Of course I went back for Round 2 of Create50's Twisted competition.

Who wouldn't, after the having such an unexpectedly positive experience with Round 1 (Twisted50 Vol1 and Twisted' Evil Little Sister)? Comradship, insightful feedback, and the many little horrors from other writers to read (preferably alone, in the dark, with the possibility of unnamed things sliding about in the attic) and comment on.

Where else can a writer find all this and a friendly entry fee as well?

Huh.

I just realized that all the stories I've written thus far for the Twisted series, despite having different story lines, different characters, and different "voices", share a common theme: the horrifying consequences of a person blindly fulfilling their needs at the expense of others.

The reasons “why” vary, too. In one of these stories, a mother is trapped in an addiction; in another, it's a producer's greed that sets off mass carnage; in a third, death and destruction result when a former friend fully indulges his sadism.

I came to the party (the party being submitting my writing to competitions) later than many. Despite having worked as a writer professionally for over 30 years and having written little stories and poems since I could first manage a pen.

Once at the party, my writing partner and I thought surely the screenplay we were submitting to budget-busting competitions would have judges whipping out their cells, conference-calling A-list Hollywood producers, directors and talent, and screaming 'You've GOT to do this picture!'.

We quickly learned that it is incredibly difficult to get noticed, let alone produced.