A weekly flash fiction contest for fans and writers of the macabre. |
ROUND 6!!! Having always believed that WdC was set up to allow writers to help their fellow writers by giving them help and support, I decided of a new way to expand my fellow scribes skills in areas of the “Horror” genre, which may be new to them. Every week I will post a new contest - this will be made up of a Horror Sub-genre, a Horror Style (both are listed and explained below - please have a read), and a Prompt - this may be one of my own or taken from the groups Prompt Page. All you guys and girls have to do is pen me a tale staying in the guidelines. I know it may mean you coming out of your comfort zones and trying something new, but isn’t variety the spice of life. Besides, by challenging yourself you may find you have a penchant for a certain style of writing. Now don’t worry if you’re new to writing as I DON’T just mark on Grammar, Punctuation, Structure (or any of that boring stuff) alone: I also take into account, originality, ingenuity, and feeling as well. Because, at the end of the day, it’s the story and not how well the story has been told. Don't get me wrong though, should a great writer with a great story enter, the probability is I’ll they'll win. But, on the other hand there are great writers out there who never misplace a coma, or colon; never get there verbs or tenses wrong; and never miss the two spaces after a full stop, and somehow, sometimes, their stories are lacking. So in my eyes, everybody has a fair chance of winning the GP’s. SUB-GENRES SUPERNATURAL – these are the monster tales. Vampyres, Werewolves, Mummies, Daemons, Ghosts, Ghouls, and Zombies; as well as countless smaller baddies such as local mythological characters such as Incubus and Succubus, The Sirens, Bigfoot etc. OCCULT – here we have the making of pacts with the Devil, and the selling of souls, as well as witchcraft and sorcery, spells and curses. LOVECRAFTIAN – Such a strong imagination turned his writings into it’s own sub-genre populated with “The Old Gods” a race cast out but always on the fringes (or in another dimension) and ready to take back their Earth and make it their own once again. Lots of adjectives are abound in this dark and foreboding type of tale. GOTHIC – English Gothic – The kind of horror which usually takes place in castles, convents, mansions, and crypts; dealing with the idea of the past encroaching on the present. GOTHIC – American Gothic – Similar to the English but with an American twang and dealing with the psychological interest in abhorrent behaviour. NOIR – These are tales usually set in Urban area’s, especially the underworld, and are full of paranoia, obsession, violence, corruption and revenge and are usually written in a dark and / or cynical style. There’s always an oppressive atmosphere full of menace, suspicion and depressing realism. Though Noir is used mainly in Thriller / Mystery it has also been used in the Horror genre too. DARK FICTION / PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR – Both of these are based on the disturbing side of the human psyche. This is the land of the slasher psycho on the rampage; though it doesn't have to be so obvious it can be more obscure and deal with a more ambiguous reality and seems to point to supernatural origins. SEXUAL HORROR – Where the sexual element is integral to the plot of the story and can be as graphic and explicit or as mild as the author likes. STYLES SPLATTERPUNK – Go for gross-out and visceral storyline; told in a hard gritty style, filled with blood, guts and gore. VISCERAL – More reality based with supernatural overtones with a tendency to be “in your face” with descriptions of the horror – though not extreme as Splatterpunk. QUIET “SOFT” HORROR – The kind of story that gets under your skin and gives you a sense of unease as it is more about feeling of eeriness than about gore. Here's whats on offer - 3,000 GP's for the weekly winner; with an extra 5,000 GP's for the monthly winner; as well as, an extra 10,000GPs for the "Best of the Best" yearly winner. Should I deem the story fit I will also award ribbon's and merit badges, accordingly. The reaper drags along behind him the rotting corpses of our fifth round, bits of flesh and marrow trailing along the urban streets. American Gothic and Quiet/Soft "It came to kill me!" Prompts may be taken from the prompt page (link below) - please drop in a prompt of your own - we may use it in oen of the rounds...and remember I always post links to your portfolios - so it's an advert for you too.
CLOSING DATE February 11th/c} Have fun & I look forward to reading all your entries. Slide to the Absolute Horror Writers Group main page "Absolute Horror" Come join me - We ALL float down here PENNYWISE For more tales of the macabre slide to the "The Vault Of Horror" -------------------------------------------- :: 2012 WINNERS :: Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4 -->No Winner<-- :: MONTHLY BEST ::
Round 5 -->No Winner<-- |
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