Howlietzer Publishing

Tag: horror

  • The Game

    No one knows who created the game. Maybe it existed when the first cars drove off the lot and onward to their destinations, but whoever it was probably didn’t see this coming or intend for it to happen.

    The game, as Harold Pfinster and his friends called it, was a driving game. On any stretch of road with two lanes, driver A would pull up to driver B in order to drive with him/her, side by side. The fun was to make driver B uncomfortable, so they would, inevitably, slow down or speed up. Driver A, in turn, would keep pace, in order to keep the fun going.

    Harold would argue that he invented the game. No one he knew of mentioned it, and his friends were shocked when he taught them the game. It was fun until one Friday night when he and his three friends went driving late at night looking for something to do. Unfortunately their little town didn’t have any cool hangouts for teens. At age seventeen and an itch to explore the adult nightlife, the group had very few options.

    “We could go walking around Wal-Mart again,” said one of them.

    (more…)

  • 5 Helpful Strategies to Make You a Better Writer

    Growing up, I hated reading and writing. I received horrible scores in my English class. But as I got older, I became enraptured with creative writing. It didn’t happen until I was in high school and a partner and I wrote a short story for our class. I was immediately hooked on the idea of becoming an author, but I had a lot of challenges ahead of me that, at the time, I was unaware of.

    At first, I thought I would just have a knack for it, but that wasn’t the case. I had to work hard at getting to the point that I am now, and I would have to say there is still room for improvement. For now, I want to share 5 actions, I’ve taken, to become a better writer.

    Conquer Fear:

    The first action you should take as a writer is to conquer your fears. I’m not talking about skydiving, though that would be a great step later down the road. The most common fears, when it comes to writing, are as follows:

    1. Fear of not Being Heard
    2. Fear of Making Mistakes
    3. Fear of Wasting Time

    You may be bombarded with voices in your mind saying that what you have isn’t good enough. Or that your story isn’t interesting enough. You may even start to compare yourself to other authors and believe that you can’t do what they did. The fact is, yes you can! Now, will you be as successful? Who knows… But you’ll never know until you put yourself out there, and nowadays writing online you enjoy a certain amount of anonymity. Make mistakes! Write! Sit in front of your computer for hours, thinking… It isn’t a waste of time. While I write my fiction, sometimes I have to sit and think for a while to discover a major plot point. Or to decide exactly what a character’s motivation is. Sometimes I have to write for hours to finally figure out what I really want to write. Sometimes I delete major paragraphs that sounded good last week but are not so good the next. 

    Writing is a process, and the best advice I can give is to WRITE! Write, delete, mull it over in your mind, take a day off, but don’t give up if you have a story that you feel strongly about.

    Reading:

    I hope you enjoy reading. I do and I don’t. I have a hard time, sometimes, continuing on with a book. Sometimes my mind drifts elsewhere and I have to take a break. This is ok, but you do need to set a time to read every day, be it fiction or non-fiction. There are plenty of blogs out there to read, and many are very interesting. Seek them out, read them, and comment. This is a good way to start your brand and get noticed by other readers and authors. 

    But most importantly, reading will help you become a better writer by reading how other authors write. You will read so many different styles and you’ll decide which style works for you. You will read some authors who write scenery really well or others who write expressive dialogue. You will learn from reading and you will mimic what you like until you find your unique voice. Set some time to read.

    Writing:

    Duh… So writing is definitely the number one thing to do if you want to become a better writer. Take a seat, get comfortable and start writing the first thing that comes to mind. Do not worry about it sounding good. You can delete later. What I’ve found out from writing is that sometimes I start out writing something blah, and then some light bulb goes off and I start writing something glorious. 

    Do your best to write something every day. As I’ve mentioned, there may be days where you do sit in front of your chosen writing apparatus and NOTHING comes. That is ok. You’re only a failure if you stop trying. And failure isn’t bad either. It helps you decide what is worth fighting for. If your story is worth fighting for, WRITE it. Even if it takes 20 years, WRITE it. You’ll have bad days and good ones.

    Setting Goals:

    Setting goals is key. You’ll want to set time frames. Personally, I set aside 2 hour writing slots a day. 1 hour reading. Now depending on what I’m reading, I may take more time. Having a routine will help. Again, personally, I am the type who spurns routine. I have to mix things up sometimes. That’s not bad. If routine hurts you, don’t do it. But beware, routine is a structurally good way to get better at anything. If you can grind through the pain, eventually that pain will lessen every week. You will begin to do things you didn’t know you could once you focus your mind on the goal and not the pain.

    If 1000 words is painful, DO IT! If you 2000 words is painful, DO IT! No pain, no gain. You have to push yourself to achieve. This may mean a ROUTINE. :) But, I assure you, if you stick with it, you will meet the goal. Decide when you want to finish. Decide if that is feasible. Don’t set yourself up for failure. Make reasonable goals. But also know that failure is only fatal if you give up entirely.

    Research:

    Write what you know. If you don’t know, research. It’s why reading is important. I love supernatural stories. I’ve had several experiences growing up, but I still have a lot of research to do. Research is also a good way to destroy writer’s block. Often what blocks you is a misunderstanding of your characters or even the plot. Research can give you inspiration. What are you writing about? Do you know anything about that? If no, then google it. We all google it! Don’t be discouraged, learn something new. I know a lot about cryptids, but I still learn new things every day, because I’m passionate about it. In short: research what you like; write what you know; and enjoy what you write.

    I hope this was useful to anyone out there struggling. I know all about the struggle, and sometimes I need a little reminder on how I can eliminate obstacles. By implementing these five actions, I’ve been able to keep my writing flame burning and will to succeed alive.

  • The Witch Doctor Part 4

    Lance invited Paul to his apartment later that week. There was a lot to do. He opened the door to his apartment and surveyed his open living room. The area rug had to go. He didn’t want to ruin it, after tonight… He wasn’t sure just how it was going to turn out.

    The witch doctor had given him an incantation to use, which Lance felt extremely skeptical about. It would suck if he had to go through with the whole ritual and it didn’t work.

    He walked into the room and after setting a brown paper bag on the floor, he pulled the furniture and the rug away, to clear the center of the room. Then he reached into the brown paper bag and pulled out a piece of white chalk.

    It felt dry in his hand, and a shiver ran up his wrist as he stooped to draw a large, white circle on the floor.

    (more…)

  • The Witch Doctor Part 3

    Lance knew what he wanted; he had been quiet for too long and he didn’t want to go down without a fight. His original plan was to step up during the wedding itself, during the part when the minister asked if anyone had any objections and be all romantic, but as time went on, he knew he couldn’t do that to Paul. He like Paul; Paul was a likable guy.

    Paul did anything he could to put a smile on another’s face; Paul helped other co-workers meet their quota, after he had met his own. He worked hard and did a great job, but he couldn’t be perfect, there had to be a real reason for Lance to take what he wanted.

    Why do you ned a razon? Men ha keeled fo less. Eef she is yo heart’s desire, you should do wat neds to be done… The words of the Witch Doctor turned in Lance’s head like a globe. He told him everything he needed to do get Talia’s heart, but he hesitated. It had been three years of comraderie with Paul Branson and Talia Roberts, hanging out on weekends and going on trips, could he do what he needed to do?

    Lance sat at his desk, in his cubicle staring at the computer screen. He was suppose to be making sales calls to their list of “interested” clients, but most of them forgot they signed up for the service in the first place. Lance leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling. The white tiles seemed to go on forever from inside his cubicle…

    (more…)

  • The Witch Doctor: Part 2

    Thump! Lance awoke from his daydream and spun around to look out his back window. Nothing was there, but he was sure he felt something…

    His hand instinctively put the car in drive and he returned to the parking space, opened his door and stepped out to investigate. As he walked behind the vehicle, all he saw was the pavement. There was nothing there. Not a bump, not a hole, he had hit nothing, but he was almost sure that something had wrenched him from the space between realities.

    Lance sighed with relief and his heart slowed down. He almost thought he had hit someone while he was thinking about Talia.

    He stepped back inside his car and put his seatbelt on, but when he checked his rearview mirror he saw someone sitting in his back seat. Lance jumped as far as his seatbelt would let him.

    (more…)