#WEP - October #FlashFiction Challenge - The Phantom of the Opera - Post October 18 - 20

 

Welcome to the October Challenge 

for WEP - Write...Edit...Publish,

The Phantom of the Opera!

Hey writers, Renée here with our next challenge. We chose the movie The Phantom of the Opera to inspire your writing for this month's WEP Challenge. 

Post October 18th to 20th, 2023

xxx

FYI: Nila summarizes and gives possible scenarios. But it's all up to you. 

What did you find the most inspiring? Rich pickings here for interpretations - obsessive love, abduction, child abuse, period romance, horror, disfigurement and disability and their acceptance, body image and confidence, music and musical careers...

We set aside October to celebrate speculative fiction, horror, and paranormal, but as always no bar on any genre except erotica.

See the menu above for the link to 2023 Challenges: or click here.

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Remember to add a tagline:

"A tagline is more like a catchphrase that conveys a feeling or a promise about the story. A tagline should be catchy, genre-focused, and intriguing."

Go Here to Learn More about Taglines.

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CRITIQUE PRIZE -

Beta read of your latest novel with a mini developmental edit.

From Yolanda Renée

 About (me) Renee:

     I'm a writer and blogger.  My favorite genres are mystery/suspenseful romance, poetry, and horror. 

     I have six published novels, a book of poetry, 2 books of short stories, and several short stories in anthologies.

 LINKS:

Blog     Twitter     Facebook

Check out all our critiquers in the sidebar. If you want a critique or a professional edit, think of our generous critiquers who give of their time, gratis.

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In case you missed our latest HOW TO by Jemi Fraser just follow this link:

#WEP HOW TO BE A #WIDEAUTHOR - Article 4 of the 'How-to' series

&

Check out the new #WEP #Anthology Page We are open for #submissions to all #WEP or #RFW members, past and present. @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee, @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser 

We'd love it if you'd Tweet or post to FB or any social media site where you network! If you avoid social media, we totally get you.

 

WEP movie #writingprompt October 2023s "The Phantom of the Opera" @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/10/wep-october-flashfiction-challenge.html Sign up & post-October 18th thruv20th! #amwriting #flashfiction #WEPFF #poetry #nonfiction

Get your thinking caps on for the October 2023 movie prompt "The Phantom of the Opera"@DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @SoniaDogra16@jemifraser https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/10/wep-october-flashfiction-challenge.html Sign up & post your entry October 18th thru 20th! #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction

Join WEP @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser for the fourth movie Challenge of 2023, "The Phantom of the Opera." Sign up and post your entry October 18^th thru 20^th https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/10/wep-october-flashfiction-challenge.html #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction. 

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Wishing you an amazing October.

Bring on the entries!

 

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Our next movie prompt is for December. How about this?

The subject is all up to you!

Go HERE for ideas ...

Post - December 1st thru the to 15th, 2023

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 Renée &Denise for the team:

 

#WEP HOW TO BE A #WIDEAUTHOR - Article 4 of the 'How-to' series

 Hello everyone! Denise and Sonia here! Time for our ...

Do you want to make your books available to readers in every format, in every online store and library, in every country? If yes, it's time to go wide for the win!

This month we have the immensely talented Jemi Fraser sharing with us how becoming a 'Wide' Author works. As I understand, with several publishing opportunities today, it is a wise choice to make to go 'wide' instead of being exclusively on Amazon. How we should navigate through the process, what are its benefits and challenges - Jemi brings it all here for our readers. 

Over to Jemi!

Being a Wide Author

First off - what does being a wide author mean? A wide author is one who publishes on more than one retailer and doesn’t belong to an exclusive program (for example, Amazon's Kindle Unlimited).

I’ve chosen to be a wide author for several reasons. While I’m still a relatively new author (started publishing in 2020), I’m very happy with my choice to be wide.

For me, being wide makes me happy because:

 1. My books can be available in libraries. Libraries have always been one of my happy places. Once I decided to be an author, I knew I wanted my books available to all libraries (FYI - Patrons often have to request books by indie authors as these are not stocked automatically).

2. Because my books are available in libraries, I get a yearly check from PLR (Public Lending Right). Not all countries have a PLR program, but if you do, check into it. It’s a great program and a nice boost in the spring!

3.  My books are available in countries that don’t have access to Amazon. My readers and newsletter subscribers come from all over the world and several have mentioned they are thrilled to be able to access my books through their favourite retailers.

4.  I like not having to rely on one company for my income. In this economy, the more streams of income coming in, the better!

5.   Several retailers (Kobo, Google Play, Barnes & Noble) allow indie authors access to special promotions and will promote indie authors right alongside trad authors in these promotions. This is a far cry from when indie authors were treated as second-rate.

6.  Some of those same retailers also allow you to use coupon codes you can create and share as you wish. I haven’t tried these yet, but they’re on the to-do list!

7.   There are distributors like Draft2Digital (D2D) that help indie authors access any retailers and libraries (for a small % of royalties earned). They also have special promotion arrangements with some retailers. And they're always ready to answer author questions.

I know some authors are a little intimidated by going wide. They feel that there is too much to learn.

Personally, I didn’t find it too challenging or time-consuming. While every retailer’s dashboard is different, they are all pretty clear and easy to use. If any particular retailer is too frustrating (here's looking at you, Apple), then the author can choose to use a distributer like D2D to access those retailers.

Once you have your accounts set up and you’ve published once, it becomes easy. I can upload a new book on all the sites in less than thirty minutes. Do set up your accounts well in advance though as some retailers take time to verify banking data.

A question I’ve been asked by other authors is, “What do you say to readers who want your books in an exclusive program?”

I’ve never been asked that by a reader. Not once.

If I was, I’d point them to their local library. Authors are paid a small fee every time a book is checked out. Not only is it a win for both the authors and the readers, it helps support our libraries!

I’d also point them to Kobo Plus. Kobo has a subscription program for those who like to pay a monthly fee and have access to all the Kobo Plus books. Like Kindle Unlimited, authors can choose to enrol their books in this program or not. The best part about this subscription program is that it is NOT exclusive. The program isn’t available world-wide yet, but it’s growing with the UK, USA, with Australia and NZ being added recently.

So, those are my top reasons for being wide. Any questions? I’ll do my best to answer!

Jemi Fraser writes small-town romantic suspense filled with hope, heart, and humour. Her stories combine her love of mystery with the satisfaction of a Happy Ever After. Love is always worth the risk!

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If you'd like to read more about going wide, go HERE to read more from that creative Joanna Penn.

Or VISIT/JOIN the Wide for the Win Facebook Group HERE.

There are lots of helpful articles available on this topic. You might know of some. Please share in comments.

Or tell us in comments about your experience publishing wide.

Or feel free to ask Jemi questions.

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TWEET THIS ARTICLE IF YOU LIKE TO 'X'

Read all about #publishing #wide. #wideforthewing.@DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser #amwriting 

https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/09/wep-how-to-be-wideauthor-article-4-of.html 

Denise and Sonia for:

#WEP WINNERS : AUGUST 2023 CHALLENGE - CHOCOLAT

 Hi! This is Sonia and Denise for the team, to sum up the August Challenge and to announce the winners!

To begin with, a big thank you to all participants for joining us in August and for blowing us away with their nuanced, intricate, brilliant responses to the prompt. We had some first timers for 2023 and the overall reading experience with the range of genres and plots was certainly gratifying. Why don't you read them for yourself if  you haven't already to check the incredible range of talent pool. 

Here is a round up of all the entries.

1. Denise Covey -  Food is a memory trigger extraordinaire!

2. Nilanjana Bose - Engraved: a double scoop sundae romance story in a story

3. Yolanda Renée- Solace is found in the simplest gesture

4. J Lenni Dorner- Elves trade with chocolate, but that's poison to wolves

5. Sonia Dogra- The Circuit of Life

6. Jamie Dorner- Chocolate and Death: A tragic, controversial, trigger-heavy, realistic fiction.

7. Bernadette Braganza- The Workshop After Christmas : A behind-the-scenes look at Santa's workshop during the year.

8. Olga Godim- How to grow cocoa trees on Mars. 

9. Pat Garcia- After working throughout the night making her sweet round dark chocolat balls, she had wanted to stay home, but Friday afternoon was the usual time she went to Mass.

10. Carole Stolz- The Sinking and the Sweet: To a young woman depressed and without means after a shipwreck, salvation comes from an unexpected encounter.

11. Hilary Melton-Butcher-  Like water, like chocolate... both lifelong intimate companions...

12. Damyanti Biswas- Stay in your lane.

13. Jemi Fraser-  Brownies: Not quite how mom used to make.

14. Ornery Owl- Fudge: Treat the patient, not the chart!

15. Donna- Guarding the chocolate-finding a way from fascism to hope

16. Shilpa Gupte- A Bittersweet Tale of a Chocolate Pastry : The Hunger Games

17. Beth Camp- Memories: One day we'll return to Paris

18. Roland Clarke- Chocolate Pots: The Night Witches taste from the past and discover new delights.

19. Kalpana Misra- Chocolate Queen writes a letter to the Carrot Queen.

20. Silver Tree- Chocolate in Renaissance Times: A world without chocolate would be a sad world indeed; thank God for the adventurous ones who brought chocolate home from distant lands!

SHORTLIST

This month we had an eclectic mix of genres, ranging from poetry to romance, contemporary to nonfiction. The interesting part is that the shortlist isn't really 'short'! It goes on to show that we have a great bunch of writers who make the task pretty tough for the team. 

With six members in the team, it's not easy to reach a consensus. As they say, readers are a subjective lot. All the WEP members have good reasons to support their choices, before a final list is sent to our judge, Nick Wilford.

For the prompt 'Chocolat', here is the not-so-short shortlist (in no particular order)!

Shilpa Gupte 

Hilary-Melton Butcher

Beth Camp

Kalpana Misra

Carole Stolz

Pat Garcia

Jamie Dorner

Damyanti Biswas

BUT...We love our WEP writers and see you all as winners! Sometimes the attention to craft combined with explicit research delights our writer's heart. Thank you for a feast of Chocolat!

COMMENTING

WEP is a supportive writing environment where you are welcome to try new ideas, take risks, and put forth your latest WIP for feedback. Commenters are asked to be respectful, sensitive and to keep comments positive. 

If you have trouble commenting on blogs, please continue to leave a comment here (we're fortunate that Google hasn't messed up our commenting here) or on our C-Box. And if your blog comments are down and you have a blogger blog, consider changing your comment settings to Pop-ups, not embedded, temporarily, until google provides a fix.

This month's prize is from Christine Rains

LINKS:

Website

Facebook

Twitter - X

Goodreads

AND NOW IT'S TIME TO CONGRATULATE THE WINNERS!

WE HOPE YOU AGREE THE BADGES ARE BEYOND AWESOME!

THANKS, OLGA GODIM!

And, the Oscars go to...

Three winners, three Oscars!

AFTER MUCH DELIBERATION, THE WINNER OF THE JUNE 2023 CHALLENGE 

~CHOCOLAT~

IS

CONGRATULATIONS SHILPA!

Shilpa's short and effective flash, A Bittersweet Tale of a Chocolate Pastry, blew us away!

Nick says, "Succulent and heart-breaking at the same time - showing the societal divides that still exist through a device as simple as a pane of glass."

Shilpa, please post this badge on your blog and link it to your winning entry. Tweet (X) it/Facebook it if you desire to share the love! Use the critique prize from our loyal supporter Christine Rains or pass it on to the next winner if you can't avail yourself of it in the next few months.

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THE RUNNER-UP OF THE JUNE 2023 CHALLENGE 

~CHOCOLAT~

IS

CONGRATULATIONS JAMIE!

Jamie's story Chocolate and Death was achingly beautiful while terrifying.

Nick says, "Hard hitting and hard to read, in a way. But worthwhile for raising such issues that many will be unaware of."

Jamie, please post the badge on your blog and promo any way you wish!

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THE ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD FOR THE JUNE 2023 CHALLENGE 

~CHOCOLAT~

GOES TO

CONGRATULATIONS CAROLE!

Carole's flash, The Sinking and the Sweet, brought a smile and a lovely twist to a beautiful tale.

Nick says,  "Tragedy and delight combined - and a testimony to the power of chocolate for sure!"

Carole, please post the badge on your blog and promo any way you wish!

Be in it!

A mock-up temporary cover created on Canva.

WEP 2024 FLASH FICTION ANTHOLOGY - to be released approx. May 2024.

All winners are automatically invited to submit.

Anyone involved in WEP in the past is invited to submit.

Nila is in charge of bringing this baby home. For now, any questions, please post in comments so all can see the answers.

TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES WHO LOVE WRITING FLASH FICTION:

 You are personally invited to submit a flash fiction piece of between 500 min - 1,000 words max to our upcoming anthology. This will be a work of prose fiction – no poetry, although a poem may be included within your predominately prose story.

 Many of the finer points of the anthology are still being finalized, but we have a concrete theme -- Gone!  Gone! Gone! All stories submitted will be written to this theme from which the WEP team envisage many possible genres - thriller, romance, fictionalized memoir, horror, crime, women's fiction, paranormal ... and others. By the August post, you will know all there is to know.

 What do we want? We want standalone, complete, previously unpublished stories - no extracts of a WIP or serialized story, photo essay or opinion piece. A solid flash fiction. This will be submitted to technical guidelines to be announced in August. This is when WEP will publish an Anthology Page on the site where you will see various ideas for stories, but none is binding. We stress - this is YOUR story, written YOUR way in your chosen genre.

 We aim to publish a high-quality eBook and print book. If your entry is accepted, you will be asked to perform further self-edits and the editorial team will do any final editing. WEP's raison d'etre is to improve writing, so the writing must be well edited and excellent overall.

 The Anthology is the culmination of the work and collective wisdom of 13 years of enthusiasm for flash fiction. Most of the current team have been with WEP in one role or another for the duration.

 We envisage submissions closing at the end of December ‘23.

GUIDELINES FOR NEW RELEASE POST!!

Hey WEP writer friends! 

If you'd like to promote your latest release, we offer a shout out.

email Denise: den.covey@gmail.com and 

CC Sonia -soniawrites2018@gmail.com 

and read more details on this here

Please join us for the Challenge in October! 

The Phantom of the Opera

Your host is Renee and she is excited to host October! She loves the creepy thrills, but all genres are welcome, not just horrot! 

If you're excited too, please invite your writer friends to join us. We'd like to read more awesome stuff. As they say, the more the merrier!

Click on our Challenges 2023 page for ideas for October. But we stress, write you entry your way! As we said in the June 1 post - 

"None of our prompts require any prior awareness or deep knowledge of anything." But most of us have a deep knowledge of chocolate and the way it adds sweetness to our life.

SHARE THE LOVE IF YOU WISH. IF YOU DON'T DO SOCIAL MEDIA, THAT'S TOTALLY FINE.

We announce our WEP AUGUST‘23 #CHOCOLAT #winners @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @jemifraser @SoniaDogra16 #amwriting #writingcontest #flashfiction #wepwinners https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/08/wep-winners-august-2023-challenge.html

#WEPFF AUGUST ’23 #CHOCOLAT #winners announced @DeniseCCovey @SoniaDogra16 @yolandarenee @jemifraser #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners #writingcontest https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/08/wep-winners-august-2023-challenge.html

Come congratulate our AUGUST ’23 #CHOCOLAT #winners! #WEPFF Challenge @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @SoniaDogra16 @jemifraser #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners #writingcontest https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2023/08/wep-winners-august-2023-challenge.html

Signing off for now

Sonia and Denise

for the team