What is Create50?
Can you write a short horror story in time for the Halloween launch event? If you can, you should get involved in Twisted50 from Create50. It is a competition-like initiative from the London Screenwriters Festival with two very simple aims …
- Platform talent from as many emerging writers in one hit. For us that’s 50 writers who will get a huge boost in about 12 weeks now.
- Encourage writers to both write and give feedback, often in genres they don’t normally write for. Keeping it under 2,000 words for short stories means the bar to entry is very achievable.
Twisted50 is the latest project from Create50. It’s a collection of 50 Twisted tales from 50 new voices. And yes, YOU could well be included. The deadline is September 15th and your story needs to be under 2,000 words. (I recommend REALLY embracing the word ‘under’).
You can submit a second and final draft based on community feedback too. You will also be expected to leave feedback on at least two other stories. And yeah, it’s addictive! So, here are my top takes on how to get the very most from Twisted50 and elevate your chances of being selected for publication by Create50 this Halloween 2024.
1) Embrace Divine Language
This is prose. Unlike screenplays, you can and should dive into your thesaurus to exploit delicious, evocative and deliriously demented language. Write with wild abandon. (Then edit hard, of course).
2) Don’t Forget Your Opening ‘Image’
This is where your screenwriting experience can help. Open with a jaw-dropper. A slap in the face. A deep mystery. A visual image that sears into the mind. Grab the reader by the throat!
This will inform them what kind of ride they are in for, and warn them that you, as a fearless writer, are going to ‘go there’. Of course, you will need to end even stronger, which is why I love mirroring the opening and the conclusion. It works so well. Try it! MORE: How To Write Great Openers That Grab The Reader
3) Be Prepared To Enter The Abyss
If I had one criticism of some entries, it would be that we often hold back as writers. Perhaps we subconsciously fear being judged for being a bit well, demented?! Welcome to the creative asylum for criminally undiscovered talent. You are finally home! The agenda? Write as if no-one, not even God or the Devil, would read your story.
Then submit it and embrace the horror. It’s SOOOO MUCH FUN! People will love you and your courage for letting go and embracing the dark side. And your writing will improve as a by-product.
By the way …
This is a vital part of Twisted50 to remember, IMHO … Opinion is just that: opinion. Valuable? Probably. But also, no-one wants a relentless attack on their writing.
So be kind, and keep reminding people that you are sharing your thoughts and feelings. While they are true for you, they are not absolute truths. Praise where you can. For the things that didn’t work for you, offer insight into how and why. If you can, offer up respectful, actionable ideas.
4) Don’t waste YOUR precious feedback from other writers
Read your story a few times before submitting it. Get others to read it too. You don’t want to waste your feedback on people pointing out grammatical errors, typos or missing full stops. And they will.
Equally, don’t submit your second draft too early. Wait and get as much feedback and distance BEFORE your final rewrite. And make sure you leave plenty of time before the deadline!
5) Read The Feedback Left For Others
Taking in the feedback left by others is an education in itself. You will quickly see who can offer insight, fixes and ideas, and those who simply express their dislike. Obviously, you want to be the former. You can also leave feedback on feedback, which we encourage. MORE: Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make Giving Feedback
6) Be Audaciously Imaginative & Delightfully Dark
Horror can, and of course should, horrify. But as any horror aficionado knows, it can also delight and excite. It’s why we love it. We adore that moment when we chuckle as we read a story that goes all the way ‘there’, wrapping us up in dark imagery, relatable characters, nightmarish situations and ideas.
Find the humour. Find the irony. But also, find the truth. Write unleashed. Or perhaps unhinged. If you want to, by all means write under a different name if that will help you. MORE: How To Write Bloodcurdling Horror: Your Halloween Starter Kit
So, Get Writing For Create50!
It’s under 2,000 words. You can do this in a morning. Some entries are even under 500 words. If you have fear of writing horror, submit under a pseudonym. It’s fast and easy to get involved, the rewards are getting published, coming to your own awards and launch party, and elevating your writing through practising, perhaps in a genre you are less familiar with.
Want to go for it? THEN ENTER YOUR STORY HERE.
Good Luck!
BIO: Chris Jones is a filmmaker and screenwriter. He’s the author of the Guerilla Filmmakers Handbooks and founder of LondonSWF. He is currently directing splinter unit on Mission Impossible 8.
