Invitation Anthology 2021 Q1 (Setup)

[Matt H.]

Current Anthology Issue I

NOTE Some of the below may be out-of-date!!
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You don't need to read this thread. Just pay attention to "Revised Plan" link below. ...If you weren't invited to the Antho. and you would like to be, PM me.

Invitation Flash Anthology "Flashes of Darkness I"- 2021 Q1
Target Story Deadline: April 10, 2021​

CURRENT STATUS: We need more stories! (for issue II) Please look through your available stories and find matches under our "Story Groupings" Post a link and I'll add it to the pool.

REVISED PLAN Jan 29
REQUIREMENTS & EDITING

For this project we are foregoing the submission process. The idea is to recognize the SFF forumites (of all levels) who have been contributing content to this site, especially participation in the Flash and Micro contests. You can use new or existing work.

Do you have a story about personal transformations of the scary kind? How about dogs, wolves, dingy apartments, madmen, nature eco-transgressions?? You get the idea.

Please see current list of theme/stories groupings. Do you have existing work (Flash 1500) that matches? Want to write something new? Direct any questions to the thread or to @Matt H.

Old Plan
STORY GROUPINGS (old plan)
STORY POOL

invited: RedMage, danielausema, shadowsminder, JamesMaxstadt, VictorK, Trollheart, Hereford Eye, Geno | Currently active: @Matt H. (organizer), Hannah, HESH, R.J., Sea Serpent, Hoodwink

 

[Matt H.]

Would anyone care to follow my example and do the same with their own stories?

Matt H. Stories with Theme Keywords (below)

Joseph Brown (horror/gothic)

• possession
• occult
• transformation (person-scary)
• book / inscription
• objects appearing/disappearing
• transgression
• mass murderer (suggestion)
• “body-snatching”
• scary time-warps
• doubtful memory
• dingy apartment

A Goofer Who Supplanted Satan (horror/gothic)

• possession
• devils
• horror-humor (suggested)
• semi-ironic evil
• voices (scary)
• occult
• “Goth” kids
• transformation (person-scary)
• transgression
• workplace
• occult/poetry
• email
• gullibility
• evil genius
• manipulation
• creepy stares

Scott’s Snag (horror/gothic)

• snow/ice
• mountains
• haunted place
• Winter
• personal transgression
• nature-eco-transgression
• nature-revenge
• madman
• zoo
• greed
• hidden horrors

Uncle Gil (horror/weird/gothic)

• occult science
• transgression-scientific
• witches and familiars
• animal skulls
• cat (talking)
• dogs
• wolves
• command-over-animals
• transformation (person-animal)
• moonlight
• spells
• animals fighting
• campfire

The Eyes Cross (horror/gothic)

• possession
• occult
• evil spirits
• transformation (personal-scary)
• mirrors
• transgression
• voices (scary)
• scars
• eyes/vision
• apparitions/hallucinations
• dingy apartment
• rite of passage
• sorcerer

Eyes of the Mine Dragon (fantasy/horror/gothic)

• dragons
• animal-“torture”
• slaughterhouse
• scary “harvest”
• eyes, brains
• injustice/oppression
• mining
• eco-transgression
• apocalypse
• retribution
• creatures-scary
• nature-revenge
• fire/immolation
• reptiles/birds/snakes

 

[Matt H.]

Questions:

1. Do you have an existing Flash story on any of these themes? (ok, if already submitted in a contest)
2. Do you want to write something new on one of these themes?
3. Do we need other themes? If necessary please add them!

Note: We might cross genres in the antho (may or may not be great), so let's say you have a dragon story but not a horror version, then it still might fit in the antho. Also, we don't need to do horror at all if no one else wants to. I could write a new one on an agreed theme...

 

[R.J.]

Just to make sure I understand:

1. Are the stories you linked the themes/topics I can choose among? Or examples of what you'd like to see/read? Are they templates? For inspiration?

2. Will this end up as a thread? Ebook?

To answer your questions:

1. I do have a few stories I feel could, with a little tweaking, match what you're looking for (if I understand correctly, gothic/horror). They have been submitted here. (Speaking of which, is there a way to conjure up all my contributions here at once or do I have to sift through the forum to find them?)

2. I think I'd like to do something new, for the challenge, but will take a look at what I've done before (checking my Scrivener, I'm shocked to see I've been submitting stories here since 2011: Ten year anniversary!! And still haven't done anything with those I've received positive feedback on. Plan was/is to collect them, tidy them up and put them in an ebook, geezes). If I find something I really think fits the bill I might go for an oldie.

3. No. If this is what you are looking for, that's what we should go for.

 

[HESH]

My answers,
1. Possible story that could be converted.
2. Could write something to add.
3. I'd prefer a different theme. WW2 Fiction, Ghost/Horror.

To RJ
2. Ebook would be cool!

 

[Hereford Eye]

Possible Themes:
Aliens
Hero’s Quest
Leprechauns
Magical Places
Pheromones
Pixies
Population Problems
Unicorns

 

[Matt H.]

Just to make sure I understand:

1. Are the stories you linked the themes/topics I can choose among? Or examples of what you'd like to see/read? Are they templates? For inspiration?

Yeah, that was the idea. We are looking for a connecting theme, but I don't know who has what.. So, wanted to see if you guys had anything that would match those I already have.

2. Will this end up as a thread? Ebook?

@Andrew LH has suggested that yes, he could perhaps do an ebook for us. If he's not available, I would be willing to look into it. But at least we're shooting for a nicely formatted PDF with cover-art

To answer your questions:

1. I do have a few stories I feel could, with a little tweaking, match what you're looking for (if I understand correctly, gothic/horror). They have been submitted here. (Speaking of which, is there a way to conjure up all my contributions here at once or do I have to sift through the forum to find them?)

I didn't want to constrain the group by declaring what the theme will be... On the other hand, maybe it's just too chaotic without a direction. So, if no consensus emerges, I will go ahead. Probable theme: "Transformations" (scary if you have one!) I've been writing gothic/horror stuff recently, so that's what I have. If the group can work within that genre, great, if not, we can consider something else. (or possibly cross genres) Again obvious point is to find stories that go well together, and comment on/complement each other... So by all means dig through the old stuff, and/or write something new! I think 10 stories is a good target. This means, depending on participation we might get more than 1 each. Lmk of any further questions.

(added) Btw, I think "already submitted" (as long as not contra publisher policy, etc.) is perfectly ok. So, if it was in a contest, that's fine.

 

[Matt H.]

Possible Themes:
Aliens
Hero’s Quest
Leprechauns
Magical Places
Pheromones
Pixies
Population Problems
Unicorns

H.E, are any of these "scary"? Would you be willing to write something new, perhaps if none of these match? (not a just matter of "quality", anthology-match is even maybe even more important...)

 

[Matt H.]

My answers,
1. Possible story that could be converted.
2. Could write something to add.
3. I'd prefer a different theme. WW2 Fiction, Ghost/Horror.

To RJ
2. Ebook would be cool!

HESH, our target date is April 10, 2021 (too ambitious?) So you have *some* time... Suggestion: For Jan, Feb, Mar Flash contests... ask yourself - can I make my Flash entry into something that also works with Matt's antho? Kill two birds that way.

(added) WWII is good, it would make a nice contrast possibly with the others. But I don't think we can probably ask the group here to all write WWII stories... becuase it's quite specific. So think about combining WWII with the "transformation" theme, it could fit it nicely.

 

[Matt H.]

@Hannah Hulbert Do you have anything:

1. set in "real world"
2. involving scary transformations? (char. who goes "bad", or turns into animal or other person, etc?)

Or... want to write one?

I know it's like an additional Flash contest...

Like I said to HESH -- ideal thing would be to write FEB, MAR Flash entries with this antho in mind.

(added) Looks like you didn't finish "wolves", did you already start something? If not... could you write something to complement my story "Uncle Gil"?

 

[Hereford Eye]

I don't do scary. Don't read it; watch it, or write it. If that disqualifies me, I understand.

 

[Hannah Hulbert]

I have been thinking of reworking Reflect - would that be any good?

 

[Matt H.]

Yes! I forgot about it. Fits: real-world setting, "occult" themes, body-swaps, etc. It's perfect. That might go awesomely with my story "Joseph Brown" (will post it) What about "Yellow Lady" that you said was similar?

I already like "Reflect" quite a bit as is... are there any tune-ups you wanted to make? (cool thing, is that now, outside the contest thing, we can edit our Flashes to oue heart's content! )

(added) If you're considering modifications, maybe we can discuss if there are easy ways (without lessening the story) that it can be brought even more in-line with our theme (once it's settled). Even as is, it fits quite well. (Also is a fair Match with "The Eyes Cross" - mirrors and all)

 

[Hannah Hulbert]

The Yellow Lady is longer and also apparently an over done horror trope, so I'll leave that one in the trunk! Was thinking of changing Reflect so that it the MC ends up disembodied rather than trapped in mirrors. It would only effect the mantra and the ending

 

[Matt H.]

The Yellow Lady is longer and also apparently an over done horror trope, so I'll leave that one in the trunk! Was thinking of changing Reflect so that it the MC ends up disembodied rather than trapped in mirrors. It would only effect the mantra and the ending

Sounds fine! Actually, I was a bit confused on the mirror thing, though it didn't spoil it.

(added) "apparently" an overdone horror trope? But is that what you think yourself? Anyway, what else you got stashed in the trunk? This could be the opportunity to re-animate old stuff you felt was promising (that goes for all of us)

 

[Hannah Hulbert]

Well, I don't read horror, so I defer to the wisdom of those who do. I think Reflect would fit the anthology best, so will probably stick with that, unless things change at your end!

 

[Matt H.]

Well, I don't read horror, so I defer to the wisdom of those who do. I think Reflect would fit the anthology best, so will probably stick with that, unless things change at your end!

Got it, thanks. Lmk, if you have antyhing additional too. In case you want to have a few stories in there. (There's no queue at the moment ) Soon hope we will solidify theme better.

 

[HESH]

I really like RJs Tough Little Lady, it might be a good platform to start on?

 

[HESH]

I don't do scary. Don't read it; watch it, or write it. If that disqualifies me, I understand.

@Matt H. We sort of need a middle ground... I'm not too good at scary either...

 

[Matt H.]

Well,mine are recently in the horror vein, didn't plan it, but that's what I got. For me, war-related is a pretty good fit with horror/ghosts, etc.

If HESH and HE (btw, was going to mention you both write military themes-among others), can get together at least 6 stories *on any theme* that is speculative, I will try to write a new story that fits with it.

In the main thread there's a hint we might have the beginnings of a theme "scary transformations", so if we get a few more, we may run with it. Also, we can do more than one antho, of course. Remember too that I'm just a rando-forumite here, so all of us are free to do or organize whatever we want.