This week: Writing, reviewing, and books! Edited by: Gaby  
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3. Letter from the Editor
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5. A Word from Writing.Com
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You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.
~ Victor Hugo
The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.
~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.
~ Napoleon Hill
Hey, everyone! I'm Gaby and I'm your guest editor for this issue of Horror/Scary newsletter.
Hope you enjoy the read and find something useful in it! |
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How many times were you told that in order to read what you really want you have to write it yourself? Heck, I even mentioned it in my last newsletter. But is it really that easy?
It could be. If you don't overthink, if you write in a conversational tone. If you do what must be done! Stop focusing on who will like it or if anyone ever would. The story you wrote didn't get enough reviews but it has plenty of views. All that sidetracks your from your original goal. Writing! The self-doubts, the constant questioning of your abilities. It won't get better. Not until you stop writing for things that aren't relevant. Yes, you want to know what people think. How else will you improve your writing? If you are serious about a project, add some serious incentive to the story you're writing. Extra Gift Points for a review can do wonders. Will it give you the results you're hoping for? I can't promise you that.
All I can promise is that through reading you will always improve your writing. Through sheer stubbornness, you will accomplish your goal. You have to be willing to do all the work on your own and not depend on anyone's praise or input. And yes, we still want those reviews. But let me ask you this. Do you think any of those published writers had a site such as Writing.com to back them up? Most likely not.
What's that mean, Gaby?
It means you have a support group.
But I don't get any reviews.
You have to give to get.
This site has thousands of members from all over the world. There's at least a few dozen who are bound to like and write similar things. Those could be part of your support group. That's not all. There are members, and there are many of them, who are willing to support you, to give you that push in the right direction, even if they don't write the same things as you. Those will give you good, constructive reviews. Find those people. How?
Look for them. Mingle. Search. Comment. Participate. Get your name out there in order to get what you need from this community. Be present! Meet new people. Participate! We're all here because we like reading and writing. Get to know others in order for them to get to know you.
I think we all need a reminder that this site alone is filled with the written word. Just look at the number you're given when you create a new item. Over 2 million! Your written word is a needle in a haystack until you grab it and put it up for others to see. Not just in your portfolio to sit there. Put it up on the Newsfeed, share it on "The Shameless "Plug" Page" , add it to "Please Review" , and many other places. Most of all, you have to promote it. Like every other writer who's just starting out.
You're not helping, Gaby.
Yes. Yes, I am.
Consider this the Amazon for writers with a single focus. Writing.
We all started writing with specific goals in mind. Get seen, get published. You, just like I did, thought that what you wrote has huge possibilities. It does, but if you want to achieve that goal, there's always work to be done. There are books by self-published authors and they do well. Why? Because of the work they put in. They got their name out there. Promoted. Their writing is visible because they make it so.
And what does this have anything to do with books? Or horror for that matter?
Your name cam mean more than the written word you've ever put down.
I've picked up 'salem's Lot by Stephen King because I've always liked his writing. Stephen's mind is a twisted thing. He's been published for years. Every book is a best seller. And yet, here I am, over 200 pages in, almost bored to death with it. It's moving at a glacial pace, with so many characters that I can hardly remember anything, except for the main focal point of the book. A big old house with bad history.
And one more thing - a single review which makes me keep going.
Are you connecting the dots?
One person who said it's worth going through the pain of slow pace is what I'm basing this book on. Because it's Stephen King and I know the end won't disappoint.
Writing alone isn't enough. Writing well won't get you far. Getting your name out there, being almost pushy in your goal to get you where you want to be, is how you get where you need to be. Once you are known and visible, your writing is easier to find. In the process, you will meet that one person who's opinion will matter more than any other. To you, to your readers. Find that person! Perhaps you already know them. Perhaps you don't. Without trying and putting some effort into it, you are setting yourself up for a disappointment because you have expectations that will be hard to meet, if you're on your own.
'til next time, my scary friends!
~ Gaby  |
 Portfolio Showcase
Indelible Ink 
For all the horror lovers, check out his port,
and "Dark/Horror/Scary" !
I'm not sure if he retired yet or not,
but I do know that his stories are worth a read!
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#2039521 by Not Available. |
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#2239365 by Not Available. |
| | | Reunited (18+)
They wanted to salvage their marriage, so a week with only the two of them seemed perfect.
#2023683 by Indelible Ink |
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#2291568 by Not Available. |
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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Comments to my previous "Horror/Scary Newsletter (May 17, 2023)" :
Beholden  wrote:
Thank you very much for including my short story, Halloween, amongst your Editor's Picks.
You're most welcome. If you have anything you'd like to be showcased, would like reviews on, please don't hesitate to share!
W.P. Gerace  wrote:
Greetings Ms. Gaby,
I do hope you are doing well today. I truly enjoy all your newsletters. Though I never wrote horror for children I did work in a school for 20 years so I do have an idea how they think and all and could probably create something. I might consider that for a future project for sure. Currently though the book I'm working on has to do with Demons and a school teacher and the students in his school being murdered. I might display some of it on my port once I have the rough draft done. I just will have to look at the content rating to make sure it does not get pulled. I always enjoy reading your newsletters though. You rock. Have a beautiful day friend. :)
Yours Truly,
Bill G.
Thank you kindly for the sweet words, Mr. Bill! You must have ample of patience if you managed to work in a school.  That's more than I can say for myself. If you do post your story on WdC, please, do not hesitate to get in touch to promote it around here.  Always a pleasure.
Osirantinsel  wrote:
Before I was a teen, a lot of my reading was Beatrix Potter (way pre teen) and then things like the Trixie Belden series (I still read them!). From about 11 onwards there was a publishing series that has short stories involving horror and teens. I read a lot of those (just because they were there rather than because I really wanted horror) and can remember scenarios from them. But one of the main horror stories I remember was actually a Sweet Valley High!! There were a couple of horror in that series and one involved someone witnessing a murder and then dreaming at night the person was coming through their bedroom window. It's gotta be 40 years since I read that but it stays with me and comes back every so often when there's a weird noise at a window. During my teens, a lot of books for teens actually dealt with real-life bad things not fantasy. They weren't horror stories though so I think sometimes the 'horror' was there but nothing like blood, guts and gore, or monsters.
I can see you reading horror stories at that age, Os!  I had a love/hate relationship with those stories back in the day. Now I enjoy them a lot more. Isn't it strange how some stories stick with us long after we've read them? I'm not sure if it's the author's ability to do that or does our mind have a large hand in that. Either way, I'd love to write something where it will stick with the reader for such a long time. And you know, the real life horror even without the guts and the gore can be more scary than any bloody image one can write about. I consider that true talent.
Siobhan Falen  wrote:
I think horror is in my family's blood. I come from a long line of women who dive into horror books as soon as we're able to sneak them. Horror movies, telling scary stories, etc. and I see it in my daughters. When I was little, we used to go camp at the dunes in California. I had one little boy get banned from sitting with us when I told stories cause they gave him nightmares. That's how you know you're doing it right.
I can see that! It's one of the reasons why I showcased your port in one of my previous Newsletters. You've got the talent and love for it. It amazes me at times to read stories and you stop seeing the words but rather see everything unfold in front of your eyes. Not many can do that. Also, I love the fact that all the women in your family enjoy horror. It's hard to find that.
Don't forget to check out "Note: View this Note" and read all the interesting comments!
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment on my newsletters. I appreciate every single one. Please, do feel free to add your written pieces as well to it. I'd be more than happy to show them off in my next newsletter! |
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Horror/Scary: May 31, 2023 Issue [#11964]
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