  Horror/Scary
This week: Edited by: W.D.Wilcox  
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A vein beat time at the center of her forehead, and then using a strength drawn from the deepest wells of her horror, she uttered a high, wailing scream like the whine of a giant mosquito. |
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COMPELLING HORROR: The Believable Lie
Good fiction, by definition, is credible. It’s the lie that can be believed.
The key to credibility in horror begins with setting and characters. Sure, you could have a haunted mansion, or a trek through Hell, but your reader won't relate to the story as much as he would a setting say in 'Your-Town, USA'. Now, this brings it all home--this makes the story plausible in your reader's mind. It makes them think that this could happen here.
Reality-based settings are commonplace--the oh, so ordinary world. Nothing ever happens around here...or does it? It’s that very ordinariness that works best for a good horror story.
Why?
Readers can relate to the habitual routines of everyday life without your having to work too hard at establishing that relationship. This is where you get to write what you actually know. Write about your hometown, or one you’ve visited before. Let the reader kick their feet up and feel comfortable. Let them think, "Yeah, that sounds just like where I live."
Make your settings and people credible until you’re ready to use your imagination to suspend disbelief.
For your characters, you gotta use all your emotional experiences: your highs and lows, your conquests and disappointments, jealousy, love, and hate. Every emotion you‘ve ever felt in your lifetime. Make your characters live and breathe--bring them to life--make them sound and feel just like real people.
And then…when everybody's comfy...cozy...spring the trap.
Let the intrusion of the extraordinary, the horrendous and unusual, slowly seep into the lives of these credible, ordinary, and real people living next door.
This is what makes for compelling horror.
That means, up until that point, everything else in your story must be true to life so readers are never thinking they’re being lied to. You must hold out a familiar, warm and helping hand to them, and then yank it away at the last possible moment and let them plunge into an abyss of absolute terror.
Until next time,
billwilcox
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FLASHY HORROR
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And from Diane's awesome "Invalid Item" I present...
PHOTOGRAPHIC HORROR
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FEEDBACK
Join me, as we bid a fond farewell to schipperke one of the fabulous contributing editors of the Horror Newsletter. She will be sorely missed by the rest of the staff and readers. Her last article received a plethora of feedback and she's graciously asked me to include it in this newsletter. I have to say, that I am hesitant to do so because most of it is about me and I don't want to sound like I'm tooting my own horn *blows horn loudly*, but...here goes.
Nikola~Thankful Library Lady  remarks:
Thanks for featuring my contest. I truly love hosting it.
scarlett_o_h says:
Excellent Newsletter - interesting, informative and entertaining. I learn such a lot about writing from you and your topics and advice are always sound and easy to comprehend. Keep up the good work.
zwisis warns:
Hey Schip! I'm late, and catching up on newsletters. This is a great reminder of the ultimate evil character; the source of inspiration for so many excellent horror stories. So much that is evil can be channelled through Satan, so he is a great and terrible character for any aspiring horror writer. One that should be treated with caution...
Bima  flatters:
This is one of the best newsletters I have read. I always anticipate getting this newsletter. Those that put these together are great editors. There have been some that I have not read only because the stories did not interest me. Keep up the good work everyone!! Thanks.
David McClain suggests:
W.D. Wilcox is also one of my favorite authors on WDC. I loved the interview format and I wish other newsletters would employ it. Thanks, this was a really enjoyable read this week.
kelly1202 adds:
I absolutely love Bill Wilcox's stories, and am pleased to see he has a new one out. Think I'll have to run over and check it out.
Great newsletter!
zwisis remarks:
Hi Schip - mutant zombie here! Wonderful interview with a horror master - thank you so much. His work is brilliant, and I miss his newsletters too! Glad he's still writing.
Mutant zombie signing off....
alicengoreland writes:
Nice interview with Bill. He is always a good choice. I am glad you spoke of his humor. I think that is a key to what makes his stuff really work. That and his description are vivid. I look for both of these thing in anything I read. I try to place them in mine.
kiyasama exclaims:
Thanks for the plugging of my quiz "The Stephen King Trivia"! I really appreciate it. I can't believe I've been missing out on such a good newsletter. I just recently subscribed and so far, I'm loving it. This was a very entertaining and informative interview with B. Wilcox who truly is an inspiration to many of us on this website! It's cool to know what makes him tick and where he gets his ideas from. I think it might even inspire me to get into the horror genre a bit more. Thanks for the wonderful newsletter and keep up the great work!
writeone says warily:
Thanks so much for the newsletter. I have W.D. Wilcox on my favorite authors list. He truly is a spectacular guy.
I often have a problem with writing horror. It is the Christian side of me. The one where I pray no one sees me with my library bag full of King or Koontz. Do you have any suggestions on how to let go with the horror thing. I think sometimes that I will have to wait until I am dead to have my horror stories see light of day - then, cringing and blinking they can creep out. Of course, I'll be DEAD, so it won't really matter. Reading King when I was young, or Poe, even, was a sin. How do horror writers overcome this trepidation, or am I the only one who feels guilt? You don't have to include this in the feedback section, but it might be an idea for an upcoming newsletter.
Thanks again,
writeone
billwilcox offers a big hug and  :
Thanks Schip for the tribute . I really had no idea that so many writers here enjoy my work. It's quite flattering to say the least, and makes me want to try harder as a writer to please them. * Oh, the pressure!* Best wishes Schip and thank you for all you've done.
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Horror/Scary: September 27, 2006 Issue [#1270]
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