Thursday, December 8, 2011

Shared Storytelling: Advent Ghosts 2011

The cold has started to come down, and as winter waxes, we'll turn to our traditions, to the tinsel and lights, the turkey and pie, the wrapping and unwrapping of presents. We, too, have traditions here at ISLF, only they involve letting the chill get into our bones and creep up our spines. Every year, this blog hosts a round of flash-fiction storytelling entitled Advent Ghosts, a kind of virtual huddle around the Christmas Eve hearth, and we'd like you to join us. The details? Here they are:
1.) If you want to contribute, email ISawLightningFall [at] gmail [dot] com.
2.) Write a spooky piece of flash fiction exactly 100-words long -- no more, no less. Note that you don't have to write a ghost story, per se. Any genre is fine, but your final result should aim to raise gooseflesh on the back of the reader's neck.
3.) Post your story to your blog on December 24th and email the link to me. Hosting can be arranged for those who don't have their own blogs.
Looking for some inspiration? Read the results of our shared storytelling from 2009 and 2010. Check out the work of Nathaniel Lee, who excels at the form. Crack open a collection of M.R. James' stories or glance at Neil Gaiman's superb "Nicholas Was …" Listen to Jon Boden's poignant version of the British folk song "Mistletoe Bough" while sipping a glass of Potus Ypocras. (Hat tips and raised glasses to Chestertonian Rambler for those suggestions.) Christmas creepiness lies all around us, in sources both secular and sacred. When the earth stands hard as iron and water like a stone, who knows what creatures might forsake their ancestral haunts to roam the newly whitened world?

Well, perhaps you know. I do hope you'll share the story with us ...

(Picture: CC 2007 by Martin Gommel)

17 comments:

Unknown said...

Yay! It must be christmas time. I'm looking forward to some more ghosts.

Loren Eaton said...

Awesome! I'm looking forward to it, too. This is one of the things I look forward to every year.

Scattercat said...

I just don't think I'll ever do one I like better than that Krampus story from last year...

Michelle D. Argyle said...

I hope I can find time for this!

dolorah said...

A hundred words doesn't sound bad. I should be able to do this :) Thanks Loren.

.........dhole

Loren Eaton said...

SC,

That Krampus story was pretty awesome. But I have faith that you'll pen something that will make the back of my neck try to detatch itself from my body.

Loren Eaton said...

Michelle,

I hope you can, too! Many thanks for plugging it on Twitter. I really appreciate it.

Loren Eaton said...

Lester,

Now that's the kind of comment I love to read. You made my day, sir! Thanks for joining us. I'm looking forward to reading your piece.

Loren Eaton said...

Donna,

Great! I was hoping you'd be game again. Glad to have you onboard.

Anonymous said...

Now that is a fine tradition. One that I can appreciate on several levels.

100 words is plenty. ;) I will see if inspiration strikes me.

Loren Eaton said...

Hey, that's great, Jason! May inspiration strike often, sir.

strugglingwriter said...

I'm in. This sounds awesome (I'm here from Jason's site clarityofnight).

B. Nagel said...

I'm in, boss.

Loren Eaton said...

SW,

Wonderful! It's great to have you onboard.

Loren Eaton said...

B.

Ah, you're here! The party can start now.

SzélsőFa said...

hi, i'm coming over from the clarity of night.
i am definitely looking forward to doing this 100 word challenge.
hope i'll have time to :)

Loren Eaton said...

Awesome! Great to have you here.