Hey there! As my daughter likes to say on her AAC device, how’s it going?
When summer began, I didn’t intend to write any new short stuff. Instead, I planned to chip away at the behemoth zero draft of my novel, do some editing on a few existing short pieces if a reason arose (like virtual writing camp), and blog. Basically, I was planning to get some creative rest. That idea made sense given that I had to shift a majority of my time away from writing and toward caring for Daphne.
Well, thanks to one of my regular emails from Authors Publish, I came across an opportunity for a themed submission–Secrets of the Snow Globe. Yep, you read that correctly. And, that changed my creative plans.
The theme is for a Christmas anthology that a small British press is publishing, and at first it struck me as silly (it still kind of does). But then, I kept thinking about the topic. They want stories from 4-10k (that’s generous!) set at Christmas time and involving a snow globe, and the only two acceptable genres are fantasy and horror.
The more I thought about it, the more fun an attempt at such a story sounded. I’m still trying to figure out if I can write horror well, so if anything this prompt seemed like a good opportunity to practice the genre.
So that’s what I’m working on right now. I’m drafting a Christmas horror story about a cursed snow globe. I didn’t see that one coming.
Consequently, I’m keeping this post super short because I’m saving my writing energy for that project, the deadline for which is August 31st–eeeek! And, I have to write most of it at night after my daughter goes to bed, since school doesn’t start until the 26th. Hopefully, I can get a decent draft done in time to have at least one reliable person give me feedback so I can make edits before submitting it. That’s a fair amount to cram into a summer schedule that still only allows a little time for writing.
But since I’m excited to try my hand at this, I thought I’d share a few of my ideas and inspo images for the story, starting with a blurb.
This is a good way for me to practice writing a blurb, too.
***
BLURB: It is December 1918, and Cora Campion is an embittered young woman bearing heavy responsibilities in a dark world.
Her mother is gone, leaving her essentially alone to care for her vulnerable, dependent sister on their family’s sugar plantation, and she is haunted by a terrible memory that has left her especially fearful and guilty. Meanwhile, the Spanish influenza continues to spread, slowing the end of the Great War where, in France, Cora’s love interest, a young doctor, is completing his service for the Red Cross. Trying to muster the patience for his return home, she prays he will avoid catching the illness.
It is nearly Christmas, however, and Cora’s mystical Aunt Caille is visiting their family.
Caille is one of the few people who never overlooks Cora and, in an effort to bring Cora some joy and respite, she gifts her an enchanted snow globe, which promises to make the dream of Cora’s perfect life come true, if only for one special night.
But, as Caille warns her, there are conditions. Instructions that must be followed, according to a mysterious bargain. And, when Cora fails to follow those instructions exactly, her ideal Christmas escape in the house of her dreams becomes a perfect nightmare.
As she struggles to stay alive and make sense of what has happened, she must figure out how to save both herself and her sister from an evil possessive force… for only one of them can survive.
***
So there you go! If this kind of story is your jam, hopefully the blurb has piqued your interest.
What are the comps for my piece, meaning other stories/movies like it? Think The Nutcracker meets The Shining.
It’s definitely a story for grownups.
Right now, the evil possessive force in the narrative is either a wendigo or a wendigo-like creature–I’m not sure how specific I want to be about that within the story itself.
According to Britannica Online, wendigos come from Algonquian tribal folklore, and they’re either cannibalistic monsters or evil spirits that possess humans, and they’re associated with winter. They’re often gaunt and gray-fleshed or enormously tall, with sunken/glowing eyes, sharp and yellowed fangs and claws, and pointed ears or horns or deerlike antlers. They smell of rotting flesh, which, it’s said, is how humans can detect them.
They are drawn to people who are greedy and gluttonous or suffering from hunger and starvation, which appealed to me on a metaphorical level. My female main character is emotionally hungry for validation and support, though she resists asking for assistance or admitting she is struggling.
I’ll update you next week on how this project is going. The story could turn out dumb as hell, lol. There’s certainly the distinct possibility for that… as with any horror story one sets out to write, given the extreme and hyperbolic nature of the genre. If that’s the case, I won’t submit it, of course, but like I said, it’s something I’m excited to try.
And, it’s getting me ready for the holidays, with spooky season up first!
If you’re a writer, have you ever tried your hand at horror? What thoughts or insights do you have about the genre? If you enjoy reading it, what’s your favorite aspect? Your pet peeve?
Wish me luck with this one! I’ll see you next week.
XOXO,
Jenn
Jennifer Shaw 