desmoinescon – Keith Hedger's Home for Fiction

Des Moines Con AAR

First things first, I chose to take Friday off and make a weekend of the Con. And, as it turned out there’s a writing/creative track, which is now part of several of the Nerd Street conventions. So I took advantage of the panels, learned quite a bit at all of them, got to hear what is probably the most outrageous romance story about Thor ever (at a panel about writing adult material, specifically romance and violence). More importantly, I met up with friends, made some new friends, and made some contacts in the writing world.

Des Moines Con did a great job coordinating all the panels, and making sure everyone had the multimedia and support they needed. All of the panels I attended were both fun and educational, including panels about costuming for wrestlers (it gave me some great ideas for characters’ outfits in stories and considerations for where they might were specific types of materials, outfit styles, and color selection), a panel about how to produce ‘zines (those mini magazines that pop up in various places), and, of course, the intersection of comics and wrestling.

I also attended a 1 hour short story work shop, business panels for writers and comic book creation, a library panel and how libraries are relevant, a book in a month panel (Red did a great job with this one!), and the Writing After Dark (18+) mentioned above, Creating your own magic system to keep it coherent, a craft of writing panel, short story creation and opportunities.

My panels on fitness for the time crunched creative and all the things I wish I’d known when I started writing had small but interested and active participants who made both sessions more fun and valuable!

So, I’ll be going to other Nerd Street conventions, and I’ll definitely be back at Des Moines Con next year! I hope to see you there!

Upcoming Events and Future Plans

It’s true. I’m only held back by the need to sleep, have a day job, physics and law enforcement!

First things first: I’m working edits and story selection for Tales of the E4 Mafia 2, and Butter Bars! Large and (not so) In Charge! These are the next two anthologies from Henchman Press that I’m leading, and so far the stories are hitting all the marks: irreverent, action packed, funny, and, most important, good reads. I’ve even got a story set in my Burn and Bad Karma setting that takes place in the events in Sandblaster written by a friend of mine. It’s got a bit to go, but it is so funny. So, I’ll keep you posted as we get these anthologies closer to the publication mark.

Next, I’m presenting at Des Moines Con! I’ve mentioned this a couple of times, but I’ll repeat here:

On May 31st, at 11 AM, I’ll bein Panel 4 (Rooms 313-314) presenting Fitness for the Time Crunched Creative. This is for anyone in the creative world (fan or creator) who wants to improve their basic health and fitness, but doesn’t have the knowledge of what small changes to make or how to make them a habit so that they keep improving! No one will have to do burpees, but I’ll talk about hydration, better nutrition, sleep, exercise basics and how to make your medical team part of your fitness team.

On June 1st, at 3:45 PM, in Panel Room 3 (Rooms 315-316) I’m presenting Everything I Wish I’d Known When I Started Writing. We’ll cover productivity, editing, the importance of covers, networking and finding your community, building a fan base, and all the questions the audience has. If I can answer it, I will. If not I’ll direct you to other sources who are more knowledgeable.

If you want to see the full schedule of panels and events at Des Moines Con, please go to the Schedule Link!

And, finally, in a move that is terrifying, I’m working on a script and schedule for creating a video channel! This might be a couple of weeks before I have the first video up (I have a lot to learn, including video editing software), but it’s coming soon. Since I’ve posted it on the internet, now I have to do it!

Let me know what your interested in most!

Everything I Wish I’d Known When I Published My First Book

This is so accurate.

I’ll be hosting a panel on June 1st at Des Moines Con with this title. But I thought I’d sit down and share with you all some of the lessons I’ve learned and things I’m still working through as I develop as a writer, author, editor and understand the fiction business better.

First things first, I published my first story, Easy Jobs, on 13 December 2016. Since then, I’ve published three additional stories, contributed to four anthologies, and edited a military science fiction anthology (Tales of the E4 Mafia) with Henchman Press.

To say the least, I’ve learned a lot.

First, I have to sit my butt in a chair and put works in a document every day. Let me say that again: Work on new stories every day. I have a day job, a house, my wife, my daughter and her kids, and my fitness that all need my attention, but if I want to succeed as an author and writer, I have to create new stories every day.

Second, editors are your friend, even when they say things you don’t like. I’m an adult, and I know my writing isn’t perfect. But sometimes when Krystal, my editor, says somethings wrong, or a character doesn’t have a consistent voice, or I’ve got two characters who sound like the same person, it hurts a bit. What I remind myself of is that Krystal is helping me make the story the best it can be. That’s what we want, as writers. To provide our readers with the best story we can at the point we publish it.

Third, productivity is good, and publishing more is good. I’ve got a series of short stories and novellas on my storage that hasn’t been published anywhere. Some of it helps develop Burn and Bad Karma. Other parts develop the world Burn and Bad Karma live and operate in. One story was a response to a challenge from a romance writer to write a romance story.

Yes, I wrote a romance story. Two people, other than me, have seen Date Night.

What I’m going to do is combine those short stories into anthologies so I can get them in front of people who already like my stories. Because they deserve more stories they like, and I want to write more.

Fourth, marketing my stories is a critical piece of all this. If I can get my stories in front of people who want to read stories like mine, we all win. If the stories are good enough, those readers do two things. First, they become fans, and second, they share my stories with their friends. More people get to read more stories they like, I get to write more stories. Last, those fans might become friends of mine. And who doesn’t need more friends?

Alright, I hope that helps clarify where I’m at, what I’ve learned, and what I’m trying to do as I get better at writing, being an author and learning the fiction business.

Leave a comment about what questions you have for me, and what you want to see more of from me!

Updates and Upcoming Events

Life, family and writing have all gotten busy lately. I’ll update you as best I can!

The signing event at Pella Books during Tulip Time was successful. I sold a couple of books, met some really great local authors, and ate too much ‘fair food’ while I was up town. This annual event is always enjoyable, and it’s a great chance for me to get to know more local creatives, and meet people in the local community.

I finally got a box of author copies of Moving Target with the new cover by Tiffanie Gray. Unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to unbox the new books yet due to other issues going on.

We received sad news that The Curiosity Shop is closing at the end of the month. They’ve been great to work with, and their shop will be missed by many of us!

I’ve gotten started on story selection for Tales of the E4 Mafia 2 and Butter Bars! Large and (Not So) In Charge, but it’s been slow going between work and other issues.

Unfortunately, a family member has had a significant health issue, so the last few days have involved a lot of time in a hospital and tracking what’s going on.

Last, I have dates for my panels at Des Moines Con!

May 31st, 11 AM in Rooms 313-314 : Fitness for Time Crunched Creatives, where I’ll give tips and advise for writers, creators, fans and anyone else who’s overworked and still trying to improve their health and fitness!

June 1st, 3:45 PM in Room 315-316: Everything I Wish I’d Known When I Started Writing – this is a panel for people getting started on their writing journey, looking for ways to progress, what marketing is, why editing your work is far more important than you think, and why you should not take Mom’s word that your story is brilliant, among many other lessons I’ve learned (far too often the hard way!). I’m even developing a presentation for this one!

So, there you have it and thanks for reading this far! I hope you’re all doing well. Reach out or comment if you’re having a busy time, and how you handle it when things feel like they’re all happening at once!

Upcoming Events

So, I’ve got a few upcoming events:

First I’ll be signing books at Pella Books from 4 – 6 PM CST on the 1st – 3rd of May during Tulip Time in Pella, Iowa. If you want to meet up, come see me there. I’ll probably be around for some other time slots, so I’ll keep you posted! Also, if you like gardening, tulips, Dutch foods and events, or Pella, Iowa in general, come out and check the place out!

Next I’ll be presenting a couple of panels at Des Moines Con. As soon as the event schedule is posted, I’ll provide dates and times, but I’m presenting “All The Things I Wish I’d Known When I Started Writing” and “Fitness for Creatives”. More information when I have dates, times, and data. Des Moines Con is a great event, so check it out!