  Horror/Scary
This week: Edited by: schipperke
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| When you are done dreaming of sugar plums and Christmas cookies, get back to thinking about writing more horrific things....like fruit cake! |
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Trying to write in the horror genre can be a frightening experience. The genre is one of the oldest around; cavemen probably told each other scary stories around the campfire about their day. How does the modern horror writer craft a gripping story to keep reader’s eyes glued to the page?
Avoid cliches.
Cliches are rife in the horror genre, probably because the things that scare people haven’t changed. The modern reader has been inundated with tales of vampires, alien monsters, and psychopathic killers so often, they produce yawns instead of shivers.
You need to have a unique story, a twist to a twisted tale. Think about what terrifies you, and then turn the idea upside down. Instead of a horror story with a crazy man, what if the creature was an evil middle-aged woman? Instead of being frightened by staying in a creepy old mansion, what if your characters were tortured in an ultra-modern hospital?
I don’t want to scare you, but trying to be original with horror stories will be difficult. The elderly genre has many masters and many wonderful plots already written. You may need to borrow a bit from a classic idea, such as a killer dog, and massage the idea to be more original and interesting. What if your killer dog was a loved family pet? Already done: Cujo. What if your dog came back from the dead? Already done: Pet Semetary. Human turned killer dog: werewolf (yawn). Dog is really an alien: The Thing. Now what do you do?
I challenge you. If you can come up with an original horror plot involving a dog that I haven’t already read, I will gift you a Horror Merit Badge. Good luck and start thinking outside of the box. The pine box, that is!
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Mavis Moog  :I don't like you any more! Fancy trying to make me scared of my darling little ol' Roger!I love Roger!
I know what you mean though. I find it very unnerving when innocence is turned into menace. Children are good stooges for this technique too.
Great newsletter.
Thanks, Mavis. I agree.
bazilbob:That's a great idea, my rabbit Shadow is fairly evil anyway, I could easily believe her capable of attacking me! Already has done! Thanx.
And rabbits have such long, strong, teeth!
zwisis:Hi Schip! Happy Thanksgiving, and thanks for this great newsletter. Some super stories selected too. Cujo and Pet Sematary are two of King's most terrifying books. I have to say I found the books far more scary than the film, particularly the latter. I couldn't leave that book next to my bed at night the cover was so awful. I left it in the kitchen!
How often have you picked out a book because of the cover art? May be a good topic for a future newsletter!
dusktildawn:Great Newsletter, Schipperke. Regarding your question as to what to cover in your newsletters, I don't if this has been addressed before, but writing a setting which is spine chilling and full of suspense is difficult to achieve. Any suggestions?
Excellent question, not easy to answer. I think all of the editors try to help answer that one. Settings are key to horror/scary writing. I think almost any setting could be frightening if written well. |
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Horror/Scary: December 21, 2005 Issue [#776]
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