 Horror/Scary: May 12, 2010 Issue [#3676] |
  Horror/Scary
This week: Suspending Disbelief Edited by: Kate - Writing & Reading  
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Here we are, trapped in the amber of the moment.
There is no why.
Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.
Edgar Alan Poe
Greetings, and welcome to this week's edition of the WDC Horror/Scary Newsletter.
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Suspending disbelief, or making your character(s) and readers believe that something horrible is not only likely to happen, but that it will imminently occur, adds visceral depth to your story or verse and keeps your readers immersed in the horrific otherworld you weave.
What do you as writer do when a novel contains an element that requires a serious suspension of disbelief? How can you incorporate that element so that your readers buy into the premise and don't say, 'no way'?
Consider for a moment that all storytelling, in some way or another, requires a suspension of disbelief. Writers must convince readers that the characters are real people, that the events are those that could happen, that the place where this story or poem occurs is a real place, and these events and these characters are apt to happen and to be in this place.
How does one do that without an unusual element?
The sleight of hand, as with a magician's trick, is in the details. We convince our readers that characters are real by giving them attributes typical of many people: They have features, appearance, mannerisms, attitudes, emotions, motivations, and goals, emotions we can all understand, and unique traits that single them out as individuals. Our characters are three-dimensions: they have characteristics physical, emotional, and spiritual. Then readers have things in common with the characters, and they can relate to them. These common bonds, related through details, help make your characters "real."
We convince readers that events are real by using details, testing them for plausibility and testing the events to assure the reader that they are a natural outgrowth of preceding events as those events relate to these specific characters. For example, we don't end a scene in a locked crate and then find our character running across a field the next scene. The story is in the details. Weaving a world with events that are logical and believable for the reader. .
We convince readers the setting is real, the people are real, and the horror the characters encounter, whether known beforehand or merely 'anticipated', becomes for them also a visceral experience, if only until they must turn the next page or reach the next stanza. Tap into the rhythms of neighborhoods, communities, towns, cities, 'burbs, and give your readers a sense of reality, so when they encounter the horror, they will flinch big time.
Then, when we introduce the horror, whether in a mundane or fantastical form, the readers will flinch! They will gasp and turn the page to see how to escape or deal with it in the world so vivid among characters with whom they can relate. By suspending disbelief, your readers enter your otherworld and care what happens, whether for good or naught.
Until we next meet,
Write On!
Kate
Kate - Writing & Reading
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I invite to you enter the 'otherworlds' woven by some of the members of our Community and share your thoughts (a comment or review with them ~ if they've made you for a time believe
First, submitted to our Newsletter Readers for your review and comment ~ do you believe the horror is real? why not let the author know ~
Now, for some more 'believable' tales of horror to read in the safety? of your writer's enclave
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|  | Monster (18+)
If you call someone a name often enough they may soon believe it
#259585 by Andrea  |
Ready to embark on the adventure, but not quite sure, why not check out this challenge, where your story will grow over time
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Now, how about you ~ suspend disbelief and make us flinch ~ or flicker ~ with a dash of madness
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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I'd like to share some comments from members of our community, who agree that 'horror' is not just the "H" word. I hope you also visit with them and enter the 'otherworlds' they have created to share with you.
From: Cassie Kat
Thanks for another amazing newsletter, Kate! I thought it was great that you decided to describe the different types of horror; as somebody who loves horror stories, it's great to know that the "H" word is just a big umbrella term for all types of tales!
From: LJPC - the tortoise
Thanks, Kate! It's nice to know that whatever twisted tastes are out there, there is a genre that caters to it. Yay! Go twisted tale writers!
Thanks for writing, and I look forward to visiting some cool portfolios of fellow readers (and writers) of tales that walk a 'twisted' path
From: Nomar Knight
Excellent newsletter. I'm glad you were able to clarify that horror is more than what most people think. Good job Kate.
Thanks for writing ~ writing horror is as versatile as the readers who seek its thrills and chills and adventures in 'otherworlds' mundane and fantastic. Write On!
Until we next meet, may the muse creative keep you safe, while your worlds twist and weave vistas to engage your readers and yes, make them flinch!
Write On!
Kate
Kate - Writing & Reading
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