It was a dark and stormy night in Lake Geneva, Switzerland, with four friends huddled next to a crackling fire, when one of the friends challenged the others to a ghost story competition. This friendly literary camaraderie between Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Polidori, and Mary Shelley led to one of the greatest pieces of gothic literature ever — Frankenstein.
Although this is Wisconsin, not Switzerland, literary masterminds still gather for a night of “spine-chilling stories and spooky sounds” with the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild’s Sound And Stories Presents “Toil and Trouble” event on Oct. 29.
This event will feature the “ghoulish” works of Elan McCallum, Ken Szymanski, Sarah Jayne Johnson, Dan Lyksett, and Deb Peterson with the dark music of Peter Phippen, Victoria Shoemaker, and Billy Krause.
I had the chance to chat with Lyksett and Johnson about this spooky event and why folks should be on the edge of their seats about this storytelling and music event.
Rebecca Mennecke: The “Toil & Trouble” event is coming up quickly! What are you most excited about?
Dan Lyksett
Dan Lyksett: I’m honored to be asked to share that time with such a fun and talented crew. The audience is going to witness skilled writers and inspiring musicians collaborating to present singular moments. The words are known, but much of the blending of music to those words will be spontaneous. The night will be a singular combination of heart and mind.
Sarah Jayne Johnson: It's great to have any type of event that allows local talent to show their work. Whether it's writers, musicians, artists, etc., Eau Claire is bubbling over with people wanting outlets to show off their chops – "Toil & Trouble" is absolutely just that. I'm also excited to be surrounded by a room of weirdos who are (looking) to get a little spooked close to Halloween. Who doesn't like a lil' scare?
Sarah Jayne Johnson
RM: What are some of the ways you make your writing spooky?
DL: My piece is perhaps less spooky than disconcerting. The title is “Death Trip: A True Story,” and there is sadness, and there is consolation. I’ve tried to make it relatable to anyone who has suffered loss, and, because of that, each member of the audience will bring their own experiences to the piece.
SJJ: I'm probably a little too into a lot of creepy stuff (scary videos, paranormal stories, true crime, etc.) so I get a lot of inspiration from different short stories and podcasts I listen to. It's easy to know what scares you but to try and pinpoint what scares other people is a whole other realm. When I'm writing scary stories, I try to take myself out of it and instead convey it in a way that will linger with people even after they're done reading/listening to it.
RM: Even if a spooky story isn’t really that spooky, we as writers can still make it sound scary. What are some of your top scary storytelling tips?
Musicians Victoria Shoemaker and Peter Phippen
DL: Whether you’re telling a scary story or trying to make someone laugh, “place” is key. The more familiar your characters and their circumstances are to the audience, the more your entire story will ring true. If your story then takes them to a “place” they’ve never been – meeting a spirit, for example – it’s all the easier for them to follow and place themselves there.
SJJ: Honestly, letting other people read and listen to it is the best way to make something scarier. We are all in our own head when it comes to pieces we create, so giving it to an audience – even if it is just one other person – is going to make all the difference in how it is conveyed. Deb Peterson, one of the other speakers at the event, gave me some really positive feedback about pace, pausing, and tone of voice that I wouldn't have been able to hear on my own. I would say that if you ever get the opportunity to workshop your piece, do it. It's a little bit nerve-wracking, but it's worth it.
RM: For folks who are new to this event, what is the number one thing they should know about “Toil & Trouble”? Is it actually a lot of toil and trouble?
DL: To borrow a cliché, “They’ll laugh, they’ll cry.” There is toil and trouble, but there is also humor and a sharing of important personal experiences and quite a bit of “Well, I didn’t see that coming!” And again, there is the amazing collaboration between musicians and writers that makes this type of event special.
SJJ: Anyone coming to this event should anticipate some very different stories set to some truly impressive music. The combination of scary stories and eerie sounds is sure to fill the room with some very tantalizing tension. Anyone who wants a pre-Halloween spook should definitely consider coming. Maybe there will even be a real ghost! Who are we to know?
Ready to get into the literary Halloween spirit? “Toil & Trouble” will be from 7-8:30pm on Tuesday, Oct. 29 at the Pablo Center.