Weekly Posts from The Horror Tree for 12/31/21
Dec 31, 2021 10:01 pm
Hi there,
Word of the week: Erubescent – Reddening or blushing
Happy New Year! If you’re reading this, then you’ve survived the dumpster fire of 2021 and are (hopefully) looking cautiously, yet optimistically, to the future.
Social media has been busy over the past few weeks with writers sharing things they’ve accomplished in 2021 that have made them most proud. If you haven’t yet made a post like this, there’s still time! Tag us @HorrorTree in your Twitter post; we’d love to hear about your 2021 accomplishments.
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.!):
Happy New Year Everyone! I hope you all have a great season. I don't have much news to add here. As we've pretty much settled into our mailing list software I've started adding links to it on the website and elsewhere.
A few brief tidbits:
- We need more drabble for Horror Tree's Trembling With Fear if you've got some laying about.
- We're going to be adding a new outlet for drabble this coming year.
- We're adding a new perk for all of our Patreons and contributors soon to help advertise their new releases.
Now, back to Holley!
Articles:
Our articles this week come from several corners of the web. First up, and article on line editing, because many of us are still cleaning up those things we wrote for NaNo back in November. Line editing is one of a few different stages of editing, usually, the last step in polishing up a piece and getting it ready for publication. Next, an article on showing up for your writing. I found this piece to be informative and insightful. As many of you know, I’m an advocate for self-care and taking breaks to refill the creative well as needed. This article helps discuss ways to build a healthy relationship with your own writing and creativity. We have two articles in the business section this week. One is a collection of marketing tips from the Alliance of Independent Authors, and the other is advice for planning to sell more books in 2022. I hope that no matter where you are on your writing journey, you can find something useful here.
Craft:
How to Write a Book Now: Line Editing for Fiction Writers, Pt. 1
General:
KIINGO: Why You Need to Show Up for Your Writing
Business:
Alliance of Independent Authors: AskALLi’s Best Marketing Tips for Indie Authors from 2021
Author Marketing Experts: How to Sell More Books in 2022: New Year’s Planning Goals
Free Fiction Roundup:
Welcome to this, the last fiction round up for 2021! I’ve read some excellent fiction this year thanks to this new newsletter feature. I’m always astounded by the quality of stories being published that are freely available to read online. I hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter feature as much as I have. The first piece I’ve included is a flash story by Tyler Norton titled “The Ground Here.” This dark piece has a humorous tone, and I loved the way the tale unfolded. “Whale Fall” by Yume Kitasei is a lovely story about growth, perseverance, and change. I loved the way Kitasei deals with the turning point of childhood in a magical way. “A Long Way Down,” is a beautifully immersive piece of fiction. Many people read in order to experience life from multiple perspectives and points of view, and this story skillfully transplants the reader into the protagonist’s point-of-view. We see what she sees, and feel what she feels. The last story for this week is “Gatekeepers” by Douglas DiCicco, which was featured at Metaphorosis. I’m a huge fan of Metaphorosis, and this story perfectly demonstrates why. It’s beautiful and touching, without being cliché or overly sentimental. Readers, this story resonated with me.
Now, on to the fiction:
“The Ground Here” by Tyler Norton. The Arcanist.
“Whale Fall” by Yume Kitasei. Catapult.
“A Long Way Down” by Mernine Ameris. The Fabulist.
“Gatekeepers” by Douglas DiCicco. Metaphorosis.
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: Wishing Well
Deadline: February 1st, 2022 Payment: Royalty Split Theme: Be careful what you wish for We’ve all heard the tales, and the warnings: Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.
If you had a wish, how careful would you be?
Would you regret it, or would your wildest dreams come true?
Submission dates December 1, 2021 to February 1, 2022 We want stories about wishes granted.
Whether they played out the way the wisher wanted is up to you....
🗒️ Taking Submissions: Enchanted Conversation: 2022 January Window (Early Listing)
Submission Window: January 1st-3rd 2021 Payment: $50 Theme: Weather.
A new theme, weather, starts in January 2022.Hi there!
We’ll no doubt write more about this later in the next year, but for now, what follows below will tell you all you need to know.
Added March 3, 3021: Although it states below that only one work per author per submission, I am suddenly getting multiple poems at a time....
🗒️ Taking Submissions: Grimdark
Deadline: January 14th, 2022 Payment: $10 for stories over 2k Theme: A sub-genre of speculative fiction, brings readers dystopian, violent worlds with amoral or morally questionable protagonists.
OPEN NOW (See Theme: GRIMDARK for close details) Word count : up to 3,000 words (10% leeway) Author eligibility : Open to all Reprints : Not allowed Simultaneous Submissions : Not allowed Multiple Submissions : TWO.
Can be submitted at the same time in separate emails.
Maximum acceptances : ONE per pen name Publication : In digital and print, launching 2022 Author compensation : One digital copy, plus print discounts, and $10 USD for all stories published over 2k (after edits) Submit to : fourpartsubs@blackharepress.com Grimdark, a sub-genre of speculative fiction, brings readers dystopian, violent worlds with amoral or morally questionable protagonists.
The tone is always grim and dark—from whence the name comes—and valourises the protagonist’s struggles as they choose between good and evil....
🗒️ Taking Submissions: Cosmic Horror Monthly Spring 2022 Window
Deadline: January 14th.
2022 Payment: 3 cents per word for original fiction.
5k words = $150, 1 cent per word for reprints.
Theme: Cosmic Horror, Lovecraftian, Weird stories, original and reprints.
Note: Reprints Welcome Submission Period *SUBMISSIONS OPEN SOON!
* – Submission periods are twice yearly from January 1st – January 14th and July 1st – July 14th.
January stories accepted will appear in issues from the following July – December July stories accepted will appear in issues from the following January – June SUBMISSION PROCEDURES Instructions: All fiction must be submitted via email to submissions@cosmic-horror.net. When submitting, include a little background information about yourself in the body and attach the story in the form of a Microsoft Word file.
Please include a word count and a brief synopsis of the work....
🗒️ Taking Submissions: Planet Scumm #14 – Fall 2022
Deadline: January 17th, 2022 Payment: 4 cents a word and one contributor copy Theme: Hard sci-fi and weird fiction Planet Scumm accepts submissions from writers across the world.
(Our HQ is a roving meteor-sized space station—Earth’s borders mean nothing to us.
We want to hear from writers of every race, nationality, and gender identity.
WHAT TO SUBMIT Hard sci-fi, soft sci-fi, sci-fi that melts in your mouth-brain not your hand-brain Speculative fiction, weird fiction, slipstream Basically anything that pleases Scummy, our megaphone-toting slime buddy, will be considered for entry to the interstellar archive aboard Scummy’s saucer HOW TO SUBMIT Include submissions as a .
doc or .
docx attachment to PlanetScummSubmissions@gmail.com along with a brief cover letter in the email body.
Please attach only your story (no images, do not put your story in the body text of the email).
Stories, or collections of flash fiction, should be no more than 5,000 words in length, and submitted in standard manuscript format....
🗒️ Taking Submissions: Luminescent Machinations: Queer Tales of Monumental Invention
Deadline: January 31st, 2022 Payment: $0.08/word Theme: Huge robots.
Bodies fragile and powerful.
General submission notes: Unless the editors are otherwise specified, you can address cover letters to “Dear editors” or “Dear dave.
” Please avoid “Dear Mr.
Ring.
” If you joke about how straight white men are underrepresented in speculative fiction, it will not win you any points.
Please query admin@neonhemlock.com if you aren’t sure if your submission went through....
🗒️ Contest: Bag of Bones – 206 Word Story
Deadline: February 28th, 2022 Prizes: £15 for each of our three favourite pieces Theme: 206 word pieces of horror/dark fiction on any topic, in any style, as long as it sits in the horror/dark fiction genre There are 206 bones in the human body.
We want a word per bone.
From you.
We’re seeking 206 word pieces of horror/dark fiction on any topic, in any style, as long as it sits in the horror/dark fiction genre.
(Word count does not include title.
) Elements of fantasy, sci-fi, and any other genre are fine, as long as the main theme is horror.
We will pay a prize of £15 for each of our three favourite pieces (which will be published online)....
🗒️ Taking Submissions: Counting Bodies Like Sheep (Early Listing)
Submission Window: January 1st, 2022 – March 1st, 2022 Payment: 3 cents per word and a contributors copy Theme: Fast-paced gory stories The Evil Cookie Publishing specializes in horror anthologies and novels/novellas within the realm of Splatterpunk / Extreme Horror / Dark Humor.
Title: Counting Bodies Like Sheep Book Type: Extreme Horror Anthology Editor: K.
Trap Jones Theme: Open Short story Length: 3,000 word MAX Pay: 3 cents per word + 1 Paperback No Reprints No Multiple Subs No Simultaneous Subs Rights: Exclusive worldwide print/electronic/digital rights for one (1) year Sub Date Begins: Jan 1, 2022 Sub Date Ends: Mar 1, 2022 Any subs sent before or after the dates will be crumbled up and fed to the sheep Submit To: theevilcookiesubs@gmail.com Subject Line: SHEEP SUB: (story title) by (author name) EDITOR’S NOTE: I’m looking for fast-paced gory stories with the perfect blend of Extreme Horror + Splatterpunk + Dark Humor elements.
Nothing involving children and I’m not a big fan of heavy religious or political plots.
Via: The Evil Cookie.
Enjoy,
Horror Tree
