Ever wondered what it takes to put together a horror anthology? Well, the recent chat between Chris Jones and Kate Bemis, the masterminds behind Twisted50 Volume 3, gives us a fascinating peek behind the curtain. Kate, who edited this latest volume, brought her A-game to the table, wading through a whopping 170 horror stories to find the cream of the crop.
One of the coolest things they discussed was how they tackled the technical side of getting the book onto Amazon. Chris was pretty nervous about the whole thing, which is totally relatable if you’ve ever dealt with publishing platforms. It’s like trying to solve a puzzle while wearing a blindfold – you know what you want to do, but the process can be super tricky.
Kate dropped some serious knowledge bombs about what makes a horror story work. She’s big on keeping things tight and snappy – no meandering sentences that leave readers scratching their heads. As she put it, “Something that happens when you have a lot of really long sentences all put together is it gets jumbled and you don’t really process anything.” That’s solid gold advice right there for any writer looking to keep readers hooked.
Here’s something interesting – they’re not just looking for great stories; they want engaged authors too. The Twisted50 team actually keeps tabs on how involved writers are with the community. So if you’re thinking about submitting to future volumes, don’t just fire off your story and ghost them. Get in there, mix it up with other writers, and show them you’re serious about being part of the Twisted50 family.
When it comes to screenplays (yeah, they take those too!), Kate emphasized how different they are from regular stories. Every word has to earn its place on the page, and dialogue needs to sound natural when read aloud. It’s like the difference between writing a letter and having a conversation – they might tell the same story, but they need different approaches.
The whole conversation wrapped up with some killer advice for aspiring Twisted50 contributors. My favorite bit was when they said, “Don’t be afraid to get really, really weird.” In a world of horror stories, being unique is your secret weapon. The Twisted50 community seems super supportive too, which is pretty rare in the publishing world.
For anyone thinking about diving into horror writing, this podcast basically laid out a roadmap. Keep it tight, stay engaged, don’t be afraid to get weird, and remember – you’re not just submitting a story, you’re potentially joining a community of horror enthusiasts who are all about helping each other succeed. The door’s open for Twisted50 Volume 4, and based on what we heard, it sounds like an awesome opportunity for writers ready to embrace their dark side.
Filmmaker, Author and Festival founder. Currently directing splinter unit on Mission: Impossible 8 and Exec Producing Apple Original show title TBC.
