The Next Step

It's the last weekend of October and while many of you will be celebrating Halloween or Dia de los Muertos, others are preparing for NaNoWriMo and/or the next step.

No matter where you are in your planning, writing, or publishing journey, I thought you might be in need of some inspiration and advice.

https://nanowrimo.org/

Becoming Your Own Best Critic

Interview With a Gatekeeper: Riverheads Rebecca Saletan

Ask the Editor: An Interview With Sarah Cantin of St. Martins Press

Picturing the Personal Essay

How about you? What is your next step?

Fall Fun, Reads, and Frights

Fall temperatures are finally arriving in our area. Orange decorations, and pumpkin everything, seem to be surrounding us. We usually stay busy all month long with many seasonal activities. For instance, in addition to the many Fall festivals, we just enjoyed a trip to the Texas Renaissance Festival. We also enjoy visiting the local pumpkin patches and Scarecrow Festivals.

If you prefer to stay home cuddled up with a good read instead of heading out to crowds celebrating seasonal festivals, try one of my suggestions from 10 Scary Reads to Terrify Your Inner Child.

I also recommend my short story "Lights Out" which can be found in Road Kill, Texas Horror Volume 4 from Hellbound Books Publishing: here.

If you're looking for something a little lighter, try my romantic Halloween short story (about 800 words): Madame Tooshkas Spell.

Interested in FREE scary books? Try one of these!

Need a few scary good costume ideas? Try one of these 10 Minute Literary Halloween Costumes and dress like your favorite characters.

How are you celebrating this season?

Welcome to #WEPFF - Write...Edit...Publish October Challenge - Deja Vu or Voodoo

Welcome writers! Are you ready for a spooky challenge? For more specifics than I have listed here, or to visit the source: https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2018/10/welcome-to-wepff-writeeditpublish.html

OCTOBER is the month for screams and chills, ghosts and ghoulies, mystery and fear, and this month’s prompt is DÉJÀ VU OR VOODOO!.

Most WEP-ers go with horror for October but what if it isn’t your bag? No problem. Just interpret these prompts without a smidgen of anything extra-sensory. Amaze us with a romance or adventure flash without a drop of gore!

Lots of things can happen on Halloween or in October that doesn’t resemble horror…

A nightmare comes to life. A not-so-pleasant experience repeated after years. A vague memory that ends up being something more ominous. A house of horrors revisited with fearsome results. If you don’t scare us, impress us….

The Halloween challenge has proven to be a favorite, so get those stories churning.

If you need some inspiration give these stories a read: 10 Creepy Stories to Tell After Dark then make up your own “urban legend!”

Our August challenge was the first month that we welcomed the writers from the IWSG (Insecure Writers Support Group) and it was impressive. In case you missed the announcement, The WEP team have a GUEST POST on the IWSG website on August 6 that explains everything. Here is the link:

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/2018/08/writing-together-with-wep-and-iswg.html

I hope we’ve tweaked your curiosity and ambition. We’d love to read your story so please, Sign up now.

Please remember to add WEP to your post title, so it's easily spotted. 

We like to have all participants on the blogroll, please have a quick scan and tell us if your blog is missing and email Renee if it's not there! yolandarenee@hotmail.com 

 

FLASH FICTION, POETRY, NON-FICTION, ARTWORK, PHOTO ESSAYS

 

1. 1. SUBMIT your name to the list below NOW
   2. CREATE your entry for the October challenge – Déjà vu or Voodoo. Go HERE for further ideas
   3. EDIT your entry, making sure 'WEP' is in the TITLE
   4. PUBLISH your entry onto your BLOG or FACEBOOK page on the date shown - state feedback preferences
   5. Leave a COMMENT on the WEP website. We add your DirectLink
   6. READ other entries, giving feedback as requested
   7 SHARE THE CHALLENGE on social media. 
   
   ALL GENRES WELCOME except erotica - 1,000 words maximum 
   FURTHER ENQUIRIES VISIT www.writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com and leave a comment or: email: yolandarenee@hotmail.com

1.	Denise Covey - DL	13.	Orlin - DL	25.	J Lenni Dorner - DL
2.	Yolanda Renee - DL	14.	Toi Thomas- DL	26.	Rebecca M. Douglass - DL
3.	Nilanjana Bose - DL	15.	Tanya Miranda - DL	27.	Christopher Scott - DL
4.	Olga Godim - DL	16.	Dixie Jo Jarchow - DL	28.	Adura Ojo - DL
5.	L. G. Keltner - DL	17.	Roland Clarke - DL	29.	Joey Lynn Resciniti - DL
6.	Desk 49 - DL	18.	Hilary - DL	30.	Susan Swiderski - DL
7.	Roland Yeomans - DL	19.	Operation Awesome - DL	31.	dolorah - DL
8.	Sally - DL	20.	Michelle Wallace - DL	32.	Jemi Fraser - DL
9.	DG Hudson - DL	21.	Deborah Drucker - DL	33.	Damyanti - DL
10.	Kalpana - DL	22.	Jamie Lightcap Dorner - DL	34.	Michael Di Gesu - DL
11.	Jemima Pett - DL	23.	The Real Cie - DL	35.	Robert Jones - DL
12.	Pat Hatt - DL	24.	Alex J. Cavanaugh - DL

IWSG: Characteristics of Your Favorite Genre

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs. You can also join us on twitter using the hashtag #IWSG, or on the Facebook page.

Now, IWSG hosts have changed up the format in an effort to make it more fun and interactive. Every month, they will announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Don’t forget to visit others that day to see their answers. Want to join, or learn more? Visit our - Sign-up List.

OCTOBER QUESTION - What do you consider the best characteristics of your favorite genre?

MY ANSWER - My favorite genre (at the moment) is YA romance. Romances usually include the full cycle of a romance, beginning with their first meeting (although sometimes characters will already know each other and rather than having an adorable or awkward meeting there will be a trigger event that begins the change in feelings from platonic to romantic). Then, the relationship will be tested or stressed by some series of events. These events can range from simple misunderstandings that are blown out of proportion to serious matters of life and death. Eventually, the conflict is resolved, and the characters are able to fully acknowledge their love, usually resulting in a happily ever after. Some focus on historical scenarios, and others on more contemporary life. They can range from sarcastic, dry-witted, and/or out-right weird, to traditional and sweet. Some even have a heavy dose of trauma or life-threatening situations as part of the plot.

How about you? What are some characteristics of your favorite genre?