Sept 2015 Challenge - HALLOWEEN
Sept 13, 2015 6:10:41 GMT
Post by shannonmariechavez on Sept 13, 2015 6:10:41 GMT
This month's challenge:
Write a short story for
SILENT SCREAMS or What Dwells Below
At the Sept. 13th meeting, 2015, we challenged our group to write a horror story and have it completed by our next Short Story Challenge Meeting on Oct. 11.
SILENT SCREAMS - 1-time charity POD/eAntho (Serpent & Dove Speculative Fiction); primarily h, some sf/f (fic). Pay: 1¢/word +copy. Words: 1k-10k (soft). RT: <1 month. Reprints: no. E-subs: E-MAIL ONLY. Josh Strnad, Editor (QS).
Deadline: 31 October 2015
www.joshstrnad.ztechcomputers.net/?page_id=233
I’m looking for unpublished stories (no reprints) ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 words (soft) that EITHER focus of the plight of specific silent victims of our modern world OR that play with the idea of silence in general. (Think of Harlan Ellison’s classic "I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream," or the famous tag-line from Alien: "In space, no one can hear you scream.") What does it mean to be a voiceless victim, and what could be done to alleviate that kind of suffering?
I want horror stories of pretty much every subgenre, including dark science fiction. My tastes for this sort of thing lean more toward the surreal and uncanny than to the realistic, and most of what I enjoy would fall under the "Dark Fantasy" sub-heading (think the type of stuff written by guys like Robert Bloch and Jeff VanderMeer). I love stories that don’t spell everything out. Feel free to leave some mystery.
I’m a sucker for great writing (who isn’t?) and I love a good twist ending. Even though the overall tone of this anthology will most likely be rather grim, I’m certainly not opposed to a little levity or even humor, where appropriate. I’m big on metaphor and symbolism. A solid moral core and understanding of right-and-wrong is a must. Stories that inspire a sense of compassion are gold.
What Dwells Below!
Anthology: Horror Deadline: January 1, 2016 Word Count: 4,000 - 8,000 words
All submissions MUST be submitted to: Submissions@SirensCallPublications.com
Reading & Evaluation Period: Two to three months after close of the deadline
Payment: Each story selected for inclusion will receive a one-time payment of $25US
For this anthology, we're going urban! We'd like you to spin us a tale of horror describing what lurks below in the city sewers. All sorts of creatures, both real and imagined, may wish to do those who live in the sunlight harm; covet their ability to exist in the brightness above; or perhaps they simply fight for domain of their own patch in the darkness!
Whatever fantastically dark tale you come up with, please do not include zombies, homeless humans, or orphaned children. We want tales of true horror - not the horror of the human condition. So tell us, the next time we walk over a grate in a city sidewalk, or pass a manhole cover slightly ajar, what should we be terrified is watching us from below?
Deadline: January 1, 2016 Word Count: 4,000 - 8,000 words
www.sirenscallpublications.com/open_subs.htm
Other short story markets can be found at
Ralan.com
thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com/
www.freedomwithwriting.com/freedom/
ANTHOLOGIES:
I do my best to post paying markets witn deadlines in the next couple months.
SNAFU: Unnatural Selection
- 1-time print/eAntho (Cohesion Press); military h (fic). Pay: 4¢/word. Words: 2k-10k. RT: after DL. Reprints: no. E-subs: E-MAIL ONLY. Geoff Brown & Amanda J Spedding, Editors (QS).
Deadline: 30 November 2015
cohesionpress.com/snafu-unnatural-selection/
Melee
1. Melee will be a collection of Medieval Fantasy short fiction totalling 10 - 15 pieces. 2. Submissions are open until December 15, 2015.
www.punkswritepoems.com/calls-and-guidelines/
Don’t Open Till Doomsday 1. Don’t Open Till Doomsday will be a collection of Science Fiction short stories totalling 10 - 15 pieces. 2. Submissions are open until December 15, 2015.
www.punkswritepoems.com/calls-and-guidelines/
Sirens August 15 - November 15, 2015 Anthologist: Rhonda Parrish
Fourth title in Rhonda Parrish's Magical Menageries anthology series from World Weaver Press featuring Fae, Corvidae, and Scarecrow.
www.worldweaverpress.com/submit-anthologies.html
Last Outpost
Submission Period: September 15 - December 15, 2015 Anthologist: Bascomb James Third volume in the Far Orbit anthology series edited by Bascomb James. Series includes Far Orbit (volume one) and Far Orbit Apogee (volume two); Far Orbit Perigee (volume four, accepting submissions starting January 1, 2016.)
www.worldweaverpress.com/submit-anthologies.html
Specter Spectacular III: 13 Uncanny Tales
Submission Period: October 1, 2015 - January 31, 2016 [Not yet open]
Anthologists: Laura Harvey and Sarena Ulibarri
www.worldweaverpress.com/submit-anthologies.html
Haunting Muses Anthology
Bedazzled Ink and GusGus Press are looking for lesbian ghost stories for the anthology Haunting Muses to be published in time for Halloween 2016. Permanently closing for submissions on Dec 16, 2015 (Begins 94 days from now)
gusgus.bedazzledink.com/index.php/author-guidelines/submissions-haunting-muses-anthology/
HOCKOMOCK--Tales from the Bridgewater Triangle
According to Paranormal-Encyclopedia.com (
www.paranormal-encyclopedia.com/b/bridgewater-triangle/), the Bridgewater Triangle is likely one of the world's most concentrated areas of diverse paranormal reports, so the subject matter is wide open so long as it takes place within this 200-mile square area.
www.grinningskullpress.com/Submissions-Guidelines.html
Lost Signals
perpetualpublishing.com/2015/02/14/open-call-lost-signals/
In the darkness, sound is your best friend and your worst nightmare.
Radios are the conductors of noise. They are the radiation of electromagnetic signals. Their waves are invisible, yet they consume us. Forget about what’s hiding in the shadows, and start worrying about what’s hiding in the dead air.
Once Upon a Scream
horroraddicts.wordpress.com/current-submission-calls/
Happily ever after" is for children. This book prefers to evoke the grim warnings of our oldest fables. We are seeking frightening fairytales, fables, and folklore. We want to feature your own new tales or new takes on old classics. Stories of seelie and unseelie alike. Are the things that
go bump in the night there to help or harm us?
Were- Anthology
jpsorrow.livejournal.com/472423.html
The deadline for submissions is October 31st, 2015. WERE- is to feature stories where some type of were-creature OTHER than a werewolf is the main character. Werewolves can appear in the story, but they cannot be the main character or the central focus of the story.
Currently open PAYING Sci Fi Markets:
(From what I could tell. Most did not state if they were open or not, so I assumed they were open)
Clarkesworld Magazine
clarkesworldmagazine.com/submissions/
Analog
www.analogsf.com/information/submissions.shtml
Strange Horizons
www.strangehorizons.com/guidelines/fiction.php
Tor (opening Oct. 1)
www.tor.com/submissions-guidelines/#Fiction%20Submission%20Guidelines
Asamov's
www.asimovs.com/contact-us/writers-guidelines/
CONTESTS:
(I do my best to post only free competitions.)
MONTHLY WRITING COMPETITION
Unleash your talent and win a $50 Amazon Voucher !
www.daggerville.com/competition/
Writers of the Future
www.writersofthefuture.com/Contest-Rules-Writers/
The James White Award is an annual short story competition open to non-professional writers with the winner chosen by a panel of judges made up of professional authors and editors. Stories entered into the competition must be original and previously unpublished. Entry is free.
www.jameswhiteaward.com/
The Penn Cove Award
whidbeystudents.com/penn-cove-award/submit-for-the-penn-cove-award/
Write a short story for
SILENT SCREAMS or What Dwells Below
At the Sept. 13th meeting, 2015, we challenged our group to write a horror story and have it completed by our next Short Story Challenge Meeting on Oct. 11.
SILENT SCREAMS - 1-time charity POD/eAntho (Serpent & Dove Speculative Fiction); primarily h, some sf/f (fic). Pay: 1¢/word +copy. Words: 1k-10k (soft). RT: <1 month. Reprints: no. E-subs: E-MAIL ONLY. Josh Strnad, Editor (QS).
Deadline: 31 October 2015
www.joshstrnad.ztechcomputers.net/?page_id=233
I’m looking for unpublished stories (no reprints) ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 words (soft) that EITHER focus of the plight of specific silent victims of our modern world OR that play with the idea of silence in general. (Think of Harlan Ellison’s classic "I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream," or the famous tag-line from Alien: "In space, no one can hear you scream.") What does it mean to be a voiceless victim, and what could be done to alleviate that kind of suffering?
I want horror stories of pretty much every subgenre, including dark science fiction. My tastes for this sort of thing lean more toward the surreal and uncanny than to the realistic, and most of what I enjoy would fall under the "Dark Fantasy" sub-heading (think the type of stuff written by guys like Robert Bloch and Jeff VanderMeer). I love stories that don’t spell everything out. Feel free to leave some mystery.
I’m a sucker for great writing (who isn’t?) and I love a good twist ending. Even though the overall tone of this anthology will most likely be rather grim, I’m certainly not opposed to a little levity or even humor, where appropriate. I’m big on metaphor and symbolism. A solid moral core and understanding of right-and-wrong is a must. Stories that inspire a sense of compassion are gold.
What Dwells Below!
Anthology: Horror Deadline: January 1, 2016 Word Count: 4,000 - 8,000 words
All submissions MUST be submitted to: Submissions@SirensCallPublications.com
Reading & Evaluation Period: Two to three months after close of the deadline
Payment: Each story selected for inclusion will receive a one-time payment of $25US
For this anthology, we're going urban! We'd like you to spin us a tale of horror describing what lurks below in the city sewers. All sorts of creatures, both real and imagined, may wish to do those who live in the sunlight harm; covet their ability to exist in the brightness above; or perhaps they simply fight for domain of their own patch in the darkness!
Whatever fantastically dark tale you come up with, please do not include zombies, homeless humans, or orphaned children. We want tales of true horror - not the horror of the human condition. So tell us, the next time we walk over a grate in a city sidewalk, or pass a manhole cover slightly ajar, what should we be terrified is watching us from below?
Deadline: January 1, 2016 Word Count: 4,000 - 8,000 words
www.sirenscallpublications.com/open_subs.htm
Other short story markets can be found at
Ralan.com
thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com/
www.freedomwithwriting.com/freedom/
ANTHOLOGIES:
I do my best to post paying markets witn deadlines in the next couple months.
SNAFU: Unnatural Selection
- 1-time print/eAntho (Cohesion Press); military h (fic). Pay: 4¢/word. Words: 2k-10k. RT: after DL. Reprints: no. E-subs: E-MAIL ONLY. Geoff Brown & Amanda J Spedding, Editors (QS).
Deadline: 30 November 2015
cohesionpress.com/snafu-unnatural-selection/
Melee
1. Melee will be a collection of Medieval Fantasy short fiction totalling 10 - 15 pieces. 2. Submissions are open until December 15, 2015.
www.punkswritepoems.com/calls-and-guidelines/
Don’t Open Till Doomsday 1. Don’t Open Till Doomsday will be a collection of Science Fiction short stories totalling 10 - 15 pieces. 2. Submissions are open until December 15, 2015.
www.punkswritepoems.com/calls-and-guidelines/
Sirens August 15 - November 15, 2015 Anthologist: Rhonda Parrish
Fourth title in Rhonda Parrish's Magical Menageries anthology series from World Weaver Press featuring Fae, Corvidae, and Scarecrow.
www.worldweaverpress.com/submit-anthologies.html
Last Outpost
Submission Period: September 15 - December 15, 2015 Anthologist: Bascomb James Third volume in the Far Orbit anthology series edited by Bascomb James. Series includes Far Orbit (volume one) and Far Orbit Apogee (volume two); Far Orbit Perigee (volume four, accepting submissions starting January 1, 2016.)
www.worldweaverpress.com/submit-anthologies.html
Specter Spectacular III: 13 Uncanny Tales
Submission Period: October 1, 2015 - January 31, 2016 [Not yet open]
Anthologists: Laura Harvey and Sarena Ulibarri
www.worldweaverpress.com/submit-anthologies.html
Haunting Muses Anthology
Bedazzled Ink and GusGus Press are looking for lesbian ghost stories for the anthology Haunting Muses to be published in time for Halloween 2016. Permanently closing for submissions on Dec 16, 2015 (Begins 94 days from now)
gusgus.bedazzledink.com/index.php/author-guidelines/submissions-haunting-muses-anthology/
HOCKOMOCK--Tales from the Bridgewater Triangle
According to Paranormal-Encyclopedia.com (
www.paranormal-encyclopedia.com/b/bridgewater-triangle/), the Bridgewater Triangle is likely one of the world's most concentrated areas of diverse paranormal reports, so the subject matter is wide open so long as it takes place within this 200-mile square area.
www.grinningskullpress.com/Submissions-Guidelines.html
Lost Signals
perpetualpublishing.com/2015/02/14/open-call-lost-signals/
In the darkness, sound is your best friend and your worst nightmare.
Radios are the conductors of noise. They are the radiation of electromagnetic signals. Their waves are invisible, yet they consume us. Forget about what’s hiding in the shadows, and start worrying about what’s hiding in the dead air.
Once Upon a Scream
horroraddicts.wordpress.com/current-submission-calls/
Happily ever after" is for children. This book prefers to evoke the grim warnings of our oldest fables. We are seeking frightening fairytales, fables, and folklore. We want to feature your own new tales or new takes on old classics. Stories of seelie and unseelie alike. Are the things that
go bump in the night there to help or harm us?
Were- Anthology
jpsorrow.livejournal.com/472423.html
The deadline for submissions is October 31st, 2015. WERE- is to feature stories where some type of were-creature OTHER than a werewolf is the main character. Werewolves can appear in the story, but they cannot be the main character or the central focus of the story.
Currently open PAYING Sci Fi Markets:
(From what I could tell. Most did not state if they were open or not, so I assumed they were open)
Clarkesworld Magazine
clarkesworldmagazine.com/submissions/
Analog
www.analogsf.com/information/submissions.shtml
Strange Horizons
www.strangehorizons.com/guidelines/fiction.php
Tor (opening Oct. 1)
www.tor.com/submissions-guidelines/#Fiction%20Submission%20Guidelines
Asamov's
www.asimovs.com/contact-us/writers-guidelines/
CONTESTS:
(I do my best to post only free competitions.)
MONTHLY WRITING COMPETITION
Unleash your talent and win a $50 Amazon Voucher !
www.daggerville.com/competition/
Writers of the Future
www.writersofthefuture.com/Contest-Rules-Writers/
The James White Award is an annual short story competition open to non-professional writers with the winner chosen by a panel of judges made up of professional authors and editors. Stories entered into the competition must be original and previously unpublished. Entry is free.
www.jameswhiteaward.com/
The Penn Cove Award
whidbeystudents.com/penn-cove-award/submit-for-the-penn-cove-award/