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Hey, y’all, it’s Weird Wednesday! Where on some Wednesdays, I blog about weird stuff and give writing prompts.

Today: The Brocken Spectre: Angel in the Clouds

Welcome on this Weird Wednesday! Today, we’re chasing our shadows.

A Brocken spectre or Brocken bow is a type of atmospheric phenomenon called a glory. A person stands in front of a light source and their shadow is thrown onto mist, fog, or clouds. When this happens, the person’s shadow is surrounded by what seems to be a halo: rainbow-colored concentric rings, caused by light refracting off water droplets in the air.

A Brocken spectre specifically is formed when a person stands in front of a light source (usually the sun) while at a great height, casting a shadow onto clouds below themselves. Not only is there a glory visible, but the shadow appears to be enormous. The size is an optical illusion caused by the person’s inability to gauge how close their shadow actually is: it seems to be quite far away, and thus looks huge compared to objects on the horizon. But in reality, the shadow is cast onto water droplets that are very close.

The phenomenon is named after the Brocken, the tallest mountain in the Harz range in Germany, which often has clouds below its summit. But the Brocken spectre can be seen from any suitably high place under the right conditions, including tall buildings and even airplanes.

To make the phenomenon even cooler, when the mist and clouds shift with the wind, the Brocken spectre often seems to dance or move. You can see a video of a Brocken spectre moving here.

Check out the blog post for the whole story and some writing prompts, such as:

Anointed leader. Let’s say your fictional society uses the Brocken spectre as a way of choosing political or military leaders. That is, folks march up to the top of the hill one by one, and when a candidate is seen in glory, that’s assumed to be the choice of the Mountain God or other deity. It would be spectacular to see one’s future leader illuminated in a rainbow glow. But is the phenomenon actually a divine decision or the randomness of weather? And could it possibly be faked?

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

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A Checklist for Accepted Short Stories

Congratulations! Your words are getting published. But once the euphoria wears off, it’s time for the next steps. Have no fear if you don’t know what those are! Here’s a handy checklist. (I talk more about what to do after acceptances here).

Good organization is especially important when you’ve got more than one story forthcoming, because it’s super easy to get it all mixed up. 

First steps

1. Answer all the questions the press asked you in the acceptance email. (It’s easy to miss stuff when you’re excited.)

2. Give the publisher an updated bio.

3. For podcasts, tell the press how to pronounce your name.

4. Carefully read and sign the contract. I’m not going to go into contract specifics because I am not a lawyer. You can find online resources for that. But short story contracts are usually brief and easy to understand. They should always include payment amount and when you can expect to be paid, plus a date when the story rights revert to you if publication falls through.

5. Be sure you’ve received payment.

More steps under the cut:

Keep reading

Beyond thrilled to have my words in Metastellar!! Check it out for free, y'all.

~

When we met, you were a storm, and it so rarely rains in Hell. Every time your foot touched ground, flowers grew. They browned quickly, for even with the rain, there is no soil here, no sun.

I had sent floods to the fields above, the sea sowing salt. People drowned. They’d starve come winter. You would barely look at me as you proclaimed your hate, your sorrow. How could I doom them so harshly?

I don’t know them, I said.

Death, you said, you are the only one who knows them all.

~

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

“I can find your water if the price is right,” Jo declared.

The clerk raised his eyebrow at her dowsing rod and replied in a flat tone, “You’ll have to get past the monster first.”

Another fun story from JD Cadmon. Action, light sapphic spice, sibling dynamics, and a monster! 

A Checklist for Accepted Short Stories

Congratulations! Your words are getting published. But once the euphoria wears off, it’s time for the next steps. Have no fear if you don’t know what those are! Here’s a handy checklist. (I talk more about what to do after acceptances here).

Good organization is especially important when you’ve got more than one story forthcoming, because it’s super easy to get it all mixed up. 

First steps

1. Answer all the questions the press asked you in the acceptance email. (It’s easy to miss stuff when you’re excited.)

2. Give the publisher an updated bio.

3. For podcasts, tell the press how to pronounce your name.

4. Carefully read and sign the contract. I’m not going to go into contract specifics because I am not a lawyer. You can find online resources for that. But short story contracts are usually brief and easy to understand. They should always include payment amount and when you can expect to be paid, plus a date when the story rights revert to you if publication falls through.

5. Be sure you’ve received payment.

More steps under the cut:

Keep reading