[Toraerie] Fwd: Re: Seeking Autocrating advice for Tor Aerie Event

[ester030 at umn.edu]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 07:49:48 -0500
From: "Kellie Hultgren" <caoilfhionn.ban at gmail.com>
To: "ester030 at umn.edu" <ester030 at umn.edu>
Subject: Re: Seeking Autocrating advice for Tor Aerie Event

Edit...
> We have a few degs with what we had prepared for the Northwatch before, but
> I am unsure exactly what the procedure would be for sending in articles and
> ads and so forth. For ads do we just e-mail in a JPEG? Just the
> information? Is there a place where the size of the ad is listed?

For the Northwatch, you mail in a .doc or other raw data and any
images you want to use, and they format it. I've been pleased with the
ads thus far, too. The Chronicler even sent me a .pdf proof of the
first month's ad. but if you would rather design your own, you should
contact the Chronicler and ask what he needs.

This is the Chronicler page: http://web.northshield.org/officers/chronicler/
This is the Northwatch advertising page:
http://web.northshield.org/officers/chronicler/nwadvertising.pdf

You get two free months of 1/4 page ads. Basically, once the calendar
has accepted my information, I compile it into a short form and add
some promotional language about how absolutely awesome and exciting
the event will be. Check out the current Northwatch for ideas.

Since you're late in October, I'd say that you're fine advertising in
September and October. Your first ad would be due on August 1. If you
want to get a .pdf proof, you might want to try to get it in earlier
than that.

> How do we get space for, say, the short story (though with a style of
> Novels fo the time short is not peticularly period, but that is what I have
> an easier time writing and more likely to catch a modern audience's
> attention as well as gain enough space...)? (Padrig suggested the same
> idea, actually, and I think it is a great idea) Is this something that
> would be better for an internet list or posted to our website?

The serial stories worked really well on the Northshield list, and you
could advertise to the Nordskogen and Nordleigh lists as well. You can
also speak to Mistress Cinniu, who runs the baronial newsletter, the
Quill. She's usually looking for interesting things to include.

You could also make a travel narrative from a Western point of view.
Or, given the period, from a slightly-less-Eastern point of view. :')
Show what someone from the Middle East would have thought, if that's
appropriate.

> Would crosswords, games, or challenges be appropriate? Top 3 Tanka get
> published? (Haiku were not very popular for the period we are going for,
> the Sengoku Jidai, but Tanka were -really- popular and not that much
> different. 5-7-5 7-7) Articles on period armor, games, music, clothing,
> etc.? Is there someone I could contact for a maxium/ideal word count? Would
> these also be better in an interenet format?

I know that the Quill is always looking for material. Just talk to
Cinniu and she'll tell you how much space she has and when she needs
things in. (cinniu at yahoo.com) When I was Nordskogen chronicler, I
loved having games and puzzles to present. Articles would be fabulous.
It's really hard to get good articles for the local newsletters.

It's great that Tanka are more appropriate to the period: people are
very familiar with haiku, but we get waves of it about every other
year. Tanka would be something new and different, but not too scary.

For the Northwatch, again, you'd need to contact the Chronicler and
ask. He's also hungry for articles, but you'd need a higher level of
scholarship because the Northwatch needs longer articles for a more
general audience.

> Thank you for telling me about the proof of insurance. I had wondering
> about that since I looked into a park as a possible site. I have contacted
> the very nice lady at the church to ask if it would be helpful to send
> proof of insurance.

Good. Some sites will be fine with being assured that the SCA insures
us, but with a little planning, it's free to have the certificate sent
to them.

I hope that you hear from Nordleigh! However, the best you get from
them might be attendance, just because so many of their experienced
people graduated. Make a note to ping them in late September, by which
point they will have gotten some new people interested. A .pdf event
flyer that they can print out might be good too, possibly posted on
the event website because lists usually strip attachments.

It looks like things are shaping up well. Excellent!

-Caoilfhionn


Edit...

> >
> >I think you're okay on official deadlines. The one that always gets me
> >is advertising. I'm sure that you know that you get two free ads with
> >the Northwatch, but the ad is due the first of the month before the
> >month of publication. I *always* scramble for this one. It's better to
> >have a bare-bones ad the first month and then enhance it later than to
> >not have one in the newsletter. Get the event on the calendar as early
> >as possible, too. Themed events are things that people will plan for
> >way ahead of time.
> >
> >If you need proof of insurance, you can order that as early as you
> >need to. The SCA will send it directly to the site without informing
> >you, so you should call the site about two weeks ahead of time and
> >confirm that they received the insurance proof they requested.
> >
> >Afterward, be ready to calculate and deliver your non-member
> >surcharges promptly after the event. I stumbled on that one once, but
> >that was before the SCA was picky about it. I don't know what Tor
> >Aerie policy is, but the barony has some post-event deadlines. The
> >only one that would affect you is that borrowed equipment must be
> >returned to the shed within 7 days.
> >
> >Otherwise, deadlines are really flexible. If you have to rent tables
> >or other equipment from a third party, you should set that up early
> >and then call to confirm the rental a week ahead of time. Nothing like
> >having all of your tables double-booked by a wedding!
> >
> >Get change for the cashbox a couple of days early. Unexpected bank
> >delays bit me in the ass at Schutzenfest.
> >
> >If your staff hasn't seen the event site yet, plan a sitewalk about a
> >month or six weeks ahead of time. They'll often come up with questions
> >you didn't know to ask about. Also, it gets you the time to do signage
> >before 2am the day of the event.
> >
Edit...
> >
> >One note on ads: personally, I love to see entertaining content
> >sponsored by an event. That is, I liked it when War Camp I sponsored a
> >serial short story on the Northshield list. I wanted to sponsor
> >Mongolia articles for the Quill's monthly themes because Sfest was
> >Mongolian this year. You could even write some proper haiku for the
> >Northwatch ad, because it will actually fit in the tiny ad spaces!
> >(Beware: the haiku *will* get out of hand. :')
> >
> >All of this takes more time than just pimping the event ad to various
> >lists, but I think that it gets more people excited about
> >participating. That means more new garb, more people, and more
> >silliness.
> >
> >I'd request that you remember to cross-post ads and articles to
> >Nordleigh. Many of their experienced members graduated this year, and
> >they might appreciate the ease of bringing potential new members to
> >this Cool! Themed! Event! They might be particularly interested in
> >Japanese music, if you manage to get the Warwick Consort involved.
> >
> >That's all I can think of just now. If I remember something else, I'll
> >let you know.
> >
> >Best,
> >
> >Caoilfhionn
> >
>
>


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The stars are perfect. Not us. Not us! We are here to ruin ourselves
and to break our hearts and love the wrong people and die." --Ronny
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