Writerly Ways
Oct. 26th, 2025 10:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cornerofmadnessI forgot to mention yesterday that this weekend had a cursed feeling. I even said it to the bartender at Pies & Pints and she agreed. Let me recount this (since I don't think I did last night)
1. Way too much of their on tap doesn't match the list I have (and I later find out there were ciders on tap not just in cans) She had given me two samples. I liked her rec better than my first thought. She gave me the wrong one, realized it and said want this free? (I said no because I'm driving but I regretted it)
2. She gets my fresh glass and it clips the pvc piping protecting the keg lines and it shatters all over us.
3. The restaurant lost the doordasher behind me's orders and he has to wait
4. Chucky from Child's Play sits next to me. No lie, he's a redhead, round faced and he's dressed as Chucky. He asks about beer, I give him my list but no he wants a Miller Lite (leave my presence now). Bartender pulls it out and it's hot and skunked and has to be replaced. (this is about when I mention curses)
6. my hotel room is on the first floor and someone is o bviously right outside my window smoking. Fun
7. Today at the casino my ticket (which is my money for those who've never been to a casino) doesn't print. Must wait forever to get help.
So it got me thinking on the drive home about how curses literal and figurative can impact a character. A run of bad luck can literally ruin you if you're a gambler (looking at my own family members) or my own two freak accidents that have had life long and life altering consequences. There can be so much drama you can get from something that might otherwise be minor. (Like falling and hitting your couch, Dana. How did you manage to turn that into four years of horror?) Imagine being late to your dream job interview. How about a literal curse that does something terrible to your whole family. There are reasons this is a popular trope? Have you worked with it?
Open Call
Of Blood & Petals Romantasy tales of forbidden love
Fantabulosa Fall 2025 Window Fantasy, science-fiction and speculative horror from queer authors
Brave New Weird New Weird Horror Note: Reprints from October 31st 2024-2025 only!
The Tarot of Love Romantasy including seers, soothsayers, and diviners
'The Shining' Anthology Check this one out guys, there are heavy hitters in this but they're opening up a few slots of the rest of us. I mean chances are slim but for a contract like this I'm taking a swing. (also it's one of my favorite of King's books)
From Around the Web
Haunted by Emotion: Why Ghosts Linger Where Pain Lives
Novella: the Perfect Length for Horror
“Who Am I?” The Midpoint as Self-Recognition in Story Structure
Five Flaws for Smart Characters
Coach Your Characters: A Life Coach’s Toolkit Offers a New Lens
Notes from the Editor’s Desk: October 2025
Why You Should Write About Other People’s Writing
From Betty
Eight Dos and Don’ts for Making Magic Interesting
How Storytellers Use Reactivity & Proactivity for Effect
Depicting Child Characters
Explaining the Urban Fantasy Masquerade
Designing a Surprise Villain for Your Story
The Art of Crafting Real Relationships between Characters
Differentiating Narrators in a Multi-viewpoint Story
Lighting
Profluence in Writing
How To Use Dialogue for Backstory and Worldbuilding—Infodump-Free!
Writing 101: Popular Structure Models that Work
Coping Mechanism Thesaurus Entry: Denial
The Masks We Wear: What Halloween Teaches Writers About Character Arcs
How to Find the Perfect Writing Schedule That Actually Works for You
1. Way too much of their on tap doesn't match the list I have (and I later find out there were ciders on tap not just in cans) She had given me two samples. I liked her rec better than my first thought. She gave me the wrong one, realized it and said want this free? (I said no because I'm driving but I regretted it)
2. She gets my fresh glass and it clips the pvc piping protecting the keg lines and it shatters all over us.
3. The restaurant lost the doordasher behind me's orders and he has to wait
4. Chucky from Child's Play sits next to me. No lie, he's a redhead, round faced and he's dressed as Chucky. He asks about beer, I give him my list but no he wants a Miller Lite (leave my presence now). Bartender pulls it out and it's hot and skunked and has to be replaced. (this is about when I mention curses)
6. my hotel room is on the first floor and someone is o bviously right outside my window smoking. Fun
7. Today at the casino my ticket (which is my money for those who've never been to a casino) doesn't print. Must wait forever to get help.
So it got me thinking on the drive home about how curses literal and figurative can impact a character. A run of bad luck can literally ruin you if you're a gambler (looking at my own family members) or my own two freak accidents that have had life long and life altering consequences. There can be so much drama you can get from something that might otherwise be minor. (Like falling and hitting your couch, Dana. How did you manage to turn that into four years of horror?) Imagine being late to your dream job interview. How about a literal curse that does something terrible to your whole family. There are reasons this is a popular trope? Have you worked with it?
Open Call
Of Blood & Petals Romantasy tales of forbidden love
Fantabulosa Fall 2025 Window Fantasy, science-fiction and speculative horror from queer authors
Brave New Weird New Weird Horror Note: Reprints from October 31st 2024-2025 only!
The Tarot of Love Romantasy including seers, soothsayers, and diviners
'The Shining' Anthology Check this one out guys, there are heavy hitters in this but they're opening up a few slots of the rest of us. I mean chances are slim but for a contract like this I'm taking a swing. (also it's one of my favorite of King's books)
From Around the Web
Haunted by Emotion: Why Ghosts Linger Where Pain Lives
Novella: the Perfect Length for Horror
“Who Am I?” The Midpoint as Self-Recognition in Story Structure
Five Flaws for Smart Characters
Coach Your Characters: A Life Coach’s Toolkit Offers a New Lens
Notes from the Editor’s Desk: October 2025
Why You Should Write About Other People’s Writing
From Betty
Eight Dos and Don’ts for Making Magic Interesting
How Storytellers Use Reactivity & Proactivity for Effect
Depicting Child Characters
Explaining the Urban Fantasy Masquerade
Designing a Surprise Villain for Your Story
The Art of Crafting Real Relationships between Characters
Differentiating Narrators in a Multi-viewpoint Story
Lighting
Profluence in Writing
How To Use Dialogue for Backstory and Worldbuilding—Infodump-Free!
Writing 101: Popular Structure Models that Work
Coping Mechanism Thesaurus Entry: Denial
The Masks We Wear: What Halloween Teaches Writers About Character Arcs
How to Find the Perfect Writing Schedule That Actually Works for You
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Date: 2025-10-30 04:13 am (UTC)