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Hodfuffers At Career Day
Author: Furnella Hodfuffer
Date: 02-11-11 15:52
As in past years for the Hogwarts Career Day, AJ has a booth this year and as in past years the purpose is to give budding writers an idea of what goes into being a published author, be the work fiction or non-fiction. He's got some informative booklets on what it takes not to be a writer but to become published. One of the hardest parts, possibly the most difficult step in the entire process is finding a publisher who thinks the author's work is worthy of being published. AJ's also got a booklet on self-publishing for those who wish to go that route or, after struggling to find a publisher, feel that self-publishing is the only recourse.
For those more interested in writing short-stories for magazines and other publications, AJ's got a booklet as well. He's got creative writing exercises, tips on picking a topic, and one booklet is all about how even with works of fiction there can be research involved and how to go about doing that. At the moment he's answering a question about just that. Alaric Beauchamp, a seventh year, had asked, "If the book is fiction, why would you have to do any research?"
"Let's say the author is an American who's never been to Hogsmeade but uses Hogsmeade extensively in the book. No matter how good the story is, would it bother you to keep reading that the main road in Hogsmeade is called Main Street instead of High? It's not a major point really, but with even a tiny bit of research the writer would know the real name of the street and use it."
"So you always have to do research?"
"No, but often even a little helps. For instance, if I were writing a book where the main character works in the Ministry. Even if most of the story doesn't actually take place inside the Ministry, it would help if I took the time to find out about some of the departments and internal organization and even job titles. If I changed up anything for story purposes I would make a note of it to let my readers know, 'Hey, I know this isn't how it actually is. It's changed for plotline purposes,' then my readers would know that I had taken the time to find out how things really are and that what I had written wasn't done simply because of ignorance on my part. Sometimes the readers still don't like the changes but they are more forgiving with their criticisms, or so that's been my personal experience. Another writer might tell you something different."
"I get what you're saying. I started reading a book about a pro Quidditch player but the guy got lots of facts wrong about the game. I didn't read past the fourth chapter."
"Jarvis Hemple? Is that the guy you're talking about?"
"Yeah. His writing was okay I guess but it was things like he arbitrarily decided to have only one hoop per team but didn't explain why. If he'd written as part of the story that it was because of a change in the game it wouldn't have been so bad," Alaric shrugs.
"Jarvis has been around a long time. He started out writing what are known in both the Wizarding and Muggle worlds as bodice rippers. They're very formulaic romances that are more about the love story than about getting facts straight about locations, historical settings, jobs, and pretty much everything else. He has recently switched over to writing sports based novels though he's not changed his approach to writing stories. He and his publisher had a huge falling out over it and Jarvis published the book you're talking about using his own money."
"The copy I had was from the library in Hogsmeade. I'm really glad I didn't spend my own money on it."
As AJ continues talking with Alaric, I'm across the room answering a few questions as well. A boy who I'd seen earlier talking with my nephew Barontaine has come over with a long list of questions about restaurant work including, "Do you get to eat as much as you want?"
Bartholomew doesn't stick around long but I think that's only because he spots Briar putting out more fruit tarts at her booth. After grabbing a handful of food from the plates I've got set out, he scampers straight over to those tarts. I turn to straight a few things on the table when another student comes up. She smiles at me and promptly introduces herself. "Hi, I'm Sophia Hall. I'm wondering if it's difficult to become a head chef and whether someone thinking of going to culinary school should also take business training."
"Nice to meet you, Sophia. It can be difficult to become an executive chef because it's far more competitive than most people might imagine. Some end up opening their own restaurants rather than continuing to fight for a position in someone else's establishment."
"Is that why you did?"
"No, not really. I've always very much enjoyed being a sous chef. The sister that is one of my business partners adores being executive chef and she is technically the one for the Crown & Cauldron. I do work in the kitchen as does our brother who's also a partner but I also do a great deal of running the front, doing the books and payroll, that sort of thing. Lars and Phlagmelina help with all that as well. We also all three experiment with new recipes to put on our menu. As someone who does see to much of the business side of our restaurant, I would most defintely encourage you to get business training. If you were to go to culinary school or get your training as an apprentice with the ultimate goal of having your own restaurant, then you would need to know at least the basics. Even if you paid someone to oversee things like payroll, you should know enough about that to be able to go in behind the person and see if things are on the up and up. You should be able to look at the accounts and understand where the money is going."
Sophia has a long list of questions, which keeps me busy for the next little while. She's pleasant to talk with and truly interested in what I have to say so the time spent speaking with her really flies by and makes that time enjoyable. When Sophia finally thanks me and moves off to another booth, I put out more food on my table and take a moment to refill my glass of spiced pumpkin juice and chat a few minutes with my nieces Hydrangea and Glori.
Joke Items (George)
Author: Majandra
Date: 02-11-11 17:23
"What's it do?"
"What does what do?" George asks.
"That."
"That that or this that?"
"Huh?"
"This that?" George asks picking up the item in his right hand, "Or that that?" he asks picking up the other in his left.
"That that."
George puts down the one in his right hand. He tosses the other back and from from his left to his right. "Ah. Now this. This is a remarkable thing. Truly amazing. I invented it myself. The other is Fred's over there. Brand new both to the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes joke line both of them."
"But what's it do? Gum's the Word? What does that mean?"
"It's a play off the old expression mum's the word. Now sure if that's the final name we'll go with. Still playing around with the naming. Looks like a regular stick of chewing gum, doesn't it? Get a friend to eat it and by the time they've swallowed all their teeth look to be missing. Gum for gums. Now this packet is mixed berry flavored but we've got other gum flavors as well."
"How long does it last?"
"About an hour, give or take. Half a piece lasts about half that long."
"What's the other one then?"
George puts down the pack of joke gum and picks up the other item, which looks much like a bag of some sort of candy. "This is tentatively called Full Of Hot Air. We don't like that name particularly so if you come into one of our shops once these are officially released, it's doubtful that's how you'll find it packaged."
"And?"
"And these looks and taste like a regular minty chocolate drop. Get someone to eat one and the next two or three sentences they say are nothing but blustery, pompous, hot air statements. Say, maybe something like Pomp & Circumstance would be a better name? Hmmmm. What do you think?"
The student peers at the one George has taken out of the packet and is holding out for him to see. "It looks like a little baggie."
"Baggie! That's it. Wind Bags. Oy! Fred! How about Wind Bags instead of Full of Hot Air?"
Fred looks over from the student he's been talking to. "Yeah! I like that better."
George slaps the boy on the shoulder. "For helping with the naming of this, how about free samples?"
"I was going to get a free sample anyway, wasn't I?"
George grins. "Smart one you are. Okay, ten galleon gift certificate and one of our brand new Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes t-shirt?"
"Excellent! Thanks!"
A couple of minutes later the student is happily walking away with all the freebies he would have gotten anyway, a t-shirt, and that gift certificate and George is already talking with another student, this one curious about how the Weasley Twins come up with their ideas.
Gut Feeling
Author: Ethan Somerset
Date: 02-11-11 19:57
Ethan had first wandered into the Great Hall in the early afternoon. He'd wanted to show his support to the students as they explored the various careers in the wizarding world and also personally thank each of the volunteers for participating.
Many of the faces were familiar to Ethan in one way or another, although there were some people there he didn't know at all. One person not present, who had been at several of the earlier Career Days was Dorian Somerset, the man who had raised him, and who Ethan had believed to be his biological father for most of his life.
Ethan had no idea where Dorian was, nor Maren Somerset, for that matter. If they were smart, they would stay far, far away, for if they were ever discovered, they would likely wind up in Azkaban again. Like so many others, they'd been released from prison unexpectedly early during Minister Smythe-Jones' government.
One person Ethan didn't even imagine seeing at Career Day, and yet there she was, manning a table under the heading "Commodity Trading," was Meadow O'Guinn. Ethan was surprised to see her, not only because he hadn't expected it, but because she worked in Knockturn Alley, which wasn't exactly a place he would have any of his students aspire to visit with any sort of regularity, if at all.
He would have liked to have talked to her early on, but she always seemed busy. Indeed, she was a very pretty witch, and on the young side, so she earned the attention of some of the boys. Some of the girls also seemed engaged by her. She had a very personable quality and seemed in appearance the type of grown up witch any young girl might hope to look like one day.
Ethan observed Penn talking to his aunt at some point. The two had bent their heads close together and talked very seriously about some thing or other, but Ethan hadn't been near enough to overhear, and their faces had been turned such that he couldn't clearly read their lips. Not that he was an expert and lip reading anyway.
At last, as the day began to wind down, did Ethan find his opportunity to approach Meadow's table. It had just been vacated by a pair of boys who kept looking over their shoulder at Meadow as they departed her table.
"I wondered when you might pay me a visit," Meadow said. "I saw you watching me. Tell me, Ethan. Do you like what you see?"
"My gut tells me I shouldn't," Ethan replied. He gazed at the pamphlets and other material on her table. Think what he might of her, but she did look as if she had come to Career Day with the serious intention of providing good information to the students.
"All because I had that book in my possession? I told you why I had it to begin with."
"But you didn't tell me why you went to the trouble of breaking into my duplex and taking it back."
Meadow's lips curved into a sly smile. "I didn't break in, don't you know? Your brother kindly used his key."
Ethan folded his arms over his chest. "Be that as it may, it's still a point of interest."
"Penn tells me the two of you have become quite friendly," Meadow stated, changing the subject.
"He's a bright kid. I enjoy talking to him." This was true. There were times that Ethan's forgot that Penn had a creepiness factor to him, and ever since Penn had confessed to accidentally doing Ethan harm, the feeling had not been as prevalent as it had in the beginning.
"He told me about the problems he's been having with his nephew," Ethan went on.
Meadow quirked a brow. "Did he?"
"Not in any great detail, but it did take me by surprise when he first mentioned it. I suppose it's not impossible for an eleven year old to have a much older sibling who has children himself, though."
"Not impossible, no."
"I suspect you are in a similar position."
Meadow looked confused for a minute. "What?"
"Penn's parents must be a bit older than you are. His mother is your sister?"
The confusion left Meadow's face and she nodded. "Yes, she is my older sister." Then she waved her hand and said, "I'm sure you are only asking because you are trying to figure me out and not because you are trying to make pleasant conversation."
"I'm merely curious."
"Save it. I can see the inner auror in you bursting to come out."
Ethan smiled. "I can't help but feel like you know much more about me than I do about you."
Meadow shrugged. "You've had a rather public past. Hell, I've never even been to prison, and you've been twice."
"You have been doing your homework."
"How long are you planning on interrogating me today, Detective Somerset?" Meadow queried, placing her hands on her hips in a defensive manner.
"On the contrary," Ethan replied. "I haven't been interrogating you. Besides, it looks like a few of the students of the male persuasion would like some last words with you before you go."
Indeed, a few teenage boys were standing around, waiting for Ethan to leave. Possibly, they thought he was trying to horn in on the beautiful Meadow.
"I welcome their interruption," Meadow replied, and she shot them each a winning smile.
Ethan chuckled and walked away. He really didn't like that woman, and he couldn't really put his finger on why that might be.
Siblings At Career Day
Author: Travis
Date: 02-11-11 20:11
Travis puts out more samples of mint jelly and rose petal jelly then turns to see which types of tea samples are running low. So far this Career Day has been much like the others she's taken part in. Students of all ages as well as a number of staffers have come by the booth to get whatever free stuff Travis brought this time. Mixed in there have been a number of students with questions about herbology, running a shoppe, and what made Travis decide to open Botanicals & Beyond. In addition to those questions, Travis has fielded ones from a handful of students who seem to have a real interest in becoming herbologists or shop owners or both. The most recent question from a student with a real interest was, "How do you decide what to sell in your shoppe?"
It's a question Travis has been asked in the past and it's one she still finds somewhat difficult to answer. "I can't speak for how others make that decision but for me it's a combination of paying attention to what seems to be trending, listening to customers, tracking sales in the shoppe, instinct, and not being afraid to try new things nor being afraid to stick with old favorites."
That had led to, "Why would someone be afraid of sticking with old favorites?"
"There are some who firmly believe that to stay on top a shoppe should mainly carry whatever is new and hot and products that are prjected to be future top sellers. I think that it just all depends on the shoppe's focus, where it's located, and who its customer base is. Take the lines of teas I carry. Some of the most popular are ones that have been favorites for decades. They move off the shelves at a steady rate so while I do offer the different, the new, and the unusual, I'm not about to undercut my profit by not offering those old favorites."
While Travis was having this conversation, across the room Indigo is pulling a thorn out of a cat's paw. She had been limping part of the afternoon but her owner couldn't see anything wrong. When it got to the point that the cat didn't want to put any weight on the paw at all, her concerned owner had scooped her up and brought her into the Great Hall knowing that a veterinary healer was on hand as part of Hogwarts Career Day 2005.
After close inspection of the paw in question, Indi located the problem. From there it was just a matter of borrowing a couple of things from Madam Pomfrey and Indi had plucked the thorn from the cat's paw. Her greatful owner offered Indi some coins to pay for his services but Indi declined. "Let's call this one on the house. Owl me if that paw seems to give her more discomfort."
This earned him a huge smile and profuse thanks. It had also captured the attention of a couple of students who'd come to Indi's booth to ask about veterinary healing. In addition to the questions they already had they wanted to know things like how did Indi figure out it was a thorn when the cat's owner couldn't see anything and is there a chance of infection?
After those two have finished their questions and moved on, Indi heads to the refreshment table where there is an assortment of sandwiches. He's had a few through the day and has eaten at least one of everything else offered and he's made the rounds of the other booths to sample snacks offered by a number of them. Still, he's hungry again and the sandwiches are really good. He grabs two different sandwich halves then turns to go back to his booth.
As Indi turns he nearly bumps into Philippa Fox. It's the first time he's seen the seventh year today, which is something of a surprise. She's one of Anne Kendrick's best friends and he would have thought Anne would come by to see him several times today, with Philippa and Zabrynna Ravensdale in tow at least a few of those times. Seeing who it is that nearly hit her, Philippa's frown turns into a smile. "Hi, how are you? Having a good Career Day?"
"Hi, I'm good. The day has been pretty good. I've answered lots of questions, handed out pet care information, and given out lots of the items I brought today, like cat collars and owl treats."
"I'm just getting started going around. I hope I haven't missed out on any of the freebies. Sometimes booths run out. Anne said to tell you she hated not getting to remind you she's of legal age and you should seriously reconsider your no dating Hogwarts students rule."
Indi can't help but chuckle at that. "I'm surprised Anne isn't here telling me that herself."
"She had planned on it but there was a death in the Kendrick family so she left last night. The funeral was this morning in Toronto and her immediate family was asked to sit in on the reading of the will, which was this afternoon. She'll be back this morning."
"That's too bad. I'll be sure and send a card or something."
"Zabrynna and I got an earful at supper last night about how much Anne hated not getting to see you today. Are you really going to take her on a date after we've graduated?"
"That's the plan."
"Because Anne is one of my best friends and I don't like the idea that you might just be stringing her along for some reason."
"It's good you're looking out for your friend. I not deliberately stringing Anne along. I do like her but as I've said all along, I don't think that with the age difference, which isn't all that great I know but it's enough, that I should date her while she's still a student, legal age or not."
"Good to know but do keep in mind that if you do break Anne's heart, you'll have to answer to Zabrynna and me."
"I will definitely keep that in mind. Speaking of Zabrynna, where is she?"
Philippa gestures to the Great Hall as a whole. "Here somewhere. We came in together but I was famished so wanted to get a sandwich before doing anything else. Without Anne to drag us here first thing, Zabrynna and I have been really good, holing up getting in lots of studying, taking practice NEWTs, making notecards, that sort of thing."
"Not a fun way to spend a Saturday but with this being your NEWTs year, it's an unfortunate necessity to do lots of prep work. I'd best get back. Swing by if you want some of the free things I brought. Zabrynna too."
"Oh, I know I will. See you in a bit."
Indi nods and starts to walk off, stops, reaches to grab one more sandwich half, which he then raises in a cheers gesture at Philippa before walking off, taking a bite of it, savoring the tasty flavors of tomatos, cheese, pickles, and chicken.