Halloween Zine
Oct. 10th, 2021 08:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rynlingI've got a short story called "Ms. Weaver's Halloween Candy" appearing in a Halloween-themed zine called Midnight Gathering.
This is a Stephen King style take on the trope of the "creepy older woman," by which I mean that it's more about character-driven family drama than it is about violence and shock value. The protagonist is a fourteen-year-old girl who's trying to deal with a rough patch in her life by investigating a rumor that a woman in her neighborhood makes her Halloween candy out of cats, and she inadvertently discovers that what's actually going on is much more sinister. As someone who tends to root for the villains, I did my best to portray everyone involved in the most sympathetic light possible while still imbuing the story with a sense of creeping dread, and I'm very proud of the ending.
I started becoming interested in the Minotaur myth in 2017 while exploring Hyrule Castle in Breath of the Wild, and this is the first original story I've written that references it. I'm not sure how successful my allusion to the myth is in this piece, and I consider its inclusion somewhat experimental. I'm the sort of writer who has to tell the same story in a dozen different ways before I feel like I understand it, so it's something I'll definitely return to in the future.
This is not my first piece of original fiction to be published, but it's the first that's going to appear in print (fingers crossed). Perhaps 35 is a bit old to be celebrating this, but whatever. I was publishing nonfiction during my twenties, and the paths people take through life aren't set in stone. It does feel a bit strange to be the "old" person in the room on zine Discord servers, but it's also quite nice to see my writing appear alongside the work of up-and-coming artists who contributed a ton of unique and interesting illustrations to the publication.
This is a Stephen King style take on the trope of the "creepy older woman," by which I mean that it's more about character-driven family drama than it is about violence and shock value. The protagonist is a fourteen-year-old girl who's trying to deal with a rough patch in her life by investigating a rumor that a woman in her neighborhood makes her Halloween candy out of cats, and she inadvertently discovers that what's actually going on is much more sinister. As someone who tends to root for the villains, I did my best to portray everyone involved in the most sympathetic light possible while still imbuing the story with a sense of creeping dread, and I'm very proud of the ending.
I started becoming interested in the Minotaur myth in 2017 while exploring Hyrule Castle in Breath of the Wild, and this is the first original story I've written that references it. I'm not sure how successful my allusion to the myth is in this piece, and I consider its inclusion somewhat experimental. I'm the sort of writer who has to tell the same story in a dozen different ways before I feel like I understand it, so it's something I'll definitely return to in the future.
This is not my first piece of original fiction to be published, but it's the first that's going to appear in print (fingers crossed). Perhaps 35 is a bit old to be celebrating this, but whatever. I was publishing nonfiction during my twenties, and the paths people take through life aren't set in stone. It does feel a bit strange to be the "old" person in the room on zine Discord servers, but it's also quite nice to see my writing appear alongside the work of up-and-coming artists who contributed a ton of unique and interesting illustrations to the publication.
no subject
Date: 2021-10-11 01:31 am (UTC)https://midnightgatheringzine.bigcartel.com/
They don't have a contributor list or anything, so I'm like 99% sure but wanted to verify.
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Date: 2021-10-11 02:08 pm (UTC)I'm going to be honest and admit that I'm not sure my story is worth paying $25, and I'd be happy to share an advance copy of the digital version of the zine when it's available. Thank you so much for your interest and support, seriously!
no subject
Date: 2021-10-12 10:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-10-12 12:42 pm (UTC)The issue is very silly. The print versions of the PDFs are giant files, with each page being 300dpi resolution in CMYK color mode. Adobe Acrobat can switch the color mode for the entire file and compress its size, but it looks like garbage. For the minicomic zines, I just redo each page by hand, and I’ve got digital versions up on Gumroad for free (here). For the flash fiction zines, I would need to put everything into a vector-based program like InDesign so that the text remains sharp (and legible) regardless of the color mode or file size.
And I hate InDesign. I really and truly hate it. I hate it so much that I actually assembled the flash fiction zines page by page by page in Photoshop, which is the sort of insane thing that an insane person does.
I’m sure there are alternatives, but I am lazy.
I think it’s about time to put on my big boy pants and figure this out, though. Thanks for prompting me!
Also, you have my apologies if I’m explaining things you already know. If you’re aware of a better software to use, please let me know! Cost isn’t an issue (within reason), and my main concerns are ease of use and compatibility with the current version of Windows.
no subject
Date: 2021-10-12 09:30 pm (UTC)