Camp Draft Part II, or Attack of the Angry Mosquitos

Last month, I was at Camp Draft, where a number of writing projects were going to get done. Unfortunately, early that month, anxiety roared in like a swarm of angry mosquitos sending me cowering under my bunk, whimpering, with my arms over my head. But, thankfully, my protagonists are braver and smarter than I am, and they eventually lured the swarm away with some Key Lime Pie ice cream (I’m not sure this would work in real life but here, at Camp Draft, weirdness often works.) Coincidentally, this is also how my protagonists lured me out from under the bunk so we could get back to work.  

What got done:

The Longer Short Story – a solid rough draft! 

The Drabble – written, revised too many times to count and submitted!

 

What did not get done:

The Novella

 

So, I decided another session of Camp Draft was in order for August. This time around, we’re going to:

 

* Finish the nightmare road trip – aka The Longer Short Story – and revise it until it stops chanting “are we there yet?” so I can hopefully submit it. 

 

* Explore that cursed island where the Novella lives, and hang out with two of my protagonists and let them tell me all the secrets, or at least the ones they know about. This project will be about progress, and even though I’m not exactly sure what that looks like, I’ll know it when I see it.

 

Hopefully, August will be free of angry mosquitos. But I’m going to stock up on some of that Key Lime Pie ice cream, you know, um, just in case…. 

 

*****

How’s your summer going? Having fun? Getting projects done? Staying cool, calm and collected? Hiding from angry mosquitos?

Is There a Draft in Here?

I definitely feel a draft, and not just the one from the a/c. By the end of July, the first drafts of two stories should – fingers crossed! – give me more chills than the Key Lime Pie ice cream I like too much. 

Welcome to Camp Draft! 

Where:

* I will dive into my novella, featuring a cursed island.

* I will most likely get car sick writing about a road trip gone very, very wrong.  

* And I might dabble with a drabble.

 

Also, here at Camp Draft:

* The only counselors look a lot like tortoises. 

* The only activities are jumping over plot holes and napping.

* My bunkmates are kid characters who are way braver than I am. 

* And the s’mores look – and taste - like cake. 

 

Here I go! 

Oh, October!

October is one of my favorite months! We finally get cooler weather here in Florida. Our household celebrates birthdays. And all things spooky take center stage. 

 

I do read, write and watch scary stuff all year long, but I like to ramp it up in October, binge on stories of things that go bump in the night. I've got stacks of books to choose from and jotted notes of movies and TV shows, but I'd love to hear your recommendations.

 

*** What books and/or stories had you checking under the bed before going to sleep? What movies and/or TV shows had you turning on every light in the house? What was it that made your skin crawl? ***

 

Wishing you all a wonderful month and a Happy Halloween! 

🎃👻😱🎃👻😱🎃👻😱🎃👻😱🎃👻😱🎃👻😱🎃👻😱

Who Needs Sleep?

I love to read at night. You'll often find me curled up in a chair with a hot cup of tea, the house quiet, the blinds closed against the dark sky and all the slithering shadows. I'm also most likely reading something creepy, dark, scary. And while this absolutely goes against my cowardly, chicken-like nature, it gives me a delicious thrill that I refuse to give up.

So, when I came across this article - 11 Creepy Lines from Horror Books that are Honestly Terrifying - I couldn't read it fast enough. Here are some of my favorites:

"THERE WERE WORSE THINGS THAN CRUCIFIXION.

THERE WERE TEETH."

(The Stand by Stephen King)

"THE LAST MAN ON EARTH SAT ALONE IN A ROOM.

THERE WAS A KNOCK ON THE DOOR . . . "

(Knock by Frederic Brown)

"I HAVE NO MOUTH,  AND I MUST SCREAM."

(I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison)

Go ahead, read the whole article. But maybe wait until daylight. Or when you're not alone. Oh, you are alone? Um . . . then who or what (gulp!) is that creaking across the attic, right above your head . . . ?

*****

Do you enjoy reading at night? Are you a fan of creepy stories? Any favorites - books, TV shows, movies? Can you read/watch them before bed or is that just a nightmare waiting to happen? 

The Things We Do For Love

Lately, I've turned my attention to writing longer stories. I'm submitting to new markets - some with themes, some with deadlines, all horror-related. I enjoy hanging out in my creepy little worlds longer than I'm usually able to when writing flash fiction.

The flip side? I'm hanging out in my creepy little worlds longer than usual.

The air conditioning runs, but it's ghostly breath that prickles my skin. Beneath the rustling of palm fronds, characters whisper, frantic, fearful for their lives. During summer storms, lightning shoots across the sky, pinning hulking and misshapen shadows against the blinds.

But when I came across this quote from James M. Cain, I realized it's all for a good cause:

"IF YOUR WRITING 

DOESN'T KEEP YOU UP AT NIGHT, 

IT WON'T KEEP ANYONE ELSE UP EITHER." 

Ah, I suffer so my readers will, too!

You're welcome.

*****

What was the last creepy thing you wrote or read or watched that stayed with you? What was it about that particular thing that made it stick with you?

Scare Me. Please.

Author Joshilyn Jackson mentions in one of her posts how this was the "Year of Abduction Fiction" for her.  She lists her top three reads that all concerned long term abductions.  I'd have to say the same goes for me.  I enjoyed Laura Lippman's I'd Know You Anywhere.  I raved here about Chevy Steven's Still Missing.  And I was recently blown away by Emma Donoghue's amazing novel, Room. 

Great writers and writing aside, why do I enjoy these kinds of stories?  Why do I enjoy those end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it novels and movies?  Why do I enjoy creepy horror books and films?

Do I think they'll give me tips if I'm ever (God forbid!) in those situations?  Let's get real.  If a meteor crashes into earth or a band of zombies is eating its way through the United States, you'll find me curled up in a ball in some corner either weeping or wondering how I'd taste to the undead. 

Maybe it's because reading those books and watching those movies from my bed or the living room couch makes me feel safe.  It's easy to yell "Don't go in the woods!" at some stupid teenagers while I cower behind my husband's arm.   And I can always shut the book or turn off the TV.  Right?  Right?

Wrong.  Images from the books I mentioned above are going to stay with me for quite awhile.  That's the power that all well-done stories - scary and otherwise - have over us.  I don't know about you, but I, for one, am happy to let them.