Weekly Posts from The Horror Tree for 1/28/22
Jan 28, 2022 10:26 pm
Hi there,
Word of the week: Meliorism- the belief that the world gets better; the belief that humans can improve the world
It’s that time of the week again. Welcome back for our collection of some of the best articles and fiction from around the web. Women in Horror Month begins next week, so I hope you’ve all got your book lists ready. I’d also like to highlight women in horror each week in the free fiction round up, so if you identify as a female and publish (or have published) something free to read online, or you know of another amazing female author who has, please let me know so I can share!
If you are new to women authors, or you aren’t sure where to start, Ladies of Horror Fiction is a fantastic site with a ton of resources. Additionally, in October, The Lineup posted this article with a list of 25 female horror writers.
As always, you can find me (Holley Cornetto) lurking on Twitter @HLCornetto. Now, onto the latest articles on writing from around the web.
Horror Tree / Trembling With Fear Update (This section updated by your fearless editor and chief, Stuart C.!):
Hi there! I just wanted to quickly chime in on a couple of things. The FIRST and most important is that starting on Tuesday is Women in Horror Month! We're eagerly looking for guest posts from women in the horror community. Authors, reviewers, editors, readers, fans. If you have a topic that you'd like to talk about, we'd love to share it with our readership! Please reach out here at contact@horrortree.com or use our contact form.
Lastly, another HUGE thank you to our supporters over on Patreon old and new! THANK YOU! You've come through. We had recently lost a couple and those losses have now been replaced. You really do keep the site running and are vital to our continued existence!
This week's newsletter sponsor:
Generation X-Ed is coming out this month and is inspired by the lives of those who are known only as... Generation X...
Articles:
This week I found several articles on the business side of writing to share with you all, but before we get to those, Writer Unboxed published an excellent article on authenticity in your writing. This article contains valuable advice on how to deepen your writing in terms of emotional complexity and how to make actions and feelings more realistic. For the business section, we have another article from Richard Thomas, this time about when and why some authors choose to use pseudonyms. There is also a Jane Friedman article regarding online event hosting, and finally, an article from diy MFA with tips for those of you considering self-publishing.
Craft:
Writer Unboxed: Finding the Path to Authenticity
Business:
LitReactor: Storyville: Reasons for Creating a Pseudonym
Jane Friedman: How to Plan and Host Worthwhile Online Book Events
diy MFA: My Top Tips for Self-Publishing Authors in 2022
Free Fiction Roundup:
This week I’m starting with a piece called “Walk” by Scott Miller that appeared at Metastellar. The beginning of this story disorients the reader and leads to a surprising conclusion that I didn’t see coming. “Silo” by J.S. Distefano was an interesting take on an apocalyptic tale. This story was beautifully written, and by the end, I wished it was longer for the quality of the prose alone. “Custom Welding” by Maura Yzmore had a nasty surprise at the conclusion. I found myself curious and attentive as the narrative wound its way to a conclusion. The last story I’m including is from Catapult, called “Elmo’s Struggle.” This story was a wonderful mix of emotional and philosophical turmoil, with just a hint of whimsy. I absolutely adored this story.
Now, on to the fiction:
“Walk” by Scott Miller. Metastellar.
“Silo” by J.S. Distefano. Metaphorosis.
“Custom Welding” by Maura Yzmore. Wyld Flash.
“Elmo’s Struggle” by Lindz McLeod. Catapult.
If you post any writing content during the week and think it would be a good fit for us to feature, do reach out and let us know at contact@horrortree.com
Thank you Patreons! As always, the site's lifeblood is in your hands and we truly appreciate your support.
Looking To Help Horror Tree?
Here are the main things we're looking for:
- Advertising and either Site or Contest sponsorships!
- Someone to help create videos for social media (we have tools, but not time!)
- Article writers (articles, interviews, reviews, crowdsource compilations, etc.)
- Sharing guest posts with us or reaching out for us to be a blog tour host.
- The obvious one here is also to become one of our Patreons!
If you're interested in contributing and think you have something that would help out PLEASE don't shy away from contacting us! (contact@horrortree.com)
🗒️ Taking Submissions: Human Monsters (Early Listing)
Submission Window: February 15th-March 15th, 2022 Payment: $0.08 per word Theme: Human Monsters, Horror A new horror anthology edited by Sadie Hartmann and Ashley Saywers of Night Worms.
“Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too.
They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.
” -Stephen King Dark Matter Magazine is proud to announce our first foray into trade publishing with a new horror anthology edited by Sadie Hartmann and Ashley Saywers of Night Worms.
The anthology will include at least 80,000 words of new horror fiction curated by Sadie and Ashley, and the book will be included in a future Night Worms book box.
The tentative publish date for the anthology is October 2022.Submission Guidelines From Sadie and Ashley: We are looking for stories centered around one of our favorite sub-genres, Human Monsters....
🗒️ Taking Submissions: Vampires And Such
Deadline: May 31st, 2022 Payment: $5 Theme: Vampires In celebration of the 125th Anniversary of the first publication of Dracula, the grandaddy of them all, we are courting vampire stories of all kinds.
So, send us your very best vampiric tales – gothic, contemporary, speculative – chill our bones and have us panic-buying garlic and wooden stakes… PLEASE read and adhere to our submission guidelines… * Word format saved in .
doc, or .
docx * 12 pt times new roman * Double spaced * Absolutely NO extra lines between paragraphs!
* 4K- 10K word count (although we are incredibly flexible for awesome stories!
) * Write ”VAMPIRES’ along with your name and story title in the header of your email *The body of your submission email will be considered the cover letter.
* The submission documents are to be separated and Word (.
doc or .
docx) documents are to be attached to your submission email.
To submit, email your polished story to submissions@hellboundbookspublishing.com – Make sure that you check your mss for grammar and punctuation, use our guidelines to help you: DOWNLOAD YOUR HBB GUIDE TO GRAMMAR HERE (PDF) Deadline: 31 May 2022 Payment – $5.00 for first rights.
Capped at 120K words in total.
Via: Hellbound Books Publishing.
🗒️ Creation of an Original Monster for a Book: Rules to Follow
Creating an unusual monster for a book can be a complex process that requires a lot of time and effort from the author.
Find valuable tips in this review and create a creature that you will not be ashamed of.
🗒️ Taking Submissions: They Come by Night: Original Vampire Stories Based on Traditional Lore
Deadline: April 1st, 2022 Payment: $10 or a contributor’s copy Theme: Vampire stories based on traditional folklore from around the world.
Title: They Come by Night: Original Vampire Stories Based on Traditional Lore Deadline: April 1st 2022 or until filled.
Payment: 10 USD via PayPal upon acceptance or contributor’s copy in printed form upon publication.
(We know this is an insult to your talent and hard work, but it is all we can offer at this time.
We hope to offer more on future projects.
) Theme: Vampire stories based on traditional folklore from around the world.
3000-10000 words, double spaced, Times New Roman font, 12pt.
Original stories, no reprints.
We ask for 6 months exclusive worldwide rights from date of publication after which all rights revert to author.
Email submissions to shiningautumnpress@gmail.com with Submission: Title in subject line.
Send story as an attachment in .
doc.
.
docx or .
pages format.
In body of email, include a brief bio.
Shining Autumn Press is a new publishing house based in Cluj-Napoca, Romania conceived with the desire to promote quality fiction with supernatural themes.
This collection is indeed our first project and we are excited to receive submissions from talented writers.
Our projected date of publication for both ebook and print form is June 1st 2022. At Shining Autumn Press we are avid lovers of vampire fiction but in recent years, decades really, we have been disappointed with the quality of vampire stories and novels and have decided to compile this anthology for readers who crave a more traditional portrayal of the children of the night.
We want vampires who are repelled by crosses, garlic, silver, wild roses and holy water and retreat to their graves at the first sign of dawn and the sound of...
🗒️ Ongoing Submissions: Tree And Stone
Payment: $0.02 per word Theme: Speculative (SF/F, not really horror) and Literary Fiction Year-round Submissions – OPEN!
What we want We want all forms of original fiction!
For encouragement: All writers are welcome, but we would love stories from self-identified QTPOC and BIPOC writers.
Second person narratives!
Surrealism, magical realism, fabulism, slipstream, anything that might be deemed unconventional....
🗒️ Generational Trauma and Gothic Horror: a personal essay.
Generational Trauma and Gothic Horror: a personal essay.
I have written of my love for all things gothic time and time again.
My longing for the past, for things I never knew and never experienced has been with me since I was a child.
Born in New Hampshire to secretive and damaged (though still loving) parents.
I always knew there were stories about their pasts that I was not told.
There were things that I knew I was never allowed to ask.
“What happened to daddy in the war?
” “Why are you scared of wind?
” “Why does mom cry if I leave the orange nightlight on in the hallway?
” Childhood is a mystery, my parent’s childhood’s were a mystery....
🗒️ How do Authors Use Direct Characterization in a Story?
How do Authors Use Direct Characterization in a Story?
By Melody E.
McIntyre Characters are the heart of any story and characterization is how authors tell us who those characters are.
The methods authors use fall into two broad categories: direct and indirect.
Direct is when an author tells you something about their character such as “she is smart”....
🗒️ Taking Submissions: For Whom the School Bell Tolls
Deadline: February 28th, 2022 Payment: £15 Theme: Horror set at school, college, university, or somewhere in-between Note: Any harm to children (of any age) must be sensitive and well-considered.
For Whom the School Bell Tolls edited by Jay Alexander Submissions open from January 8th to February 28th.
Selected authors will receive a £15 fee.
We’re looking for stories between 1,000-6,000 words.
The theme is HORROR IN THE CLASSROOM – whether that’s horror set at school, college, university, or somewhere in-between....
Enjoy,
Horror Tree
