The Bonfire Effect by Rusty Rushfeldt

Finding Twisted50, creating a horror story, and submitting it, was reminiscent of my grandfather sharing his stories by the night-time bonfires.

Writing, like storytelling by a bonfire, can be a source of warmth and inspiration – or it can leave you cold and waiting.

As a child, the bonfire seemed huge and threatening. The fire crackled and spat out bright orange-red glowing embers, which grew larger as my grandfather spun his tale of weird family occurrences.

The animated intensity of my grandfather’s storytelling seemed to foster the embers to drift and bounce erratically above and beyond the fire.

I was always on the lookout for any rogue hot embers targeting my bare unprotected arms and face. 

Occasionally an ember would land on me just as the story reached a crucial reveal causing me to feel the pain of the burn while establishing the lesson learned from the story.  I saw this process as an awakening creating a tiny, blistered badge of acknowledgment.

So, how does the bonfire effect relate to my Twisted50 writing experience?

Finding Twisted50 started the bonfire. 

Just as my grandfather’s stories brought the heat and embers to life, Twisted50 reignited my passion for writing.

At first, the thrill of submitting the first draft was like a rush of warmth from a roaring fire. The drifting and bouncing of the glowing embers kept my enthusiasm and commitment involved. But when the feedback was slow, I felt a sudden chill, as if the flames had flickered out.

The creation of new invigorating embers no longer existed. 

No lessons learned, no reward, no comments.

Then the wind picked up, and the embers reignited and drifted my way, thanks to two review comments that came forward.

That ember-burning sensation felt awesome.

The final draft was submitted, which still probably needed additional creative editing.

Though the bonfire fades, the embers of creativity never truly die. 

We must continually stoke the flames ourselves through persistence, feedback, and the belief that every spark counts.

Getting no new comments does not indicate failure, just a pause until the embers re-ignites.

So, what have I learned?

The Twisted50 concept and process have helped me to exhume my creativity that had been put in a tomb many years ago.

Moving forward, my biggest challenge will be to find ways of acquiring feedback to help develop my writing skills.

Wishing you All, the Best of Luck, with your submissions.

They’re all Great.  Keep up the good work.