Today’s challenge is writing a 5000-words horror story that’s due for submission by Monday. I have the story outlined, and I’ve set down the first 2000 words – which also means the story will probably be closer to 6000 than 5000 – but it’s OK, because the top hard limit is 10.000 words, so I’m fine.
And yes, I have been told that all this talking about word-count and required lengths and other “technicalities” detracts from True Art(R) and impoverishes my Muse(R), because imagination should be free-flowing and unbound.
I have been told that.
By people that never published a single line of work.

Incidentally, I believe that discipline and restraints help creativity.
So, on we go with my horror story, and as the two characters are about to face the monster and fight for their lives, I’m taking a pause for a cup of tea.

The story is set in the ’80s – another condition set by the editors, with the obvious purpose of stifling my True Art(R) and pissing off my Muse(R) – and of course to me the mid-80s were my high-school years.
So I read a bit about the timeline, and checked a few facts, and remembered one of the (many) songs I automatically associate with my high-school years.
And bits of it slipped into my story.

The story is currently called New Frontier.
But that will probably change, because it’s probably too much on-the-nose.
But it’s going to be fun – i love the idea of writing a story about thirty-five years ago, inspired by a song of thirty-five years ago about stuff happening thirty-five years before.
Yeah, I’m weird like that.