Addicted To Twisted

A friend signposted me to the Twisted50 page and I read a few of the stories. Importantly, I also read the feedback regarding the stories. The community were welcoming and supportive, with positive comments and suggestions for the authors that it made the idea of writing and submitting a story of my own, less daunting. I wrote a short piece of my own and submitted it. It was very nerve-wracking waiting for someone to critique my story, and I found myself checking back constantly. Not that I needed to. I discovered that I was automatically alerted by email as soon as anybody left a comment. When I did receive feedback, it was both encouraging and helpful. And it was reassuring to find that others liked what I had written. Even if just for the fact that someone else gets to read your work, submitting to Twisted50 was a huge boost.

Because it was such a positive experience I wrote and submitted another story. Perhaps I was seeking a dopamine hit of further comments. And then I did it again, twice more. Four stories in total. Two were just ideas that popped into my head and two were based on dreams. I was putting my dog’s poo bag into a litter bin one evening when the thought came to me ‘what if a hand reached out of the opening and grabbed mine?’ The story which was accepted for the anthology involved a recurring dream concerning a nocturnal visitor I called the night hag.

I was a little apprehensive about going to the awards night, but it turned out to be a very enjoyable and fun occasion, even for a private and reserved chap as myself. Being able to put a few faces to names was a delight, meeting people who you knew only by name and story and comments was wonderful. Altogether, a very memorable night.

This time around I have once again submitted four stories. Maybe I’m a creature of habit. In keeping with the ‘Twisted’ concept I tried to write something so out there, so twisted, that it would really push at the boundaries. One of my stories does indeed have some very unpleasant and cruel elements.  In just over three weeks I’ll find out if any of my stories has been accepted. If so I will look forward to attending another awards night and meeting some new faces.