Wicked Writing III

December's contest announcement, a guide to survive the holidays and a new digest!

It’s December and all things cheery and joyful have come out to play—Oh, the ho-ho-horror!

Hidden amongst the joyful chaos of the holiday season, there lurks darker, stranger and scarier things that are just waiting for you to be naughty.

That is why, for the holiday season, Macabre Monday brings to you…

MM’s Holiday Survival Guide

Tip #1: Are you a rebel? Hate listening to your parents more than anything? Well, as an alternative, how does being kidnapped by a hideous bridge troll sound? Gryla will take you and turn you into a delicate, hearty roast to feed her expansive family. Obey your parents this holiday season, and you may yet survive her clutches.

Tip #2: Speaking of Gryla’s family, you may want to take preventative action in your home against her 13 mischievous children, the Yule Lads. Yes, you heard me; The hideous bridge troll gets around. Hide your spoons, lest they be licked by the dreaded spoon licker. Cover your windows or you shall be at the mercy of the window peeper (No, I am not talking about your neighbor Jerry). Hide your most valuable possession, your sausages, from the sausage snatcher. Now you only have 10 more to worry about, please do your research.

Tip #3: Did you think I was done with Gryla’s family? Well, you’re wrong. Her household pet, the Yule Cat, will be on the prowl. I hope for your sake that you receive some new clothes for the holidays, since that is the only way to avoid being eaten alive by the giant feline. (Socks and underwear are looking pretty good right about now, huh?)

Tip #4: Have you been naughty this year? Yes? Oh, dear. It may be time to brush up on your demon killing skills as Krampus, Santa’s sinister counterpart, will be coming for you. There remains one single way for you to survive this encounter—a trap.

Tip #5: Just because you’ve taken care of Krampus, does not mean you are safe. Frau Perchta, a disgustingly gruesome witch, will also be coming to administer your brutal punishment. Her favorite punishment? Belly slitting. Similar to Krampus, you have one way to stop her. Break out Ye Olde CookBooke and prepare some Perchtenmilch Porridge. You and your family are to partake in the porridge on the 12th night of Christmas, but make sure to leave the rest for wandering spirits.

Tip #6: Do you suffer from a fear of Christmas, otherwise known as Christougenniatikophobia? (That’s quite a mouthful, eh?) You may just want to stay locked away in your house between November and January then. This will give you plenty of time to work on your entry for the Wicked Writing Contest!

Designed by Jon T

Welcome all, to December’s Wicked Writing Contest!

We are excited to present the last Wicked Writing contest of 2023! Whether you’re new around these parts, or a seasoned vet, we hope that you will join in and end the year with a monumental BANG!

This time around, and for future contests, there will be a panel of judges passing judgement on everyone’s work. After discussing the topic of judging, we decided that it would be much more fair if we had multiple judges to go over all the amazing stories that you all work so hard on. This way we will be able to avoid any biases towards certain writing styles, have fresh perspectives and most importantly: less subjective results.

Your judges for December’s Wicked Writing contest are:

The Chronicler

Jon T

and

Jeff Kinnard

We all are looking forward to seeing what you all bring to the table this time!

Prizes

1st place:

1. $20 e-gift card 

2. Featured spot in the WWC anthology

3. Free digital copy of the anthology

4. Chance to be interviewed for Meet the Maniac

5. Featured promotion in The Cemetery post

2nd-5th place:

1. A spot in the WWC anthology 

2. Free digital copy of the anthology

3. Chance to be interviewed for Meet the Maniac

4. Featured promotion in The Cemetery post

Theme Introduction: Phobia

Fear is deeply engrained within the human experience; we are all afraid of something. One’s fears are a deeply personal thing. What one is scared of, others may shrug off as nothing. Phobias, in particular, are supposed to encapsulate the worst of our fears. They are uncontrollable, persistent and sometimes irrational. These intense feelings of fear have been known to drive people to the edge of no return—Death. Are you brave enough to scour your own psyche and delve into the depths of your worst fears?

Why Phobia?

This theme challenges you to explore fear in its entirety. Phobias are not entirely understood, as some of them make no sense in the slightest, yet they exist. For example, a phobia exists for the fear of long words; Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia. Go figure. Some of them many of us experience and view as normal fears, such as arachnophobia or claustrophobia. Our favorite phobia here at Macabre Monday is Lunaediesophobia, or the fear of Mondays. The potential for storytelling is rich. Imagine a world where you are subjected to your worst phobia if you break a law. What if someone was cursed with a phobia of all the phobias? What do you imagine it would be like forced to face your phobia or lose everything that you love?

For Rules, requirements, timeline and how to submit your entry, please click this link: Wicked Writing Contest

Your Weekly Horror Digest

John Ward

wrote about his introduction to horror comics through Creepy Comics. Have you ever read one?

Creepy Comics

Theories of Haunting by Macey Phillips

asked everyone what their worst nightmare was. Fitting fore this months contest theme!

The Chronicler

shared a list of some of her favorite fiction pieces floating around Substack right now. Go check them out! If you would like more content like this, consider following her new publication Off on a Tangent, where she lists a ton of amazing fiction every month!

S.E. Reid

talked about her favorite horror anthologies and a bunch joined in to offer their own favorites! What are yours?

Daniel O’Donnell

shared a 50 word story for his fiftieth post! Let him know what you think.

L.L. Ford

gave us a shining recommendation to play an eldritch inspired game called Dredge. Do you fancy games that feature eldritch horror?

ReddOscarWrites

shared another entry into the ever-growing Suff lore. This one is sure to give you chills, and that’s not just because it’s in space!

haunting the staircase

specifically wrote a shote horror story for Macabre Monday! Check it out and let her know what you think!

That’s all I have for you this week! Check back in next Monday for the Meet the Maniac interview!

Join the discussion on notes here on the Substack platform every Monday!

Stay Spooky.

If you are looking for another community project to be apart of like The Suff, check out The Blackwater Files byThe Chronicler! Click here.

If you are looking for people to follow on notes for Macabre Monday, check out all the people participating:

haunting the staircase Jenovia Honeygloom John Coon Shaina Read reinancruz Koshmarov Michael S. Atkinson PC3 Author Michele Bardsley L.C. Marino L.L. Ford Lloyd Miner A. B. Frank Cyndi Gacosta Laura Johnston Patricia J.L. 👻🧶🖊️ Jessica Maison Jennifer Morrow Stirling S Newberry Brian Schell Ross Jeffery Nicolina Torres Lauren Salas Stephen A. Davis Chaotic Trash Susan Earlam Jon T Daniel W. Davison Daniel O’Donnell Michael P. Marpaung Robert Walrod John Parce Buck Weiss Leigh Parrish Macey Cole Noble Olivia St. Lewis Newton Webb EJ Trask Joshua T Calkins-Treworgy Skyla Andrei Atanasov Anna C. Webster Lucas Mangum Carla PettigrewJay RothermelV Kelly-SibleyKathrine ElaineRenee GeorgeAlec Worleyhaunting the staircaseReddOscarWritesSlasherSlow Burn Horror’s SubstackEJ Trask

Josh Tatter