have to go to the bathroom!”
They shrug, “Tell it to someone who cares. Better yet, tell our story first.”
The weeping ghosts of dead lovers moan louder as they reach for one another in a perpetual, unattainable grasp.
“If she tells our story, we might help prevent someone from befalling our fate.”
Now, the vampire is spread out impossibly in my window ledge wearing Armani and drinking a glass of wine. A spider is dancing across his fingers.
“I could keep you busy for a million lifetimes.” His dark, alluring double meaning isn’t lost on me. I have to take a deep breath to prevent myself from swooning.
“Enough!” I shout out to the voice. “I didn’t ask for this! This feels crazy. I feel crazy!”
The reply isn’t shouted back. No. She’s far too calm and clever for that. She giggles and it’s kind of a whisper at first.
“Do you remember all the Ann Rice that you read in college? The Clive Barker, the Poe, Steven King, Nancy Farmer? Not to mention your obsession with Pratchett and Gaiman?”
“Yes. So?” I hold up my keys as if to say that I had permission. I jingle them for effect.
She coos. “Permission? Yes. But you couldn’t possibly think that all those worlds and friends came free.”
“Uh,” is all I manage to say.
“No, no. And all those authors you came to love? They’ve paid their debt back as well. Just look at Gaiman’s basement cave of a library. You must pay back at least a fraction of what you take. That’s how it works. Other writers, librarians, and even ancient historians have always known this.”
“But, you never said.”
She interrupts me. “No. I never did say. You did. You said you wanted to be a writer. Here are just a few of the stories that need to be told.” She presents the creatures crowded around my bed. “When you’ve finished with these, I will send more.”
“More?” I ask.
“Reading and writing never stops,” she explains. “If they ever do, it will be the end.”
“The end of what, exactly?” I ask.
She sighs. “Everything.”
HOW CON: Getting out of the slush pile and staying out!
Getting out of the slush pile and staying out!
(Publisher/Editor View)
by Emerian Rich from HorrorAddicts.net
Choosing a sub call
*Investigate the publisher, familiarize yourself with their publications. Know what they stand for and what they’ve liked in the past.
*If there is time, ask trusted writer friends if they have dealt with them.
*Have time to write what they are asking for or have a story in your locker that you can change to fit.
Subbing
*Concentrate on the deadline and give yourself a doable work schedule.
*Right before subbing, revisit the sub call guidelines on their actual site to see if anything has changed, or if you missed anything.
*Make sure you put your name and contact information on the manuscript in case it gets separated from your email.
*When in doubt, use the William Shunn method: www.shunn.net/format/story.html
*Create a proper, short but informative cover letter. In the cover letter, you should include:
*Word count
*Story name and elevator pitch. Shorts: 1-2 sentences, Novels: 3-5 unless stated otherwise
*Your name and 50-word bio.
*Anything else they may ask for in the sub call.
Example:
Editor, Please find attached my 3500-word story, “Full Moon Over Washington.” In this fantasy comedy story, werewolves fed up with the nonsense of humans take political office.
Joe Wolf is the author of the werewolf series, Dark is the Night. He’s been published in a handful of anthologies by publishers such as Dragon Moon Press, FullMoon Publishing and White Wolf Press.
To find out more, please visit: joewolf.com
Thank you for your consideration,
Joe Wolf
Don’ts in a cover letter:
*Don’t assume the gender of the editor if you don’t know. Mr. Mrs. Miss. Ms.? Old-fashioned and can be taken wrongly. I would prefer Emerian or Editor.
*Don’t assume an acquaintance with the editor until he or she has reciprocated. Even if you met at a convention, they may not remember you. Reminding them by saying, “We met at WolfCon. I was the guy in the elevator who chatted about Walpurgisnacht.” Is a great way to establish a memory, but don’t be upset if they do not remember you.
*Don’t use swear words, off-color jokes, or racial slurs–even in the title and even if you’re trying to be witty. There are very few instances this will work, especially on a cold-contact where you don’t know the editor or their style.
Don’ts of submissions:
*Don’t sub something that doesn’t fit the theme or guidelines.
*Don’t just send it with no cover or explanation.
*Don’t leave out a part cause you don’t want to do it. Yes, we need what we ask for. You can’t leave out the synopsis if we need it.
*Don’t burn bridges. If we decline you and you launch into decline abuse, you will be on the bad list.
*Don’t send multiple stories or simultaneous submissions unless the sub call states it’s okay.
HOW CON: Play the Imagination Game to Inspire Your Writing.
Imagination Game Instructions
• Collect in a little box or bag of miscellaneous random items. Buttons, mini toys, pictures, doodads, playing cards, game pieces, etc… You can have many or one that you choose from.
• Empty the contents of your imagination-inspiring bag/box.
• Look over the contents and let your imagination go. How do these things go together?
Play by yourself: Write a story involving all or some of the items in the bag.
Play with others: Each person should have a bag. Tell each other your stories one at a time, using the props to describe and act out your story.
Play with others with just one bag: Take turns picking out items out of the bag until they are all gone. Then tell each other a story using your items.
Have fun!
When you are done, you can keep the pouch and use it for later
and mix and match items with your friends.
Did you enjoy your Imagination Game?
Share your stories with us!
HOW CON: Baby Steps for New Authors
I’ve spoken to hundreds of authors over the years… new, old, mid-career, famous, struggling, you name it. One thing we all have in common is that we were all once where you are. We know how it feels to submit your first work and wait with high hopes by the mailbox (or email inbox) for that special editor’s reply. We know about declines and how sometimes they seem so crippling, you don’t even want to continue. The other link that many new writers have is they are timid and shy about their careers and marketing the “way the pros do it”. Well here are some Baby Steps to get you started.
1. Convince yourself you are an important writer and have something valid to say. If you haven’t read my other post “Three Ways New Authors Sabotage Themselves”, do it now. Once you’ve accepted your fate as a writer and know you have no choice but to follow your dreams, it will be easier to chip away at making those dreams a reality.
2. Start a List. Lists are your best friend for brainstorming promotion ideas. Carry a little notebook with you to brainstorm while waiting in lines, at the doctor, sitting in the car wash, or while stuck at stoplights. Use every spare moment of the day to work on your craft. Remember, you are a writer. Think of it as a real job. A job you enjoy and will succeed at if you keep working on it. Plus, since most of us have day jobs to pay the bills, this daily brainstorming will keep you inspired to continue your writing career and less frustrated with day-to-day mundane tasks.
3. Research your genre and other authors that you admire to find places you might list your book or things you may provide on your own website to draw readers to your site. It is fine to review or discuss other writer’s work on your own blog in hopes of drawing a crowd of those sorts of readers to your blog, but make sure you are always respectful to the other writers you are speaking about. Also, chat with visitors to your blog. The longer discussions you have, the more people may pitch in. Make sure these are subjects you like and can geek out on yourself. It’s okay to have fun!
4. Schedule time to work on your craft every day. If for some reason your life is too crazy for everyday, make it every week, but do it. Don’t let other things get in the way. Don’t cancel and don’t let others make you discount the importance of your writing ritual. Think of it as a job. If you were at work, you wouldn’t necessarily call in because your friends wanted to meet for cocktails.
5. Network with other writers. Even simple discussions in a Facebook group could lead you to a contact who knows other contacts who will help you advance your career. Don’t go into the conversation with the goal to use people to get ahead… just go and chat. Let the networking happen naturally. If you act like a spammer, bot, or used car salesman, you will be tuned out automatically. You also need to tend to your social needs. We all need to feel like we have partners in this crazy career. Count on others online to fulfill that need if you can’t or don’t feel comfortable chatting with writers in person. Try to go outside your comfort level and chat about everyday events in your writing career with others who are going through the same thing.
6. Don’t get discouraged. We’ve all heard, “If at first, you don’t succeed, try, try again.” Get back on the horse and keep at it till you’ve amassed lots of tries. At least one out of three will be productive. When you aren’t good at putting yourself out there and communicating with people you don’t know, it may seem debilitating, but keep telling yourself it will get easier, and it will.
7. Start a blog to practice writing to your future readers. Who cares if no one reads it right now? If they buy your book and start reading it, they will go back to read your old posts. They will be interested because your book interests them and soon you will have someone to geek out on your book with that loves it just as much as you do. Readers love to see where an author started and how far they’ve come. Don’t deny your fans the experience of traveling with you.
8. Be good to people. Don’t be a jerk. Treat them as your friends, because hopefully, they will be. I’m not saying invite them over to your house for pizza, but you can be personable to them. Some of my favorite writers respond to their fan Facebook messages or Tweets. The more accessible to the readers, the more they will be interested in your work. You don’t have to put on a fake personality (unless that is your shtick) to gain readers. People respond to real. Just like they tell us to write what we know, you should chat about what you know and what you like.
Baby Step Sample Plan
Now you can make your own schedule that works for you, but here I have laid out a sample plan for those of you who don’t know where to start. I have broken it into two groups. Those that have something to pitch and those that are still working on their craft but haven’t published anything yet.
For the new writer who is has nothing to sell yet, but is working on it.
For those of you not done with something to send out, keep writing and finish it. You will never get published without a complete project to pitch when the time is right.
Week 1: This week, scout out 3-5 places where you can link into writers or people who enjoy what your book is about. Example: Writer chat groups on Facebook, forums discussing your book topic, blogs that are writing articles interesting and connected to your book.
Week 2: Start a blog this week. You can get one free at WordPress.com. Start posting at least weekly about your research. You don’t have to share story plots and details, just share what you are researching. Example: “Romantic poetry. A character in my book is a poet. Thankfully I don’t have to be one, but here is what I’ve learned about romantic poetry in the 19th century.”
Week 3: Work on your writing this week. Really push. If you have an hour, make sure it’s a tough, no breaks, no interruptions hour! Get something down on paper.
Week 4: Research this week. Look up your top 5 favorite writer’s websites. Take notes. Write down what you like and don’t like about their websites. Find things that they have done to pitch their work. Make more lists! Brainstorm ideas to push your brand as an author. Example: Are you writing a book series about frogs who fall in love? Ask yourself… what will the website look like? If you were sitting at a fair booth, what would you have on the table as freebies? Toy frogs? Lily pads?
Week 5: Plunge in this week. Pick one story/novel you are going to pitch and research the places you might sell it. Are you going to self publish? Start charting out the steps. Will you get an editor? What will the cover art be like? Do you need a formatter? How much of a budget do you have?
Week 6: Make sure your social media is in check. Do you have a Facebook page? Do you have a Twitter account? Send out messages, make friends, search for people with like interests.
For the new writer who is ready to pitch.
For those of you already published, but are having a hard time drumming up the business you’d like. It is presumed that you have already done all the steps above.
Week 1: Scout out 3-5 places where you can place an ad or message about your book without spamming. There are sites that will list you willingly.
Week 2: Take this week to build your exposure on Facebook and Twitter. Share your life. Not intimate details, but pick something you like to talk about and talk! Example: If your book is about fairies, post links about fairies. Tweet: If I had fairy wings, they would be purple. How about you?
*I suggest that unless you are someone huge like J. K. Rowling, you stick with the normal personal Facebook profile. Making yourself a celebrity before you truly are one by creating a “public figure page”, distances you from fans and makes the readers feel more removed from you. Once you hit the too many friends amount, then you can think about upgrading.
Week 3: Work on your sequel this week.
Week 4: Research to find 3-5 reviewers. Most take digital copies now. Email and make plans to send out your book with the understanding that reviews can take months to post. You are laying the groundwork and hopefully setting up a place where you can return and submit your sequel.
Week 5: Find 2-3 friends or other writers/artists/bloggers/musicians you admire and ask if they would like to swap guest blogs.
Week 6: Research and email 3-5 podcast/radio shows that you can come on and talk about your book.
I believe you can do it. Do you?
Emerian Rich is the author of the Night’s Knights Vampire Series and Sweet Dreams Musical Romance Series. She is the Horror Host for the international podcast HorrorAddicts.net and the Queen of Lists! To find out more about Emerian, go to her website at www.emzbox.com
HOW CON: Three Ways New Authors Sabotage Themselves
Three Ways New Authors Sabotage Themselves
And what to do to stop making the same mistakes
by Emerian Rich
As writers, we have many bad habits that hinder our careers. I am just as guilty as the next author and some of us don’t even know we’re doing it. I’m going to bring to light three self-torturing habits we have, in hopes that we can all help each other stop the madness.
1. We don’t support ourselves.
Sounds weird, but it’s true. We wrote these stories, we love them, but are we going to stand up to the masses and say, “My story is good enough to pay $10 for! Get it now!” Most will back out of this quicker than dodging a trip to the dentist. We are writers and as a rule introverts. We’d rather write the 100 page essay than give the 3-minute oral report. We also sabotage any self-confidence we may have by discounting our gifts. We tend to separate ourselves from “real” authors.
What to do: Stop it. No really, STOP IT!
2. We overuse the word JUST.
I’m not talking editing 101 here, I’m talking about thinking of yourself in JUST terms. I’m JUST self-published. I’m JUST a short story writer. I’ve JUST got one book out. I’m JUST with a small publisher. I’ve JUST sold two short stories. Cut out the JUST! What is the standard you hold yourself to? Stephen King? How many millions of horror authors out there are not Stephen King, but are still living their dream of being respected, valid writers, with something to say that people will listen to? It’s okay to set your sights on the Stephen King ideal, but don’t make it all or nothing.
What to do: Believe in yourself. Believe in your message. Stop JUSTing yourself. Stop discounting your gift. Set your sights high, but reward yourself at every milestone. Keep track of your milestones and look back on them every year. This writing biz goes really fast and you’ll be surprised (if you take baby steps every week) what you can accomplish.
3. We take editor responses, critiques, and reviews too personally.
Yes, our writing is our baby, but the more I’m in this business, the more I realize that it’s all about timing. Most declines have very little to do with the story content. So, what if you’ve submitted your story 57 times and never got a bite? Is it about you? Do the editors not like you? This is true in only the rarest of occasions ie… camping outside their hotel room at Con chanting “Sign me! Sign me!” all night until they give in – probably not a good idea. But to most editors, you are a nameless, faceless number. You’re number 902 in a pile they’ve received to read that month. They are under pressure to get through them all and they are looking for ghost fiction only this year, not zombies. You missed your window. It’s not personal. It’s not even about your writing half the time because they read the title: “Zombie Apocalypse” and because they aren’t buying zombies this year, bam… it’s in the reject pile.
What to do: Make sure your work is as perfect as you can make it so if an editor decides to give you a chance, your writing will stand on its own. As far as reviews go, they are completely subjective. The reviewer could be outside your target audience, against your message, or have religious differences. You may have said MOIST in the first paragraph of your book and from then on they just knew you were trying to gross them out. Every reader takes something different away from your writing. That’s what you want to happen. If you are a self-published author and you didn’t have money for a full edit, expect grammar slams. Expect them to point out errors. Don’t take it to heart. Don’t let yourself get caught up in what you did wrong in the past. And those crazy reviewers that suggest 10 different ways you should kill yourself because they hate you so much? Let it roll off your back. Anyone with that much hate over a book review obviously has emotional issues. Take what reviewers leave with a grain of salt. Try to evaluate it in a removed way, see if there is any truth in it, and then move on. Put out that next book. Do better. Learn from your mistakes and grow as a writer.
Emerian Rich is the author of the Night’s Knights Vampire Series and Sweet Dreams Musical Romance Series. She is the Horror Host for the international podcast HorrorAddicts.net and regularly commits author sabotage on herself. To find out more about Emerian, go to her website at www.emzbox.com
HOW CON! Coming Monday, February 22nd-24th
ALL TIMES IN PST–> But if you join the #HOWCON Facebook Group,
the events will be displayed in your time zone.
Monday, February 22nd, 2021
Workshop and Study Day. Learn from our pros!
9 am: Three Ways New Authors Sabotage Themselves
10am-11am: LIVE EVENT! Concentrated Writing Block
11 am: Writers, Learn What the #NGHW Challengers Learned
12 pm: Baby Steps for New Authors
1 pm: Checklist for Self-publishing – for newbies
2:00p -3:00pm LIVE EVENT! Concentrated Writing Block
4 pm: How to write when you don’t feel up to it
6 pm: Play the Imagination Game to Inspire Your Writing.
8 pm: Submitting Your Short Story
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2021
Live Video Chat Day
11am: LIVE EVENT! Q&A with Emerian Rich
12 pm: Blog from Emz: Getting out of the slush pile and staying out!
1 pm: LIVE EVENT! Interview with Horror Writer Loren Rhoads
2 pm: Blog from Loren: Goal-Setting for Writers
3 pm: LIVE EVENT! Interview with Horror Writer Michele Roger
4 pm: Blog from Michele: Preventing the End
Wednesday, February 24th, 2021
Socialize/Networking Day
10 am LIVE EVENT! Historian of Horror Hour!
11 am Top 10 Things To Remember When Planning a Writer’s Event
1 pm Overlooked Elements of Promotion
3 pm How to Plan a Workshop
5 pm How to Conduct an Interview
6 pm LIVE EVENT! HOW Forum Chat with Kbatz!
Join the #HOWCON Facebook Group,
to be notified of all events as they happen.
The Writing Chamber: The Best Ways to Write Information in Your Horror
When writing a story, it’s really easy to write with “then speak.” What I mean by that is when the story goes:
She walked to the house and then opened the door. Then she looked inside.
This is a very literal example of this writing faux pas, but it happens all the time. Now imagine reading a really intense horror story with this kind of writing. Just from language alone, it’ll change from spooky to boring. As the writer, you want to intensify the creepiness of your horror, not dull it out by how you write it.
By now you’re probably asking how. How do you write a horror while avoiding the use of then? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you can never use this word but as the writer, you shouldn’t rely on the word then to describe your story. Instead, rely on this writer’s rule: Show, Don’t Tell. It’s pretty self-explanatory; show your readers what is happening in your story through descriptive imagery and don’t just tell it. Think of like painting a picture for your readers, so the images of your scenes are clear and detailed.
Keeping this rule in mind, our example from earlier changes from simple to scary.
She walked to the abandoned house of decaying wood and stood there with an uneasy feeling. As she opened the door, she heard the creaking of the rotting hinges. She looked inside.
These two examples tell the same story, yet one is undoubtedly a horror story and the other could be any kind of story. The second example clearly paints the story, giving the reader no doubt what kind of story they are reading. It draws the reader in, having them anticipate what other horrors await. This is why it is best to avoid “then speak” and write with descriptive imagery.
Now that we’ve gone over the basics, there are ways to use descriptive imagery uniquely within your horror. Before I move on, it is important to note that there are more unique devices out there from the one I am about to tell you. I am only giving you a taste of the options and abilities that you have as a writer to help you get started because uniqueness in a story also comes from the uniqueness of the writer, which is why I can’t tell you everything. If I do, it wouldn’t be your story.
One unique w
riting device I am going over is shown through the horror film A Quiet Place, particularly the moment when the audience is shown the whiteboard in Lee Abbot’s office. Keep in mind that this is not a book but a movie, so the storytelling technique is different since the audience is viewing the story rather than reading it. However, looking at the way John Krasinski was able to provide multiple pieces of information in seconds of film is helpful when thinking about writing a story. There has been some speculation on this whiteboard, where people dislike it because they see it as Krasinski taking an easy way out from telling the story. I disagree because the information told through the whiteboard was necessary to understand the story and Krasinski was smart enough to utilize the technique of summary.
In writing it is often the case that writers need to choose what needs to be detailed in a scene and what information needs to be shown through summary. As the writer, it is sometimes better to use summary over scene when artists are dealing with time limits or word counts. However, it is important to note that summary and scene should have a relationship with each other in a story, where one does not overwhelm the other. A story with all summary and no scene could read as too fast moving and lacking details.
Summary can be done in multiple ways, depending on what the writer chooses. Krasinski uniquely decided to summarize through a single shot of a whiteboard. By doing this, the audience not only knows information about the antagonist of the story but we also get a taste of Lee’s character through seeing his survival method that comes into play later on in the film. Now imagining this summary technique in a book, the descriptive imagery involved is not only informational but it is also can paint a clear picture of whatever details you want your readers to see. Thinking about portraying information the way Krasinski did opens doors to us writers as we can imagine various ways to summarize information uniquely rather than simply telling the readers.
All in all, the use of descriptive imagery can go a long way when writing a story, and deciding when to use summary and when to use scene will help you write a well-rounded story that portrays everything that you want your readers to know. Now you can go and make your imagery as spooky and creepy as you want when you write your horror.
Serial Scribbler : Tips This Season From the Serial Scribbler
This season on Horror Addicts, I’m going to focus on how to build your brand, as well as giving you some tips for building your business as a writer. Below is an outline of some of the things we’ll cover. I hope you’ll get something out of it, and let me know how they work for you!
- How to build your brand
- Should I get/be a mentor? What are the benefits?
- Should I give/get critiqued? What are the benefits?
- Pointers for building a successful website, and is it necessary to have one?
- Do’s and Don’t’s for engaging your audience
- Is Self-Publishing for you?
- Should I get an agent?
- What to look for in a publisher
- I got a one-star review, now what?
Have a question for me and would like to have it answered here? Email me at vasquez@stitchedsmilepublications.com! Don’t forget to put “Horror Addicts Question” in the subject title!
************
Lisa Vasquez is an author (The Unfleshed: The Tale of the Autopsic Bride, The Unsaintly) and CEO of Stitched Smile Publications, LLC. She volunteers for the Horror Writers Association as the Publisher’s Liaison and is a mentor to authors both there, and with her own company. Her short stories have been published in several anthologies which can be found both on Amazon or on her website: www.unsaintly.com
My Melancholy Life: Building an Alternative Capsule Wardrobe
This blog post plays well with my spot in podcast #127 so be sure to tune in for more ideas and chatter and as always, please feel free to mail any of us questions or comments via horroraddicts@gmail.com. If you want me to answer specifically, please use “Mimielle” somewhere in the subject line. We always LOVE to hear from you and can often provide several viewpoints and have a good discussion with other listeners, guests and just have fun!
So…on to the fashion talk session this time. A lookbook and DIY section are below, so hang tight after this intro!
Firstly, I mention in the podcast that for Pastel Goths and people who like to mix in lighter colors, this and next year will be your year to find great pieces and accessories in the Pantone colors of the year, Rose Quartz and Serenity, a light pink and pale baby blue.
Pastel Goth Boots via Buzzfeed
Even for us black-lovers, these colors in crystals or gemstone accents can be beautiful so don’t write them off completely! You can read something about the beliefs in the healing and magical properties of simple beautiful rose quartz stones here.
BUT…being the filthy enterprising opportunist that I am I thought, “What if WE alternative wardrobe wearers, seekers and even beginners could use this Normie technique to just sneakily change the way we dress to fit our own style. So between these concepts
-
Minimalism (reason getting rid of things you do not want to wear)
-
DIY (making some things feel more like things you DO want to wear)
-
‘Tidying’ (another reason for getting rid of things you do not want to wear)
your new capsule wardrobe can be born.
Study up, then get to work, Addicts!
You’ll be fabulous on no time, I am certain of it!
The Lookbook Section
Basic Capsule Wardrobe
Romantic Summer Goth
Strega
Summer Nu-Goth
Vintage Inspired
The DIY Section
This time we tackle the Jean Problem…fading blacks:
Black Avalanche for overdying your black jeans black again:
I know, I know that music is….well, have some crackers with that cheese bby. But…the technique is sound.
More in-depth tutorial from Rit Studio using the liquid version.
I also found a video for dying a leather purse…I’ll take on the challenge myself on an ugly-colored one from a thrift shop this summer and let you know how THAT it goes!
When using dye, paint or doing any DIY, ALWAYS be sure you read the CLEAN UP instructions for sinks, your tools and the area, do not re-use the dying pots, utensils, tools or tubs for edibles and wear old clothes or…oops, clothes that you might not mind getting some black on, thereby re-creating the ‘dye and smile’ scenario over and over. It has been known to happen…
I am on the hunt for a dress I can DIY pastel, then use color remover then dye to black as well, that’s a neat trick I have been reading up on so hopefully I will have a lot to report on fashion-wise in our future!
RIT has a new formulation also released to DYE POLYESTER too!! Who knew?!?
More on that later too *makes a note*
You can pick up a copy of Horror Addict’s Guide to Life with many more of my tips, tricks and DIYs in addition to these as well as get a used copy of Ms Kondo’s book on Amazon while you are shopping (for about USD$6 these days by the way) or probably find it in a nearby library now that the demand for perfectly organized wardrobes is a little passé and we have moved back into our comfortable consumerism, already making our decorating haul lists for Halloween and gift lists for winter holidays.
But that article is for another day!
My Melancholy Life: Some Resources and Information About Elder Goths
Hey Addicts, Mimielle here following up on one of the questions we received from June in Dead Mail recently June writes
” I feel like I am too old to turn Goth but I just realized I’ve been one all my life without dressing like that. Now that I am 53, I know that people will think I am odd dressing that way at my age. What can I do to ease into the style without freaking out my conservative friends?”
I had quite a bit to say in episode #126 and here are some of the followup links and resources I promised.
Here is a cross-section of goths over 30, many types, many looks and ways of self-expression!
Some capsule wardrobe ideas including pieces that can pass in the “normie” world as well~
Thrift them, shop your closet, have a friends clothing swap night, maybe they have some secret Goth-y things hiding away!
The free walk-in beauty services my local Sephora currently offers that could all be done with a more Goth twist:
- Smoky Eye, (dark and a bit dramatic)
- Essential Eyeliner (ask for Gothic cat eyes)
- Polished Brows (arch them!)
- Flawless Foundation (the perfected base for anything else)
…and finally, a couple of shots of my ‘eldergoth’ look, from earlier this year. My main style is Gothic Lolita but I range afield into Shiro (white Goth) and yeah, I have me a Stevie Nicks poncho, boots and some swirly skirts too!
To tell you a secret though, I do not feel any more ‘eldergoth’ now than I felt ‘baby-bat’ when I was young and using a sharpie as an eyeliner!
Lagniappe…how a good friend ‘sees’ me in her drawings 🙂
Outré Gifting: What DO you Buy those Odd People in your Life?
We here at HorrorAddicts.net plan to gather up at least a couple of gift lists detailing some lovely swag for the more unusual people in your life this season but I thought I’d first take a moment to write some general thoughts on how to even approach gifting for the more outré people you know before you head out for the upcoming sales. Try to be as thoughtful with what you don’t buy as what you do.
You can post this article to your FB timeline, the photo above to Instagram or Pinterest if you have some people in YOUR life who might just need a little direction or post in a group if you have friends who may need rescuing from the “Normie’s” mad cycle of seasonal giving.
Some people really do find it difficult or frustrating to buy holiday gifts for the more alternative people in their lives. Whether they like to give handmade, specially purchased items or want to go the ‘gift cards, snacks and booze’ route, here is a handy Guide to help navigate the waters safely. This is one place where Google and Amazon are likely NOT going to be your friend because when I searched ‘Goth gifts’ (as Norms are likely to do), oh the CRINGE!
SOME BASICS
Q. Which Holiday do they celebrate anyway?
A. Doesn’t matter and you really don’t need to find out, honest. ‘Happy Holidays’ and a winter tree, snowflake or abstract squiggle on the card works for everyone even if they do not formally ‘celebrate’ a specific winter holiday. A home-printed, hand-cut or drawn black snowflake card if they are Goth should bring a wry smile. BUT…If they say they do not celebrate and do not gift, please respect that and resist the temptation to spill your holiday spirit over onto them. That’s a gift in itself.
Q. Are they vegan, vegetarian, lacto-ovo? Food allergy, Fair Trade, ethically grown, locavore? So confusing…
A. Doesn’t matter, if there are any food questions or issues, do NOT buy them food unless they ask for it and if they do, buy EXACTLY what they ask for or just get something else entirely. Ditto for anything made with animal product of any kind. Just avoid it. Perhaps they like booze or tea?
Q. Do they drink? (Booze, Tea, Coffee, special sodas with natural extracts and cane sugar only?)
A. Buy their favorite…we often hoard it and don’t treat ourselves as often as we’d like to. Having extra means we can enjoy it more frequently and we will think of you when we do! This goes for any consumable, if they buy it for themselves as a treat, they will probably like to receive some more. Do they hang out at a local coffee shop or tea room? Buy them a gift card!
GIFT CARDS & DONATIONS
A handmade card with a gift card, certificate or e-code in it is almost always appropriate, providing you get a gift certificate/card they can actually use.
For Gift Cards, if you can find out:
Their fave online shop(s) (often Indie with a bewildering array of Mysterious Items BUT… usually easy enough to buy E-gift certificates. If you don’t see the option, call or email the shop, they will often accommodate you.)
Their fave Etsy shop(s) (and if they take Etsy Gift Cards)
Where they shop most locally (it might be an independent grocery store, food co-op, natural foods shop, piercing and tattoo place, game shop, book store, bead and hobby shop, fabric store, art supply shop )
Where they like to eat locally. A gift card to a favorite eatery is always a nice indulgence or why not invite them out, ask them to choose the place and catch up on your friendship? That is more in the spirit of the season anyway.
What charities, shelters, help programs, Indiegogo, crowdfunding, art coop projects etc. do they currently support? Where do they volunteer or already donate? You can often easily donate in someone’s name to help a special cause or event that is near and dear.
Example: I’m currently hoping more people will help support Paradiso, and help bring a Lolita event to Kansas City in 2016 and in future years. A gift donation to this would be simply divine! I’ve posted about it on my social media along with supporting WWF so it’s pretty easy to take a look and see what your friends have supported and give a gift donation in their name.
WHAT NOT TO DO
Aside from the biggie mentioned above about not ‘forcing’ people to participate in holiday activities, I will speak more personally here and give some scenarios I am confident I can advise on:
If we are ‘into something’ or collect something, please don’t presume to know what sort of thing within the genre we will like. It is often very specific and includes things you will not know about and usually excludes many things you would mistakenly buy, then we are stuck with the items because….gift.
Example 1: I have a friend who is into Anime, and specifically loves vintage anime…bigtime. 1) His collection is so big I’d likely duplicate if I did not ask him specifically what to buy, 2) If I bought him something from CLAMP (very popular but he does not like them) he would wince more than a little and have to keep it because it was a gift 3) often the series he buys are quite expensive, are a pre-order and we aren’t the level of friends that exchanges that expensive of gifts so I wouldn’t want to make him feel obligated…
Solution: It would be easy enough to find out from his girlfriend where he likes to order his anime from and give him a gift card. Chances are he has a back-list and there is always a pre-order coming up so a gift card of ANY amount will lighten the final bill. It’s personal enough that it shows you know what he likes and took the time to find out where he likes to get it but allows him to choose for himself.
Example 2: I love a certain artist’s work…but only some of it, I am very particular about the prints I like and wish to add…the rest is really nightmare fuel and I don’t want to collect any at all…
Example 3: Several of my friends follow and wear Lolita fashion. I do too and I often THINK I know what they might like as far as an accessory gift but just as often, they are VERY particular about everything they wear and if I got them a Lolita accessory, they would of course wear it to show me they appreciate my gift…but they may not like it at all!
Solution: Find out what kind of sweets or booze or tea they like or get them a Lolita magazine and let them do the choosing for their very individualistic fashion view. It’s also a big part of the fashion to put together the perfect ensemble with carefully chosen accessories. Solution: an Etsy gift card I can use at their shop or in any Etsy shop that honors them.
Also do not be tempted to ‘improve’ or ‘help’ us by giving ‘normie’ clothes to ‘wear when you aren’t wearing your Goth things’, or give us something like a hair salon or manicure gift certificate unless we ask for it! ‘Tis NOT the season for hints, subtle or not! Yes it’s judge-y, and yes we will judge you for judging us.
ABOUT THE HANDMADE
Many people appreciate handmade gifts very much, anything you will make. But many do NOT so…how do you REALLY know? They will ASK you for it if they really want it and TELL you they love handmade. Many people use the reasoning ‘I am making my gifts to give so that justifies my spending on my hobby all year to do so’…yeah, not so much a thoughtful thing to do when you think about it!
I am going to go out on a limb here and do a Public Service Announcement that may not be popular, hence another ‘alternative view’…
“Hey Aunt Sadie, we love it that you keep up with your knitting practice, we respect the fact that you have mad skills and make many items but unless we ASK you for a(nother) knitted (insert that thing you make), please STOP using your giiftees as your excuse to support your yarn habit.” PLEASE TAKE A HINT.
I like handmade from some people ONLY and I have let them know beyond a doubt by either buying some of their items or by my not-so-subtle wheedling…for the rest of the people who might randomly gift me something they make…I like Absinthe….and little cheeses…and indie cosmetics.
Also, if your friend or family member makes things, DO support their creativity by shopping with them if you have friends who do like receiving art, crafts or items made by someone they know or a family member. Yes, it’s almost conflicting advice here but giving handmade/handcrafts, local artist gifts are a subject that needs to be more thoroughly researched if you wish to navigate it correctly so just be prepared to do your homework. Or buy booze. There’s always booze…
Buying for your alternative poppets and Dear Ones need not be an arduous task if you can play detective with even a little sensitivity and when in doubt, please do ASK or go the safe route with a known good gift. And finally, remember that not everyone ‘alternative’ automatically likes Hot Topic… (though some of us still do!)
Addicts, do YOU have any horrible gift stories? I’d love to hear about them so we can all have a good laugh over them now that they are hopefully safely BEHIND us and look forward to better gifting and holiday plans THIS year! Comment your stories below.
HorrorAddicts.net 122, Dario Ciriello
Horror Addicts Episode# 122
Horror Hostess: Emerian Rich
Intro Music by: Valentine Wolfe
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dario ciriello | glass android | mario bava
Find all articles and interviews at: http://www.horroraddicts.net
27 days till halloween
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HorrorAddicts.net 120, Chantal Noordeloos
Horror Addicts Episode# 120
Horror Hostess: Emerian Rich
Intro Music by: Valentine Wolfe
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chantal noordeloos | madalice | found footage
Find all articles and interviews at: http://www.horroraddicts.net
54 days till halloween
chantal noordeloos, babymetal, gimme chocolate, wes craven, a.d. vick, nightmare on elm street, horror news, vampire squirrel, vampire ride, 16 slices, ghost golf, daryn coleman, stephen king, carrie, christine, the stand, phantom of the opera, don post, mask maker, dead babies, alex s. johnson, books, david watson, crystal connor, the darkness, the end is now, IMDB, chris jackson, kbatz, dress your dreams, fashion, d.j. pitsiladis, nightmare fuel, elisa lam, elevators, castle, american horror story, morbid meals, dan shaurette, queen of hearts tarts!, alice in wonderland, lewis carroll, best band season 9, murder weapons, madalice, dawn wood, bless the bitch, midnight syndicate, christmas album, yuletide, jesse orr, grant me serenity, missy, black jack, movies, the taking of deborah logan, found footage, the quiet ones, blair witch, shaky camera, ghost scent tour, scent kit, los angeles, marc vale, advice, stephanie, santa fe, new mexico, self-surgery, dr.frankenstein, chantal noordeloos, angel manor, deeply twisted
Horror Addicts Guide to Life now available on Amazon!
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HorrorAddicts.net 119, Jaq D. Hawkins
Horror Addicts Episode# 119
Horror Hostess: Emerian Rich
Intro Music by: Valentine Wolfe
jaq d. hawkins | more machine than man | slasher movies
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68 days till halloween
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Horror Addicts Guide to Life now available on Amazon!
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HorrorAddicts.net 112, Horror Addicts Guide to Life
Horror Addicts Episode# 112
Horror Hostess: Emerian Rich
Intro Music by: Valentine Wolfe
writer’s workshop winner | lacuna coil | frankenstein: the true story
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201 days till halloween
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