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 |   A book for all my SCREAMS!!! Entries. |
 Foreword Hello readers, Thank you so much for your interest in my writing. I hope that you'll take the time to go through this introduction at least once, preferably before reading anything else in the book. It contains a lot of information that I, as the author, would like my potential audience to be aware of prior to viewing the following stories. If you wish to skip this page, I won't hold it against you - but all the same I'd appreciate if you kept reading. You are already here, after all, and it would go a long way toward easing the ever raging anxieties that I experience when posting content of this nature. Those of you who continue reading, thank you in advance for your time and understanding. You are without a doubt some of my favorite people. Those of you who don't wish to continue, I'll know. Context I get nervous about everything, especially about showing people things I've done. I don't like people seeing things that are in progress or even second or third drafts. My preferred process is to edit pieces over and over until I hate seeing them anymore, and then I still get nervous when people read them. As you can imagine, this can be an issue for someone who would like to be an author someday. Some of the things that I'm hoping to get better about on Writing.Com are finishing things, writing shorter pieces, practicing the horror genre, and becoming more comfortable with having people read things - even if they're not perfect. Then people started telling me about SCREAMS!!! The Contest For those of you who don't know, SCREAMS!!! is this wonderful little horror contest:
Every day writers have 24 hours to respond to the daily horror prompt in the less than 1,500 words. It's absolutely amazing, and it's run by some really amazing people. There are wonderful sponsors, great hosts, neat prizes, and there are some really talented writers posting new horror stories all the time, as well as some really creative and sometimes challenging prompts. if you haven't checked it out, you totally should. Note: When I first posted this collection, SCREAMS!!! was a 24 hour, daily horror contest. For the sake of context I left my earlier introduction up there (since it does explain why I helped start this collection) but it should be noted that since then it has gone from a daily contest with a weekly bonus winner to a weekly contest with a monthly bonus winner. The change happened at some point in between my entries 25 and 26. As you can imagine, it's also something that I think is going to really help me work through some of the aforementioned writing issues I'm trying to get past. I've been working up the nerve to submit on a more regular basis, which brings us to this. The Book I've entered twice, and immediately began to notice issues. Aside from the basic things (my fear of posting barely edited work, my desire to make stories much longer than 1,500 words, etc.) there were three main things that really bothered me. 1. The entries were cluttering up my portfolio with work that I feel doesn't represent my normal standard/style of writing. (Not to mention taking up a lot of slots.) 2. I'm getting a lot of technical/grammatical feedback on entries that I often have less than an hour to edit and hearing over and over from reviewers about where I'm missing commas or have made typing errors was starting to drive me a little insane. 3. Trying to write a review disclaimer that concisely captured the context of the situation while politely outlining the essence of what I'd like to hear about in reviews for these entries was driving me insane. That was when I got the idea to throw all of my entries into one book entry. It will clean up my portfolio, ratings won't apply to individual entries but I can still get some feedback, I can include a review request instead of typing it out lengthy disclaimers all the time, and best of all, it will (hopefully) help me learn to format book items before I attempt to post any of my lengthier work. The title of the book, as you're probably aware, is Mumurationis Cotidie, which might or might not roughly translate to "Screaming Daily" which I thought would be an appropriate title, assuming that's even close to what it actually means. Who knows? Not me, because my Latin is far from perfect, much like my SCREAMS!!! entries, which I felt like made the perfect metaphor. The idea is there, but the execution is probably incredibly flawed. Awards and Recognition As you guys may have noticed I now have some lovely awardicons adorning this book. The first is courtesy of Angus  . It's for a specific story in the collection, "Invalid Entry"  , which won the weekly contest.The second is for the entire collection, courtesy of Lornda~ House of Martell ~   and Beautiful Candy  .The third is also from Angus for another specific entry "Invalid Entry" which won the weekly contest (1/1-1/8 2017)The fourth, surprisingly, is from Angus for entry "Invalid Entry" which won the weekly contest "Weekly Winner! (2/19-2/26)" I'm also very honored (and pleasantly surprised) to announce that it has received a 2016 Quills Award Nomination for Best Short Story Collection. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** While the collection did not win the category - it was an honorable mention and I received my lovely, purple awardicon, courtesy of Andy~hating university  The sixth awardicon for the collection was also awarded by Andy~hating university for a specific story "Invalid Entry" which won the weekly award.The seventh awardicon is from Angus for my "Invalid Entry" which won a special edition of the daily contest.The eighth is for "Invalid Entry" which won "Weekly Winner (8/12 to 8/19)" .The ninth is for "Invalid Entry" which won "Weekly Winner (8/26 to 9/2)" The tenth is for "Invalid Entry" which won weekly winnerThe eleventh is for entry "Invalid Entry" which won "Weekly Winner (4/21-4/28)" This collection was featured by the wonderful willwilcox in "Horror/Scary Newsletter (November 30, 2016)" . Conclusion Thank you for reading this, those of you who did. I feel better having the reasoning behind this book put into some context for the reader. I'm going to put the review request information in a separate entry, so that when I link to it at the bottom of each entry (yes, I really am that paranoid) that's the only thing people have to read, and hopefully that will make them more likely to actually read it and take it into consideration. If you keep going, I hope you find at least one thing in here that you can at least sort of enjoy, or that makes you think or maybe gives you nightmares. |
70. Fear and Fearlessness August 15, 2020 at 4:35am
PROMPT:
UNDERGROUND CAVERNS
Do you want to know the secret to fearlessness?
An audience.
The invitations litter my coffee table along with the gift baskets and free merch. They are all stylized ... [Read more] 69. The Truth Matters May 18, 2020 at 11:19am
PROMPT:
AN UNDERGROUND WAR
We've come to the end.
Those who have been with me awhile know that I've only ever done one other post like this. Where it's me, as a faceless entity, and I&#... [Read more] 68. The Shredder Game April 26, 2020 at 8:13am
PROMPT:
SHREDDER
"Do you want to play the shredder game?"
We'd already been playing something when she went to go see her dad at the door and we were just getting to my favorite part.
... [Read more] 67. The Work March 1, 2020 at 9:36am
PROMPT:
IT WAS SUPPOSED TO SET HIM FREE
"That's a woman's work, you know." The guard said.
There was distaste in his voice, and yet he did not order him to stop. Mateo continued repa... [Read more] 66. Homeland of Lonesome February 20, 2020 at 7:29am
PROMPT:
WENDIGO
Why did I come out here?
I guess I thought it would mean something to me. Maybe feel good. Maybe fill that hole that's always been inside of me that I tried for so many years to ... [Read more] 64. A Father's Promise January 6, 2020 at 5:16am
PROMPT:
TEA AND MAGGOTS
"But daddy, you promised."
I never could resist Cynthia. And she's right, I did promise. I carefully lift her up and carry her to the table where we used to have ... [Read more] 63. No Longer Available January 1, 2020 at 11:24pm
PROMPT:
Beta testers
[THE GAME THAT YOU ARE TRYING TO ACCESS TO ACCESS IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD. BETA TEST HAS BEEN CONCLUDED AND FOUND FAULTY.]
Dear customer,
On behalf of eTHEREA... [Read more] 62. Not a Thing October 13, 2019 at 5:31am
PROMPT:
HE HEARD A VOICE SAY "GET OUT,"
He heard a voice say "get out," but then again, he heard a lot of things. That's how he had ended up in the facility to begin with.
"I... [Read more] 61. A Long Labor October 6, 2019 at 12:41am
PROMPT:
WORMS or A CRADLE
I just didn't have the heart to dismantle the baby's crib when I got the bad news. That split second when I'd see it on my way past the open nursery door, that fract... [Read more] 60. God of a Little World October 2, 2019 at 1:09am
PROMPT:
A GAP IN MENTAL CONTINUITY--WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
"Do you believe in the Mandela Effect?" John asked.
I looked up from what I'd been writing, surprised to hear to him. Don't get m... [Read more] 59. A Broken Window October 1, 2019 at 11:27pm
PROMPT:
WHAT YOU FIND AS YOU'RE CLEANING UP.
"It isn't safe in there." Marissa warns me.
"I know, that's why I'm going in to clean it up." I want to be a good person. I... [Read more] 58. The Hall of Dreams September 27, 2019 at 6:10am
PROMPT:
BONES/SKIN
I was standing in a stone hallway with someone. At least, I thought I was.
When I opened the door, it was dark and I realized that my eyes were closed. I opened them, to find myself... [Read more] 57. Her Name Was Hazel September 27, 2019 at 4:31am
PROMPT:
A PATHOLOGICAL LIAR
Display: Most Recent First
hazel is gone now
but i think she'd want me to tell you one last story.
it's about a girl who couldn't tell the truth.
s... [Read more] 56. Knock. Knock. July 15, 2019 at 5:28pm
PROMPT:
KNOCKING INSIDE THE WALL
Knock! Knock!
"Who's there?"
It was like a joke, only there was no punchline.
~~
There was more knocking from inside my wall. It made my blood run co... [Read more] 55. 5 Blocks May 8, 2019 at 5:28pm
PROMPT:
YOU CAN FINISH ONE OF THOSE STORIES YOU ALREADY STARTED OR DIDN'T GET TO ENTER BECAUSE YOU MISSED THE DEADLINE
(Original Prompt for the deadline I missed: SLEEP DEPRIVATION)
It’s only fi... [Read more] 53. Ni May 2, 2019 at 9:47pm
PROMPT:
AN UNUSUAL TEA-DRINKING RITUAL.
Everyone drinks the tea, and someone always dies.
These are the rules as they are explained to me the first time I hear them. He says them in a moment that is c... [Read more] 52. Blameless May 23, 2019 at 1:36pm
PROMPT:
ANYTHING
(Usually I don't use the open prompt if there is more than one, BUT I had an idea for a horror story earlier in the day and then there was an open prompt option, so I used it.)
"H... [Read more] 51. All This Pain April 26, 2019 at 4:01pm
PROMPT:
SHAPE SHIFTER(S)
or
CLONES OR MUTATIONS
or use the following sentence somewhere in your story:
Pain can be the only thing to let you know you’re still alive…
(from June 29th, 2016)
Pa... [Read more] 50. Inactive Shooter April 19, 2019 at 4:17am
PROMPT:
YOU'RE ON YOUR WAY TO SCHOOL WHEN YOU GET A TWITTER ALERT. SOMETHING WEIRD IS GOING ON IN THE CHEMISTRY BUILDING. NOT AN ACTIVE SHOOTER, EXACTLY, BUT...
My heart sinks when I read the tweet.
... [Read more] 48. Patient Red October 12, 2018 at 11:26am
PROMPT:
ONE OF THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS
Day 5
Patient Yellow has responded to the stimulus session very positively. They are taking well to the experiment and has found positive ways to deal with the isolat... [Read more] 47. The Loneliest Place October 10, 2018 at 11:04am
PROMPT:
HUNGER
All around me my fellow creatures are dying.
The smell has long since rotted out my nostrils so that the fetid air is all I will ever breathe. This would have bothered the person that I use... [Read more] 46. Death of the Genre December 19, 2018 at 12:02am
PROMPT:
a story based on a true event.
“We make up horrors to help us deal with the real ones.”
-Stephen King
People were drinking to celebrate on the night when the end began.
They couldn’t f... [Read more] 45. Questionable Erotic Content September 28, 2018 at 8:55am
PROMPT:
ONE OF THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS
From Gavin’s Blog:
I blame the internet. Nothing’s sacred anymore, nothing is weird or abnormal. You can type any kind of fetish into a search engine and instantly... [Read more] 44. My Calendar App is Malfunctioning September 26, 2018 at 6:55am
PROMPT:
TECHNOLOGY RUNNING AMOK
Event:
Halloween Begins Today.
For a second, I almost believe it. I’ve gotten so dependent on my iPhone’s calendar app that if it tells me today is Halloween, I see... [Read more] 43. Alternate September 17, 2018 at 10:41am
PROMPT:
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR
My life has turned out pretty well. I’m still a couple years shy of thirty, and it feels like I have things figured out. I married my high school sweetheart when I was tw... [Read more] |
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