The Five Stages of Writing

Do you want to be a horror fiction writer? The 5 Stages of Writing

The Five Stages of Writing

There are five stages I take to get a fiction story from inside my head to a finished work, ready for publication. You may find you follow these or similar stages. It’s a way of organizing my work. When I follow this in stages I never get stuck on what to do next and I never have to do the same work twice (such as rechecking the grammar after I’ve made changes to the story).

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STAGE 1 – Incubation period

I’ll have an incubation period where I take the idea of the story and add to it as new thoughts come into my head. I’ll write notes about different scenes, descriptions of the characters, possible endings, develop scenes that will demonstrate the conflict(s) in the story best. Sometimes I’ll collect pics and photos from the internet and add them to a file folder. I’ll look at these pics in order to influence my story or help with descriptions.

I like to have times where I’ll sit in silence and let my imagination go into the story. I see a scene play out in my head like a movie and take mental note of the setting, characters and pacing. I do this without stopping to write anything down. If I stop to write, it breaks up the flow of the scene. Once the scene has played out to the end, I’ll put it on paper.

I will do some research on items, settings, people, cultural beliefs, similar story ideas, myths and legends, and anything else that will pertain to the story. If there is a mythology or a previous ‘world building’ that is accepted by the general public, then you have to follow those guidelines in order to keep the story in a suspension of disbelief. You can add to the mythology, but the basic premise has to coincide with people’s beliefs. For instance, if you’re writing a story about Slenderman and you give a description of his face that is inconsistent than the accepted mythology (he has no face) the reader will not continue reading.

I’ll also determine if a story is developed enough to ensure I can write freely. Sometimes I’ll do this with an outline, sometimes with notes I’ve been taking and other times I’ll have it all in my head.

STAGE 2 – Write it

I’ll often think of the opening line first. What that will be, will depend on how close to the major conflict you want to start the story. It’s best to start in some sort of action, either physical, mental or dramatic, in order to get the reader hooked. It’s also important to get the reader emotionally involved with your character early on.

I’ll try to write a little every day until the story is finished. I don’t usually try to follow a word count quota. That works well for many writers, but if I force myself to write on a day when my mind isn’t completely engaged by my own story, I wind up throwing what I’ve written that day in the trash. So, I’ll start with a paragraph and if I get that ‘flow’ going, that energy that many writers call their muse, I’ll continue writing for as long as the ideas are coming. I’ll also write no matter where I am. If an idea comes to me when I’m out, I’ll pull out my kindle, write my scene in an email and send it to my desktop computer. When I’m home I’ll copy and paste it into my storyline.

STAGE 3 – Edit it – (aka: drafting)

This is done many times, creating many drafts. This stage involves getting the story into shape so a reader will understand and enjoy it. I will work on pacing, settings, character development and arcs, story arc, and understandability (is that a word?). I’ll check the continuity. I’ll add more story to places that may need it and remove aspects that do not add to the story. One piece of advice I always liked was, make believe Judge Judy is going to read it. Does everything make sense? Do all the characters have sufficient motives to engage them in action. Are there irrational thoughts, actions, or motivations that can’t be explained? Does everything line up to the conclusion of the story? In this step I will not delve heavily into grammar. This step is about the story as a whole, not the individual words and sentences.

Other steps in this stage is to make sure the story follows the same tense all the way through. Make sure the story has a clear POV. I’ll check to make sure I’m using Active Voice, not Passive Voice.

Passive voice / active voice
A passive voice puts a barrier between the reader and the character, never letting the reader to be fully immersed in the character’s world. It’s like the difference between reading a good fiction novel or reading a story in a text book. Historical accounts in text books are almost always passive voice. While both can tell the story, only one will allow the reader to feel the emotion, empathy and impact of the story.

Each time I save the story after a period of editing it’s called a draft. You start with a rough draft and keep working on it until the final draft (finished product). This can take months for some stories. I might complete 10 to 20 drafts for a 3k word short story. If you write a story, then only check the grammar and spelling, most likely the story is not ready to be published.

STAGE 4 – Proofread it

This is the step where all the grammatical rules come into play. Word spellings, grammar, punctuation, verb/subject agreement, all that good stuff is checked during this stage. For very short stories I do all the proofreading myself. If the story is longer, I’ll send it to a proofreader and pay to have it done. It’s often difficult to proofread your own work because your mind sees what you want it to say, not what another reader will see. Using the spellcheck and grammar check in your Word or Writing programs is not good enough. It will not alert you to using the wrong words that sound alike, (homophones: there, their, they’re or where, wear), or having the wrong word in a sentence that is spelled right (such as ‘on’ instead of ‘one’).

STAGE 5 – Format it

This is where I’ll set up the format of the story to get it ready for the editor’s review. It will have the proper spacing (either Shun formatting or editor’s specs), proper font and font size (I write in Arial, but most editors prefer Times New Roman or sometimes Georgia or Courier) and proper indents for new paragraphs. Do not use tabs to set indents as it will mess up formatting it to eBook. Use the paragraph format and set it to first line indent (usually+3 but check submission guidelines). At the top left you will have all your information, name address, phone, email, story name, word count, what book or zine issue you’re submitting to, the date, etc.

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If you follow these 5 stages carefully, you will have a publish-ready story in your hands. Now to find a place for your creation. More advice on that in my next article.

 

Do you want to be a horror fiction writer? Terminology

I haven’t done a post like this in a while so I figured it was due. For my aspiring writers out there here’s some basic info for getting your work published.

Do you want to be a horror fiction writer?
Getting published – Terminology

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Terminology – I thought it would be a good idea to review some of the terminology that is often part of the submissions page and instruction for publications for which you want to send a story. Some of this stuff is pretty basic but it is important to know for someone starting out.

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One of the big questions is what constitutes published/unpublished works.

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Unpublished – unpublished work is a story that has never appeared in a public forum anywhere. That includes in any book, magazine, webzine, on the internet, on your own blog, or on a forum even if it only got five hits. Some publishers/editors will make an exception for a story that was posted in a closed group, where you have to sign-in to read the stories and is there for the purpose of critique. Writers clubs, groups, and associations all fall into that category. The idea is the general public could not read it unless they are a part of that group and would have had to sign in. Also stories in these groups are usually not searchable in search engines. I will let the publisher/editor know if my story had been posted in a literary critique group and let them decide if they consider that published or not published.

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Submission
Naturally, that is the story, poem or prose that you will send in (submit) to the publication.

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Call for submissions
The publications call to writers to submit work based on their guidelines. It is usually posted on their websites, on listing pages such as Horrortree.com, Duotrope and on Facebook Open Call groups. There is often a reading window with a deadline.

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Copyright
is the rights that you as a writer have upon creating your story and the right to let others (publications, websites, etc.) copy the material into their media presentations.

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First English Language Rights
Many publications want First English Language Rights. That is, they want to be the first to offer the story to the public for reading in English. That means they want Unpublished work. They will often want an exclusive period where they won’t want you to have the story available anywhere else for the public to read. That could be from six months to a few years.

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Reprints
If a call for submissions allows Reprints, that means you can send work that had been previously printed, posted, or offered in other media. Previously published works can be submitted as long as you have allowed for any exclusive time period to end.

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Simultaneous Submissions
means you can send them a story or work that has also been submitted to another publication for review. Sometimes the reading periods and wait time is long for publications. If the call to submissions includes allowance for Simultaneous Submissions, you can send your story to several publications at the same time. You have the responsibility to let the other publications know immediately if your work was excepted elsewhere. Once accepted to a publication or website, in most cases, your work will be ineligible to be accepted into other publications until two things have happened; you have let the exclusivity time lapse and you resubmit the work as a reprint to publications that will accept reprints.

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Multiple submissions
Means you can send more than one story, poem, or prose to the call for submissions.

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Word counts
Submission calls usually have a preferred length of story. In your word program you will have to click on word count and the program will count the words. You will have to make that count clearly visible somewhere in your submission. The call will usually tell you where to put the word count. If it doesn’t, you can put it in your cover letter or directly following your tittle and byline. Everything that is separated by spaces is considered a word. ‘a’ is a word. A street or house number is a word. (215 13th Street = 3 words). An abbreviation is a word.

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Byline
is your name, writing name, pseudonym and correct representation of that name. I like to be called Mike when I’m with my friends, but when my name appears in print as credit for writing a story, I like to use Michael – every time, everywhere.

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Manuscript formatting
There is a standard way that your story should be formatted. However, with the advent of digital  submissions (email and form submissions), some of those rules have changed depending upon the publication. The Shunn Format was the standard for many years, but on the submissions page there may be preferences that the publications will want different. It’s best to start with the standard format and then change aspects according to special instructions.

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File types
A Word document is .doc and .docx file types. However, with the Word format, depending on your computers age and Operating System, there could be difference in how your formatting looks compared to when the publisher opens the file to look at it. I prefer to save my files as .rtf documents which helps it have a uniform visual look no matter what program it is opened with. To save as an .rtf, open your story file, select SAVE AS, and then select .rtf from the drop down bar.

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Author bio
Most publications would like a short Bio (biography), perhaps one paragraph about you the writer, written in third person (as if someone else had written it). They don’t want a full history of your life. Make no mistake, the author Bio is also a testament to your writing skills. Try to make it interesting and readable to someone that has no idea who you are and probably doesn’t care. You can see a sample of my BIO on my author page here: Michael Thomas-Knight, Author

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Cover letter
Write a cover letter that is simple, with no frills. Just have a greeting and introduce yourself. Tell them your story title and what publication you’re submitting to. End with a thank you.

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“I write one page of masterpiece to ninety-one pages of shit. I try to put the shit in the wastebasket.”

– Ernest Hemmingway

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“If you write one story, it may be bad; if you write a hundred, you have the odds in your favor.”
– Edgar Rice Burroughs

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My Year in Writing – 2015

2015 – my year in Horror Fiction writing

The Devil’s Avatar
The year started very early on Jan 6th with the paperback release of Stomping Grounds, an anthology collection of Giant Monster stories (also available on Kindle). In my story, The Devil’s Avatar a jealous scientist uses an ancient machine that combines spiritual and alchemic aspects to create an unstoppable monster. His twisted mind creates a giant clown to seek out his reluctant lady love and destroy the town in the process. However, his rival also uses the machine, bringing to life a giant Paul Bunyan statue, to fight back and save the damsel in distress. The two battle it out in the center of a small Midwest town in this homage to classic 1950’s American Giant Monster films.

Why you should read. Stomping Grounds contains the best giant monster stories I’ve read in some time. Each story is packed with people crushing, earth quaking action. I’ve read quite a few books in this sub-genre and this one is top notch. I’d say this is the best book I’ve been in during 2015!

The Obsidian Box
My story in the Ghosts Revenge anthology deals with an ex-mobster who wants to ‘off’’ his wife but keep his hands clean. He decides to use an angry spirit to do his dirty work, but how do you control the uncontrollable? I found most of the stories in Ghosts Revenge to be entertaining. They were all written well exhibiting top quality. For a few of them, while written well, I just didn’t like the style, but that’s just a matter of personal tastes. Others I found outstanding. If you like violent ghost stories, this is a great book to dive into. My second fave book for the year. Ghosts Revenge anthology

Vector 7
Sirens Call ezine issue #20
The theme in this issue was ‘a scream in the night.’ I brushed off and tightened up a story about a guy who frequents S&M chat rooms. During the night the lines between fantasy and reality are blurred when he hears a lone scream in his apartment building.  Sirens Call ezine (scroll down to issue #20 and download the pdf for free)

Bon Fire
This is a Halloween Horror story published at Cemetery Tomes. Originally released in my chapbook, The Clock Tower Black, the story follows a group of friends who tell stories on Halloween around a blazing fire in the woods. It’s kinda’ like horror-lite for me, reading for all ages. Cemetery Tomes

Thanksgiving Day Surprise
I noticed that I hadn’t written much this year so I decided to write some flash fiction for the Holidays. I wrote three new stories. This is the first, which you can read FREE, right here on the Parlor of Horror site. Thanksgiving Day Surprise

Skin Job – release to be announced
For much of the year I decided to forego any other writing and only concentrate on this story for inclusion in the Terry M. West, Car-Nex series of stories and eBook releases. I figured it was the most important of any project and decided to put my full efforts behind it, turning down invitations to several other anthologies. I received word in November that my story was excepted for the project. I don’t have a definitive timeline on its release as of yet. Pleasant Storm Entertainment

Unleashed in the East
This story was published in the anthology, Kaiju: Lords of the Earth. I wrote this early in the year. It’s only about 10 pages (2,500 words), but I think it’s a very strong story with a solid emotional edge. ‘Unleashed…’ keeps in line with traditional Kaiju while adding a Lovecraftian twist. It is also inspired by a current event news item. I have to say there are only a few stories in this book that feel like true Kaiju stories to me. Kaiju to me has more to it than a giant monster. I based my story upon early Kaiju film ideas, plot-lines and messages. Hopefully it does honor the Kaiju genre respectfully. ‘Unleashed in the East’ in Kaiju: Lords of the Earth.

Christmas Lights
Here’s the 2nd flash fiction piece concerning holidays. It’s my Christmas gift to my followers. Read it for FREE here at Parlor of Horror. This is actually part of a series of flash fiction stories I’m writing dealing with the last few moments of life for each character. I plan on calling the series ‘Moments of Death’ or something close to it. Check it out here: Christmas Lights

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I finally set up a Goodreads Author Page for my published work in anthology books, You can check it out here: Michael Thomas-Knight – Goodreads

You can also check my Amazon Authors Page for the latest releases.
And join me on Facebook for discussions of horror and vintage monster model kits.

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Because of my illness this year, I didn’t have much time to write any articles or guest blog posts outside of my POH posts. I hope 2016 offers me more opportunities to write articles in the horror field. And I hope that any of you that wish to write fiction and haven’t taken that step toward getting your stories published will go for it in 2016! What do you have to loose? Feel free to ask me any questions about writing, submitting your work to publications, or even advice on your stories. I’m no expert but I’ll give you an unbiased opinion…and I read a lot of horror.

   

My year in writing Fiction and getting published – 2014

 

My year in writing – 2014

My Horror Fiction stories published

Anthology books
Terror Train – my story, Steel Deliverance
Journals of Horror – my story, Night Terrors: Journal
Stomping Grounds – my story, The Devil’s Avatar

   

Horror Websites (read for free)
Fictionterrifica.com – my story, My All Time Favorite
Fictionterrifica.com – my story, Urban Legend #9
Microhorror.com – my story, The Opaque Veil
Bizart Pod cast – my story, The Station

Horror Magazines/E-zines
Dark Eclipse #28 – my story, The Memory Thief
The Best of Dark Eclipse issue Dec. 2014 – my story, The Memory Thief
 

My guest articles

I wrote a true life ghost hunting story, guest article for the Fox True Ghost Story Project
The Witch Tree

I continue to contribute periodic articles to Vic’s Movie Den

My Top 5 Gothic Vincent Price movies
My Top 5 Horror and Sci-Fi Sequels that Rock
10 Things you Didn’t know about John Carpenter

 

This year I’ve written several guest articles for Halloweenforevermore.com

Why do Grown Men Watch Godzilla Films
Ouija Boards and other Fortune Telling Games
To Own a Monster – Aurora Monster Models

 

My work recognized!

The Memory Thief chosen for The Best of Dark Eclipse issue Dec. 2014

Ann Rice tweets about my article, Why Do Grown Men Watch Godzilla Movies

Interview on Jim Pyre’s Dead Letter Office

Interview on Whispers in the Dark Podcast for Journals of Horror

Terror Train podcast, Steel Deliverance reading

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Thank you to all the wonderful editors, site managers and fellow bloggers I’ve dealt with this year who strive to put something special into the hands of horror readers and fans out there. It’s been a pleasure working with you all. 

I have about 25 written, unpublished, horror short stories that I’ll be looking to find placement for this year, as well as, many ideas for articles and blog posts that will appear here and with other sites on the web. I have yet to finish my first novel but the first draft is nearly complete. I hope to get it into the hands of some BETA readers within the first six months of 2015. 

To all my fellow writers out there, good luck on your endeavors, and best wishes in achieving all you goals for 2015. 

Michael Thomas-Knight

Lightning Strikes Twice ! at SNM Horror Magazine

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Michael Thomas-Knight published in SNM Horror Magazine, Again!

My latest tale of Insanity and Asylum horror has been accepted and published by SNM Horror Magazine. The theme for August was August Asylums – nuts, wackos, and mental patients with bizarre afflictions. The story is titled “Manyard‘s Secret” and has placed 2nd in the ‘story for the month‘ honors. I hope you will all take a few moments out of your busy day to read it.

Has anyone noticed? Almost all of my stories have some kind of Rock Music reference to bands that I like, listen to, and enjoy. In this one the name Manyard is borrowed from vocalist Maynard James Keenan of the band, Tool.

On another note, wherever I get published, I always try to get a second story published in the same place. That way I know it wasn’t just a fluke and it wasn‘t just luck. Getting published in SNM Horror Magazine again is even more of an honor than the first time.

The link is below, please stop by and give it a read if you are a fan of horror and especially if you are a fan of my stories. It would be great if you can leave a comment on the site.

Come read my story at: SNM Horror Magazine Issue #58

from there you can click on more August Asylum Tales at SNM Horror Magazine Issue #57

Issue Date: August 1st, 2013
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