"Charlatan" (Excerpt)
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11/4/2016
NANOWRIMO DAY THREE & FOUR:
​THE FEELS
Before, I focused more on the actual word count. This time, I am going to reflect on the actual mood & mindset of the writing.
11/1/2016
​NANOWRIMO & ME, YO.
DAY ONE
This time I am going to work on a fresh draft of Ashland's Asylum. My medium will once again be 750 words. ​
Here is my goal: Write a brand-new 70k-word draft of Ashland's Asylum by Dec. 01, 2016. See how my first day went.
11/3/2015
​EVERY BLOG STORY EVER
​(SO FAR)
11/17/2014
READ "FAÇADE"
​FROM #NIP FOR FREE
11/27/2012
​EXCERPT
​"CHARLATAN"
no-injury policy |
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STILL A LONG WAY TO GO
​For those of you who might be new to NaNoWriMo, it's shorthand for National Novel Writing Month. In the month of November, writers all around the world drop all other lesser priorities to clack at the keyboard, hoping to knock out 50,000 words over the course of 30 days. You can follow my progress in this blog as well as on the NaNoWriMo website.
The first day of NaNoWriMo is generally pretty tough for me. Despite having piles of drafts and outlines, I tend to prefer writing on the fly and from memory during NaNoWriMo.
​And that is why my numbers on the first day tend to be a little lower. However, there is still some more time tonight, so hopefully I can reach 1,667 words.
​In case you haven't read the previous posts, I aim to write 1,667 words per day with a 750-word minimum. 2,000 words a day, and my entire worldview changes. Right now my word count is a little shy of 950 words.
RATINGS
These particular ratings are for "Strike" from Ashland's Asylum, which I'll dive into more next time. Until then, feel free to let me know about your NaNoWriMo journey in the comments. Or, check out where Ashland's Asylum begins in my short story collection No-Injury Policy.
​Thanks for reading!
The term "trick or treat" was first recorded a few years before the 1930s. In the 1930s, there were no real rules regarding what kind of treat you should provide your cloaked visitors. In fact, candy was sometimes they very least of expectations. Sometime around the 1950s, though, Big Candy saw Halloween as a its golden ticket and pummeled audiences with trick-or-treat-based advertising while flooding stores with Halloween-themed candies.
Handing out candy had the appeal of simplicity. There was no more guesswork behind deciding which treats would be best for the holiday. You could just buy a bag of sugary treats and be done with it.
Due to mass production of candy, though, some less than desirable ingredients sneak their way into Halloween candy. While past lists about the Worst Things Found in Halloween candy mostly focus on more obvious malicious behavior, this years list will mostly focus on sneaky little ingredients that are a bit more scary than you'd think.
When asked "what is Chamber of Horrors NY", they answered, "The Chamber is Long Island’s Premier Haunted Attraction. A dark collection of mazes and rooms, it combines lights and sound with a cast unequaled in imagination and talent, not to mention bloodlust. Owned, built and staffed by industry veterans, we can proudly say that we are 'Where fear lives…'"
I absolutely enjoy haunted attractions, but at first I was a little unsure why this one wrote an article on the scariest elements of a good horror movie. However, after checking out the infographic below and reading the coinciding post - as well as a handful of others - I started to think about the presentation of any good haunted attraction. It wasn't all about dark pathways and ghouls popping out from the shadows, sometimes it was about the little details such as building suspense and drawing of your fears.
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FREE FOR FRIDAY THE 13TH:
​"NO-INJURY POLICY"
Time runs out on 10.14.17.
MORE ON NO-INJURY POLICY
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While it felt a little early to jump into Halloween-centered legends last week, this week we will inch closer to the holiday with the tale of a small town's secret staircase to Hell.
GATEWAY TO HELL
Story goes the Evangelical Emmanuel Church was possessed by Lucifer himself even when it became nothing more that rubble. Some said rain could never penetrate the church, even when its roof was torn off during a fierce thunderstorm.
And just further out from the church are said to be a set of steps you must never enter at risk of never returning. These steps lead you through the gateway of hell.
Although the story behind the gateway to hell was debunked and determined to be nothing more than the creative brilliance of some college students, visitors still flock to Stull, especially around Halloween, in hopes of crossing paths with the paranormal.
The visits over the years have left behind footprints on the entire town, unfortunately, and many parts of the cemetery were often vandalized, or tombstones were stolen. There was once an old tree the town allegedly removed to deter tourist. Many other attractions were also removed to keep people from hurting themselves and the cemetery. While the some of the Stull locals may advise you to stay away from the town altogether -- it's a not a tourist stop -- just remember if you're going ghost hunting on someone else's turf, don't be a dick.
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CHECK THIS OUT
My first short story collection. Tales focused around the ominous Chase County.
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10/23/2016
HALLOWEEN MYTHS
For now, though, I'm going to address a handful of true and untrue Halloween candy myths, focusing on things that can poison you, get you high, and cut you.
10/30/2015
WORST THINGS FOUND IN HALLOWEEN CANDY, PT II
10/24/2013
CORALINE'S DAD MAKES YOU THINK
10/1/2012
BENEFITS OF IRRATIONAL THOUGHT
10/30/2011
10 WORST THINGS FOUND IN HALLOWEEN CANDY
WHAT, YOU'RE STILL READING?
YOU SURELY WANT MORE.
YOU DO.
SO, CHECK OUT THIS STUFF TOO.
My first short story collection centered on the horrors of Chase County.
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9/9/2016
FOR THE FUN OF FEAR,
PT II: THE PROS
But while some people enjoy a good scare, many don't and will go out of their way to avoid goosebumps. I can only imagine those who do not enjoy scaring themselves have a difficult time fathoming why on Earth anyone else would want to do such a thing. To tackle the subject, I covered the cons of loving a good scare in a previous blog post. This time, I'll focus on some of the pros. I'm not sure this will solve anything, but maybe it's worth taking a look at.
9/21/2012
MAYBE YOUR BOSS IS A MONSTER
You might've even demonized your boss for a weak paycheck, a lack of hours, some personal comments, or favoritism. However, to play devil's advocate, your boss probably has a lot of responsibilities. When your boss has to focus on a lot every day, there might be some oversights, which really sucks when you're the oversight.
But what if your boss turned out to be truly possessed by a demon?
9/5/2012
GETTING LOST IN NEW YORK
9/1/2011
WHY DO YOU READ?
9/24/2010
WRITING/MOOD UPDATE
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Sometimes my excuses are quite wild; sometimes I blame another book.
That's the case with this blog. Don't consider it so much as a form procrastination as much as a productive way to step aside from Excluded and look at some of the other horror elements I've come up with since the novel.
In this case, I reviewed some drafts of Ashland's Asylum as well as an older post called 6 Insane Cures for Insanity.
Although I'm reviewing some of the treatments from the previous post, to see what makes for an intense scene or two in the book, I can't help but continue diving into the other bizarre methods doctors once used to "rid" their patients of various psychological ailments. As always, feel free to let me know if one of these treatments deserves to be in the novel.
8/24/2016
FOR THE FUN OF FEAR, PT I: THE CONS
8/29/2012
NO INTERNET UNTIL YOU WRITE
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8/12/2012
5 ELEMENTS OF A GOOD HORROR STORY
sO GOOD, I DID IT TWICE. OR SOMETHING.
8/18/2013
LUCKY SHOT (2014 revision)
Chance Black, while not the writer he hoped to be, was a pretty damn good photographer. With his skills, Chance turned a dollar or two--enough for him, his wife, and his son to get by. One day, a comparatively sizable paycheck came along. An opportunity arose to photograph an event for the Long Brooke Sync, a local tabloid publication, but Chance had no idea what would come along with the cash.
By coincidence, one of his photographs captured suspicious behavior in the background, and unfortunately for Chance, the man committing the act figured it out first. In order to take the photograph back from Chance, the man in the photo decided he needed some major collateral.
"LUCKY SHOT" IS A SERIES.
CHECK OUT THE PREVIOUS PARTS IF YOU NEED TO CATCH UP
8/10/2011
IS IT BENEFICIAL TO FORCE ART?
Provide your answer below and then find out which response might be best for you.
YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY:
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Fear, focus, and the future. C.M. Humphries talks about writing, horror, and whatever.
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