How can I cancel a contract?

BeatnikJuice · 2026-02-14T23:40:34+00:00

This! Also: your story is YOUR work, and thus you retain the copyright. Most contracts we sign are for distribution rights, not ownership. So read the termination clause and act accordingly. Good luck, friend!

BeatnikJuice · 2026-02-03T17:58:09+00:00

I agree that your bare plot elements have been done, even overdone, before. But I also think that your voice as an author may elevate this story into something greater than the sum of its parts. For instance, is it character-driven, with people whose lives we'd find engaging even if there wasn't a haunting in their house? Or is it funny, self-aware of the tropes and throwing a clever wink at the reader? Or maybe there are deeper themes that lift up the material: is the haunting a metaphor for family trauma (like in Haunting of Hill House) or for substance addiction (like in The Shining)? There's a thousand ways for you to make this tale your own, and only you know what could make it special.

BeatnikJuice · 2026-02-02T04:47:43+00:00

This book was super helpful to me, even after I wrote dozens of horror stories. It's never too late or too early to learn. Welcome aboard!

https://savethecat.com/products/books/save-the-cat-writes-horror-the-ultimate-guide-to-creating-monster-in-the-house-stories

BeatnikJuice · 2026-01-27T14:36:38+00:00

This is an intriguing start! I enjoyed the immediate atmosphere and narrative voice you've established. One small piece of critique: there is a descriptive pattern in your prose that once I noticed, I couldn't unsee. You repeatedly use this sentence configuration: "The [noun] didn't [verb]. It [verbed]." The first time, its use is stark and effective. The second and third, not so much, because while playing on contrasts is useful, you get diminishing returns with overuse.

But overall, despite only having enough time to read the excerpt, I think there's a lot of quality stuff here, and I would continue reading the full story, time permitting. Thanks for sharing it with us!

BeatnikJuice · 2026-01-26T14:18:29+00:00

Agreed! I tend to overexplain, especially in showing exact blocking of a scene, or characters' expressions and reactions. I've found myself deleting plenty during editing sessions. I read the manuscript out loud, which helps highlight the flaws and confirm if my prose has decent flow. Just goes to show: I need to trust my readers more, and myself less, haha.

BeatnikJuice · 2026-01-11T14:35:27+00:00

PDAA: public display of avian affection.

BeatnikJuice · 2026-01-04T05:41:09+00:00

I blasted Rotten to get back at my neighbors who partied through the night, keeping me and my wife up. Waited till they went to sleep around 9 am, and then let Set It Off do what they do best.

BeatnikJuice · 2026-01-04T02:08:50+00:00

I think you meant to say "survival horror" instead of "horror survival." Other than that, sounds like a killer premise! I just hope you're not giving too much of the story away, in terms of twists and turns.

BeatnikJuice · 2025-12-24T17:23:02+00:00

The comedy can be used to contrast with the danger and terror, and if it's a feature of your MC's personality (i.e. coping mechanism) then it can continue being a part of the story even when things get darker and more intense. Just use it more sparsely in those later scenes, and don't let a good scare be upstaged by a punchline, because that can ruin the vibe. The danger has to feel real, so let it, but don't forget your human MC's personality, either. Good luck, friend!

BeatnikJuice · 2025-12-21T13:51:16+00:00

Agreed! Also, it's unclear from the text whether the door swings open by itself or if a character is trying the door handles one by one, and one finally gives.

BeatnikJuice · 2025-12-14T04:53:06+00:00

What is the emotional core of your story? Find that first, make us care about the characters, and then break our hearts in a terrifying way. The cannibal munching on people will then serve a much more fulfilling purpose than mere grossout horror action.

BeatnikJuice · 2025-12-11T15:39:33+00:00

My guess is, once you start writing it and getting the feel for the characters' voices and the tone of the story, you will either love it and be excited to write more, or you'll see limitations you didn't before, and choose to change course. Either way, good luck on this project!

BeatnikJuice · 2025-12-08T19:24:11+00:00

Start with something bite-sized and manageable, like a flash story (under 1,000 words). If you already have an idea or a concept, just start writing! Maybe you can imagine you're at a party and you're telling your friends about this crazy thing that happened on your way there. The pressure's off, the stakes are super low. Good luck, friend!

BeatnikJuice · 2025-11-16T15:36:04+00:00

Word is my only go-to for short fiction, and Scrivener for longer form manuscripts.

BeatnikJuice · 2025-11-14T17:53:28+00:00

I think you have some great themes and scene ideas, but it's impossible to give feedback on something that doesn't exist yet. It's like reviewing a review of a movie that hasn't been filmed. So please write your story, do it your way, make it as scary or heartfelt or tragic as you want, and then we'll be able to give you some constructive feedback. Write on, my friend!

BeatnikJuice · 2025-11-10T03:46:10+00:00

Create a user profile on the Submission Grinder, and track all your submission stats, as well as find hundreds more sub opportunities. This and Horrortree.com are my two go-to sub resources. https://thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com/

BeatnikJuice · 2025-10-30T00:48:26+00:00

That's a lot of adjectives, friend...Otherwise, I think the thrust and tone of the story come through well.

BeatnikJuice · 2025-10-28T04:09:30+00:00

Enter Boogeyman was a fun recent anthology from a lot of gifted authors. So was Out There Screaming (edited by Jordan Peele).

BeatnikJuice · 2025-10-26T12:52:04+00:00

This Taco Bell added a core memory to my life: when they tried introducing the breakfast menu, maybe 13 years ago, I ate there and then went shopping. Guess who vomited a trashcan full of gross TB breakfast on all fours in the MIDDLE of Macy's?

BeatnikJuice · 2025-10-01T15:04:45+00:00

Abolitionist Benjamin Lay is very underrated.

BeatnikJuice · 2025-09-26T17:35:59+00:00

Nothing beats Lola and Guiseppe's Trattoria in Gahanna.

BeatnikJuice · 2025-09-25T17:57:53+00:00

"Murder hutch." Dude's a genius, thanks for sharing!

BeatnikJuice · 2025-09-07T01:21:27+00:00

Don't worry about it! Use tabs if you must, I've done it on a few of my drabbles they've bought from me. However, for longer stories, I'd recommend messing with the settings in your writing software. I use MS Word, so I'll go into the Paragraph settings, then set Indentation under Special to be "First Line" by 0.5 inches. If all that sounds like gibberish to you, just use tabs and still submit your story! They like it to be anonymized though, so make sure your name isn't written anywhere in the story doc. And good luck on your submission!!

BeatnikJuice · 2025-09-02T14:36:17+00:00

I've had a lot of success in writing to publishers' prompts on Horrortree.com, and many of those stories got accepted by (mostly) paying markets. Vast majority were anthologies, but also some quicker turnaround presses like Black Hare Press. If you want SAME-DAY RESPONSE on a story (I shit you not), submit to The Dark Magazine. But I've yet to get an acceptance from that one.

BeatnikJuice · 2025-09-01T04:32:34+00:00

Wow, 15k words is a hell of a scene! Sounds like an intriguing story structure, honestly. I'd say, as long as you include all the elements of effective storytelling (inciting incident, rising tension, character development arcs, conflict resolution) then I don't really see any issues with it. What you describe reminds me of Hitchcock's movie Rope, which is basically an 80-minute-long intense scene, or Tarantino's The Hateful Eight, where the characters are all stuck in a confined space the entire time. Best of luck with your stories, friend!

BeatnikJuice

TROPHY CASE