Welcome to #WEPFF - Write...Edit...Publish October Challenge - Deja Vu or Voodoo

Welcome writers! Are you ready for a spooky challenge?

OCTOBER is the month for screams and chills, ghosts and ghoulies, mystery and fear, and this month’s prompt is DÉJÀ VU OR VOODOO!.

Most WEP-ers go with horror for October but what if it isn’t your bag? No problem. Just interpret these prompts without a smidgen of anything extra-sensory. Amaze us with a romance or adventure flash without a drop of gore!

Lots of things can happen on Halloween or in October that doesn’t resemble horror…

A nightmare comes to life. A not-so-pleasant experience repeated after years. A vague memory that ends up being something more ominous. A house of horrors revisited with fearsome results. If you don’t scare us, impress us….

The Halloween challenge has proven to be a favorite, so get those stories churning.

If you need some inspiration give these stories a read: 10 Creepy Stories to Tell After Dark then make up your own “urban legend!”

Our August challenge was the first month that we welcomed the writers from the IWSG (Insecure Writers Support Group) and it was impressive. In case you missed the announcement, The WEP team have a GUEST POST on the IWSG website on August 6 that explains everything. Here is the link:

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/2018/08/writing-together-with-wep-and-iswg.html

I hope we’ve tweaked your curiosity and ambition. We’d love to read your story so please, Sign up now.

Please remember to add WEP to your post title, so it's easily spotted. 

We like to have all participants on the blogroll, please have a quick scan and tell us if your blog is missing and email Renee if it's not there! yolandarenee@hotmail.com 

XXX

IF YOU WANT TO SHARE THE CHALLENGE ON YOUR BLOG, COPY THIS SCRIPT:

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We'd Love It If You'd Tweet One Of These:

The WEP/IWSG October Challenge Déjà Vu or Voodoo - @YolandaRenee @DeniseCCovey @TheIWSG https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2018/10/welcome-to-wepff-writeeditpublish.html #ff #WEPFF

Déjà Vu or Voodoo? October’s Challenge @YolandaRenee & @DeniseCCovey @TheIWSG https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2018/10/welcome-to-wepff-writeeditpublish.html #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction

Join @YolandaRenee @DeniseCCovey & the team @TheIWSG for the Latest FF Challenge Déjà Vu or Voodoo https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2018/10/welcome-to-wepff-writeeditpublish.html #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction

The WEP/IWSG October Challenge Déjà vu or Voodoo. Which is for you? - @YolandaRenee @DeniseCCovey @TheIWSG https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2018/10/welcome-to-wepff-writeeditpublish.html #amwriting #ff #WEPFF  

This isn’t Déjà vu or some Voodoo but with October’s Challenge some can come from you. Which will it be? @YolandaRenee & @DeniseCCovey @TheIWSG https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2018/10/welcome-to-wepff-writeeditpublish.html #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction

Join @YolandaRenee @DeniseCCovey @TheIWSG for the Latest FF Challenge Déjà vu or Voodoo. https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2018/10/welcome-to-wepff-writeeditpublish.html #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction

What comes to mind with Voodoo or Déjà vu? Tell @YolandaRenee @DeniseCCovey @TheIWSG in this month’s challenge and you may be our next winner! https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2018/10/welcome-to-wepff-writeeditpublish.html #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction

Ever have a run in with Déjà vu or Voodoo? Write about it and join October’s challenge. @YolandaRenee @DeniseCCovey @TheIWSG https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2018/10/welcome-to-wepff-writeeditpublish.html #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction

The fifth pumpkin is kind of grumpy. This is the last time she’ll be hosting, although, never say never. I am off to other adventures, which I hope means more books. We’ll see, but other challenges await. 

Thank you, everyone, for your support!

Especially Denise, for giving me this once in a lifetime opportunity. I know that the WEP and the IWSG collaboration will prove a great success for everyone!

And WELCOME, Laura, I know you’ll have a blast being part of this unique writing group.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

#GuestPost #Augustchallenge #winner, Tanya Miranda on being STUCK IN THE STORY

Hi! Denise here!


A huge congratulations to Tanya Miranda who won the WEP/IWSG Inaugural August challenge, A CHANGE OF HEART. 

Her winning flash fiction was described by editor/judge Nick Wilford:  "Tanya's flash made the biggest impact on me and posed a profound question that makes us all ponder as humans." If you haven't had the pleasure of reading Tanya's entry, GO HERE.

All WEP/IWSG winners are asked to write a guest post. Tanya is sharing a very personal experience regarding being:

STUCK IN THE STORY

Thank you to the WEP team for selecting my story as the winner for the August Challenge, and for having me here today. I was taken entirely by surprise at the win, which ended my summer on a tremendous high note. Today, I’m going to talk about a moment when I hit a wall while working on a project, and what happened that helped me overcome this obstacle.

A few years ago, I completed my romance novel A Selfish Moment. It was technically done, but I had that sneaky little gut feeling that something was missing, something important. I didn't know what it was.

The story had a great ending. My beta readers raved. My editor and I went through the rounds smoothly. I was ready to start the publishing process, but this uneasy feeling was like a pesky woodpecker that would not stop pecking! There was something about the ending that wasn’t right, and my gut was telling me so.

A thousand self-doubting questions filled my head. I lost a lot of sleep. I couldn’t proceed with publishing until I addressed this nagging sensation. Out of pure frustration, I put this project on hold. I was miserable, being so close to the finish line.

For the next few weeks, I read tons and worked on other unrelated projects. I watched movies and read books on writing. I forced myself to forget about it for the moment and move onto newer things since my efforts to “finish” my book were proving to be futile.

Then, a novel-based movie came out that caught my attention. I LOVE reading the book (or series) before watching the movie adaptation and comparing. Yup, I’m that annoying person in the theater that whispers, “that’s not how it happened in the book.”

I devoured the trilogy in a couple of days and loved it. The movie was good too, but not as good as the book. Then, one night, as I was lying in bed and comparing book to movie, I had an AHA moment. I figured out what was wrong with the ending to my novel.

The ending to that story had a format that stung—a story BEYOND the end of the story. It’s not a new revolutionary format, but nothing I had experienced at the time stood out the way that did. I wrote the last chapter of my novel in a couple of hours, and I slept soundly for the first time in weeks.

And, I learned a lot in dealing with a "difficult" or "stuck" manuscript. These bullet points can work for any project.

1 – Trust your gut.

It was illogical for me to doubt the story as it was, especially since I got so much positive feedback, but I was not budging. My mom claims I have always been stubborn, and this time it worked for me. Listen to your gut; it knows you better than you know yourself!

2 – If you’re stuck, step away.

When you’re stuck, and I mean really stuck, like I-will-burn-my-story-if-I-read-it-one-more-time stuck, sometimes you just need a serious break. Go bike riding. Work on your next project. Take up art. Read loads of books and short stories in different genres. Try reading and writing poetry. Clean your mental pallet and give your mind a break.

3 – Sometimes you have to stop trying.

At the time I had that AHA moment, I wasn’t trying to fix the issue. I didn’t even know what the problem was let alone how to address it. I had re-read my book a dozen times looking for errors, to the point of resentment. I was at a loss, and I almost gave up. Luckily, my break recharged my brain and opened it up to new ways of thinking. New ideas can come from anywhere, so be open and ready.

I hope my experience helps anyone who is stuck on a story and feels hopeless. It's a horrible feeling, being unable to pass the finish line, but I think it's one of those experiences that are good for the writer's soul.

---

After decades in I.T. building software for the e-commerce industry, Tanya Miranda finally gave in to her lifelong love of writing. She writes stories and poetry in many genres and posts some of her pieces on her blog for the world to read.

Visit her at http://www.tanyamiranda.com to read her flash fiction and poetry, and don't forget to sign up to get a free copy of her fantasy novel, The Box Of Souls.

She's still super giddy about winning the August Challenge and has been spotted breaking into a happy dance in the streets of North Bergen, New Jersey. Her children have begged her to stop to no avail.

Thanks Tanya!

BREAKING NEWS!

As most of you would have picked up from our posts, Yolanda Renee, Denise's right-hand woman and co-host extraordinaire, is retiring from the WEP team after the October challenge which she is co-ordinating. Florence has been giving Yolanda a hard time. She had to evacuate her condo in South Carolina. It was lovely that Yolanda was out of danger, but we all know the disruptions weather can cause, but like a true author, Yolanda used the time to write her horror story for the next challenge!

So, to ensure the ongoing success of the WEP/IWSG partnership, we needed a new addition to the team. LG Keltner was chosen. She's been an enthusiastic participant for a long time and has talent which will enhance our success.  

Hey folks, Renee, here: just stopped in to welcome Laura, the new co-host. Yes, Hurricane Florence did tragically impact North Carolina where it made landfall and has hit South Carolina, my new home, with ongoing flooding. We were lucky. We evacuated. Thanks, everyone, for your concern, and you, Denise for your lovely words. You're right, I worked on my October Challenge, in fact, I wrote two short stories. But that's not why I'm here, today.

I'm here to welcome Laura. The newest member of the WEP Team. When Denise told me she'd chosen Laura. I immediately said, "She's a perfect choice." I've known Laura since 2008 when I first joined the IWSG, and I was always impressed by her skill. She's an incredibly talented writer, blogger, and publisher. As a natural storyteller, I've no doubt that she'll add depth, creativity, and expert editing skills to the WEP. While she's your go-to girl in all things science fiction, she's just as prolific in the other genres. But more importantly, she's a great blogging friend.

WELCOME, Laura! I'm thrilled that you'll be a part of the WEP family! I’m genuinely honored that you’ll be considered my replacement. A compliment in itself!

A quick word from L.G.:
Hello everyone! I'm looking forward to being a part of this fantastic team and reading some excellent submissions in the upcoming challenges. I'm honored to have been asked to come aboard, and I hope to contribute all I can to the success of this group.


Not long to the next exciting challenge for the WEP/IWSG 'writing together' partnership. Please consider joining us for the eagerly-anticipated October challenge. GO HERE to gather ideas for how you might like to approach this challenge, but really, there is complete freedom to write it your way.

                           And Laura!

We'd love if you'd Tweet this post or share to Facebook or your favorite social media site.

Come join the August 2018 Challenge winner, Tanya Miranda, for Stuck in the Story @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @theIWSG https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2018/09/guestpost-augustchallenge-winner-tanya.html #amwriting #flashfiction

Tips from Tanya Miranda for when stuck in your story @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @theIWSG  https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2018/09/guestpost-augustchallenge-winner-tanya.html #amwriting #flashfiction

See our latest winner as she stops by for a guest post, Stuck in the Story, and some breaking news @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @theIWSG https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2018/09/guestpost-augustchallenge-winner-tanya.html #amwriting #flashfiction

#WEPff WINNERS' POST for CHANGE OF HEART August challenge. Come read all about it!

Hello everyone!

Here's what you've been waiting for! The winners of the inaugural WEP/IWSG collaboration for the CHANGE OF HEART August challenge! 

This is a long post as there's so much to say. I've used sub-headings so you can easily skip to the content you want!

WHAT WAS NEW ABOUT THIS CHALLENGE!

New people!! Welcome to 8 new entrants - Diane Burton, Tanya Miranda, Rebecca M Douglass, Jemima Pett,  Roland Clarke, Deniz Bevan, Operation Awesome and Elizabeth Otten. 

Welcome back Shannon Lawrence and Michelle Wallace who used to post intermittently or regularly in the past. We hope you're back to stay!

Some of you (5) missed the deadline and a couple of your emails broke my heart, but we hope you make it next time! The post date is clearly shown on the badge and the time zone clearly shown at the top of this website.

And of course, the rest of you are too many to mention. Thank you loyal WEPpers, some of whom came with me from RomanticFridayWriters when we became WEP in 2012, some later, but you all turn heaven and earth to turn up every second month. You make WEP the success it is. 

We hope you're all enthused about the challenges and return in October for another write-fest for the Halloween month.

CHANGE OF HEART resulted in some deep responses which, judging by the comments, garnered an emotional response in our readers. Many minds flew to heart transplants and that's no surprise, but how each one was so different, was. 

BLURBS FROM EACH ENTRY

Here's a round up of all the entries we got for the prompt - CHANGE OF HEART, except the hosts'. An amazingly diverse collection, with many innovative interpretations of the prompt. Mind. Blowing.

Sally - gave us a sweet heartfelt entry, a lovely combo of poetry and prose on the value of friendship in overcoming grief and despair.

Desk 49 -  spun one fun yarn of a man-snake tussle which ended with a rather unexpected 'strike.'

Pat G - gave us a story of courage to conquer inner demons, healing and a change of heart brought about by love.

Pat H - wrote an open letter to 'dear Good and Evil' - profound and thought provoking in his usual dark style..

Toi Thomas - paid tribute to Asimov and wrote a compelling story of self aware AI trying to create a better version of humanity.

Tanya Miranda - crafted a fascinating flash about the price of mortality. Deep and haunting.

Deborah Drucker - wrote a heartwarming story of an immigrant family's struggles in an new land and then ended it with a supernatural twist in the tail.

Laura C - gave us a fantasy flash where the hero switches sides but does not know if  he's made the right choice. 

L.G. Keltner - Sometimes a change of heart can lead to terrible, life long regrets. A moving flash about a romantic dilemma with devastating consequences.

Hilary - served up a super creepy take with an MC pondering stuffed heart recipes, not an ordinary dish we can tell you.

Roland Clarke - brought to life teenage angst over sexuality in an evocative flash set in Wales.

D.G.Hudson  - gave us a further intriguing chapter of her well crafted scifi novel, with the intruders on Outpost 6 finally tracked down. But does finding a child among them lead to a change of heart?

Jemima Pett - made us instantly relate to her feisty MC who has to find ways to outsmart her space navigator. 

Diane Burton - a  fun take on the prompt that combined travel, adventure, independence and self-discovery, with the bonus promise of a new relationship? or a bogus brother of absconding friend?

Christopher Scott - jumped in with an intriguing flash on the gamer world. Will the MC escape to freedom and family life?

Rebecca Douglass – wove a funny and lighthearted ghostbuster story with a clever use of the prompt.

Michelle Wallace - penned a poignant and compelling flash of one long lost son’s heart changing the life of another. A brilliant take on the prompt.

J Lenni Dorner - loss, courage and new beginnings come together in an intriguing, creative flash built on a mix  of the prompt and lyrics from a song. 

Elephant's Child - gave us a flash involving genetic manipulation in the search for perfection, thought provoking and shivery, too close for comfort.

Deniz Bevan - wrote up a happy combo of travel and romance, set in that most alluring of destinations -Turkey, irresistible!

Elizabeth Otten - penned a heartwarming, well crafted monologue for her first WEP entry with the cutest MC we have come across in several months.

Roland Yeomans - wrought his usual magic with a lilting, melancholic cadence and poetic diction.

Kalpanaa - gave us an extract from her current work, and another MC vying for the cutest spot with Elizabeth's.

Shannon Lawrence – crafted a super chilling tale of a burglar... or is it a woman out for revenge? and a child that pivots the outcome around after pushing us to the very brink.

After extensive reading, the team compiled a shortlist, longer than usual:

Elephant's Child 

Tanya Miranda

J Lenni Dorner

Shannon Lawrence

Michelle Wallace

Jemima Pett

Toi Thomas

Rebecca M Douglass

The shortlist was outsourced to writer and editor, Nick Wilford, who is part of the Insecure Writers Support Group (IWSG) admin. Nick kindly read each entry on the shortlist, and chose 3 winners. (Agreement on the winner was unanimous). 

So (((drum roll)))...here we go...

THE WINNER OF THE

2018 WEP AUGUST CHALLENGE CHANGE OF HEART

is TANYA MIRANDA

 Nick said: "Tanya's flash made the biggest impact on me and posed a profound question that makes us all ponder as humans."

Congratulations Tanya!

Please link the badge to your story and post it on your blog!

An Amazon Gift Card of $10 will be winging your way shortly.

***

THE RUNNER UP OF THE

2018 WEP AUGUST CHALLENGE CHANGE OF HEART

is MICHELLE WALLACE!

Nick said: "A circular tale with an interesting question - would a heart transplant change who we are as a person? Made me want to know more about what happens to Gary." Yes, please continue this story, Michelle (the team)

Congratulations Michelle!

Please link the badge to your story and post it on your blog!

***

THE ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD FOR THE

2018 WEP AUGUST CHALLENGE CHANGE OF HEART

goes to TOI THOMAS!

Nick said: "Thought-provoking look at a possible future. Took me off somewhere completely. The narrator seems to have two changes of heart - an interesting twist."

Congratulations Toi!

Please link the badge to your story and post it on your blog!

***

COMMENTING

All prospective winners are vetted to ensure they've commented on several posts before they are awarded a prize as this is one of the guidelines on every submission sign up.

For very strong commenters, we have a special award. 

Past winners are Desk49 and Elephant's Child. This month I'd like to acknowledge Desk (Ellis) for his support to new participant, Roland Clarke. And Roland, we honor your effort in struggling to read every entry when you had so much going on.

The CHANGE OF HEART challenge demonstrates a change of heart regarding comments. The message has gotten through with MOST of you commenting on all/very nearly all, of the posts. Isn't it lovely to see SO MANY comments on each post? It delighted the team. 

I set myself the task of tallying comments and stopped tallying on 24th August so apologies if you've since finished commenting. I'm taking volunteers for the role of Comment Police in October! Don't all rush me at once! You'll see by my messy page below that of those not in the running for the award, most made an excellent effort to get around!

Some of you contacted me to say you'd finished reading all the posts. I think that's a good idea. YOU NOMINATE YOURSELF for the Comments Champion award and we'll do a cursory check.

I want to thank the following for their awesome effort at commenting. We had fourteen!! I used the online random name picker and left it to chance! 

Here's the result. As all 14 names weren't shown on one page, I had to snip it twice.

So, the Comments Champion award goes to all 14 of you, but we can only send one badge. 

The random pick winner is -- Diane Burton! Diane, please accept the badge on behalf of all the great commenters and display on your blog!

As always, I thank my awesome WEP team members. I couldn't do this job without you: 

* Olga, for the creative badges. Wow, CHANGE OF HEART and DEJA VU or VOODOO are magnificent

* Nila, who wrote those alluring blurbs on each entry

* Yolanda, who read for us and helped with the DLs and shortlist

* LG Keltner who offered to help monitor the C-Box and to be an extra pair of eyes on the entries

And from the IWSG:

* Pat Hatt for creating/adding tweets to the posts
* Nick Wilford for reading the shortlist and for final judging

BUT MOSTLY, THANK YOU PARTICIPANTS!

August was a blast!

A MESSAGE TO LATE POSTERS!

If you've subscribed to the email list on the blog, you will receive a notice on posting day. If you haven't signed up and would like to, send your email address to Denise and she will sign you up. 

I've just sent out a bulk email. Mine went to SPAM until I told Gmail it wasn't spam. If you are subscribed to the WEP mail list and didn't receive an email, go to your spam folder and click 'This is not spam.' Or 'add us to your address book.' Then you'll be up to date on WEP news!

Remember to post your entry on or before the challenge date according to the clock on the website and choose your method to let us know you've posted! The linky will tell you how many hours to closing time. 

Relative to comments: try to set up your comment system so it's easy to comment! No Google+ please. Leave a message on our CBox or in comments if you cannot post comments on someone's site.

We're excited to see you all again, plus spread the word for the October Challenge -- DEJA VU or VOODOO! 

On the Challenges Page you’ll find the prompt schedule for the year and further inspiration for the above prompt.

Be sure to return to read the winner’s guest post in a couple of weeks!

We'd love if you'd Tweet this post or share to Facebook or your favorite social media site.

#WEPFF Change of Heart Winners announced. @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @theIWSG https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2018/08/wepff-winners-post-for-change-of-heart.html #amwriting #flashfiction

Come congratulate Tanya Miranda, first place winner #WEPFF Change of Heart Challenge @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @theIWSG https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2018/08/wepff-winners-post-for-change-of-heart.html #amwriting #flashfiction

The #WEPFF writers are all winners! @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @theIWSG https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2018/08/wepff-winners-post-for-change-of-heart.html #amwriting #flashfiction

When you take the challenge for a spin you too could win! @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @theIWSG https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2018/08/wepff-winners-post-for-change-of-heart.html #amwriting #flashfiction