[Conventions] ConDFW 2018 Programming
ConDFW is this weekend. It’s bittersweet having a convention and knowing Bill Crider won’t be there ever again. They also had their Guest of Honor cancel, so it’s going to be weird, but it’s going to be fun (DARN IT!) We’ll make this year awesome yet. Here’s where I’ll be and when.
Saturday is also my birthday! Want to help celebrate? Come to the convention and buy some books – ALL OF THEM! Mine and other peoples! Buy some John Picacio art.
Rhonda Eudaly
Friday
PROGRAMMING 3
Friday, 5pm: Mapmaking for Dummies
Panelists: Christie Meierz (M), Paul Black, Barbara Ann Wright, Rhonda Eudaly
You may not need to draw a map, but to build a world you definitely need to have geography in mind! How do you decide what is where? And where does the “Here Lie Dragons†go? Our worldbuilder panelists discuss. Drawing may or may not happen.
Saturday
PROGRAMMING 4
Saturday, 10am: Crafting a Short Story from Start to Finish
Panelists: William Ledbetter (M), Chris Donahue, Martha Wells, Rhonda Eudaly, Bradley H. Sinor
We bring together a group of successful short story writers to talk about their experience. How do they get started, what inspires them, and how do they polish it after it’s done? These topics and more will be discussed.
READING
Saturday, 12pm: A. Lee Martinez, Rhonda Eudaly
PROGRAMMING 3
Saturday, 4pm: Groupthink and the Art of Collaboration
Panelists: David Doub (M), Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam, Sue Sinor, Rhonda Eudaly, T.M. Hunter, Teresa Patterson
Let the fun begin! Our authors talk about how they get their minds together to write a single work of genius. Is there arguments involved? Is there games involved? What do they do to decide who writes what? Is there even a discussion? Let’s find out.
PROGRAMMING 3
Saturday, 6pm: The Classic Western: How to Create Them
Panelists: Tex Thompson (M), Ethan Nahté, Taylor Anderson, Rhonda Eudaly
The Western has been infrequently seen of late. So, it’s time to brush up on what makes a classic Western! Our panelists talk about gunfights, ranches, standoffs and many other things that may (or may not) be elements of classic Westerns.
Sunday
AUTOGRAPHS
Sunday, 11am: Kevin C. Neese, Rhonda Eudaly
MAIN PROGRAMMING
Sunday, 12pm: The Nuts and Bolts of Print-On-Demand and Indie Publishing
Panelists: Adrian Simmons (M), Catherine Jones Payne, Karl K. Gallagher, Paul Black, Rhonda Eudaly
Sometimes you just have to do it yourself. Our indie publishers tell you some of the tips and tricks you need to know to be able to publish your work your way.
[Pen/Pencil Review] Office Depot TUL Blue Black Retractable
Day Job is busy. My niece’s birthday is today. My birthday is Saturday – people are asking me what I want/want to, and I have no idea. ConDFW is this weekend. AND we’re redoing our living room – so CHAOS!!!! AND, BAD PEN WRITER, BAD… as I was starting to plan my Birthday Pilgrimage to Paradise Pen Company, I find they closed up all shops about a YEAR AGO and I had no idea. So what do I do? I buy more pens – both online and impulsively at a check out. And thank you, Office Depot for keeping the TUL line when you merged with Office Max. Today is yet another TUL retractable.
The TUL retractable pens are about 5.75″ long with the tip retracted and extended. The barrel is black plastic with a navy blue dimpled rubber grip. The clip is metal and sturdy with navy blue accent. The plunger is a solid black plunger. The name of the pen is a simple, navy blue accent. There’s not a ton of squish in the grip, but they’re pretty comfortable.
The difference in this is the blue-black ink. This is darker than the traditional blue that TUL is known for. It’s a quick drying ink that works well on most papers. The color is rich and smooth with a 0.7mm conical tip. I’ve enjoyed working with these pens off and on for a while now, for an everyday pen, they’re in the top five or ten for roller balls.
They were for sale at the cash register when I went in for something else. I had to get it for the SHINY. They had this one blue-black, but also a light blue and pink. There are probably other colors, but hey had me at the blue-black. These are good utility pens. Solid mechanisms with good ink for a decent price. These run about $2 individually.
The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 – These are solid pens. The ink doesn’t skip or blob. The ink is dark and rich. It has a good feel.
2. Grip and feel – 1 – It’s a utilitarian pen. Has a nod to ergonomics with the dimpled, rubber grip. It has a good length with decent balance.
3. Material – 1 It’s a solid plastic and metal retractable pen. The colors are awesome. Very shiny.
4. Overall Design – 1 – It’s solid. It’s utilitarian. It works. SHINY!
5. Price Point – 0.5 – These run between $1.50 – $2.00 a piece, which make them affordable, but I’m not sure how easy they are going to be to get any more other than online. Since TUL was an Office Max “house brand” I don’t know that Office Depot kept them on. Get them while you can, if you can. Or order them online.
4.5 out of 5 Bronze Pencils
[Write the Story] A Middle Class Family Doing Its Best
Prompt: A Middle Class Family Doing Its Best
Words: castle, beetle, Facebook, calculator, nostril, timetable, wireless, stripes, scroll, white
Story
“The only people who’d consider this house a castle would be beetles, and I don’t mean the iconic singing group.”
Diane colored a bit, a combination of anger and embarrassment, her while skin turning blotchy red. She tried to control her nostrils flaring at the complete lack of tact Spencer showed. They’d been looking for a house for a while now without much luck. The Vinn Diagram intersection of what they could afford and available housing plus locations good for commutes, schools, and dog parks was slim at best.
“There has to be more than this.” Spencer gestured widely. “Are those stripes in the paint job?”
“Spencer, stop! You’re the one with the timetable. You were the one on the mortgage calculator.” Diane felt her composure evaporating. “The realtor is doing her best.”
“Right…” Spencer snark was palpable. “Give me a solid wireless signal and I can probably find three better options scrolling through Facebook.”
Diane swallowed a wave of rage. Spencer was generally a good man and father, but today? It’s like he switched brains with their teenage child sulking in the car. Maybe it was a Freaky Friday moment. Or maybe the realtor would kill them all.
Ah living the American Dream. Ain’t it grand.
Word Count: 230
Written: 11/21/17
[Pen/Pencil Review] Funko Pop! Stranger Things Barb Pen
I don’t always go for the useful pens. Sometimes (especially when it comes to Christmas Stocking Stuffers or other random occasions) I go for pens that are just fun/silly/etc. Let’s face it, that’s most of the time. This one was an impulse holiday sale. Jimmy picked it up for me to put in the stocking because of all the feels. It’s a pen from Funko Pop! And it’s a tiny vinyl Barb from Stranger Things on a pen.
This is a novelty pen, so the expectations are not high with pens like this. This one is top heavy, obviously, because Barb stands on top. BARB! It’s just over 6.5†long. The cap can’t post, and it’s a narrow barrel – black with the red Stranger Things logo. It’s not a pen for long-term writing unless you have a small hand.
The surprising part is the smoothness of the black ballpoint ink. The conical tip is smooth. There’s some ink glopping but not bad. It’s probably close to a 1.0mm, but it’s hard to tell.
The selling point is the Barb figure. I identify with Barb so much. I’ve mentioned (except for the pink) that if you wanted to know what I looked like in the 80s? Check out Barb. Kinda want to know what I was like? Check out Barb (except for the eaten by the Upside Down – that wasn’t me). The glasses. The hair. The Trapper Keeper. The awkward and overweight but wants to protect her friend? Totally me at that age and decade.
So I HAD to have this pen. I love this pen. It was on sale when we bought it at BoxLunch – kinda like Hot Topic (they may have been there, too). So I don’t think it was too expensive – maybe $2.00 or $2.50. Hot Topic has the other cast for almost $5… which I know I didn’t pay. So find them cheaper if you can.
The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 It’s works fine, solid ink flow and a decent tip. The cute/identifying aspects are just a bonus.
2. Grip and feel – 0.5 – There’s a nod to ergonomics, but it’s long and not well-balanced
3. Material – 1 It’s a cheesy plastic novelty pen. You get what you pay for.
4. Overall Design – 0.5 – The cap doesn’t post – in fact the cap is probably superfluous. It’s long, oddly balanced, but so much fun you can’t quite NOT use it.
5. Price Point – 1 – It’s not outrageous. It’s $2 ish at Box Lunch on sale. But if I’d had to spend more, I totally would’ve $2 is a good price.
4 out of 5 Bronze Pencils
[Write the Story] A New Take on the Arthurian Legend
Prompt: A New Take on the Arthurian Legend
Words: Avalon, crossbow, orphan, list, comrade, corruption, lake, enfold, disgraceful, grass
Story
“Do we really have to do the whole lake thing?” Avalon asked of the other women. “I know the whole dramatic entrance, hair floating in the water stuff looks cool, but it always makes me sneeze and wheeze. Totally ruins the effect.”
“Next she’ll ask us to not designate an orphan as our champion!” Ursula scoffed.
Avalon crossed her arms defiantly and stomped her foot in the grass edge of the circle. “This is my ritual. My champion. I get to do it my way, right? The list you gave me was a guideline not hard-and-fast, right? I mean, isn’t that where corruption starts?” They left her alone after that.
Avalon brought her comrades together days later to watch her ritual unfold. The SUV sat in the center of the Crossbow Mall parking lot not far from the Capitol. Excalibur – or its current incarnation – was embedded in through the windshield and into the cabin.
Whoever can remove this sword shall be ruler of this country.
The vehicle stood for weeks. People took photos. Made memes. Even posed with the scene. None even attempted to pull the sword. One bystander seemed curious, even touched the hilt then let go. “Who want to run this mess of a country?”
“Disgraceful,” Ursula said.
“I could’ve sworn if I built it, they would come.”
Word Count: 220
Written: 2/18/2018
Note: Written and posted out of order because of a Facebook Meme image I saw and didn’t want to lose the image or the momentum.
[Pen/Pencil Review] BIC 3 Color Pen Plus Pencil
I’ve been quite vocal about my love of fine point pens and pencil. I’m still NOT a fan of the default 1.0mm ballpoints and 0.7mm pencils are okay but… However… sometimes you gotta try stuff when it looks interesting. This 
The BIC 4 color pens have been around for DECADES. I remember getting them mumblety mumblety years ago in school. Little has changed in the BIC 4 color pens. The basic ones all come with red, black, blue, and green ink – the “fashion†ones in some combo of pastels. The barrels might have some different colors, but you knew what you were getting all those years. Last year I talked about the one with the touchscreen stylus (which I still use quite a bit with the fine point refills put into them)>
Well, they did another design change. This one has a 0.7mm retractable mechanical pencil in place of the green ink. So this one is red, blue, black and pencil. Where the others have the stylus or the white nubs, this one has a white eraser under a clear cap The points have gotten bigger but the barrel doesn’t seem that much wider, so yay? This one has a cool white barrel with a gray grip and a translucent mid-barrel and tip. There’s seems to be an attempt at ergonomics but that’s all.
Everything about the pen is functional. It’s not so wide that it’s uncomfortable. The length is good at about 6†long (a touch longer with the point extended). The clip is molded plastic but solid. The eraser and cap seem secure. The ink is typical ballpoint – there’s a bit of smearing with the darker colors if it doesn’t sit for a second. The pencil works well. I’m sure it’s easy to put more lead into the mechanism, but I haven’t had to do that yet.
The Numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 It works. It wrote right out of the package in all three colors and the pencil works well.
2. Grip and feel – 0.5 – It’s a, plastic, no frills pen. It’s hard plastic. The gray grip is more decorative than ergonomic. But it is smooth with no ridges to dig in. It’s got a few nods.
3. Material – 1 For an inexpensive plastic pen, it’s solidly built. The cap and barrel are secure. The logo doesn’t wear off easily.
4. Overall Design – 1 -You know, I like this design for the fact I use the pencil option a lot more than I ever do green ballpoint ink. The classic three colors are solid and useful. Having kind of an all-in-one office pen is kind of nice..
5. Price Point – 0.5 – It’s $4.99 at Target which may seem expensive at first glance, but it will go on sale occasionally and that’s really just $1.25 per color/pencil – which isn’t bad when you take it all in. But in all in one go – you might think twice. If you know where to look online, you can get refills.
4 out of 5 Bronze Pencils
[Pen/Pencil Review] Enter the Spreadsheet
I had super good intentions for earlier today – but meetings and such took care of all of that (including a meeting over lunch). But I’ve actually begun a major pen project that probably should’ve been done years ago when I started this blog.
The bin of pens (and sadly not all of them).
Enter the Spreadsheet.
I’m not an Excel person. There are people who can make spreadsheets sing and dance and even turn somersaults (isn’t that what a pivot table does?) Me? I’m barely functionally literate when it comes to spreadsheets. But… but it’s long past time for me to create a spreadsheet to FINALLY organize the above mess of writing instruments (and the ones not shown there). So, as I said on Facebook over the weekend, I willingly and of my own volition created a spreadsheet – with column suggestions from Jimmy (he’s the dancing spreadsheet guy).
It’s a slow start, but it’s a start!
The plan is to not only find the pens/pencils I haven’t reviewed yet. Perhaps revisit some of the really early pens that didn’t have the more objective numerical rating. Many may be old, discontinued, or what have you – but that could be the fun part of it.
SOME people got all silly and suggested I needed to forgo the spreadsheet and go straight to a database…to that? I just laugh. Spreadsheet is about the best I can make happen.
Darn it, Jim! I’m writer, not a data expert!
But I’m going to try. It’s part of the whole being better this year. Let’s see how it all works.
[Write the Story] Doctors off Duty
Prompt: Doctors off Duty
Words: goose, anatomy, Spanish, pitcher, topography, smoke, homeward, gritty, sailor, salt
Story
“Don’t be a silly goose. No such thing as ‘just Spanish wine’.”
“Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?” Marie reached for the pitcher, letting the breezes from the beachside bar ruffle hair not kept tidy in quite some time. “Goose? My my, Tilda, you’d make a sailor blush.”
Tilda rolled her eyes at her friend and colleague. Sure, they’d gone through at least one carafe, but Marie seemed much more affected. Maybe her anatomy didn’t…No! Stop! No work. They’d finally escaped the hospital after ninety hours of duty for far longer than she could imagine. But now…now they needed to be heading homeward.
“Come on, Tilda. Last call.” Marie pulled everything away.
Tilda blew a raspberry as she drained her glass. She swayed on her feet, making Marie jump to support her friend. They staggered outside and down the boardwalk stumbling in the uneven topography.
In a whiff of smoke marred the salt sea air followed by sirens. Something was burning, something close to the bungalow the two young doctors rented for the weekend. The wind picked up, becoming hotter and gritty.
“We need to hurry, Tilda. Someone may be hurt. We might be able to help.”
Tilda pulled away, suddenly stable and sober seeming. “Will not. We’re off duty and now…maybe we’re free of everything.”
Marie’s eyes went wide. “What did you do? I’ll kill you.”
“Too late. In a few minutes, we’ll already be dead.”
Word Count: 239
Written: 11/8/17
[Pen/Pencil Reveiw] Post Holiday Plans
Last year I did a pen post about the Holiday Haul and the GIANT BOX OF PENS, and this is a continuation. The GBoP is still very much a thing that needs to be gone through, inventoried, etc. Except now is a BIGGER box and plastic (with handles), so that’s a bigger priority (stop laughing).
This is the pen grouping I got this year for Christmas. That’s always a really good start. Play with the new pretties first then start going through the “vintage stuff”. I’ve already had some fun with them and look forward to seeing what I can do with them all.
There’s a wide range of materials here. I already started with the Palomino Blackwing 16.2. I’ll move forward with the rest of them. And yes, if you look closely there’s a Barb Stranger Things pen because…Barb. I totally related to her in the first season, mostly because though she was a little older than me, she and I were VERY, VERY similar. I think I may have had that hair and glasses. I <3 Barb.
And yes, I now have a Whataburger Condiment pen. Plus some other novelties and good pens – new disposable fountain pens, a decent fountain pen, rollerballs, and ballpoints. I did get them all. Again, the thing is to put them to use. I’ll still be working through the Write the Story and the 300 Writing Prompts books from Piccadilly.
Let’s have some fun this year. Looking at new things and older items (there’s a reason I put vintage in quotes most are just old – some are legitimately vintage thanks to gifts and such). Let’s have some fun.