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Gothic Horror Writing Competition

Gothic Horror Writing Competition

There's still time to enter this, as they have extended the deadline.

"The scope of the theme field is just about limitless…..ghosts, vampires, banshees, death, blood, haunted houses, spooky graveyards, creepy bell towers, gruesome dungeons, horror castles, scary blood curdling noises, eerie nightmares, macabre happenings….all can be real or imagined!

All entries must be in English and the theme must be gothic/horror with a maximum of 2000 words.

Entries can be in the form of a prose piece, a short story, a poem, a play (drama) or even a song or ballad.

Entries must be typed on A4 size paper (on one side only) with a one inch margin. Your entry must be your own unpublished work and must not have won a prize in a previous competition. You may enter more than once if you wish, but entries cannot be returned.

There is a €10 entry fee per entry – no cash in the post, just cheques or money orders made out to The Stoker Dracula Organisation. Entries from under 16’s must be signed by a parent/guardian/teacher/community leader. First Prize €500 and ''The Bram'' 2nd Prize €753rd Prize €50Entries will be Judged by Trinity College School of EnglishGothic Section

Closing date for entries is 15th October 2010.

All entries/correspondence to:The Director/C.E.O.The Stoker Dracula Organisation32 Howth Road ClontarfDublin 3 Ireland"

Willow Ball

Having a ball at the ball, first person myself and Robert bump into is the lovely Rita...

And Anais, was full of chat, and herself!

Everyone liked my dress, and the new haircut, wonder will it set a trend...?

Greta didn't stay long...

Max and Dorethea want to paint me, then they started to argue, then they started to make automatic drawings on each other...

Hi, Liz! Liz? Ah well....

Mitch is such a nice man, he danced with everyone... a heart of gold!

Some guests were so pleased with their make up application they dazzled themselves...

Do I want to dance...?

Willow Ball

Announcing my date for Willows Ball on the 30th ... the lovely, Robert Mitchum. It's been an on /off thing with us, you know how these love affairs of a life time and beyond go... love on one hand, hate on the other as the preacher said. Thought I'd let you know - just in case anyone had their eye on my date...no cat fights ladies, this is an evening of bohemian gentility! Here's a pic of Mitch, I think he was fixing me a gin? Such a sweetie. Off to get that ball gown fitted! See you on the night! Have a great weekend!

Castlecomer Writers Festival

Coming up on the weekend of the 25th/26th of September is Castlecomer Writers Festival This years website will be up soon , maybe as I speak (type) maybe not! So far I haven't a clue what the schedule is regarding writing workshops etc... but judging on the past two years it should be good, and reasonably priced. For further information contact The Thomas Coogan Library, Phone: ++353-56-4440561 E-mail: mailto:info@castlecomerwritersfestival.com?subject=Enquiry

The Asham Award 2010

The Asham Award is looking for ghost or gothic stories. It's open to women writers who have not yet had a novel or a collection of short stories published. Stories must not exceed 4,000 words in length. Deadline 30th September Entries welcome from any nationality and any country

What makes a good ghost story?

(Advice from judges Sarah Waters and Polly Samson and Virago’s publisher Lennie Goodings)

Sarah Waters, for whom Ghost and Gothic have become something of a trademark, says she will be looking for a story that clearly belongs to the ghost story genre, yet manages to bring something new to it too.

"Something new in terms of setting, perhaps? A ghost story for the twenty-first century? But," she adds "whatever the setting, I’d like the story to be genuinely unsettling - if not downright scary. I want to be spooked!"

Polly Samson says she will be looking for characters "that haunt me long after I finish reading. " She believes this is the most important thing in any short story but especially true of a ghost story.

"I like stories that seem clever on second reading," says Polly "where the atmosphere and tone have been carefully fitted to the characters, where every word has been thought about and every description has something important to add to the characterisation, though on first reading all of this should seem effortless."

Lennie Goodings, who will be publishing the anthology, wants to be "genuinely surprised, thrilled, disturbed, frightened, creeped or even, I suppose, struck with the humour and absurdity of it." She believes the genre gives rise to strong emotional responses

Details here at Asham website

15 Favorite Albums

Orla Fay tagged me for this challenge. Orla's blog is where I first came across Rumi. (I'm sure he's delighted wherever he is!) In fifteen minutes I'd to list 15 favorite albums. 15 minutes isn't very long, I ran out of time before I knew it. If anyone is stuck for writing inspirations this is a great way of stirring up memories. I tried to be chronological...and failed. First off is my very first tape...

The Beatles Blue AlbumOn cassette tape - lady madonna children at your feet, wonder how you manage to make ends meet - still have this, 32 years later, bring back cassettes!

Elvis - Greatest Hits

Get offa my blue suede shoes... I always switched the speed setting on the record player so Elvis sounded like a middle aged bosco running after a train. Myself and my sister jumped on and off the two-seater leatherette couch (boat) into the carpet (ocean) to this album, a type of dance not often seen nowadays, it had to be done with a pout. My fifteen minutes are already running out!

A Larry Gogan Top Thirty

One of the many tapes I recorded off the radio. It must have been 1980 as John Lennon had three songs in the charts - Woman, Starting over and Imagine, it was the year of his death. I painted his head on the wall at the end of my bed. A dash of gloss on each eye to make him seem alive. A visiting grandmother was unsettled and couldn't sleep; it was a very big head. He's still there. My one and only.

Infected

Loved the anger and lyrics - full of piss stinking shopping centres and rage against the state. The Ilac in Dublin was the only shopping centre in those days so they held a certain toxic exoticness in my imagination.

Violent Femmes

Great teenage angst and energy - "why can't i get just one ****" - Go Gordon. A great one to jump around to after mass and before Sunday dinner.

The Doors

Velvet dresses, shaggy perms...arms doing demented snake turns at the local disco... us, not Jim. This is when we got "sophisticated" (full of ourselves)

Tracey Chapman

Still a great album -I played this to death. Two weeks in a Virginia jail for my lover, for my lover...

Parade

Sometimes it snows in April - the year my gran aunt died. Prince does the best sad songs though he's known more for being tiny and a bit kinky.

Why do birds sing?

Nobody will go to the prom with me. We'd no proms but I loved "American Music."

Ancient Rain

"A leaf from a tree" - it's worth getting your heart broken just so you can cry along to this song. I mean it. It's beautiful. Time will take your love from me...

No Angel

A great "pacing- the- room- with- a- baby- crying- into- your- ear" album.

Golden Age of Radio

Also a great pacing the room with same baby album. Damn colic. (Early over zealous listening to Lady Madonna must've put a curse on me.) Listening to this always makes me grateful for a nights sleep and long for a porch to drink my bud on.

The Beekeeper

I made a really vibrant painting to the Hoochie Woman track on this CD - went to bed with sore knees from bopping in front of the canvas. This woman is a genius.

Billy Holiday

Been a fan off Billy since I my early twenties, it's the music I take out when nothing else suits a mood I call "fed up but enjoying it."

Abbey Road

You should see polythene Pam - she's so good lookin but she looks like a man -oh yes! This belongs in the middle of the list. I bought it on CD but it doesn't sound as satisfying as on the album.

It's amazing how the memory of certain songs brought me right back to the time I first heard them. Will flesh out this post later. What are your top 15?