Twisted50 Vol. IV
Back From The Dead
Twisted50 is a collection of 50 tales of wickedness, evil and the paranormal for the most terrifying minds in contemporary horror fiction...
If Hammer House of Horror, Tales of the Unexpected and Pans Books of Horror set your pulse racing and mind spinning as a youngster, then writing a short story for ‘Twisted’ offers the darkest recesses of your mind, a deliciously macabre feast in which to express itself. You know you shouldn’t let it out, but you know you want to.
SUBMISSIONS CLOSED
Twisted 50 Vol. IV submissions will close in...
Submissions open now. GET WRITING!
Submissions close October 31st, midnight cold.
Can you write a short Twisted tale in 2,000 words or less?
Submit yours, get feedback, redraft and the 50 best stories will be published in both paperback and online.
Interested…? Let’s dig a little deeper into this paranormal, wicked and dank shallow grave…
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To participate in any way, you must first have an account. Sign up or login below.
We want you to get under our skin, to pull everything we loved about those books and TV shows, writhing, screeching and gnarling into the 21st century.
Together we will create a modern masterpiece of horror, inspired by what terrified us all as kids. Think ‘Pulp Fiction’, only for horror literature.
There is no minimum word count, so if you can disturb us in fewer words, perhaps even 50 words, then DO IT.
We urge you to experiment and connect with your dark side and to write what scares or maybe even excites you…
The 50 winning writers, along with the whole community, friends and family, will be invited to the book launch where we will present awards and prizes for outstanding work.
Winners For Best Writing Will Include
Winners will be announced at the gala book launch in London. We will be platforming…
- Best Story (1st place)
- Best Story (2nd place)
- Best Story (3rd place)
- Most Terrifying Tale
- Most Haunting Story
- Best Character
- Best Death
- Most Original Writing
We will help you GROW
Twisted is not just competition, it’s a creative community and self driven writing school.
You will be asked to feedback on other manuscripts submitted by other writers and creatives and you will also receive feedback on your work too. Unlike any other initiative, you can then redraft and resubmit based on the notes you get. This is the Create50 model. We achieved outstanding results from our 50 Kisses and Impact50 film initiatives and we believe this process makes us better writers – the writing, the feedback and the rewriting.
‘Twisted volume 1′, ‘Twisted volume 2’ and ‘The Ghosts Of Christmas Past’ combined had over 1,000 stories submitted, and the feedback from the whole process was outstanding with writers really appreciating giving and getting feedback, then having the chance to redraft their work.
Movie Rights? We have already considered the possibility of moving the paperback of ‘Twisted’ into a Create50 screenplay and feature film initiative. We cannot make a decision until we have assessed the completed work to see if it is suitable for feature film production. There are many factors to consider, none of which relate to the story content, more production viability on reduced budgets. We have high hopes.
Twisted50: Everything You Wanted To Know But Never Dared Ask...
Listen to the podcast above…
Let’s CELEBRATE
Once the paperback book is in print, there will be a launch party in London where we will celebrate with Awards.
You will rub shoulders with other authors some at the start of the journey, others veterans and a few world-renowned names to give out the prizes. This will give you the opportunity to network with publishers, agents and other extraordinary creatives. It will be an extraordinary experience for everyone involved.
Notes for Writers
Don’t get lost in the woods waiting for the BEST story… start writing now. Writers write.
- Think about your prose, it is YOUR personal style, and it can make all the difference between your story being outstanding or boring.
- Do feel free to redraft, rewrite and polish after you receive feedback from your peers. But remember you can only re-submit once, so make sure that final daft is terrifyingly Twisted.
- Please give your story and original title, do not call it ‘Twisted’.
- Be prepared to engage with the community in a positive and constructive manner. Expect to receive some feedback, some of which you may not like, but remember this is a critical part of the process and will be a constant throughout your writing career.
- Submit at least two stories. The one you think is a great spooky tale, and the one that scares you to write.
- Don’t feel obligated to have a big story arc, we are interested in all kinds of stories, just make it chilling.
- The world should be ‘today’, so no Victorian Gothic stories or Sci-Fi creatures in space please. Your ghosts, creatures and monsters need to exist in our world and environment.
- Stories must NOT exceed 2,000 words.
- There is no minimum word count.
- Anyone can enter from all around the world, though stories must be submitted in English.
- You can submit as many stories as you wish. The submission fee is per story, you pay this ONCE only, per story.
- Previous volumes of Twisted50 are available on Amazon HERE, take a peek and read the stories that previously got through – this will guide you.
About The Rights You Will Give Us
In order for us to put your story on the site, we will need your agreement. The same if it is selected in the final fifty.
This will be an industry standard agreement.
You will retain copyright in your idea should you wish to expand it or develop it for another platform.
If your story is selected for the final 50 we ask that you do not place it anywhere else for 12 months. That said, if you do manage to do something with it, connect with us and we will release you from the contract so you can persue that.
We want to see you succeed, and have no interest in applying ANY brakes to any career!
What do you need to do?
Make sure you have read the rules. Write your story or create your work and submit it. Then read other work from the community and offer feedback, then get some feedback on your work and rework and resubmit if you wish.
This is YOUR creation and YOUR career that you are advancing.
And if you want to submit more than one story go ahead. Just remember – we are seeking outstanding work, there’s no prize for volume of work.
Rules
Please read the whole of this document including the guidelines for submission.
- You can enter an unlimited amount of stories.
- The submission fee is £15 per story.
- Please NO INDENTS.
- You can re-draft once per story, this is included in the fee.
- Be prepared to engage with the community in a positive and constructive manner. Expect to receive some feedback, some of which you may not like. Anyone found to be abusive or offensive to other writers will be removed without refund.
- Anyone can enter, from any country, though stories must be written in English.
- Stories must not exceed 2,000 words with no exceptions. There is no minimum word count.
- All stories must include a title page with the name of the story and author. Please do not add your contact details on this page.
- All stories must be submitted in the following format: 12-point Times New Roman, and double space text.
- All stories must be submitted in Microsoft Word or basic RTF format (Rich Text Format). No other word processor files will be accepted. Note that most word processors will allow you to save your file in Rich Text Format if you do not have MS Word. Please, NO PDF files.
- Please name your file with the title, draft number and your name – example Horror-House-Draft-1-By-Hatchet-Jones.doc or Horror-House-FinalDraft-By-Hatchet-Jones.docx
- For each story you submit you MUST read and feedback on two other stories.
- You can submit under a pen name but from that point communicate with us entirely via that name. We cannot track writers with two names.
- Please complete the short bio when submitting the first time / setting up account.
- Once the finalists are announced they may be invited to submit further drafts and a polish based on industry feedback.
- If your story is selected as a finalist you will be expected to assign non exclusive rights to us so that we can publish the book. If you do not assign these rights, your story will not be part of the final book.
- Judging is final.
- We may choose to select fewer than 50 stories for the final book.
- The star rating is not part of the judging, we use it as a guide only.
- All stories will be read and rated by our team.
- You MUST be the author of the story. All stories must be original works.
- Once you have submitted a story you cannot delete or withdraw it under any circumstance. This is to reflect the work other writers put into offering feedback on your story.
- We reserve the right to disqualify any writer from this process at any stage if they are in violation of these rules and guidelines.
- These rules will be updated and amended as the project evolves. We do this so we can remain flexible to take advantage of the best opportunities the project offers.
- No story submitted to a previous Create50 project, including previous Twisted 50 volumes may be re-submitted to Twisted 50 volume 4.
What people said about past Create50 projects
‘50 Kisses’ opened the doors for my first time exhibiting a film in a festival, the first time going through an entire creative process, the first time people looking at me like I could really be a filmmaker. But more than this, showed me what we can achieve if we join forces and work toward our goals.
Carolina Rodrigues, Filmmaker (Brazil)
‘50 Kisses’ has shown that collaboration on a global scale is possible and it can yield beautiful and cohesive results. It pushed us all to deliver to a very high standard and then to give ourselves up to unpredictable, exciting and possibly brilliant interpretations of our work. Witnessing so many different interpretations of my script, being part of such a large project and collaborating with people from all over the world was extraordinarily rewarding.
Nigel KariKari, Screenwriter (Australia)
‘It has been amazing to be part of something so global. As a result of ‘50 Kisses’ I have met and collaborated with filmmakers, screenwriters, producers and agents from around the globe.’
Jo Buckman, Screenwriter (America)
‘After being selected as one of the final 50 scripts I was contacted by producers, agents, directors and became friends with plenty of my fellow 50 kisses writers/directors. One of those producers was ‘50 Kisses’ director Stare Yildirim who I ended up writing a TV Pilot for, for Turkish TV. This was my first ever paid writing gig and it came out of the exposure my 50 Kisses script got. Between the paid writing gig and the huge 50 Kisses world premiere I got to take a peek at my future. Loved what I saw and want more.’
Stephen Cooper, Screenwriter (UK)
‘After I put my film entry up on the ‘50 Kisses’ website I got all this wonderful and constructive feedback from other ‘50 Kisses’ filmmakers and I could then re-edit and improve the film before the deadlines closed. Over the 2 years of the project I have met so many other filmmakers, actors and writers in the 50K community and it’s spun off into so many other projects.’
Phil Peel, Filmmaker (UK)
‘The breadth of opportunities available are vast if you’re willing to accept the challenge. I was part of a team distributing ’50 Kisses’ commercially which, as a writer, was invaluable in understanding audience, the importance of concept and how a film is marketed. It will certainly effect how I view my own writing projects going forward.‘
Tracey Flynn, Screenwriter, ‘50 Kisses’ (UK)
‘I take my hat off to Chris, Judy and their hardworking team. What they achieved on a shoestring is incredible – give them a little bit of funding, help and support and they’d blow our minds!’
Mark Pallis, Screenwriter, ’50 Kisses’
What to do next...?
Previous Create50 Projects
The Impact 50 // Feature Film
An asteroid is discovered hurtling toward earth, with only hours before impact. And it’s so big it’s a planet killer. ‘The Impact:50’ is a crowd created feature length film and screenwriting initiative that explores the question… ‘As we face death as a species, who do we become in our final two hours of life?’ Can you write a two page script about what would happen in these final two hours? Can you make a script into a short film? Get involved…
Twisted50 // Books
Twisted50 is a collection of 50 tales of wickedness, evil and the paranormal. If Hammer House of Horror, Tales of the Unexpected and Pans Books of Horror set your pulse racing and mind spinning as a youngster, then writing a short story for ‘Twisted’ offers a deliciously macabre feast for the darkest recesses of your heart. You know you shouldn’t. But you know you will.
50 Kisses // Feature Film
Fifty Kisses is the first feature film produced by Create50, a film with multiple stories connected by one thing – a Valentines kiss. Irreverent, charming, ridiculous, moving and at times wonderfully profound, 50 Kisses features everything from love struck zombies, androids and teddy bears to… fatigue fighting lesbians! 50 Kisses is the world’s first crowd generated feature film; a multi-cultural and global reflection of pop culture’s vision of love in the 21st century.
We have a Facebook page for this initiative with nearly 1,000 writers HERE. It’s where we want writers will come together for peer reviews of their stories ahead of the deadline. Join the page now at https://www.facebook.com/Twisted50Book
We have a new Instagram account where we will share art, excerpts, audio and updates.
Please follow here… https://www.instagram.com/twisted_50book
Twisted50 is part of the Create50 initiative that is run by the London Screenwriters’ Festival, to help writers get first meaningful credits for their work, while helping each other and getting WRITING WRITING WRITING!
Meet The Team
Chris Jones // Twisted50 Founder
Filmmaker, author (Bloomsbury), screenwriter and founder of Twisted50, The London Screenwriters’ Festival and TEDxEaling. Splinter Unit Director on ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1’ and Exec Producer for ‘The Enfeild Poltergeist’ for AppleTV+.
Full bio HERE.
Fae Crane // Twisted50 Editor
Fae is a Drama student at the University of California, Irvine, specializing in management within the arts. She is also slightly demented. Of course.
Emma Lee // Twisted50 Film Team
Emma is a filmmaker who loves the dark, gritty, gory side of horror.
Lucy Kay Solinger // Twisted50 Film Team
Filmmaker from the U.S. that loves film history, Horror and Science Fiction and loves to write feminist scripts with a twist!
Kate Bemis // Twisted50 Book Co-ordinator
Filmmaker with a dark side and love of horror.
Amy Livingstone // Twisted50 Producer
Demented. And loving it.
Elinor Perry-Smith // Twisted50 Editor
I am a writer, proofreader and noveliser living and working in SE London. I work for new listings magazine http://seenlondon.com/ with a special interest in films and plays.
Full bio HERE.
Mark Walker // Twisted50 Team
As a responsible parent, Mark likes to encourage his daughters to watch his favourite horror films to varying degrees of success! One of his short stories was included in Twisted50 volume 2.
Full bio HERE.
Emma Pullar // Twisted50 Team
Emma is an award-winning and bestselling writer of dark fiction, one of her short stories was included in Twisted50 volume 2.
Full bio HERE.
Rachael Howard // Twisted50 Team
Bio and headshot to follow.
Full bio HERE.
Edited by Kate Bemis // Create50 Team Leader: Chris Jones.
Team Readers: Mark Walker, Elinor Perry-Smith, KT Parker, Rachel Howard, Jess Brown and Emma Pullar.
All reviews here.
Kindle ASIN
:
B0DNG5F3W7
Softback ISBN-13
Twisted50 Vol. III
Twisted50 is A collection of 50 tales of wickedness, evil and the paranormal from the most terrifying minds in contemporary horror fiction...
Deliciously demented and divinely dark, Twisted50 vol III is the final chapter in this contemporary horror series from 50 writers. It’s midnight cold, and once more we invite you to dive into the abyss with us, this one final time. But be warned, what you find may traumatise, terrorise or even titillate your lust for horror. Read on if you dare…
Meet The Authors
Lee Betteridge, Dylan Spicer, Eimear Kilcullen, Melissa A. Szydlek, Simon Richardson, Josh Shevill, Sasha Roberts, Chris Baker, Nick Jackson, Debra Fisher, Christopher Stanley, Giuseppe De Chiara, Steven Butler, James Jay, Eileen Wilson, Leo X. Robertson, Ricardo Bravo, Claire Rye, Charlie Newark, Kendall Castor-Perry, Jessica S J Brown, Nick Yates, S L Stockford, Rebecca Golby, David Martin, Tom Evans, Lewis Rice, James Burns, Kate Bemis, Sam Dods, Sasha Black, Ben Marshall, Andrew Perry, Lee Bailes, Paul Schofield, Kathryn Hollingworth, Ben McCallum, Susan Vermeer, John Suriano, Dean Marriner, Paul Shearer, Ameera Chowdhury, Sue Law, Curtis Matzke, John Read, Randolph Davies, Anthony Forzaglia, Molly Walker, David Fisher, Edward Parry, Ezra Vale
New on the blog...
Read all posts HERE.
Four Minutes of Horror at LondonSWF by Suzy Miller
The best horror audio dramas aren’t the loudest or most complex, they’re the ones that use simplicity, sound, and silence to haunt the listener’s imagination.
What I learned reading the Twisted50 Audio Drama Scripts by Heather Sutton
The best horror audio dramas aren’t the loudest or most complex, they’re the ones that use simplicity, sound, and silence to haunt the listener’s imagination.
Get Your Four Page Twisted50 Screenplay Recorded As An Audio Drama At LondonSWF
OK, we are running a last minute competition. At the London Screenwriters Festival this year, Audio Drama LEGEND Dirk Maggs is returning to deliver a session on Audio Drama. But we have a twist! And a Twisted twist at that.
What REALLY Happened At The Twisted50 Awards? Watch The Sizzle Reel
I am thrilled to share with you the video from the Twisted50 Awards, capturing the tone of the event, and the horror of the book. Do leave comments below and watch out for Twisted50 vol V… There’s no keeping a good corpse buried!
Watch The Entire Twisted50 Vol IV Awards Ceremony
After posting the photos from the Twisted50 awards last night, I now have the video of the whole event. Filmed on an iPhone tucked away,
Photos From the Twisted50 Vol IV Awards
The Awards for Twisted50 Vol IV took place last night and what an evening we had. Much more will follow soon but I just wanted to share the amazing photos taken by the super talents @_heather_06. Please do download and share far and wide!
Previous Twisted50 Books
Launching over 200 new voices in horror…
Twisted: Ghosts Of Christmas
Unsettle in for a Christmas feast that will always be served chilled... to the bone...
Twisted: Ghosts Of Christmas… Open up this advent calendar of terror, for the 25 spine tingling days of Christmas, each from a terrifying new voice in horror literature.
Meet The Authors of Twisted: Ghosts of Christmas
Written by Maxine Lennon, Lawrence Morgan, Josh and Amy Shevill, Andrew Perry, Kurt Fried, Mark Walker, Ricardo Bravo, Helen Bang, Suzanne Fox, Chris Jeal, Emma Pullar, Toby Norways, Sherice Griffiths, Paul Shearer, Fiona Faith Ross, Jamie Shearing, Rose Banks, Tim Coleman, John Suriano, Claire Rye, Suzie Grogan, Gerry Driver, Aaron Nash, Rachael Howard, Gordon Slack, Steven Butler, Simon Cluett, Evie James, Al Campbell, Michael van Koetsveld, Lee Burgess, Kendall Castor-Perry, Nick Yates, Harriet Barbir, and Rebecca Handley.
Edited by Elinor Perry Smith // Produced by Savannah Morgan // Production Team Emma Pullar and Mark Walker // Create50 Team Leader: Chris Jones.
All reviews here. // Softback ISBN 9798578860430
Watch the Twisted50 Volume II Launch Party Video
Filmed at the Cinema Museum in London
Twisted 50 Vol. II
50 stories from 50 disturbed voices of modern horror…
Meet The Authors of Twisted50 Vol. II: HERE
Jane Badrock, Lee Betteridge, Ricardo Bravo, Richie Brown, Jessica Brown, Lee Burgess, Kendall Castor-Perry, Phil Chard, Dee Chilton, Simon Cluett, Jacky Dahlhaus, Karen Davison, Freya Eden-Ellis, Maryna Gaidar, TR Guest, Penergin Shaw, Lucy V Hay, Rachael Howard, Fiona Hunnisett, Stephanie Hutton, Maggie Innes, James Jay, Chris Jeal, Fiona Leitch, Matt George Lovett, SV MacDonald, Dean Marriner, Ben Marshall, Scott Merrow, Robbie Mori, Tom Nolan, Andy Perry, Steve Pool, Emma Pullar, Lewis Rice, Ann Richardson, Leo Robertson, Paul Shearer, Gordon Slack, Juliet Sneed, Madeleine Swann, Melissa Szydlek, Bruce Thomas, Milethia Thomas, Phil Town, Hillier Townsend, Nick Twyford, Mark Walker, Eileen Wilson and Nick Yates.
Edited by Elinor Perry Smith // Production Co-ordination and QC by Jade Wheldon and Cristina Palmer-Romero / /Create50 Team Leader: Chris Jones.
Twisted50 Vol. I
Twisted contains some of the best examples of horror fiction I’ve read in years. Most story collections or anthologies have a few duds. Twisted is the exception. The stories are all fantastic and hugely enjoyable.’
The Book Lover’s Boudoir
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Twisted50 vol 1: 50 stories from 50 disturbed voices of modern horror…
Twisted 50 Vol. I is a deliciously dark slice of contemporary horror literature. Reading it is like attending a late night secret banquet where you know each course will serve up something unexpected, forbidden and unforgettably chilling. Take your private seat now for 50 luscious courses of terror, from 50 of the strongest voices in modern horror.
Meet The Authors of Twisted50 Vol. I: HERE
Stephanie Wessell, Troll Dahl, Marie Gethins, Kendall Castor-Perry, KK Rickcord, Caroline Slocock, Karen Sheard, Lucy V Hay, Stephen Deas, Diana Read, Scott Merrow, Steven Quantick, Dylan Keeling, Steve Pool, Jacqui Canham, Nick Twyford, John Ashbrook, Gordon Slack, Richard Craven, Adam Millard, Penegrin Shaw, Geoff Bagwell, Steven Stockford, Andrew Williamson, Alex Thompson, Joshua Saltzman, Rachael Howard, Christopher Patrick, Charles Maciejewski, Hillier Townsend, Bartley Cryan, Jonah Jones, Duncan Eastwood, Shirley Day, Richie Brown, G.P Eynon, Nick Yates, Maggie Innes, EJ Hughes, KJB Rickards, J.M Hewitt, SV Macdonald, Jessica Brown, Leo Robertson, Chris Jeal, Sasha Black, Thomas Cranham, Neil Bebber and John Read.
Edited by Elinor Perry Smith // Produced by Cristina Palmer-Romero // Create50 Team Leader: Chris Jones..
Twisted's Evil Little Sister
‘Buckle up, she’s going to take you for a hell of a ride!’
Twisted’s Evil Little Sister is the sibling volume for Twisted 50, a collection of 33 horror stories… the ones that we couldn’t include in Twisted50 because they were too demented, unhinged, deranged and frankly… evil.
Meet the Twisted’s Evil Little Sister Authors HERE
Get to know the 29 demented souls behind the 33 unhinged Little Sister tales. They are…
Dee Chilton, Lewis Rice, Philip Trickett, Kathleen Bryson, Gareth Eynon, JT Billeter, David Young, Scott Merrow, Toby Norways, Rachael Howard, Nick Jackson, Kim Wheeler, Paul W Franklin, Mat Sunderland, Alistair Canlin, Milethia Thomas, Jonah Jones, Gerald Kells, Geoff Bagwell, Merlin Ward, Steven Stockford, Matt Lewis, Charles Maciejewski, Mary Stone, Phil Town, Fredrick Ochami, Simon Cluett, Troll Dahl, Chris Jeal, John Read, Hillier Townsend and Maggie Innes.
Edited by Elinor Perry Smith // Produced by Cristina Palmer-Romero // Create50 Team Leader: Chris Jones.
Listen to excerpts below
Twisted50 Vol. I, Audiobook
The acoustic, the sense of ‘being there’ with a stranger whispering your deepest fears right into your ears, and a freak-out playlist of fantastic musical intros is nerve jangling…’
Kendall Castor-Perry
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Twisted50 Vol. I: 50 stories from 50 disturbed voices of modern horror…
Twisted 50 volume 1 is a deliciously dark slice of contemporary horror literature. Reading it is like attending a late night secret banquet where you know each course will serve up something unexpected, forbidden and unforgettably chilling. Take your private seat now for 50 luscious courses of terror, from 50 of the strongest voices in modern horror.
The audiobook is narrated by 50 different voice artists and enhanced with music and sound effects.
Meet The Authors of Twisted50 Vol. I: HERE
Stephanie Wessell, Troll Dahl, Marie Gethins, Kendall Castor-Perry, KK Rickcord, Caroline Slocock, Karen Sheard, Lucy V Hay, Stephen Deas, Diana Read, Scott Merrow, Steven Quantick, Dylan Keeling, Steve Pool, Jacqui Canham, Nick Twyford, John Ashbrook, Gordon Slack, Richard Craven, Adam Millard, Penegrin Shaw, Geoff Bagwell, Steven Stockford, Andrew Williamson, Alex Thompson, Joshua Saltzman, Rachael Howard, Christopher Patrick, Charles Maciejewski, Hillier Townsend, Bartley Cryan, Jonah Jones, Duncan Eastwood, Shirley Day, Richie Brown, G.P Eynon, Nick Yates, Maggie Innes, EJ Hughes, KJB Rickards, J.M Hewitt, SV Macdonald, Jessica Brown, Leo Robertson, Chris Jeal, Sasha Black, Thomas Cranham, Neil Bebber and John Read.
Edited by Elinor Perry Smith // Produced by Cristina Palmer-Romero // Create50 Team Leader: Chris Jones.