 Short Stories: October 31, 2018 Issue [#9186] |
This week: Things That Go Bump in the Night Edited by: Shannon  
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1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions
Welcome to the Short Stories Newsletter. I am Shannon and I'm your editor this week.
Keep reading for your chance to claim an exclusive trinket! |
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“We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones.” ~ Stephen King
This newsletter was inspired by "Note: *QuestionR* We want to know... *^*Quest..."
What is fear, exactly? The short answer is that fear is a physiological reaction to real or imagined danger that results in a fight or flight response.
According to Psychology Today , "fear is hardwired in your brain." Literally. "Neuroscientists have identified distinct networks that run from the depths of the limbic system all the way to the prefrontal cortex and back. When these networks are electrically or chemically stimulated, they produce fear, even in the absence of a fearful stimulus."
Dr. Theo Tsaousides goes on to say "Some neuroscientists claim that humans are the most fearful creatures on the planet because of our ability to learn, think, and create fear in our minds. Through a process called potentiation, your fear response is amplified if you are already in a state of fear. When you are primed for fear, even harmless events seem scary. If you are watching a documentary about venomous spiders, a tickle on your neck (caused by, say, a loose thread in your sweater) will startle you and make you jump out of your seat in terror."
This is what happens when one reads a scary book or watches a horror movie. We're already primed for fear, and the slightest unexpected event--someone grabbing our arm and yelling "Boo!", for example--causes us to jolt in alarm.
What scares us changes as we age. When I was ten, Disney's Child of Glass (based on the novel The Ghost Belonged to Me by Richard Peck) scared the bejesus out of me, but I watched it anyway because I thought actor Steve Shaw, who played Alexander, was cute (sadly, Steve Shaw died in a car accident in 1990 at the age of 25). Now I view the film as a quaint, innocent, somewhat corny, very old-fashioned kids' movie. The main draw for me was actress Denise Nickerson who blew me away with her portrayal of Violet Beauregard in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
Watch the film in its entirety here
(there is a section toward the beginning of the film that doesn't have sound, unfortunately).
Society at large has been paying good money to be frightened for hundreds of years. Freak Shows were a thing from the early 1800s through most of the 20th century. P.T. Barnum exploited human deformity and disfigurement for cash. While many of his performers were forced into the industry as children, some were paid handsomely--their incomes rivaling those of today's sports stars.
Perhaps the most famous "freak" was Joseph Merrick. Afflicted with Proteus Syndrome, a rare and incurable disease, Merrick entered the freak show business per his own request in 1884 at the age of twenty-one. It is here that Dr. Frederick Treves crossed paths with Joseph. Dr. Treves invited Merrick to live at London Hospital where he remained in comfort and friendship until he died of a dislocated neck at the age of twenty-seven.
John Hurt brilliantly portrayed Joseph Merrick in the 1980 film The Elephant Man. Of course, it scared me at the time (I was only twelve), but it also filled my heart with love and made me cry. It's a beautiful film and a painful reminder; we should never judge a book by its cover.
Movies don't need to be gross, gory, or gratuitous to be terrifying. Some of the scariest films are black-and-white classics. Many were deemed so disturbing, so over-the-top that they were banned and all but forgotten. I haven't seen any of the films in the clip below, but I'm adding a few of them to my must-see list:
What's your favorite horror film? How about your favorite scary novel? Have you written a horror story you'd like to share? Respond with your thoughts and comments about this week's editorial and I will share them in next month's newsletter.
Thank you for reading.
“I don't fear death so much as I fear its prologues: loneliness, decrepitude, pain, debilitation, depression, senility.
After a few years of those, I imagine death presents like a holiday at the beach.” ~ Mary Roach
P.S. Every registered author who shares their ideas and/or creative endeavors relating to or inspired by this week's topic will receive an exclusive trinket. I will retire this month's limited-edition trinket at 11:59 p.m. WDC time on Tuesday, November 27, 2018, when my next short stories newsletter goes live.
 Happy Halloween! 
Further Reading:
1. History of Freak Shows
2. Every Single Human Attraction From P.T. Barnum's Freak Show
3. Fascinating photos show the tragic characters on display in 19th century 'freak shows'
4. Joseph Merrick
5. The 100 Scariest Movies of All Time
6. The 100 Best Horror Books of All Time
7. 26 Really Scary Horror Movies Based On True Stories
8. 15 Creepy Short Stories You Can Read Online For Free
9. 25 Things You Should Know About Writing Horror
10. Stephen King: The 'Craft' Of Writing Horror Stories |
I hope you enjoy this week's featured selections. I occasionally feature static items by members who are no longer with us; some have passed away while others simply aren't active members. Their absence doesn't render their work any less relevant, and if it fits the week's topic I will include it.
Thank you, and have a great week!
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The following is in response to "The Dark Side" :
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Gotee  writes: Interesting comments. Thank you for that point of view.
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Princess Megan Snow Rose  writes: I remember In Cold Blood and Misery By Stephen King. October is the perfect month for scary Halloween stories. Nicely written and good views I am not good at writing crime stories. I like writing romances Good newsletter.
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the Wordy Jay writes: Thanks for the list of recommended reads, Shannon! I've always enjoyed crime/mystery stories. I used to be a fan of the Hardy Boys, but have since "graduated" to Stephen King and John Grisham. 
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Jeff  writes: I very rarely revisit books, even ones that I absolutely love. There are already too many books out there to possibly read everything I want to read, so I tend to not spend a lot of time revisiting stories since there's always something new to check out. As far as crime authors go, I really love Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Lawrence Block, and Elmore Leonard. Each of them always creates such unique and interesting characters in a genre that, a lot of the time, feels a little repetitive to me.
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Jeannie  writes: I have written one crime story, "As the Bell Tolls" but it's not very good. It's just a court scene. My reader always tell me to expand it, make it longer, but so far I haven't done anything with it.
I'm a big fan of Laura Lippman's books with her protagonists, Sassy PI Tess Monaghan.
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Elfin Dragon-finally published  writes: I recently attended a Christian Apologetics conference which reminded me that we don't know the depths of human depravity.
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Save the Turkeys!  writes: My wife loves watching shows like CSI and such. She used to read lots of books on true crime but cut back on that fascination once I made it clear I didn't want to hear about such things. I find it taints my thoughts and gives me nightmares. It isn't for everybody. Give me a good werewolf/vampire novel any day and I am better with it. I suppose it has to do with the sense of humor, even dark humor that lends itself to the story and separates it from reality that allows my brain to deal with such input with relative sanity. Thank you for your newsletter!
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Bikerider  writes: Thank you for another informative newsletter, Shannon. I'm a retired police officer/detective, (23 years) so I found this newsletter of particular interest. No system, least of all our legal system, is perfect, in fact, it has many flaws.
Police officers have a special role in law enforcement. Anyone, no matter how guilty they look, is innocent until proven guilty. However, we must remember that police officers arrest a person because they think, either through investigation or the collection of evidence, that he/she is guilty. Imagine a police officer arresting someone he thinks is innocent. So while the innocent until proven guilty as a doctrine/concept works most of the time, perspective can mar the clarity of that concept.
I felt it was incumbent on me to make sure that simply arresting someone didn't mean there was no need to dig further. There were times when further investigation revealed either other suspects/perpetrators, or exculpatory evidence.
One day I may write more stories about my experiences, but so far I have only written 4 police procedures. The fiction crime story I've highlighted points out that maybe, just maybe, sometimes committing a crime is justified.
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BIG BAD WOLF is Howling  writes: Got a couple of law enforcement type stories laying around my port.
One is about a NYPD officer who, due to an incident involving a malfunctioning GPS, a flat tire, a night's stay at Area 51, and a mermaid, is stuck as a police officer for a hidden city populated by various mythological creatures and is partnered with a werewolf, who has been involved in every US conflict since WW2, with the job of seeing that the top secret city remains a secret.
Another, set in a Captain Ersatz version of Discworld called Bowlworld, is about a group of guards, in a place called Big Fat Pig City (obvious Captain Ersatz version of Ahnk-Morpork), who are lead by a werewolf (who has a lot in common with three top Ahnk-Morpork guards), and they are tasked with keeping the place safe from various unlicensed criminals.
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dragonwoman writes: I also loved In Cold Blood and The Collector, I, Jack the Ripper. Yes, I have written many crime stories like "The Cooler" and "The Rain in Spain" I love the stalkers and serial killers. I've learned murder techniques and crime solving ones from my favorite stories. Here's to bloody murder!
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Quick-Quill  writes: I finished my crime/detective story and got a publisher. Now I'm working on trying to edit it before I send it into them. I've been binge-listening to True Crime All the time podcasts! Wow, am I ever having plot bunnies jumping all over demanding attention. I've shoved them all in the rabbit warren and I'm working on writing a novel in 100 days. Not the Nano but the next best thing. I love true crime. My favorites were Ann Rule and Joseph Wombaugh
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BlueJay writes: Thanks for the interesting newsletter, Shannon. I always enjoy a good mystery, no matter the genre or the media type. I sometimes like going back to simpler times, when the mystery had to be uncovered by logic and sound reasoning rather than high tech equipment. Thanks also for the list of favorites. I've only read two of them, so I have some reading to do!
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ruwth  writes: I am sharing a link to the only item in my port related to crime. I also want to thank you for highlighting "Trial" by Jaye P. Marshall  . It is an engaging story and it was good to visit Jaye P. Marshall 's port again. She is gone but her words live on!
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queenkissy writes: I used to devour crime books when I was younger. Kay Scarpetta fascinated me in Patricia Cornwell's series. Now that I'm older and a little more jaded by life, I mainly stick to cozy mysteries. But there's always room for more Stephen King!
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GaelicQueen  writes: The internet is a good tool if you vet the website you seek information from. I've written some mystery stories where I need appropriate police call codes or hospital alert codes.
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sindbad  writes: Hi, Shannon. This is a nice and informative article on the popularity of crime stories and TV serials. You have correctly pointed to the thrill factor and deep-rooted values we have and such values are so well depicted by famous crime writers and that speaks of their popularity. Great writing. ~ Sindbad
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Hannah ♫♥♫ writes: My condolences to you, Sarah, and her family, and may He give all of you comfort and strength. One of my mom's sisters was murdered by her husband many years ago, so I never got to know that auntie. 
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Lisa Noe writes: This was a fantastically wonderful newsletter,
I found it to be very interesting. I especially liked the quotes, and I also believe by reading more we become better writers, and more creative. It's me was a great story to highlight, it was very original and I liked it.
This newsletter is very helpful, I believe for writers, I have written a few short stories that are about crime. It is just so interesting.
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~Brian K Compton~ writes: My wife got me into Patricia Cornwall years ago. Smartly written, reminding how important research is to get the details right for story. That's why it's best to write what you know.
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Lucinda Lynx writes: Hi!
Each of us has a dark side...how true!
I must admit I can't quite analyze why something works or why something does not work.
When I was a little girl I liked Nancy Drew - stories and the Dana Girls - stories. They were...exciting, but not too scary. I don't like too scary stories. Justice must happen, that's true, but when it gets too scary, I may get nervous as a reader.
And when you mentioned those 2 persons...I don't know if they are flesh and blood or just fictional, but if they've done something very, very bad, it may be a normal person can never understand it.
Keep up the great work! You can write well.
Best,
Lucinda
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WakeUpAndLive~doingNaNo'24  writes: Read your Newsletter. Very insightful. I didn't like Gone girl by the way. Don't know why but I couldn't get through it and didn't like the movie as well. So, that was not for me. I like to google true crime stories by the FBI and the police. They trigger me in writing thriller stories.
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eyestar~* writes: This is a cool topic and I did not recognize many of the books on your list. LOL I do like the classics Christie..Poirot and JD Robb among others. My mother's favourite readings are crime and mystery. She has that kind of mind for figuring out the mystery. She loves when she cannot guess and is surprised. Thanks for sharing your insights. I have read that reporting on crime has been popular for a long time.
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Cubby  writes: I've never read any of Stephen King's books, but I did just watch and finish Season 1 of Mr. Mercedes, a series on DVD based on his book, Mr. Mercedes. It's gory, creepy, and disturbing, but there are characters in it that I've been fascinated with, from a writer's POV. It's almost like a character study. Like I said, I've never read Stephen King's books, but I'm beginning to wonder if maybe I should, just for the sake of his characters. Does that make sense? I've always said, it doesn't matter what the genre is... if it's well written and pulls me in, it's worth reading.  BTW, I'll be watching Season 2 of Mr. Mercedes!
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CJ and Muse writes: There's a piece I wrote in high school "Daddy's Little Girl" I always wanted to turn into a short story/novel. It was an 'unconventional short story'; written in the form of a psychiatrists report on a 'vampire' after a murder. Always felt it should have been longer and more in-depth to what the assignment perimeters allowed. One of those stories that follow the detective as he races to solve a case.
I have a number of crime/whodunit books for writers, to help with the research. Unfortunately, the project is currently on the backburner, have so many other projects going on. However, I do find that when I start to burn out with my current projects I find myself thinking about my crime story, even take notes, write a little here and there... I'm sure I will work on it full time at some point.
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Joey' Falling for the Season  writes: Okay Shannon,
I wrote a story that I think qualifies, it's inspired by your newsletter and a prompt, it is posted in my folio as a static item. Yes, it still needs a good deal of editing.
But don't see where we are supposed to notify you for the trinket!
Joey' Falling for the Season, thank you for going above and beyond in an effort to write something based on one of my newsletter editorials!
In "The Dark Side" I challenged readers to write a crime story, and you did just that!
Not only did you earn this month's trinket, but you also earned yourself an awardicon for your efforts.
Thank you for reading and responding, and thank you for sharing your work with the WDC community. Well done! 
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"If it doesn't fit, you must acquit." Justice?
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