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Cathy C. Hallhttps://cathychall.wordpress.com/I write, write, write. Then I rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. THEN I submit all those polished-up words out into the world and sell 'em. It's a plan that's worked pretty well.

Finding Something Friday on Spinetinglers Contest

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There’s just something about October that really gets my spooky senses tingling. It could be that whole Halloween thing. It could be that the Beneficent Mr. Hall takes to the couch during football season and turns into a kind of bubbling mass, indistinguishable from the cushions. Whatever.

The point is, my fingers are itching to write something creepy. And I found the perfect site to send my macabre masterpiece: Spinetinglers (Woooooooooo-ooooooo).

Each month, Spinetinglers sponsors a contest (no entry fee!) and chooses the top five stories (prize money!) and then showcases them on their website (publication credit!) They seem to be especially keen on guy writers (Four out of the last five winners were men. Although Tony could be a girl, I guess. Or an alien…).

Anyway, I know quite a few women writers who can scare the bejiminies out of me. With their stories, I mean. I’m sure their stories would scare you, too. So I really hope they submit a few to Spinetinglers and help us women represent. As I plan to do, as soon as I think up a hot mess of a horror story (Woooooooo-oooooo).

Finding an Exquisite Corpse (Not as Icky as You Think)

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Now, here’s a great idea, brought to you by the Center for the Book and the National Children’s Book and  Literacy Alliance!

First of all, I have to explain that Exquisite Corpse is an old parlor game. I think it started with the concept of passing around a paper, having each participant add a body part, until at last you had yourself an “Exquisite Corpse.” It evolved into a game where a line would be written, and added upon, until the story traveled through the room of players, and you had yourself a funny tale.

EC_bookcover_smA group of accomplished children’s writers, headed by none other than Jon Scieszka (he really has been popping up frequently around F & K. Cue Twilight theme music), have joined together to write a book based on the Exquisite Corpse game. Scieszka started the body, so to speak, with an introduction.

Honestly, he threw in everything but the kitchen sink. And I suspect the sink will make an appearance somewhere. The second installment has already been added (by Katherine Patterson), but it’s not too late to sign up. And the kind folks at Read.gov will send those installments right to your inbox. Free!

Check it out at this Library of Congress link (www.read.gov/exquisite-corpse/) or click here for all the fun details.

See? That wasn’t icky at all!