The Campaign For Real Fear

Can you write a 500-word story that "encapsulates modern fears"?

If you can, consider sending a story in to The Campaign For Real Fear. Here's a write-up about it over at The Guardian. An excerpt:

The Campaign for Real Fear is the creation of Christopher Fowler – author of many critically acclaimed urban horror stories and the quirky Bryant & May detective series – and blogger Maura McHugh. It was born out of McHugh's frustration with what she sees as the genre's failings to be fully representative.

On her blog Splinister, McHugh has twice blown the whistle on instances of perceived bias: in September, she pointed out that a British Fantasy Society book of interviews with horror writers contained no women. Last month, she highlighted the same issue with SFX magazine's horror special. Both of those rows are well-documented and led to widespread internet debate (and, to be fair, apologies and explanations from the targets of her ire). Now, with Fowler's support, McHugh seems to be focusing her energies on doing something positive about the situation. Setting out the Campaign for Real Fear's manifesto on his blog, Fowler writes: "Our nascent horror movement is beginning to grow... We're hoping to change the outmoded habits of the past, aiming for some positive discrimination leading to fresh new strands of writing that will benefit readers and publishers alike. The Campaign for Real Fear starts here." Both Fowler and McHugh were at the World Horror Convention in Brighton at the weekend, spreading the word.

Here are the FAQ's.

Again, my thanks to the regular PGS blog reader who emailed this link in.