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Topics - Alec Worley

#1
Creative Common / M.R. James and the Craft of Fear
14 March, 2024, 02:30:32 PM
Wrote a deep-dive piece on what ghost story master M.R. James can teach us about writing horror stories.

https://alecworley.substack.com/p/mr-james-and-the-craft-of-fear
#2
Have you lot seen 'The Rolling Giant' by Kane Pixels? It's a 50-minute YouTube short and one of the best horror movies of 2023.

I wrote a piece on Agent of Weird about how it builds tension, embraces the uncanny and the techniques it uses to scare its viewers.

Hopefully useful if you're into writing horror.

Link right here, along with a embed of the movie itself: https://alecworley.substack.com/p/the-liminal-horror-masterpiece-you

Enjoy!
#3
For the first time in so very many years, I've written a story that belongs to me.

Though a story isn't worth much if you keep it to yourself, so...

Anyway, it's a short story called Over By Christmas, a Weird winter's tale of lost time, lost hearts and one very long night...

(30-minute read, dark fantasy, PG-13 [contains some offensive language], best read with a hot whiskey and a roaring fire. Please note: the author takes no responsibility for the quality, temperature, or potency of any hot alcoholic beverage. The reader agrees to take full responsibility for any actions that may arise as a result of drinking, including swearing at neighbours from a bedroom window, hitting a relative with a turkey drumstick, tearful phone messages to ex-partners, being escorted into a Romford police station while dressed as Santa, etc. The reader also agrees to enjoy fire responsibly, and refrain from touching, spreading, eating, and summoning any or all Dark Gods of the Realms Unknownable. All such fires must be contained within a fireplace that conforms to national safety regulations. Should the conflagration spread to other areas of your living space, please email your local fire brigade and await further instruction...)

And a very merry Christmas to all ye squaxx!
#4
Creative Common / How We Built Black Beth
06 November, 2023, 08:40:22 PM
Resurrecting a British sword and sorcery heroine and what it takes to write a character 'well'

https://alecworley.substack.com/p/how-we-built-black-beth

New story from me and Dani in the Treasury of British Comics Annual out this week. It's called 'Death Carries Roses' and here's a deep-dive into how we re-built the character, who we wrote her for, and how we want her to be more than just a big nostalgia-bath.
#5
Creative Common / My Future Shock Hell (redux!)
22 September, 2023, 10:07:58 AM
"How I broke into comics and why there's no such thing..."

Just posted the first part of a four-part revised and extended article I wrote on 'breaking in' to comics via the Future Shocks slush pile (may it rest in peace). And how those submission tactics have helped me ever since.

There's that Thought Bubble Talent Search coming up in November https://www.thoughtbubblefestival.com/2000ad So please do share with anyone who's looking to enter, as I'll be going into structure and all that stuff over the next three weeks.

Once again, a massive thank you to everyone who's been sharing and subscribing. Really helps get these things to people who may be fumbling in the dark as much as I was (and still am). :P
#6
Click-bait title, I know. But what ya gonna do?

Got an Anderson story coming out in the Battle/Meg this month with Pat Goddard, which got me thinking about Miss Anderson again.

So here's my revised deep-dive on the character... https://alecworley.substack.com/p/why-the-greatest-character-in-2000

While I'm here, Substack tells me I've received a massive push in traffic from this forum. So thank you to everyone who subbed and shared. I really hope everyone's getting something out of the stuff I'm posting.

P.P.S. I'm also updating a big piece on Future Shock writing I did yonks ago and which was probably the most shared and read thing I've ever written, breaking it up into four parts, which might hopefully help anyone hoping to step up to this year's Talent Search at Thought Bubble: https://www.thoughtbubblefestival.com/2000ad
#7
Creative Common / Rob Williams on Writing Petrol Head
21 August, 2023, 01:49:24 PM
Did an interview for Agent of Weird with the Williams droid about his new comic PETROL HEAD (with bloody phenomenal art by Pye Parr). We talk scripting, story structure and how he handles the demands of a creator-owned book. S'a good one, this...



#8
Creative Common / The Five Types of Twist Ending
12 July, 2023, 02:52:59 PM
Revised an old but super-popular piece from my old blog.

Hope it helps with those Future Shock submissions!

https://alecworley.substack.com/p/the-five-types-of-twist-ending
#9
Did an essay about writing the new Durham Red, why the Wagner/Grant/Ezquerra version was so iconic, vampire fiction, bloodletting and all that good stuff.
Aaaaand you can read it right here.
#10
I'm taking reader questions over at Agent of Weird. Here's the first batch of answers...

https://alecworley.substack.com/p/plotting-planning-world-building

If you lot want to ask what works for me when writing stuff about vampires, aliens and wizards, then feel free to head over and drop a query in the comments. I'll get onto it in a few months or when I can't be bothered to think up a topic for myself. Thanks to EVERYONE who's been reading and sharing these posts. Hugely appreciated. People seem to be getting a lot out of them.

Hope you're enjoying Durham Red at the moment. Cheers!
#11
Just done a big review of this over on Agent of Weird... https://alecworley.substack.com/p/dungeons-and-dragons-honour-among
#12
Got to interview lovely chap and Warhammer author John French about nuts-and-bolts writing stuff that might be worth reading if you're sat waiting on the phone to get through to HMRC or something...

Cheers

https://alecworley.substack.com/p/postcards-from-the-edge-of-somewhere
#13
Another month, another post about writing an' that.

Hope youse lot are keeping safe and dandy!

https://alecworley.substack.com
#14
Creative Common / How To Format a Comic Book Script
01 January, 2023, 03:18:06 PM
Happy new year! Happy new post!

This one's an update on a popular old blog that people seemed to find useful...

https://alecworley.substack.com
#15
How the tragic movie maniacs of The Black Phone and The Menu are all the more terrifying for having a hopeless method to their madness. (This piece contains mild spoilers.)

New Substack blog right here: https://alecworley.substack.com

Judging by my stats, you lot seem to be really digging these! Thanks so much for reading. Hope they help with whatever project you're working on.

Cheers
Alec
#16
New post on my Substack... https://alecworley.substack.com
Wrote this cos I was stuck on a scene in DURHAM RED: MAD DOGS (out Tharg only knows when). Re-watched ALIENS and all became clear...
If you enjoy, guys, please do consider smacking that 'share' button.
#17
Here's me banging on about how to tackle scheduling woes when freelancing...

https://alecworley.substack.com

Bloody freelancers, bloody moaning all the bloody time...
#18
Whacked another essay up on Agent of Weird. This one gets into the nuts of bolts of comic book technique when it comes to making horror books scary (rather than just full of monsters and grue).

https://alecworley.substack.com

Good old 'Scream!' gets a lot of love in this one...

Really appreciate everyone who's been taking the time to read these things. Really hope they're helping with your own projects...
#19
Do fictional characters really have a life of their own? Or is it all just marketing bollocks and cultural mythmaking? Do writers really commune with the unseen?

New thingy about writing posted on my Substack: https://alecworley.substack.com/p/why-wont-characters-do-as-theyre

#20
Creative Common / Alec Worley's Agent of Weird
22 July, 2022, 12:47:37 PM
Just started a newsletter/blog thingy called 'AGENT OF WEIRD'. It's about writing comics, books, and wotnot.

The first post is all about online image and is called 'WHY WRITERS ARE FULL OF SHIT (AND WHY WE HAVE TO BE)' and you can read it right here: https://alecworley.substack.com/p/why-writers-are-full-of-s-and-why?sd=pf

It's free to subscribe if you fancy reading future posts, and if you like what you read right here then please do give it a share (especially if you're on Twitter - the platform upon which I fear to tread).

Hope you're all keeping safe and well.

Cheers
Alec