Shore Leave 38 - Sunday

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Sunday July 17, 2016

Finally. The last blog post about Shore Leave 38. And it's a good thing, too, because we're only days away from the start of reservations for Shore Leave 39!

Sunday always feels like a let-down. Vendors are starting to pack up, the art show is over, and the guests are hauling luggage out of their rooms to load their cars and check out. Still, there are a number of activities in progress.

Many of the actors and actresses were still around signing autographs...

John Noble signs a picture for a fan

Michael Trucco doing the same

There were interviews being done.

Star Trek actor Anthony Montgomery
being interviewed at Shore Leave 38 

Starting at 1:00 PM, I attended three writing workgroups: Building an Anthology, Wrapping Up a Series, and Connecting with Readers in the Modern World.

Building an Anthology

  Panel members:

•     Michael Jan Friedman
•     Joshua Palmatier
•     Phil Giunta
•     Mike McPhail

A lot of the discussing in this workgroup concerned the flow of the editing. They also talked about what they look for when accepting work from authors for an anthology. The major points given were to:

1. Read and follow the guidelines
2. Make sure your take on the theme is unique

The unique part may be what will get you in. If two (or more) authors submit a story following the same idea, the editor will most likely take the story from the writer they know they can work with or has the biggest name draw—even if there story is not as good.

One bright note for beginning writers is that often the best stories come from unknown writers and not the big names. It's good to hear they are at least reading our work!

Wrapping Up a Series

  Panel members:

•     Russ Colchamiro
•     Michael Jan Friedman
•     T. J. Perkins
•     David Harten Watson
•     Danielle Ackley-McPhail
•     Jo Graham
•     Kelly Meding

I've never written a series, but they are very popular among readers. The authors emphasized that the writer should know what they want to accomplish with a series and makes sure they resolve the primary story line at the end. When they do, the series is complete no matter how many parts/books it requires. You want to take the reader on a journey, but make sure each book resolves itself for that installment or it will leave the reader dissatisfied. Don't try to hold the reader hostage to the story requiring them to get the next one to resolve the issues of the current story.

Connecting with Readers in the Modern World

This was without a doubt the most boring and worthless panel I attended. Yes, social media can come back to bite you. We know that. There was little else of value. I'll make a note to avoid this group should it be offered in the future.

After the workgroups finished, I caught up with my cohorts and went down to listen to Michael Trucco. He has a lot of stories and a great voice with which to tell them. He mentioned that he likes (or would like) doing period pieces where he gets to dress up in costume. Getting dressed for a part—even if it's just a business suit—is part of the process he goes through to prepare for a role. I can certainly see him as a pirate. Yes, he would make a good one...

Michael Trucco answering questions
at Shore Leave 38

Michael Trucco receives his Shore Leave "bunny"

That's all for Shore Leave 38! Thanks for reading!

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It'll be a while before I start writing about Shore Leave 39. In the meantime, you can read my story, The Song of Aiden, in Human 76 - a post-apocalyptic, shared-world anthology! Note: The proceeds for this book go to the charity Water is Life.

Check #Human76 on Twitter for news!

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© 2016 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Shore Leave 38 - Saturday - Pictures and People

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Sorry for the diversion. Now, back to the happenings at Shore Leave 38...

...and yes, it seems like ancient history by now.

Saturday July 16, 2016

After getting my picture taken with Barbara Bouchet and Michael Forest, my group went downstairs for the talks given by Karen Gillan and John Noble.

Karen Gillan

Although I had seen Karen in Doctor Who (as Amy Pond) and in Guardians of the Galaxy (Nebula), I really didn't know much about her. She has done a lot of work, and much of it is sci-fi. Unfortunately, I had trouble getting a good picture of her. There were lots of questions about Doctor Who, of course, and the usual ones about her favorite roles and similar things.

Karen Gillan answering questions
Shore Leave 38, Hunt Valley, MD.

Karen Gillan about to receive her "Bunny" award.

After that, it was time to grab a bite to eat. Once we finished, we waited in the foyer area where many of the actors and actresses were signing autographs. Below are Zoie Palmer and Anthony Lemke.

Zoie Palmer (Lost Girl / Dark Matter)
and Anthony Lemke (Good Witch / Dark Matter)
at Shore Leave 38, Hunt Valley, MD.

John Noble

John Noble was the next speaker to take the stage. I knew him mainly for the few episodes of Fringe I had viewed, but like most actors and actresses, I'm seldom familiar with their full range of work. Many of the questions for John were about Fringe and Stargate, though he did relate a good number of personal stories. He was one of the more entertaining speakers at Shore Leave 38.

John Noble answering fans' questions.

John Noble getting a laugh from one of his fans.

At the end of John's talk, they auctioned off a property deed for charity. The "deed" was for Moor Land Homes at Amy Pond. A fitting location since Karen Gillan was in attendance!

John Noble holds up the prize
for the charity auction at Shore Leave 38,

That's all for now. I'll wrap up the happenings at Shore Leave 38 in a future post!

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In the meantime, you can read my story, The Song of Aiden, in Human 76 - a post-apocalyptic, shared-world anthology!

Check #Human76 on Twitter for news!

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© 2016 K. R. Smith All rights reserved