 Horror/Scary: February 27, 2008 Issue [#2243] |
  Horror/Scary
This week: Edited by: schipperke
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| Hello! I am schipperke penning this week's Horror/Scary newsletter. This week's edition is sure to be scary, since I wrote it under the influence of the common cold, and loads of Nyquil! Remember we editors love reader participation and your comments, submissions, and questions are all part of what makes a successful newsletter. |
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What is scary? The Online Free Dictionary defines scary as being something that provokes fright or alarm. Alarming is defined as something exciting, or disturbing, while fright is fear excited by sudden danger or fear caused by something strange, ugly or shocking.
The dictionary seems to define scary as being something that alarms you by being exciting, disturbing, and fearful because of elements of strangeness, or unpleasant surprises.
To me, the definition of scary will be different for every reader, although there are things most humans are scared of more than not.
What could scare your readers? The unknown, to start with. Every good scary story has an element of the unknown, whether it is a weird sound that wakes you up, or a quick flash of an unknown person out of the corner of your eye. Not knowing everything happening in your environment is a primal fear because you aren’t sure how you will have to react. Is it fight or flight? Fear of the unknown is a basic instinct all humans share.
What other fears do we share? What would make a person jump up in alarm or freeze in fright?
The more the reader senses danger in your stories, the more frightening the story will be. A universal human fear is a dangerous situation, whether it be heights, snakes, or even public speaking!.
According to psychological research, the most common fears include fear of bugs, mice, snakes and bats, followed by a fear of heights, water, public transportation  , storms, closed spaces, tunnels and bridges (I have a fear of bridges since childhood), with crowds and public speaking finishing off the list. .
With a list of scary items like that you will never run out of things to frighten your reader with!
Last newsletter, I asked readers to tell me what the scariest story was they had read, and why it was scary to them. You will see the answers I received in my questions and answers section. I don’t think it was too hard to figure out the scariest book, but realizing just what made that book scary is more of a challenge.
For me, a scary book has to combine elements of reality, and maybe a grain of truth to be truly scary. The Exorcist was scary for me, because I know real exorcisms are performed all over the world, and maybe, just maybe, there could be real demons in the real world. Same for The Amityville Horror, before it was revealed to be a hoax, I thought, perhaps there really were haunted houses and I would stay in one sometime.
I have more of a fear of the half-known I guess! 
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schipperke’s Picks of the Week
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schipperkes, Question and Answers
sultryQUESTION FOR NEXT NEWSLETTER: What is the scariest story you have ever read and why? Stephen King's "The Shining". I read it when I was in my late 20s when things I didn't understand still scared me. King successfully scared the beejeebers out of me with the thing residing in the playground. This was the only book, after reading that chapter that would never read at night.
⭐Princette♥PengthuluWrites   Hmm. I think the scariest story I ever read was Pet Sematary by Stephen King. Maybe not so much in that it was scary--but that it just creeped me out. And I thought it was SO sad that he would be driven to those desperate measures, and all that happened... *looks over shoulder*
zwisis:Schip, another great newsletter. The scariest book I ever read? "American Psycho" by Brett Easton Ellis. I read it after watching the film, and the book was even scarier than the film. There is something so terrifying about psychological horror, and the character Patrick Bateman is a vicious, evil person.
billwilcox: In answer to the question, “Why do you write horror”.. I write horror because that is what comes out. But it's all about the people, the characters. Once you've made your reader associate with your character you can take them anywhere and they will agree to come, though sometimes hesitantly into the dark, they will still come because they've got to know what happens next.
Great newsletter as always, my friend,
-Bill
KimmieK  : For me, I have to go back to my favorite writer - Edgar Allen Poe. "The Fall of the House of Usher" was dark, gloomy, somber and completely terrifying. Being buried alive is not what I would call fun - especially for someone that's claustrophobic, like me.
drifter46:The scariest story I've ever read? That's easy. "George W. Bush Re-elected for a Second Term!" As you can see, I write humor too..
Seriously I think the scariest was The Exorcist followed closely by Intensity. For the Exorcist it was the descriptions of what was taking place. For Intensity it was just that, the intensity in the writing. A roller coaster ride for both books though. It's been awhile since I read the Exorcist but as I recall, the climb to the top was slow and tense, building with each chapter until the first descent on the other side. Then it was never ending. For Intensity, as is typical with Dean Koontz, the action was fast and furious from the start. Barely time to catch your breath.
In both cases though, it's the internal feelings that keep me reading whether it's a slow ride and rapid descent or a whip lashed ride from the start.
SantaBee  :I love your newsletters they're fun and interactive. Horror writing is indeed a challenge to write - I have to be in the mood in the mood write it or have a really good prompt that challenges me. Good broad look at Horror this newsletter.
angelaalsaleem:The scariest story I ever read (and am reading again for the third time right now) is It, by Stephen King. This story delves into the darker, creepier part of the psyche, tapping into fears I never knew existed. Using free indirect discourse, King takes the reader into the minds of the victims so we may feel as paralyzed as they do. He also explores the nastier side of human nature with his character Henry Bowers, the school bully who's just as likely to kill another student as he is to maim him. My dream as a writer; my goal; is to one day write something more horrifying than It. The book I'm working on right now aught to at least get me close to that goal.
Alexander :really enjoyed your newsletter. I find myself in the same boat, I love reading horror, Stephen King perhaps my favorite, but I just can't seem to write it. All my writing has horror elements, but most become thrillers of otherwise. I'm determined to be a horror writer however; it's what I enjoy reading most so it's what I shall write.
I do have a question; what are the scariest things you've ever read?
The scariest book I ever read, alone at night, when I was young, was The Exorcist. I read it before I saw the movie. The scariest movie I saw, once again, when I was alone, and at night, was The Amityville Horror, before it came out that it was all a hoax.
Question for the next newsletter: What theme of horror do you think has been overdone in books and movies, and is therefore no longer frightening?
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