Horror Newsletter, August 8, 2007

About This Newsletter:

Men fear death as children fear to go into the dark; and as that natural fear in children is increased with tales, so is the other.
~Sir Francis Bacon


No passion so effectively robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear.
~Edmund Burke


When you look into the abyss, the abyss also looks into you.
~Nietzsche

The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.
-- H. P. Lovecraft.

Fear of monsters attracts monsters.
-- Unknown.



From the editor:

It is summer. The sun is shining, bright happy colors everywhere, the yard is begging for attention. I don't know about you but I find it hard to conjure up any dark writing at this time of year. Once the seasons change and the darker colors of fall appear, my muse comfortably slips into her horror cloak. Do you have this summer malady?

But what to do until then? Contests! The site is teeming with them, many with prompts to get those creative juices flowing. But whether you enter a contest or begin one there are some points you need to consider.

Clear instructions. What kind of entries is the contest looking for? Poetry, short stories or both? Unless there is no limit, the number of lines in a poem or the number of words in a story should be stated. Flash fiction is an exception. It should always include a word count. Also the contest should state whether is will accept submissions entered into the forum directly or if it requires a bitem format.

Clear rules. Any rules need to be understandable so that, if a question arises, the owner of the contest has it in writing what is expected from entrants.

Dates. Is the contest a one time deal, monthly, weekly, random? Providing a beginning and ending date is helpful to contestants. They know how much time is available for writing, editing and rewriting. The dates should be easy to find. The best strategy for this is to set them apart and use a different font color and bolding the words.

The prompt. There are several kinds of prompts. Some use a group of words which the writer may be required to use one or all. One idea may be provided; a setting or event. Sometimes several ideas are given for the writer to choose from. In any event, the contest host shouldn't be too specific with the prompt. If the prompt practically writes the story, the writer has no creative leeway to work with. As writers, we need to be able to have space to be original.
As with the dates a contest runs, the prompt needs to be set apart and emphasized for entrants to easily see.

Contests can be fun and challenging. Clear and concise expectations and rules help both the host and the writer. Easy to see dates and prompts are essential. So while the next few months of summer blaze before you, try a contest to beat the heat!

Until we meet again,
Nikola














Feedback:

From esprit : Nikola, what a great idea to throw out there. Monsters with attitude! I like that. Thank you!


From Susan M Ferguson : I agree monsters that have human qualities can really capture the reader. A good example of that is in 'The Watchers' by Dean Koontz, where the 'monster' has taught itself to talk and begs for death because it's so ugly and cruel. That piece has stuck in my mind for years.
Great Newsletter, looking forward to more issues. SM Ferguson


From likenion: Hey there and thank you for the interesting newsletter! I never thought of that perspective before and this is gonna rock, when I try it. This is truly something original! Bravo!
Keep up the good work!


From K. Medeiros : I enjoyed your concept on making monsters that the author can relate to while still being terrified o it. Your examples, though, did hold one inaccuracy. In Frankenstein he monster's perspectives were very much addressed. The emotions involved in being abandoned were its driving force, but it was also sympathetic. It also wanted to be left alone, and wanted to start a family. All of these are right there in text.