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Word of the week: Biblioklept: someone who steals books.
Hi readers! It’s Holley again, rounding up news and fiction from Horror Tree and around the web that you shouldn’t miss. This week, we have articles on eliminating filter words, getting readers invested in your story, developmental revisions, and writing from multiple points of view.
Horror Tree Update:
Still looking into our Calendar View and Contact forms. Some progress has been made but we're still analyzing what is blocking this up on the cache.
Trembling With Fear update:
Reminder - We've got all three of this year's editions now available in physical AND digital formats! Please remember to leave a review if you order and enjoy!
- Trembling With Fear: Year 4
- Trembling With Fear: More Tales From The Tree: Volume 3
- Trembling With Fear: Serial Killers: Volume 2
Here are the latest articles on writing from around the web. This week, the best articles I’ve found all have to do with the craft of writing. I hope you enjoy, and hopefully glean something new from one or more of these articles.
On craft:
Fiction University: Want a Tighter Point of View? Ditch the Filter Words in Your Novel
Live Write Thrive: 8 Elements That Get Readers Invested in Your Story
Orca Literary Journal: Developmental Revision for Short Fiction
Jane Friedman: Dual Point of View: What to Know While You Write
I’m happy to be able to continue rounding up free fiction for your reading pleasure. This week, I found some gems in Catapult, The Wild Hunt, Flash Frog and Hexagon. I hope you all enjoy these as much as I did.
Free Fiction Roundup:
“Mother’s Wolves” by Corey Farrenkopf. Catapult
“no home for a kraken” by Charlotte Turnbull. The Wild Hunt
“A Cherry-Scented Cigar” by Sara Dobbie. Flash Frog
“Dust of Red” by Emily Blue. Hexagon (5-10)
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)
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Excerpts:
Deadline: September 13th, 2021 Payment: $25 for those released in print, $15 for those released online Theme: Swamp Note: a zine by asian creatives issue #1 theme for our first issue, we’d like to invite you to join us in the SWAMP. tell us what you find in the swamp. tell us what finds you. we’re interested in all sorts of swamps: living and dead; digital and physical; mental and spiritual; its ecosystem and its inhabitants. illustrate all the ways you can get lost in it. bring to us the ugly, the gore, the guts and the glory. even though this is a themed issue, we encourage explorations of the subject from a range of perspectives. horror can take you by surprise in the comedic, get tangled into the romantic, ooze out of the dramatic and even comfort you in the tragic. drag us into the muddy depths of it all. submissions open on friday, august 13 and close on monday, september 13. please read the following guidelines before submitting: we are open to asian creators only. submissions open on friday, august 13 and close on monday, september 13. we are taking submissions for online and print. we are a paying market. we kindly ask contributors to select which edition they would like to submit to. – print contributors will get $25 for their work; NOTE that the editors will be more selective as there are limited spaces.* – online contributors will get $15. title the email subject line and file with the issue name, genre of your work, print or online edition, & your name. (eg. swamp, poetry, online, lucy liu). if submitting in multiple genres, you can include them all in the title. include all work in a single attachment (pdf or doc). we are accepting: 1. 1-3 poems or...
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Click on the book covers for more information. Remember to scroll down to the bottom of the page – there’s all sorts lurking in the deep. Got a book to launch, an event to promote or seeking extra work/support as a result of being hit economically by Covid or life in general? Get in...
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What Makes a Good Horror Story? Let’s consider the vast catalog of dystopian and post-apocalyptic tales currently available. Now, add all of the works featuring zombies, vampires and other monsters – werewolves seem to be a perennial favorite. Top it all off with liberal splashes of gore, frightened screams and wide-eyed panic. And there, you have just a few elements that make up the horror genre. At its heart, horror intends to scare, shock or disgust its audience, but not so much that readers will turn away completely. The essential art of writing horror is creating enough of a visceral response to keep the reader hooked while reaching the outer limits of how far to go before you repel them entirely. That’s what makes a horror story good. For a deeper understanding of the horror genre – as a reader or writer, here are a few points to consider. Know Your Audience Some horror fans go for graphic displays – lots of blood and gore and shrieking, while others prefer the slow burn of psychological terror and still others want nothing more than zombies duking it out. Some horror writers are skilled at incorporating disparate elements into a single tale; Stephen King is a prime example of such. He manages to blend evil with the supernatural and psychological to deliver tales that are only occasionally splashed with gore. On the whole, this level of intricate elements-weaving takes a lot of work and even the Master himself doesn’t hit the mark all the time. For your tale to go mainstream, it might be best to blend only a couple of elements; maybe the psychological with the apocalyptic or cannibalism and cults. And, if blood and gore – à la Saw is...
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Our church worships at the altar of the Unholy Trinity. Its gospels are delivered as a trio of dark drabbles, linked so that Three become One. All hail the power of the Three. Bone Concert Olivia, after her years of brutal tutelage, has mastered the flute. She should hate this particular...
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Deadline: October 31, 2021 Payment: $200 Theme: The color of my vote Submission Guidelines Stories can be in any crime sub-genre. If a crime is central to the plot, it’s suitable for this anthology. Your story must match the anthology theme: the color of my vote: Maybe your vote is pink where only blue votes matter. Maybe your vote is pro-democracy in a power structure bent on maintaining minority rule. Maybe your vote isn’t green (delivered with a $2 million dollar dark money donation…) You are free to interpret the theme as literally or metaphorically as you wish. Story length must be between 2,500 to10,000 words. Any time period or location is acceptable for this anthology. In Volume I, many authors experimented with form and voice. Please feel free to experiment! Narrative non-fiction will also be considered. DEADLINE: October 31, 2021. Volume III is meant to be bigger, louder, and more diverse than Volumes I and II, because the attacks against basic democratic processes are bigger and louder and laser focused on minority rule. Pay is $200 per story, payable on acceptance, plus three author copies. We wish it could be more. Is your story ready? Email lowdowndirtyvote AT gmail DOT com and attach your Word or Markdown document before Nov 1, 2021! You’ll receive an acknowledgement within seven days of submission. Via: Low Down Dirty Vote.
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Disclosure: Our reviews may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through the links in this article we may receive a small commission or referral fee. This happens without any additional cost to you. Title: Fiends in the FurrowsAuthor: Various, ed. David T. Neal & Christine M....
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Deadline: December 31st, 2021 Payment: $50 flat rate per story, $25 flat rate per poem and a contributor’s copy Theme: Obscure creatures and phenomena Sliced Up Press is looking for short stories & poetry involving obscure creatures and phenomena for its third horror fiction anthology, Monstroddities, edited by Ben Walker. Terrify us with your best story or poem about monsters or unexplained occurrences that are rarely used in horror. Think cryptids, long-forgotten myths, melt monsters…phenomena like spontaneous combustion, dark matter, physical impossibilities – if you’ve ever wondered why there isn’t more horror about a particular thing, that’s what we’d like to see – the weirder the better. Set it in the present, the past, the future, on Earth or not – as long as it’s frightening. What we’re looking for: All submissions must be in the horror genre. Bizarro, splatterpunk and extreme horror are welcome, but we don’t want anything involving rape, bestiality etc. As always we’re especially interested in submissions from women, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ authors Please don’t use creatures/monsters from any existing properties including SCPs that are not your own unless they’re firmly in the international public domain Please don’t reference real-life cases/victims etc. No “classic” monsters or spins on tropes like zombies, werewolves or vampires All submissions must be original. We will not accept reprints, or stories/poetry published elsewhere, including on blogs, social media etc. Submit your best work in modern or classic manuscript format (as outlined on www.shunn.net/format), as an MS Word .doc or .docx attachment. Anything sent in a different format will be rejected without reply Authors may submit 1 (one) story and 1 (one) poem maximum for consideration – if you want to send both, please send them in separate emails Do not re-send stories/poems that have been rejected for previous calls to Sliced Up Press anthologies. No simultaneous submissions...
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Deadline: September 1st, 2021 Payment: $25 Theme: Ghosts of The Ruin Oct 21 Theme: Ghosts of The Ruin Publication: Digital Formats Deadline: September 1, 2021 Short Stories up to 5,000 words Flash and Micro Fiction up to 1,500 words Poetry Author Compensation: $25.00 (USD) per piece Rights: We request first worldwide and digital rights for four months following publication. Thereafter all rights revert to the author. All copyright remains with the author. Guidelines For all open calls, submit your work by email to submissions@wearethequietones.com with the subject line formatted as such: “[Zine Publication Month/Year] [Story title] [Author name] [Age Range]” (ex.“October 2021 – The Sinkhole – David Fey – Adult”). Please submit your work as an email attachment in .doc/.docx format. Authors may submit up to three pieces per issue. We request that each piece be submitted via its own individual email. You are welcomed to interpret each issue’s theme however you like. Ensure your document contains your story title, your name (or pen name), and an approximate word count. In the event that your story is selected for publication, we will need your legal name for the contract. Please include a header on each page of your document with your surname, title and page number. Your document should be formatted in Times New Roman, 12pt., with double line spacing and indented paragraphs. We do NOT accept simultaneous submissions. In case of acceptance, please also include a brief biography in the third person of approximately 75 words, a high-resolution headshot (optional), and any personal social media links (such as a Twitter or personal website) that you’d like to share. For a more detailed look at classic manuscript formatting, please refer to this article by WILLIAM SHUNN. Via: We Are The Quiet Ones.
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Payment: $15 Theme: Short stories Note: Goal is to boost women, BIPOC, LGBTQ2S+, and international authors. AMPLIFY welcomes submissions from emerging writers all around the world! We aim to use our platform to boost women, BIPOC, LGBTQ2S+, and international authors. If that’s you then we’d love to read your writing! Translations are embraced and encouraged. We believe artists should be compensated appropriately for their work, but because we are a very small organization, we can only offer payments of $15 per acceptance at this time. Hopefully we will be able to raise this in the near future! Fiction – Short stories or longer excerpts of unpublished work no longer than 2,000 words. Poetry – Please submit up to 3 poems not exceeding two pages per poem. If specific formatting is needed, please send in PDF form. Drama – This can be a one act play or excerpts from a full length play not exceeding 15 pages. Nonfiction – Can include genres like memoir, essays, and reportage not exceeding 2,000 words. Please send the entire piece and not a proposal. Criticism – We love reviews of recently published or forthcoming books! Keep in mind that we are a platform to highlight women, BIPOC, LGBTQ2S+, and international voices, so please ensure that your choice of book meets those requirements. If you would like to write a review for us, please email write@ournameisamplify.com with the subject line “Book Review for AMPLIFY” along with potential titles and your pitch for the piece before it is written. AMPLIFY is a digital magazine and submissions are always open. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us via social media or through our email if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. We love to hear from you and will assist in whatever way possible! We...
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How to Write the Middle of the Horror Story: 7 Tips The middle of the horror story is a pivotal point in any book. Depending on your inspirations, the first half sets up all the characters and events, while the second half pays off on what has been established. But how do you write it? There are many different ways to approach this section that will give your readers nightmares for weeks—and increase their attachment to your story. In this blog post, we will discuss seven tips on how to write a great horror story. Tip 1: The Middle of Horror Stories Can Be Haunting and Creepy The middle of horror stories is pivotal and usually has the most tension. It’s a home to jumps scares, gore, and haunting. This section should be haunting and creepy enough that readers will never forget it—even when they think about your story years later. This tip can be used in other genres like fantasy or sci-fi, where you want things to feel ominous or unearthly. For example, if there are evil spirits at play within this section of the story, then use “creaky floorboards” as well as “strange sounds from under the bed” for atmosphere-building purposes. Tip 2: The Middle of Horror Stories Can Be Suspenseful and Thrilling The middle of horror stories is usually the most suspenseful and thrilling after building your characters. This section should always keep readers on edge, not knowing what will happen next. It can be a brilliant idea to have your main characters make some hard decisions as well—things that they regret later or are haunted by in their dreams. This tip can also be used for thrillers or any other genre where you want things to feel nail-bitingly tense. Tip 3: The Middle of Horror Stories...
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Deadline: October 10th, 2021 Payment: $15AUD and royalties Theme: A travel guide of the fantastic, far fetched and freaky things in Australia and New Zealand. Note: Must be written by Australian or Kiwi author Submissions are now open for ‘WHERE THE WEIRD THINGS ARE’ – an upcoming location-specific speculative fiction anthology. ‘WHERE THE WEIRD THINGS ARE’ will read like a travel guide of the fantastic, far fetched and freaky things in Australia and New Zealand. Read on to find out more about what we are looking for. Stories must be speculative in nature, as per this definition: “Speculative fiction is an umbrella genre encompassing narrative fiction with supernatural or futuristic elements. This includes, but not limited to, science fiction, fantasy, superhero fiction, science fantasy, horror, utopian and dystopian fiction, supernatural fiction as well as combinations thereof.” Stories must be set in a specific location, and we are wanting stories that bring the setting to life (whether it be a city, coastal town or inland scrub). While we would love you to write about places that you are intimately familiar with, we will accept stories about places that may not exist – or may not yet exist – as long as you make us believe in them. Word limit is 7,000 words. Stories must be original, and written by Australian or Kiwi authors. Submissions will open in July 1st and will close 10th October 2021. Payment: $15AUD for each accepted story, plus an ongoing percentage of royalties and free e-copy of the anthology. Stories must be in .doc/docx format, double spaced and in 12 point font. Please use double quotation marks for dialogue. E-mail submissions with story title and ‘WEIRD THINGS’ in the subject line to deadsetpressenquiries@gmail.com Via: SPeculative Fiction Australia.
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Deadline: October 1st, 2021 Payment: One cent U.S. per word ($2 minimum) Theme: Fantastic Fiction You really NEED to read the description below. The Cafe Irreal is a quarterly webzine that presents a kind of fantastic fiction infrequently published in English. This fiction, which we would describe as irreal, resembles the work of writers such as Franz Kafka, Kobo Abe, Clarice Lispector and Jorge Luis Borges. As a type of fiction it rejects the tendency to portray people and places realistically and the need for a full resolution to the story; instead, it shows us a reality constantly being undermined. Therefore, we’re interested in stories by writers who write about what they don’t know, take us places we couldn’t possibly go, and don’t try to make us care about the characters. We would also suggest you take a look at the current issue, archives, and theory (especially the essay, “What is irrealism?”) pages on this web site. We accept unsolicited fiction up to 2,000 words in length. Translations are welcome. There is no minimum length. We accept only electronic submissions via e-mail at editors@cafeirreal.com. We cannot, due to the various computer viruses and worms, accept attachments anymore, so please paste your story into the body of the e-mail. Also include your name, address, e-mail address, and a short bio in the text of the submission; please put the word “submission” in the subject heading of the e-mail to ensure that your submission doesn’t get lost among all the spam. We pay an honorarium of one cent U.S. per word ($2 minimum) to buy first-time internet rights (the story will then be archived). Payment is made upon publication. PLEASE NOTE THAT WE DON’T ACCEPT SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS and are only interested in reprints in unusual cases (e.g., the story has appeared in print but...
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The Horror Tree Presents – An Interview with Nicholas Bowling By: Ruschelle Dillon Ruschelle: I’m here sitting on the thickest branch of the Horror Tree hoping you’re not looking for a new log for the Log Lady from Twin Peaks. This tree is haunted and off limits. Speaking of Twin Peaks, your most recent work, The Follower, which dropped July 20th, 2021 is described as Twin Peaks meets Welcome to Night Vale. Could you give us a little taste of how The Follower conjures both the strange Twin Peaks and Welcome to the Night Vale? Nicholas: Well. I wasn’t consciously channeling Twin Peaks, but tonally it shares quite a lot, I think. I like to create feeling in my (adult) books where the world just feels a bit out-of-joint – a sense of unease or menace beneath the surface of things that can’t quite be articulated. I like to wrongfoot the reader, too, in terms of tone and genre. I want them to feel unsure of how they should react to a certain scene or character. Absurdity is good for that. It allows you turn something funny into something violent or upsetting very quickly. David Lynch is obviously the master of this, but I think it also comes from my general experience of the world. It’s a very odd place, and people are very odd, and we’re all involved in a kind of group delusion that it’s anything other than that. Normality is a fiction that barely holds together most of the time. Also: The Follower has a peak. But just one. As for Night Vale – I wasn’t even aware of it until my publisher told me it was in the same neighbourhood as The Follower. But I’ll get on it. Ruschelle: Were you a big fan...
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Deadline: September 15, 2021 Payment: 6 cents per word Theme: A city gone silent Sudden disruptions in power and other major services sends a city into chaos. In the blink of an eye, the modern technological world fails. Is it a government plot? Experiment gone wrong? A foreign cyber attack? Alien invasion? A mystical incursion from beings beyond this dimension? Who knows? Now the noise and the bustle of the city has vanished and an eerie silence settles over the urban landscape. Within, there are stories of human violence, depravity, and desperation, but also heroism, selflessness, and sacrifice. Silence in the City is an anthology of speculative tales asking what happens when a city—and all of modern civilization—is plunged into darkness. Open Call for Stories That’s right, folks! I’m holding an open call for stories to fill two or three more spaces in the forthcoming SILENCE IN THE CITY anthology. So here are the guidelines: Word Count: 2,500-5,000 words Deadline: September 15, 2021 Pay Rate: 6 CENTS A WORD Send all story submissions as DOC or DOCX attachments to the following email address: submissions@foundershousepublishing.com Be sure to title the email: SILENCE IN THE CITY SUBMISSION Via: Founders House Publishing.
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Deadline: September 1st, 2021 Payment: .02 cents/word up to $100 Theme: Horror fiction focused on the atmosphere and themes of black metal. Satan, Occult, Violence, Pessimism, Chaos, Death, The Sublime, Nature, Paganism, Antinatalism, etc. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: We are looking for horror fiction focused on the atmosphere and themes of black metal. Satan, Occult, Violence, Pessimism, Chaos, Death, The Sublime, Nature, Paganism, Antinatalism, etc. are all elements that are essential to submissions. We are not offended by anything. Nothing is safe. Write with passion and invoke chaos. We do not care about your ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, etc. We welcome all those devoted to the heinous path and negative existence. Please be familiar with the genre before submitting. Don’t be a poser. It will be obvious. The following authors’ and works are of especial interests to the editors: H.P. Lovecraft Clark Ashton Smith Robert E. Howard Thomas Ligotti Robert W. Chambers Edgar Allan Poe Laird Barron Ambrose Bierce Robert Bloch Michael McDowell T.E.D. Klein Eugene Thacker Arthur Machen Algernon Blackwood Bentley Little PAYMENT: Word Count: 1000 – 10,000 .02 cents/word. MAX PAYMENT: $100 (paypal/venmo) DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 1st 2021 All submission must be in MANUSCRIPT format. If you need help with that. Go here https://www.shunn.net/format/classic/ Acceptable file format: .DOCX File SEND ALL SUBMISSIONS TO horroristkrieg@gmail.com Via: Gravely Unusual.
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