Read Project Threshold

Hi all.
Stuart here, your friendly neighborhood radioactive editor. (Wait, radioactive? I should probably get that looked at…) Not much to report this week. We’re still sorting through upcoming new layout changes as well as the next Trembling With Fear edition.

A quick plug for my cousin Ross. He’s recently ventured into the world of card game creation and has launched his first game on Kickstarter! I was able to preview this a couple times during development and have to say it’s a really solid play. If you’re into card games, please check out and support Subversia on Kickstarter!

There has been an uptick in people asking about bringing back shirts with our logo on them, so that is something that we’re actively looking into. The print-on-demand scene has changed quite a bit from where it was pre-pandemic, so we’re looking into what might work best for keeping prices down (which, I’m not sure, is possible.)

If you post any writing content during the week and think it would be a good fit for us to feature, do reach out and let us know at [email protected]

Thank you, Patreons! As always, the site's lifeblood is in your hands, and we truly appreciate your support.

If you're interested in contributing and think you have something that would help out, PLEASE don't shy away from contacting us! ([email protected])

And now, I will return you to your regularly scheduled newsletter!

Read InhuMANities today!

“Dark, visceral, poetic and devastatingly honest, Robertsons writing lives at the intersection of unabashed hunger, desire, beauty and repulsion. These tales strike at the heart of the queer, gothic soul. They are beautifully painful and darkly necessary. A must read for all those who love unflinching art.”
-Suzan Palumbo Author of Countess and Skin Thief.

This week, I’m sharing articles from Craft, and all three articles focus on character development. Firstly, Helping Writers Become Authors explores the Midpoint of a story, where a character reaches their self-recognition as part of the character arc and story structure. Labelled as the ‘moment of truth’, characters reach this midpoint and self-reflect on their beliefs up to that point in the story. My favourite character example, which K. M. Weiland mentions, is Simba when he reaches that point of remembering who he is. Next is Mythcreants who identifies five flaws to give your very smart characters and how they can grow and develop from these flaws. I loved that the author Faith gave each type of character a nickname, such as The Know-It-All, which is called Kai, as it gave a clear structure and therefore a clearer understanding. Lastly, Jane Friedman’s blog has guest author Jackie Alcalde Marr reveal how you can look at your characters from a life coach’s point of view. With examples of theories and methods, this article is an interesting read!    

Craft:

Helping Writers Become Authors: “Who Am I?” The Midpoint as Self-Recognition in Story Structure”

Mythcreants: “Five Flaws for Smart Characters”

Jane Friedman: “Coach Your Characters: A Life Coach’s Toolkit Offers a New Lens”

From Horror Tree:

Haunted by Emotion: Why Ghosts Linger Where Pain Lives by J.M. Shaw

Where the Soul Goes by Katherine Silva - Book Review

Living Borders, Living Stories: An Interview with Andrea Hairston

The Company We Keep by Marquee Peters - Book Review

The OutWrite Scary Awards — New Indie LGBTQ+ Horror Awards

Check out Kelsea Yu's thoughts on the novella being the PERFECT length for horror!

This week’s free fiction is a mixed bag of speculative fiction. Firstly, “Mrs. Patterson’s Home for Landlocked Men” is a dark fantasy flash about a character called Mrs. Patterson who takes in men who are traumatised and need somewhere to recover from their run-ins with mermaids. There’s a wonderful twist that explores more of the sub-genre, dark fantasy, which I loved. Next, “Wend-Way-Go” is a short story that I had no idea of where it was going nor which genre it would turn out to be, but I can confirm it is a sci-fi. When Wade’s cousin Keif turns up at his door, he expects to lend him money, but he is not in the mood as his dog has run away from home. Instead Keif offers to drive him anywhere he wants. This is a heartwarming story that explores how people can surprise you and alter with age. Thirdly, “Death From Above” is an apocalyptic horror which reminded me of Hitchcock's The Birds (1963), but with more dread, suspense, and gore. Clarence tries to survive these threatening, intelligent creatures while living in a mineshaft. Can he survive such cunning creatures? Lastly, “The Rotting Jack” is a horror flash about a mysterious pumpkin that appears every Halloween which Eli and his father must keep lit. This gives wonderful spooky Halloween vibes for the perfect time of the year. Enjoy reading!  

“Mrs. Patterson’s Home for Landlocked Men” by Marie Brennan at Flash Point SF.

“Wend-Way-Go” by Tim Pratt at Uncanny Magazine.

“Death From Above” by Armand Rosamilia at The Stygian Lepus.

“The Rotting Jack” by Kathleen McCluskey at Spreading the Writer’s Word.

Writing Exercise: Carve Your Pumpkin, If You Dare.

Your protagonist takes their kids to a pumpkin patch and then takes them home to show them how to carve faces.

The kids are different in ages, one a teenager and the other much younger. The teenager usually picks on their sibling and decides to carve their sibling’s face onto their pumpkin, claiming it is the scariest face in the world.

Your protagonist scolds them before turning to comfort the youngest, but the child has vanished. After calling their name and searching the house from top to bottom, they can’t find any trace of their kid.

Then they hear them. Their voice emanates from the carved pumpkin.

What happens next is up to you…Let your imagination run wild!

If you post any writing content during the week and think it would be a good fit for us to feature, do reach out and let us know at [email protected]

Check Out The Code - Where Engineers And Developers Get Their News

That engineer who always knows what's next? This is their secret.

Here's how you can get ahead too:

Join 100k+ engineers