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This week: Alone Edited by: Jeff  
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"Last night you were, unhinged.
You were like some desperate, howling demon.
You frightened me. ... Do it again."
-- Morticia Addams
Random Trivia of the Week: David Baldacci originally wrote short stories and screenplays, neither of which met with much success. He eventually found great success as a thriller novelist (20+ novels, 110+ million copies in print), and although Absolute Power was turned into a movie starring Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman, he didn't have the opportunity to write the screenplay. Hopefully he'll take some consolation in the fact that the same year the movie was released (1997), he was named one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People.
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Amazon's Price: $ 12.95
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ALONE
There are a great many things that scare us. Creatures, monsters, death, darkness, the unknown... the list of the things that scare us goes on and on. And yet, I would venture to guess that there are few things as truly terrifying as the thought of being alone in the world. Isolation can be a terrifying prospect.
The idea of being alone has worked time and again in suspenseful stories. Richard Matheson used it to great effect in I Am Legend, the story of Robert Neville, the last human left on earth. Stephen King used it to great effect in Misery, where a novelist is trapped, injured, in the middle of nowhere with an obsessive fan. And "The Raven" and "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe wouldn't be nearly as nerve-wracking if the narrators had been in the company of others rather than sitting in their chambers all alone. In fact, take a look at some of Stephen King's work, and how many stories - in one way or another - deal with the theme of isolation or loneliness:
 Carrie - A shy girl with telekinetic powers is ostracized by everyone including her peers and her mother.
The Dead Zone - After an accident that results in brain damage, Johnny can see visions which is slowly killing him and driving everyone away.
The Dark Tower - Roland, the last gunslinger, tracks down "the man in black."
Thinner - A man is cursed and slowly deteriorates after accidentally killing a woman.
Misery - see above.
Desperation - several people are trapped in an abandoned mining town with a supernatural secret.
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon - a girl is lost, alone, in the woods.
Cell - a pulse turns cell phone users into mindless killers and a small band of unaltered survivors must escape.
And that's just a few of his novels. As you can see, the concept of being alone, isolated, ostracized, or in a small number of people facing great opposition are not exactly unfamiliar themes in King's work. 
At heart, people are social animals. Even for those of us who are more reclusive than others, who are happy living alone or without a lot of family around, the idea of being entirely alone with only our own minds to keep us company can send us to the brink of sanity. It's one of the reasons solitary confinement is such a threat to prisoners. Imagine that you had absolutely no one to talk to. No one to talk to on the phone, chat with on the internet, to interact with when you go shopping at the grocery store. No one to brush against in a crowded elevator, no one to nod politely as you pass on the street... no one to listen when you have something to say. Being alone is about more than just trivial interaction; it's about not having no feedback of any kind for anything that you might say or do.
For a writer, the real strength of using isolation in your work is that it can be both terrifying and saddening. A story can just as easily use loneliness and isolation to induce fear as it can to induce pity and despair. Depending on how a suffering character is faced with isolation, it can make us cringe or cry. More importantly, the threat of isolation can be a powerful motivating force in a story. Threaten to take a man's family from him, and there's no telling what he might do to save them or bring them back (the movie Taken is a great example). Threaten to send someone not just to prison, but to the deepest darkest pit where he'll be all but forgotten and see how far it can push someone (The Count of Monte Cristo). Threaten to take away even one of a person's senses, and feel the sense of loss and despair that comes with knowing you'll never be able to see again or hear again... knowing that you'll be alone in a world of darkness or silence.
In many cases, writing horror isn't about what kinds of gross or nasty things you can make your reader imagine... it's about what you can make your reader feel. The reason Stephen King and Dean Koontz have been so successful isn't because they write the sickest thing they can imagine (although I'm sure there's an element of that  ); they're successful because they know how to tap into the emotions and the situations that keep their readers up and night... that trouble their dreams and tear at their soul. And when it comes to figuring out what those things are for your reader, you definitely can't go wrong with making them feel alone in the world. 
Until next time,
-- Jeff
QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Do you think isolation/being alone is terrifying, or tragic... or both?
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This week, I would encourage you to check out the following horror items:
Thomas A. Robertson was tired. When most people looked at him they saw a man still full of energy and life for the age of seventy-nine, but when he looked at himself all he could see was a worn out shell. The fact that he owned the vast Robertson construction company, making him a millionaire several times over, was small consolation for the fact that death seemed just around the corner.
"It's just another beautiful day in Paradise." Beth whipped around to see who belonged to the strangely deep voice that came suddenly behind her. It was unnerving to see anyone out on the pier so early in the morning let alone a stranger at this remote lakeside cottage where the wilderness was still intact and many of the wild animals had yet to encounter the species called homo sapiens.
You are so lonely / so afraid / so alone / and yet you crave silence / quiet / peace / just five minutes / where you don't have to talk about / IT.
I am a simple man. I have very few needs, they are; food, clothes and job. I love to be alone. I don't like to be in a crowded place, feel very suffocated. Loneliness bug has never bitten me. I have never understood the need for companionship. Schools and colleges just swept by; very much immersed in studies. Not that I was not mocked in the school and college. My peer's tormented me, with names like loony, weird and spooky.
Natalie crept down the dark, dusty hallway. It smelled of old wood and dog hair. The flashlight gave a treacherous flicker. Her breath trembled and her heart pounded. A menacing creak sounded behind her, and she waved her feeble light in its direction, but nothing was there.
Five young people survive a plane crash and now are faced with how to stay alive.
Red and orange leaves floated silently from the ancient Red Maple tree, which had graced the edge of the pavement in front of my house for nigh on two hundred years. The light from the rising sun danced between them as they flittered to the ground, littering the pavement, which by now I no longer swept; for I knew that my feeble attempt would be thwarted by more leaves innocently falling, just moments later.
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by Jeff |
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If you have any comments, make sure you write in below and I'll feature them in my next Horror/Scary newsletter! My last newsletter was about atmosphere (the question of the week was regarding favorite stories that use atmosphere for effect):
Sometimes things don't seem scary, until someone begins talking about payment. -- BIG BAD WOLF is Merry 
I feel the same way every time I see the cell phone bill arrive in the mail! 
Excellent topic! Atmosphere is very important in creating tension and it can really add a tremendous amount to a story if used correctly.  As always, you inspire me. Now, if I only didn't have to work tonight, I'd write! -- Brooke 
I'm glad I inspired you... maybe we'll see an entry from you for Sinister Stories this month?
A very interesting article. Sometimes too much atmosphere can detract from a piece, but when the level is just right it can be spine-chillingly awesome to read. -- Matt Bird MSci (Hons) AMRSC 
I wholeheartedly agree. The only thing worse than no atmosphere is too much, where the vast majority of time is spent on description rather than story. I suppose in that respect, atmosphere in a story really is like the atmosphere of our planet; without the right balance, it's just not going to end well. 
You're right about the atmosphere not always about the weather. I find it much more disturbing when looking into someone's eyes. Maybe it's those dark, sunken, cavernous wells, streaked with ropes of red reaching from the outer rims to the black pothole anchored in the center that hide what only one mind envisions that chills the spine and freezes the lungs? Or is it the glazed coating that hides what lurks? Could it be the blank stare of a corpse gazing off in surprise while flies roam about the lips and nostrils, undisturbed by hand or breath, as it lays rotting beneath a mound of autumn color. Or maybe its the face, littered with grey and black spires of bristled hair that surrounds those sunken pits, and the stench of decaying meat lingers over it. Then again maybe it is just a dark and stormy night. -- drifter46
Sometimes rain is just rain and nothing more. I wonder if anyone's ever used a "dark and stormy night" opening for a story that ends up being light and upbeat?
I enjoyed your newsletter. I have reviewed 2 of your highlighted items. I noticed that none had a rating higher than 18+. Is this a matter of policy? If so, it seems kinda limiting for horror! Most of my horror stuff is quite graphic, GC or XGC, but I've posted a story which I can rate as 13+ which you might enjoy reading. -- Wrathnar the Unreasonable
Yes, unfortunately official newsletters cannot feature items that are rated higher than 18+.  There are a ton of great horror stories out there with more graphic ratings; the good news is that many of the horror contests and review forums on the site will accept higher ratings.
Thank you for this very informative piece of information. I think I've always spun a little atmosphere into my stories without really thinking specifically about atmosphere. I will keep it in mind in the future. Best regards, Dwane (diggle12) -- diggle12
Thanks, Dwane! I'm glad you enjoyed the newsletter and found it helpful!
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Horror/Scary: September 14, 2011 Issue [#4617]
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