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Messages - 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
Thanks so much for reading, guys!! Have a cool yule, the both of ye!
#4
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!
#5
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.
#6
Creative Common / Re: My Future Shock Hell (redux!)
13 October, 2023, 08:15:02 AM
Part Four and done!

MY 'FUTURE SHOCK' HELL! Chapter Four: Why Your Best Shot Is All That Will Ever Matter

https://alecworley.substack.com/p/my-future-shock-hell-chapter-4-of
#7
Creative Common / Re: My Future Shock Hell (redux!)
06 October, 2023, 02:26:09 PM
Beat me to it... ;)
#8
Creative Common / Re: My Future Shock Hell (redux!)
29 September, 2023, 08:57:33 AM
Part Two of 'My Future Shock Hell' is now up...

https://alecworley.substack.com/p/my-future-shock-hell-chapter-2-of

"How to survive the submissions process (whether that's comics, novels, shorts, or screenplays) by rejection-proofing your soul"
#9
Creative Common / Re: My Future Shock Hell (redux!)
22 September, 2023, 07:33:56 PM
Oh my god! What a numpty, I am!
Here ye go... https://alecworley.substack.com/p/my-future-shock-hell-chapter-1-of
#10
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
#11
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
#12
Creative Common / Re: Alec Worley's Agent of Weird
08 September, 2023, 12:10:19 PM
I bloody LOVED Kaleb Daark! "Come Chaos! Dreadaxe thirsts for you!" :D
#13
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...



#14
Good point. Haha! Well, there's always whatever Thought Bubble pitchfest / Talent competition is running in the meantime...
#15
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