This Is Horror is a podcast that interviews creatives and writers weekly including Chuck Palahniuk, Dean Koontz, Josh Malerman, Jennifer Lynch, Tananarive Due, Charlaine Harris, and Joe R. Lansdale. Michael David Wilson is the author of books such as The Girl in the Video and House of Bad Memories and the host of This Is Horror Podcast. Every week we bring you horror fiction news and writing tips.
Fix Your Story with my Freelance Editing | If Disaster Strikes, Remember it's Good Because …
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When I’m not running This Is Horror, writing, or podcasting, I work in the increasingly volatile English language teaching industry in Japan. That volatility was highlighted last week when the company I work for lost the teaching contract in the city I work in. Up until that point, many people thought of it as the safest contract the company had and would joke that if the company lost that contract, they’d be in real trouble. Well, looks like they’re in real trouble and, as a consequence, I may be out of a day job soon. It’s moments like this when I turn to Jonathan Janz’s oft-quoted, “It’s good because …” When you have a setback or catastrophe, look for the opportunity. Look for a way in which you can make things better or at least find the light. For me, it’s been a case of scrutinising what it is I do to make a living and what the balance looks like between teaching, writing, editing, and podcasting. To that end, I’ve decided to bring my freelance editing back with immediate effect. Before I was just editing occasionally but now it's going to be part of my weekly routine. As a newsletter subscriber, I wanted to let you know about my editing before I go wide and tell the world. Below are my editing rates. STORY OVERVIEWThis is the broad strokes editing package. I’ll read your story, let you know what is and isn’t working, and suggest areas for you to work on. Feedback will include plot, structure, story development, dialogue, characterisation, point of view, pacing, readability, and focus. I’ll also recommend markets. £0.02 per word (£20 per 1,000 words) (Approx. $0.024 per word) FULL IN-DEPTH EDITThis is the full works. Not only will I do all of the above, going deeper on what is and isn’t working and making recommendations as to how you can improve your story, but I’ll edit it line-by-line for grammar, typos, tense changes, logic gaps, consistency, and a lot more. £0.04 per word (£40 per 1,000 words) (Approx. $0.048 per word) And here’s what Josh Malerman, author of Bird Box, said about my editing: ONE OF MY FAVORITE MEMORIES OF WORKING ON A HOUSE AT THE BOTTOM OF A LAKE WITH MICHAEL DAVID WILSON WAS THE MOMENT HE TOLD ME I’D GONE ONE STEP TOO FAR. THIS WAS A REVELATION FOR ME BECAUSE, AS A WRITER, YOU KINDA ASSUME YOU CAN KEEP EDITING FOREVER. BUT MICHAEL RIGHTLY POINTED OUT THAT WE’D HIT THE SWEET SPOT ON THE PRIOR ROUND OF EDITS AND I’D REACHED THE POINT OF OVERTHINKING. I CAN’T EXPRESS HOW VALUABLE IT IS TO WORK WITH AN EDITOR WHO IS AWARE OF THE BOOK’S SWEET SPOT. If you want to take me on as your editor, please email me michael@thisishorror.co.uk (or you could literally just hit reply to this email). Find more testimonials and information on the Michael David Wilson website. Given my current situation, it’s a good opportunity to remind you that I also have a Patreon for This Is Horror Podcast where you can ask questions for interviewees and watch and listen to episodes ahead of the crowd. Join This Is Horror Podcast Patreon here. This Week on This Is Horror Podcast PatreonEric LaRocca Interview: At Dark, I Become Loathsome (This Is Horror Podcast 602 and 603) (Video) Max Booth III: Full Conversation Wesley Southard: Full Conversation Nat Cassidy: Full Conversation, February 2025 I also have the Michael David Wilson Patreon which has a load of exclusive audio recordings and writing advice for both paid and free members, as well as live recordings of my stories. When I reach 100 paid patrons, I'll begin serialising a novel in real time. This Week on the Michael David Wilson PatreonThe Things I Enjoy The Most and Least About Writing Fiction (Walk 'n' Talk) Dealing With Vulnerability and Fear When Writing (Walk 'n' Talk) Pre-order Daddy's Boy by Michael David WilsonAnd remember, everybody who pre-orders Daddy’s Boy will be submitted into a draw to win a super rare signed ARC of Daddy’s Boy, shipped to you from Japan. Just email proof of your pre-order to michael@thisishorror.co.uk Pre-order the paperback here on This Is Horror. Pre-order the ebook here on Amazon US Pre-order the ebook here on Amazon UK Add Daddy’s Boy to your Goodreads. My own it's good because …This situation is good because I have the opportunity to make sure I’m concentrating on the work that's right for me and assessing my current personal and professional habits and routines. Remember, when you search for a job, you’re not just the interviewee but the interviewer. Ask the right questions and reject the job if the answers don't measure up to what you need or expect. Okay, that’s it until next time. Don't forget to check out all those articles on This Is Horror below. Catch you in the next newsletter. Michael David Wilson P.S. If you like this newsletter and want to support my work and This Is Horror, please become a This Is Horror Podcast patron. It would make me happy but only do it if it will make you happy, too. P.P.S. If you’re ready to take your writing to the next level with some professional editing or a writing consultation, you can find out about my rates here and reply to this email. P.P.P.S. There are a limited amount of This Is Horror Podcast advertising slots available for March. Please reply to query. P.P.P.P.S If you want to see other newsletters I recommend, you can follow this link. Look Out For … They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran“Environmental nightmares meld with gruesome body horror in Tran’s latest, presenting a young heroine fighting for survival among both mutated foes and human monsters.” Ever since the hurricane, Mercy Louisiana hasn’t been the same. A strange red algae has bloomed along the coast. Noon and her mother carve out a life among the wreckage by …
TIH 602: Eric LaRocca on At Dark, I Become Loathsome, Norman Reedus, and Queer Representation in HorrorIn this podcast, Eric LaRocca talks about his brand new book, At Dark, I Become Loathsome, Norman Reedus, queer representation in horror, and much more. About Eric LaRocca Eric LaRocca is a 2x Bram Stoker Award finalist and Splatterpunk Award winner. Named by Esquire as one of the “Writers Shaping Horror’s Next Golden Age” and …
5 Must Read Horror Articles 17 February 2024Welcome to Must Read Horror, where we search the internet for the best horror articles of the week so you don’t have to. Without further ado: The Horror Tree analyse what makes horror video games scary and discusses how writers can transplant this into their stories Night Tide Magazine discuss how Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu eschews …
Look Out For … Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce“With her latest, Pearce digs into the life of a child psychologist desperate to help a young girl, while the townspeople embrace superstitious traditions and witchcraft.” With a fresh degree in hand, child psychologist Mina is having a difficult time getting her feet wet in her profession. Lately, she’s been spending her days avoiding the …
News Round-up Week Ending 14 February 2025Here’s a small selection of the horror and genre news that caught our eye during the last week … Arriving 27 May from writer Anna Orridge and Nefarious Bat Press, Phengaris There’s something very wrong in Thurstrop Wood. Mark Warner never noticed it before. He’s there to get away from his life, his ailing mother. Out …
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This Is Horror
This Is Horror is a podcast that interviews creatives and writers weekly including Chuck Palahniuk, Dean Koontz, Josh Malerman, Jennifer Lynch, Tananarive Due, Charlaine Harris, and Joe R. Lansdale. Michael David Wilson is the author of books such as The Girl in the Video and House of Bad Memories and the host of This Is Horror Podcast. Every week we bring you horror fiction news and writing tips.
I often like to take stock of what I’m doing with my life and career to make sure I’m utilising my time effectively and achieving what I want with my life. As a number of you know, there are four big areas of focus right now: This Is Horror Podcast Writing Fiction Studying Japanese Teaching/My Day Job At different times in my life, different areas have taken centre stage. There’s a fire in me right now that desperately wants to take This Is Horror Podcast to the next level. The dream would be...
You can do anything you want but you can’t do everything you want. This was something I must have said almost every week, circa 2016–2020, when talking about writing and ensuring you’re prioritising your time effectively. It’s something I stand by to this day and it governs a lot of my decisions when it comes to writing and life in general. Each day we have a finite amount of time and must use it wisely. That’s why I also advocate deciding on the most important task for the day and doing it...
Hello, friends. I hope you are having a great day. Thank you to those of you who have bought, read, reviewed, rated, or engaged with my brand-new dark comedy, Daddy's Boy. If you have yet to do so and you have a Kindle Unlimted subscription, you can actually read Daddy's Boy for free as part of that subscription. Here are the links for Daddy's Boy below for your ease. Buy Daddy’s Boy on Amazon UK Buy Daddy’s Boy on Amazon US Buy Daddy’s Boy from This Is Horror Speaking of Daddy's Boy, I have...