The Official Author's Hangout Halloween Contest Support Thread

[sun_sea_sky]

Because zombies, let's face it, aren't terribly interesting bad guys.

Our fear of them could be interesting.

 

[PennLady]

Our fear of them could be interesting.

Certainly. That fear plays into the survival stories -- how do you keep going when you are constantly going to have to defend against a foe that knows no pain, or even logic or reason?

 

[MatthewVett]

Our fear of them could be interesting.

Nobody wants to die a virgin, after all...

Or perhaps the disease that turns people into zombies is inactive for a while, and can be transmitted sexually. Then you see an old hook-up turn, and realize you might have it too.

 

[MSTarot]

I have a story in Erotic horror I posted a number of months back that I kind of used the zombie idea with.

I got to thinking what would have happen if the zombies in '28days' had been infected with lust instead of rage. Well a virus causing lust sounds silly. How about pheromones?

'The Perfect Perfume' started at a 3.25 so it wasn't to well received. It's gone up to a 4.40, I think? Only gotten two comments, but they were both good.

If you count 'Wow' as good.

M.S.Tarot

 

[DG Hear]

I don't have anything in my head at the moment for a Halloween story. I've submitted every year since 2006, I think. I just went back and read one of my stories. Damn, I liked it. here it is if anyone wants to read it.

http://www.literotica.com/s/halloween-murders

I've read a few of my other ones recently. They seem to be cool stories, if I say so myself. haha I must be getting old having to read them to remember them. Readers comment and I have to go back and check them out. I guess after a few hundred stories, I tend to forget some of them.

Best of luck to all that enter. Time will tell if I get something in this old head of mine.
With respct
DG Hear

 

[MSTarot]

Well started working on mine the other night. Most of the research is done and it fell into place in a very spooky way. Would look up something totally unrelated and it would pop right into place.

Have three story ideas I was thinking about that I will not be using now. If anybody has need of an idea.

voyeurism story- Seen from the point of view of a half -carved, now sentient, Jack 'O' lantern. The opening line that i had in mind was "Damn my heads killing me. Almost like someones been digging into my brain with a spoon for an hour. Oh yea they have."

Nonhuman- a race of small subhumans who disguise themselves and trick or treat. Halloween is their mating season and they use the candy to persuade the larger more deadly females to mate.

Celebrity story- Amy Bruni from the Ghost Hunters' team is possessed during the Halloween live show and hunts down and seduces the special guest. Depending on who that guest is this could go many ways.

M.S.Tarot

 

[lovecraft68]

I've come up with a second "bunny" which would fall into the Erotic Horror category. It's something that I had started awhile back, but see a different direction for it now.

Maybe I'll enter with two as this one would be fairly short and to the point.

Only thing is I would have to tone down some of my malice for the Catholic Church that is currently in it, or I might get some heavy trolling.

 

[Karenas]

I wanted to try another contest, but was having a hard time coming up with an idea. Well, now I have one and the gargoyle concept comes from a published author. If I say in a note that the idea comes from her, do you think that would be acceptable? And acceptable for the contest?
TIA

 

[MatthewVett]

I wanted to try another contest, but was having a hard time coming up with an idea. Well, now I have one and the gargoyle concept comes from a published author. If I say in a note that the idea comes from her, do you think that would be acceptable? And acceptable for the contest?
TIA

I think you'd be more than fine. It'd probably also depend on just how much you're borrowing. Like, is it set in the same universe, or is it more like, "Oh yeah, the idea of gargoyles who can _____ is pretty cool..."

 

[sr71plt]

You can't own ideas (can't get them copyrighted--can't get them trademarked until/unless you establish them as marketable). No, I wouldn't attribute it--unless you were functionally just copying everything the original author did with it--and then I wouldn't write at all.

 

[RjThoughts]

I came up with an idea last night while reading a novel in a completely different genre!!!!

 

[sun_sea_sky]

I'm starting to realize just how much I admire people who can write Romance well. The reason for that is, I'm struggling with the damn genre.

I started on a Halloween story, in Romance, wrote about 400 words, and ended up typing "Whatever." and am now staring at that word.

I wanted to start with a husband and wife in love, and then something happens to them (*cough* zombies *cough*).

So, you "show, don't tell" right? So how do you show people are in love? Sex? Well maybe not, but that should work, yes? So I open with a sex scene. Then it just feels wrong. Romance stories usually end with sex, not start with it.

Maybe not sex. Maybe something else, let's see:

John loved Jane so much he took the garbage out, every night.

No, no, no.

OK, that does it. So John hates Jane. That's easier to write...

While Jane was cooking the dinner John picked up the carving knife. Looked at the knife. Looked at Jane's back. Walked towards her.

The doorbell rang. Damn Trick or Treat! Jane was saved, for the moment.

But no! There were zombies at the door! They ate John's brains.

No. Still not right.

 

[MatthewVett]

I'm starting to realize just how much I admire people who can write Romance well. The reason for that is, I'm struggling with the damn genre.

I started on a Halloween story, in Romance, wrote about 400 words, and ended up typing "Whatever." and am now staring at that word.

I wanted to start with a husband and wife in love, and then something happens to them (*cough* zombies *cough*).

So, you "show, don't tell" right? So how do you show people are in love? Sex? Well maybe not, but that should work, yes? So I open with a sex scene. Then it just feels wrong. Romance stories usually end with sex, not start with it.\

I would just show little things. He notices her hogging the blanket, so he makes her some hot chocolate to warm her up. She comes home from work, says she's exhausted, so he offers her a massage with a happy ending. Things like that. The sort of things you want your partner to know to do for you.

 

[Tx Tall Tales]

I wanted to try another contest, but was having a hard time coming up with an idea. Well, now I have one and the gargoyle concept comes from a published author. If I say in a note that the idea comes from her, do you think that would be acceptable? And acceptable for the contest?
TIA

My summer contest entry, 2 Moms, 2 Laps... was quite explicit in saying it was done in homage to two of the most favored stories in Lit history, only written in the son's POV instead of the Moms, and with a lot more detail.

Most popular story (votes and favorites) I've ever written, in terms of 1st month's results. And many comments both recognized the references and were happy to draw comparisons.

Not only is it acceptable to borrow ideas, (if not, 99% of all today's fiction would be unwritten) but giving credit where credit is due is appreciated. Go for it.

 

[nicecthulhu]

Don't mean to set you off again, PennLady, but I think there was a Sarah Polley movie (Day of the Dead or Dawn of the Dead) where zombies were running after their victims in a couple of scenes. I think that came out before 28 Days Later. Not being a big Zombie movie fan, I'm not clear on the details.
However, it was nice to see Anne of Green Gables away from P.E.I. and doing something productive (killing the walking dead) now that she's an adult...

I found the time and somehow finished editing my story. Now I just have to find an editor who can find and correct my many mistakes in plot, grammar, character and spelling. Ooh, and style, too!

Had another idea pop up that would also be a short, short story for me, but I'm not sure if anyone is ready for a Great Old One romance (humour? horror? fantasy? non-human?).

 

[BuckyDuckman]

Because zombies, let's face it, aren't terribly interesting bad guys. They shamble, or they run, but they don't usually talk and can't be reasoned with. Some common themes are that they act/react based on sound and smell, and I think that's a pretty handy device.
So, yes, there's plenty of wiggle room with zombies.

There is a lot of wiggle room with zombies. There have been many who have reflected on pop culture and how horror reflects current fears. "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" being attributed to the red scare of McCarthism. "Godzilla" being attributed to fear of atomic/nuclear weapons.

One of the more interesting hypothesis I've seen floated for the popularity of zombies would be comparing the relentless horde to the constant influx of information and "always available" atmosphere of modern society. I sort of like that explanation for why zombies are popular. How DO you defend against a foe that doesn't need to sleep, rest or care? And what happens to those who live in that world?

 

[Karenas]

Thank you so much for your responses, LiquidMatthew, sr71plt, and Tx Tall Tales! Very much appreciated!

 

[YDB95]

I might end up with two entries in this contest (first time I'll have done that)...still haven't started the one I mentioned last time, but I will. Got an idea for another one out of nowhere the other night, and with a slow day at work on Friday I wrote eighteen Word pages. We'll see if I can keep that up!

 

[PennLady]

Don't mean to set you off again, PennLady, but I think there was a Sarah Polley movie (Day of the Dead or Dawn of the Dead) where zombies were running after their victims in a couple of scenes. I think that came out before 28 Days Later. Not being a big Zombie movie fan, I'm not clear on the details.
However, it was nice to see Anne of Green Gables away from P.E.I. and doing something productive (killing the walking dead) now that she's an adult...

That was "Dawn of the Dead," or more specifically a remake of it, directed by Zack Snyder. I've seen most of that and it's pretty good. (For the cast, there's also Ving Rhames, Joe Weber, Matt Frewer in addition to Sarah Polley.)

Actually, "28 Days Later" is from 2002 and "Dawn of the Dead" is from 2004 (yay for google! ). Anyway, there may be running zombies in other Romero movies, because again a common trope (if that's the right word) with zombies is that when they are close to food, they will move faster, whether that's running to catch it or just moving faster to tear it apart. They have to do something b/c if you could always outrun them, there's just not much suspense.

A little like the old Daleks that way. I recall an interview with John Pertwee, the third Doctor Who, who said that the easy way around Daleks was just to get behind them, since they couldn't see behind them.

 

[FallingToFly]

My spider stories are slipping right along. Especially the BDSM based one- 6 hours of drive time yesterday gave me plenty of time to plot and plan. Not to mention some great ideas.

 

[PennLady]

My spider stories are slipping right along. Especially the BDSM based one- 6 hours of drive time yesterday gave me plenty of time to plot and plan. Not to mention some great ideas.

Cool. Good luck.

 

[geronimo_appleby]

oh no, it's the halloween contest!

 

[DG Hear]

I have a story in Erotic horror I posted a number of months back that I kind of used the zombie idea with.

I got to thinking what would have happen if the zombies in '28days' had been infected with lust instead of rage. Well a virus causing lust sounds silly. How about pheromones?

'The Perfect Perfume' started at a 3.25 so it wasn't to well received. It's gone up to a 4.40, I think? Only gotten two comments, but they were both good.

If you count 'Wow' as good.

M.S.Tarot

Thanks for reading one of my Halloween stories. I've used costumes, a few cemetaries, zombies, rituals and trick or treating. Have had quite a few murders, guns and even a sickle. They are fun stories to write. Haven't thought of anything new yet. It just seems Halloween and Horror stories go together. I even included a fat guy in a Santa suit. Later I used him in the holiday story.

My mind has been on another story at the present time and not getting any Halloween vibes. Guess we'll see what happens.

 

[PennLady]

Laurel's put up the official rules and other info for the Halloween contest.

 

[Brandie69]

Here I am, trying diligently to wrap up a convoluted multi-part incest story, and generally minding my own business, when along come all of you, talking about plotting Halloween bunnies, or something.

Wouldn't you know a Halloween story hops into my head. Curses. Curse me for surfing for spooky ideas. I was riding this one particular Google wave when I came across the theme of "Death and the Maiden" in art. If you're stumped for ideas, look it up. I think it leaves plenty of directions to go in.

So anyway, game on; good luck to all.