Weekly Posts from The Horror Tree for 1/7/22
Jan 07, 2022 10:26 pm
Hi there,
Word of the week: Capricious – determined by chance or impulse rather than by necessity
Hello, readers! I hope you are settling in to 2022 well. I’ve seen much talk on social media about setting goals for 2022, both writing and other types of goals. Goal setting can be a powerful tool, offering a sense of extrinsic motivation for accomplishing things you want to do. In one of my classes, I teach a unit on goal setting, including what healthy versus unhealthy goals look like. The concept I share with my students is the concept of the SMART goal. In other words, the goals you set should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. Learning how to set good goals is the best way to ensure that you can achieve them. Below, I’ve shared an article about setting sort-term goals. You should ideally set both short and long-term goals for yourself. Good luck out there!
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... Again! We're officially in 2022 and by the time you've read this, I'm a year older. Scary. Aside from that, we're currently in the planning stages for the upcoming year. Holley and I are talking about a new project we have in mind for the site, I'm in talks with a couple of editors on another project which has stalled from the holiday season though I'm reinitiating this coming week. The new layout is also still in the works. Things are happening, just not much we can show off quite yet :)
Just as a heads up, we lost a couple of Patreons since the year has started with one new one jumping in. If becoming a Patreon of Horror Tree has been on your radar, now would be a great time! :)
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:
We begin with two articles on craft this week. The first is about the old adage every author has heard a hundred times or more: “Show, don’t tell.” The second craft article we’re sharing this week is more specific. This week I tried my hand at writing a science fiction story for the first time. It was more difficult than I imagined since I’ve written horror and fantasy. We often associate worldbuilding with large epic fantasy reads, and while that is a fair assessment, worldbuilding is just as important for science fiction. Take a look at the article to find out more.
In the general section, we’ve shared an article about setting short-term goals for your writing, written by Richard Thomas. Richard has a ton of experience in the publishing world, and I always find his articles to be delightful, and quite helpful. The last article here comes from the folks over at Luna Station Quarterly and is a useful piece regarding Fair Use. If you are unfamiliar with the term, it is essentially information regarding how and when you can (or can’t) legally use someone else’s materials. Here are the articles:
Craft:
Golden Storyline Books: Showing Not Telling in Writing
Writers in the Storm: Terraforming: Worldbuilding for Sci-fi Authors
General:
LitReactor: Storyville – Start Setting Short-Term Goals for Your Writing
Business:
Luna Station Quarterly: Fair Use 101
Free Fiction Roundup:
Folks, this has been a week of excellent reading material. New issues of Coffin Bell, Kaleidotrope, and Siren’s Call were all released. I’m starting this week off with Michael Pasley’s story, “Dreams of Light.” I’m a huge fan of horror, and this story is nothing, if not horrific. It’s horrifying in an unexpected, but very real way. A real-life type of way. The next story I’ve included is “My Lady All in Grey” by Michelle Labbé. This is a fantasy tale set on the eve of the French Revolution. I don’t want to give away too much here, so you’ll just have to read this one for yourself. Labbé is refreshing with her unique take and lovely way with words. I’ll be looking for more from this author in the future. Next up, we have “Tanri” by Elana Gomel. This short story packs a ton of world-building in a small space, building up to a satisfying conclusion. Lastly, we have “The Night Visitor” by C.M. Saunders from the new issue of Siren’s Call. As usual, Siren’s Call puts out a large issue with many familiar authors and stories of note.
Now, on to the fiction:
“Dreams of Light” by Michael Pasley. Coffin Bell.
“My Lady All in Grey” by Michelle Labbé. Kaleidotrope.
“Tanri” by Elana Gomel. Of Metal and Magic.
“The Night Visitor” by C.M. Saunders. Siren’s Call eZine.
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: Rampage on the Reefs
Deadline: April 28th, 2022 Payment: $10 Theme: Oceanic horror brought ‘to the surface’ Rampage on the Reefs (coming June 2022): the third anthology will bring us to the surface.
We’re looking for colourful, weird aquatic horror; monsters in the shallows, coral formations hiding eerie beasts… psychedelic, high-thrills horror that proves it’s not always safe closer to the shore.
Submissions close April 28th.
From 1st November 2021, we’re taking submissions for the first three anthologies in the Dead Seas collection.
All three anthologies will have slightly different themes, but for all three we’re looking for aquatic or nautical horror stories – supernatural, realistic or altogether otherworldly – between 1,000-6,000 words (upper limit flexible).
100% of the profits from these anthologies will be going to The Shark Trust, supporting the protection and conservation of sharks and sea life....
🗒️ Taking Submissions: Mythaxis January 2022 Submission Period
Submission Window: January 23rd-30th, 2022 Payment: $20 Theme: Science fiction and fantasy As of 2021, Mythaxis will be published four times a year, and is periodically open to submissions within the following schedule: January 23rd-30th April 23th-30th July 23rd-30th October 23rd-30th Submissions received outside of these dates will unfortunately be lost and therefore not responded to.
When open, we seek and offer the following: Length: 1,000-7,500 words.
This is a firm limit.
Generally speaking, the further a story goes beyond 5,000 words the more it will need to impress, but the door is not shut in advance.
Compensation: $20 on acceptance and return of contract....
🗒️ Taking Submissions: Last Girls Club Spring Issue 2022
Deadline: January 31st, 2022 Payment: Fiction is limited to 2,500 words or less.
Authors are paid $0.01 per word upon acceptance ($25 USD max).
Flash fiction is limited to under 1,000 words.
Authors are paid $0.01 per word upon acceptance ($10 USD max).
Poetry is at $10 Theme: Active Shooter....
🗒️ Taking Submissions: Mysterion Spring 2022
Deadline: January 31st, 2022 Payment: 8 cents/word and 4 cents/word for reprints Theme: Speculative stories–science fiction, fantasy, horror–with Christian themes, characters, or cosmology Note: Reprints Welcome Open to fiction submissions each year during the months of January and July.
Open to art submissions year-round.
We are looking for speculative stories–science fiction, fantasy, horror–with Christian themes, characters, or cosmology, and for artwork for this site.
Fiction Guidelines Technical details Stories can be up to 9000 words (thanks, Patreon supporters!
).
This is a hard limit–our submission system will enforce it....
🗒️ Taking Submissions: Eye to the Telescope #44
Deadline: March 15th, 2022 Payment: US 3¢/word rounded up to nearest dollar; minimum US $3, maximum $25 Theme: Notional Ekphrasis Eye to the Telescope 44, Notional Ekphrasis, will be edited by F.
J.
Bergmann.
Ekphrastic poetry consists of poems based on visual art; “Musée des Beaux Arts” by W.
H....
🗒️ What Can An Author Use To Give The Reader More?
Five Ways Writers Give You More By Warren Nast Being a writer is more than just putting nouns in front of verbs.
There is a whole pantry of techniques and visual things we use to give the reader more.
Here are my top five.
Epigraphs: At the beginning of a fine meal, the chef might send to your table an amuse-bouche (a one-bite appetizer) that sets the tone for the rest of the meal.
Likewise, an epigraph serves the same purpose as the mini-appetizer as it helps set the tone for what the reader is going to experience.
Here are a few examples: From Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury If they give you ruled paper, write the other way – Juan Ramon Jimenez The Cell by Stephen King is a book about an electronic signal that turns people into mindless killers....
🗒️ Taking Submissions: 34 Orchard Spring 2022 Issue
Deadline: January 31st, 2022 Payment: $50 Theme: Stories that are “scary, disturbing, unsettling, and sad” What We Publish At 34 Orchard, we like dark, intense pieces that speak to a deeper truth.
We’re not genre-specific; we just like scary, disturbing, unsettling, and sad.
We like things we can’t put down and things that make us go “wow” when we’ve finished.
But our main goal here at 34 Orchard is to publish the stuff we like to read, and you’re not in our heads.
So don’t over think it....
🗒️ Meerkat Press Is Open To Novel Submissions
Deadline: March 31st, 21022 Payment: Royalty-based payments for novels, and in some cases, an advance against royalties.
Theme: Speculative Fiction [most sub-genres and especially if those genre lines are crossed in unique ways] NO: Swords & Sorcery Fantasy / Epic Fantasy / Young Adult / Middle Grade Submissions for 2024 will open on January 1st, 2022 and close on March 31st, 2022. We are currently booked through 2023 so we’re temporarily closed for submissions.
Please read carefully as we have updated what we will be accepting in our next open submission period.
We publish approximately four books per year.
The odds of having a book accepted by Meerkat Press are very, very low just based on the number of submissions compared to the number of books we publish....
Enjoy,
Horror Tree
