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This is a continuation of my blogging here at WdC |
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This will be a blog for my writing, maybe with (too much) personal thrown in. I am hoping it will be a little more interactive, with me answering questions, helping out and whatnot. It follows on from the old one, which is now fullf. An index of topics from old and new can be found here: "Writing Blog No.2 Index"  Feel free to comment and interact. |
| Conspiracy Theories The psychology of conspiracy theories is one that is very interesting. I studied this in one of my psychology classes at university, so have some basic, surface-level knowledge, and I think this can help some writers. The use of people who believe in conspiracy theories is becoming more prevalent in fiction because it reflects the world around us. So I thought it might be good to look at the whole psychology behind these beliefs so that these characters can be a bit more realistic. This, by the way, is expanded from a response I gave to a post at some stage here on WdC, so if it sounds familiar, that may be why. In addition, it is adapted from an essay I wrote in 2001 (2002?). One last thing here - this is "theory" in the philosophical definition. A scientific theory is something that can be proven by experimentation or by mathematics, or is accepted by those in the field. Evolution, gravity, nuclear decay are all theories because they can be proven. If something cannot be proven in science, it is referred to as a hypothesis. In philosophy, a "theory" is something that makes sense based on the evidence available to the person in question, but cannot really be proven. So... Basically, people find themselves nowadays in an increasingly hyper-connected world. Ever since World War I, the peoples of the world have been growing increasingly reliant on one another, with the United Nations (and League of Nations before that) seen as a one world ruling body or arbiter. This means whereas in the nineteenth century people had an idea of where they fit into the world because their world was so much smaller, as the scale has grown larger, many people feel they have become disenfranchised. Even their own local communities are part of a larger one-ness; that sense of being someone, even in a small way, is lost as personal comparisons (comparisons to others) are now made across a world of billions, as opposed to a community of thousands. Increasingly, in order to feel better about themselves, that they are not just a number on a spreadsheet, people try to adopt many different things to stand out. Artists, corporate (political and religious as well) leaders, sportspeople all have outlets to make themselves stand out from the crowd stretching back to ancient days. With the rise of the Internet and online âbeing knownâ in which more and more are putting themselves, suddenly even standing out like that doesnât mean as much. It used to be a very small minority, but now so many (some would say too many) are in that sphere. So people want to feel like they mean something, and for a few people that "meaning something" comes with the willingness, mentally, to be open to information that could help set them apart. A conspiracy theory (theory used in the philosophical sense, not the scientific sense) is a form of believing in hidden knowledge. If the people in charge, if the "normal" people, do not see what the conspiracies are, then the believer feels they have special information, and that makes them feel like they are special in their own minds. They know things others don't. That takes them away from being just another number â they are part of the "enlightened." And so with minimal knowledge and a confidence born of over-belief, of course, Dunning-Kruger then comes into play.  Belief in conspiracy theories really didn't start amongst the mass populace until the mid-20th century. Some cite older ones, but the people, the regular people, had no idea, and these ideas were restricted to upper echelons of society. Like I said, with the world becoming more and more homogenised, a conspiracy theory is a means for people to make themselves feel like they mean something in a world that increasingly makes people feel like they do not matter. It is a natural response to being a part of a world more focused on everything except humanity. The fact that some conspiracies (and by some, I mean very, very, very few) come to pass or be proven as having been real only reinforces the idea that all conspiracies must be true to the believers. Belief in a conspiracy theory does not care about intelligence, education or anything else. It is a personal response to an unfeeling, uncaring, increasingly hostile world that only seems to want to divide and conquer. Believers tend to be people who feel they are overlooked by something â government, job, friends, family, anything â and that is about all they have in common. |
| 10 Under-Utilised Horror Settings First published online at https://horrortree.com/10-under-utilised-horror-settings/ December 30, 2019, Updated September 14, 2022. Revised just a little for this blog Itâs the Gothic mentality that still permeates horror fiction. The dark castles, the grave-yards, the small country towns, the old churches, the old deserted houses, even the cellars â itâs all there. Always all there. The settings for the standard horror stories. Look, Iâm a reader and a writer, and I understand the sense of isolation that can increase tension and terror, and the darkness is something that makes horror work because the hidden is often more terrifying. There is something to be said for the imagination of the reader/viewer being allowed to have a go. I think thatâs why a lot of horror does not translate well from book to screen â what they create visually often does not match what we have created in our own minds. And Iâm going off track. The point Iâm trying to make is that we see these settings and we know we need to be ready for jump scares and clichĂŠs and the old-fashioned tropes. And thatâs fine; it works and the reader knows what to expect. But in my reading, I feel there are some other settings that are not used anywhere near enough and yet could well be used to create a gripping horror story. In my opinion. As such, hereâs ten I think should be looked at more closely. 1) Schools Now, what I mean here is a regular school. Stephen Kingâs The Institute is about a special school that is more a concentration camp, but what I am talking about is a real school. The Treehouse Of Horror series from The Simpsons may have reduced this idea to a concept of fun, but I feel there is still great value in a school. And not a deserted school, but an operational school with real people and students and teachers and administration staff and custodial staff and all that goes along with that. There is a myriad of possibilities there. And if you donât think schools are scary places â ask any kid about thatâŚ(Note: I did sell a ghost story set in a school a few years ago, so this is a possibility.) 2) Suburbia Take a standard Australian soap opera â Neighbours or Home And Away for example âand you have suburbia in all its dull, tedious, banal boredom. Boring normal people doing boring normal things, just amped up to make it vaguely interesting for people with nothing better to do. However, how hard would it be to tweak that to make it the setting for a good horror story? I donât mean a done-to-death zombie flick but something more insidious. Weâve seen it a few times â Invasion Of The Body Snatchers for one, Stepford Wives for another â but nowhere near enough. A normal suburb with normal housing (no deserted old house on the hill tropes) surely has great possibilities for horror beyond replacing people. 3) Seats of Power Some would say that looking at the current crop of world leaders that maybe horror has infiltrated the seats of power in real life, but we read horror to escape, and so we could surely up the ante in these places. Not necessarily those in power â who are, after all, just puppets, if the brilliant BBC series Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister are anything to go by (and they are) â but those bureaucrats pulling the strings. The horror could possibly be an all-encompassing âdevil in chargeâ tale to a strange creature using politicians to get access to victims. And, really, who wouldnât be scared when faced with mind-numbingly brainless politicians zombies slaves to aliens ruling the world? 4) Factories The nooks and crannies and machinery make a factory the ideal setting for strange goings-on and evil to lurk. Weâve seen it in the beginning/end of The Fly (original version) and thereâs a scene in one the Hulk movies and the ending of Terminator 2 set in factories, but these are really just scenes. A whole factory with workers and functioning machines could be an ideal setting for a creepy horror film. There is so much darkness, with all those hidden and forgotten places, that this could be a great setting for a swarm of rat-like creatures to run amok. Or people to merge with their machines. Or⌠look, there are a heap of possibilities. And Iâm not going to give away all my ideas⌠5) Shopping Malls Sure, Dawn Of The Dead was set in a shopping mall, but that was a deserted one, post-zombie-apocalypse. For an idea of how a shopping centre could be used in all its glory, see the car chase scene from The Blues Brothers and nod and smile. Now, take away the cars and replace with, say, a werewolf (An American Werewolf In London style of huge animal, not a wolfman) and let the horror and fun begin! You have so many different shops, so many hiding places, so many potential victims, so many other things that could go awry in these places! (Note: I did sell a story last year about a hungry escalator in a shopping mall, so this is also a definite concept.) 6) High Rise Apartments Weâve had suburbia, so how about a different sort of living space? The high-prise apartment block, many storeys high and filled with different rooms and different people living in them and different levels⌠Again, it lends itself so well to a nice open-ended world in just one place. Again, not a deserted one, but one where normal people live and work and play. Rosemaryâs Baby was set in a similar place, but there are so many more ideas than just a cabal of Satanists bringing forth the anti-Christ into the world. Look at Robin Bailesâ The Golem Of 2020 for a decent example, but thatâs just one. Iâm surprised it hasnât been used more often, to be honest. 7) Pubs, Hotels, Bars and/or Nightclubs Drinking establishments. Places where people go to get drunk, to catch up, to unwind and be with like-minded people. Yes, there have been vampire books with nightclub settings (e.g. Robin Bakerâs Chasing The Sun) but letâs get away from vampires and look at something a little different. Pubs are a great place to set all sorts of things. FAQ About Time Travel is an awesome sci-fi comedy set in a pub; The Worldâs End is a great sci-fi apocalyptic comedy. What about real horror, though? Surely, we can find something out there that works because pubs can be quite disturbing places. Think about it â a nightclub which is actually a level of hell where people are forced to dance for eternity⌠and thatâs off the top of my head. (Note: I have sold a story about a barman that kills certain individuals, so this has selling potential.) 8) Beaches Not out in the water, like Jaws and its sequels, but the actual beach. Sure, the 1980s gave us Blood Beach (a âso bad itâs goodâ film) but if we take that as a precursor to some more interesting horror concepts (though the idea of a beach that eats people is awesome) then the beach can become a scary place. It might look idyllic, but go to an Australian beach when itâs forty-plus degrees Celsius (104°F) â which is quite common â and tell me that despite the clear blue skies and golden sands and wonderful ocean you donât feel like youâre dying. Monsters, people, sands â there are so many things we could worry about in an Australian summer. Or a Hawaiian summer. Or a Californian summer⌠9) Art Galleries Museums have been done, although I am yet to see a good one (except maybe some of the Wax Museum films⌠and, no, Stillerâs Night At The Museum is not a good one), but what about the art gallery? Pictures, sculptures, installations â you name it, there is everything there for a decent horror yarn. Statues that come to life, paintings that trap people, installations that draw people in â these are all tales that have been mentioned in passing or used as part of a greater story, but to bring these aspects out on their own could make a really decent little horror story. 10) Brothels Now, I do not watch pornography â never have doubt I ever will. Just does not do anything for me, Iâm afraid. And this means I do not know if any porn horror films set in brothels have been made. However, for a mainstream horror tale, the setting could be ideal. I have seen some horror comics with a tale in a brothel â all involving vampires, Iâm afraid â but surely it could be so much more than that? There are endless possibilities in an establishment that exists slightly outside the law, and so could be forced to deal with its horrors in-house. Whatever those horrors may be. (Note: I have sold a story about a ghost brothel, so this is yet another idea with distinct possibilities.) Of course, I am the first to admit I have not seen or read everything to do with horror, so there could well be some fine examples set in these places. But for writers looking for somewhere different, looking to avoid the clichĂŠs of writing, looking to expand themselves, these ten settings could well lend themselves to all sorts of wonderful tales. Good writing! |
| Novel #26 Yes... I have filled in my old blog, so here we are, but the links remain the same. And we start the new with a novel. Iâm really proud of the next story. I wrote it with a young adult audience in mind, though it became much more New Adult or even adult in tone by the time it was finished and edited. Yes, it has many dark undertones throughout its 88000 word length. Cult Of The Snake is a horror/urban fantasy story about a small group of university students out to stop a snake goddess/Naga queen from coming back to Earth, with the help of Garuda. Hindu mythology, splashes of Greek mythology, a lot of death, destruction and mayhem, and the destruction of lots of property. Itâd make an awesome film, but Iâm biased. For the first time in ages, two of the characters are actually based on real people. The gay best friend of the main character is based on a gay friend of mine, who helped me a little with the way his relationships have worked in the past. It was his idea, by the way, to [*spoiler alert!*] kill off the character at the end. And the main female character was based on a lady I had come to know at around the time it was written (early 2011), just with her age halved, and her appearance changed a fraction (probably not enough). Of course, enough other changes were made in the characters to make them different by the time the story was finished, but for this one I just needed some help to get the characters the way I wanted them, with all their little inconsistencies. As a famous author once said (and Iâm paraphrasing here): the difference between fiction and reality is fiction has to make sense. Any way, this story is a weird one, and I still like it. The main male character starts a little emo-like, but the female drags him out of it, and he becomes that staple of horror fiction â the reluctant hero. Excerpt: Sunday 12:30pm Craig sighed as he played with the drink in his hand. Tayla stared at it as well before she lowered her eyes. âIâm sorry,â she muttered. âWhat for?â Craig asked. âDragging you out here like this, making you listen to me bitch and moan, and now weâre just sitting here like two strangers.â She looked up at him again and was unable to stop the tears from coming. Without really thinking he rested his hand on hers. âTayla, itâs okay. At least it got me out of the apartment for a change.â She smiled at him. âYouâre just saying that.â She sighed again and looked at his hand on hers, but made no attempt to move it. He stared at her. Her thick, dark hair fell more than half way down her back in natural waves, offset perfectly by wide hazel eyes. She had a sweet, almost child-like smile and not for the first time he found himself thinking of her as quite an attractive young lady. âNo, Iâm not,â he laughed. âIf you hadnât called, Iâd be sitting at home watching football all day, maybe doing some study.â âYeah, I should be doing that as well,â she muttered. âYou donât need a tutor this year, then?â he asked suddenly, just trying to prevent the conversation from falling into another lull. âSecond semester when my psych subjects start. Definitely. Iâll be calling you. This semester everythingâs easy, and for psych itâs just stats.â Her face seemed to perk up for the first time since theyâd come into the pub for lunch. âAnd thatâs just maths. Thatâs all.â âWho you got?â âCarmichael. I canât think of his first nameâŚâ âMichael.â Craig laughed. âHe was my stats lecturer as well. How many octopus stories have you heard?â âMy God! Like, every lecture!â She laughed, a real genuine laugh, her head thrown backwards. Craig smiled and shook his head, noticing that her hand did not leave his. âWait. Youâve got the film he made about octopuses and stats to come yet. Last lesson of the semester.â He shook his head. âGuy knows his stuff, but heâs a complete nutcase.â The strains of the opening bars of the song âJessicaâ interrupted them. âSorry,â Craig said, finally removing his hand and fumbling for his phone. âCraig Stevenson,â he said down it. Tayla watched him curiously as his face went from joy to genuine concern. He said very little, until, âIâll get there as soon as I can. See you soon, Bry.â He disconnected the call and just stared at the screen in front of him blankly. âWhatâs the matter?â Tayla asked carefully. He looked up at her. âYouâre not going to believe this,â he muttered, âbut one of my friends has disappeared.â She stared at him, eyes wide, mouth open a little. âHe was exploring a tunnel underneath the railway station and he justâŚâ He pushed himself to his feet and grabbed his cane. âIâve got to go. Iâm sorryâŚâ âNo, wait. Iâll give you a lift.â Taylaâs mind had gone into a numb sort of shock. How could this be happening again? âNo, Tayla, I couldnât askâŚâ âIâm giving you a lift,â she repeated as she made her way ahead of him to hold the door open. He shook his head and limped after her. This story has been submitted six times for six generic rejections. But I still think it has legs. I really do. Iâll give a little back story as to how this one came about. I was playing Dungeons & Dragons and our characters were in a reptile world, with lizard-men, yuan-ti and all manner of other intelligent reptilians. My head asked after one grueling session (my cleric character had barely survived), âWhat if reptiles like this tried to take over Adelaide?â I started writing the story the next day, during the next D&D session when my character was not needed. What ifâŚ? Best friend a writer has. |
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