 Horror/Scary: December 05, 2018 Issue [#9261] |
This week: Make Them Believe Edited by: Kate - Writing & Reading  
More Newsletters By This Editor 
 
1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions
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 Writing.Com Horror/Scary Newsletter.
|
| ASIN: B07B63CTKX |
Product Type: Kindle Store
|
Amazon's Price: $ 6.99
|
|
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 we as writers 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 do we do this, with or without an otherworldly 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
|
I invite to you encounter the horror in some of the otherworlds and otherways envisioned by fellow writers and let them know if you now believe, with your review, perchance 
| |  | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#2176095 by Not Available. |
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#2175950 by Not Available. |
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#2176106 by Not Available. |
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#2175234 by Not Available. |
|
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
Don't forget to support our sponsor!
| ASIN: B07YXBT9JT |
Product Type: Kindle Store
|
Amazon's Price: $ 4.99
|
|
Thank you for sharing in this exploration ~
as i bid you farewell in the relative safety of your home
and wish you joy with a fright for all you write.
Until the next time,
Write On 
Kate
Kate - Writing & Reading
|
| ASIN: 0996254145 |
|
Amazon's Price: $ 12.95
|
|
To stop receiving this newsletter, click here for your newsletter subscription list. Simply uncheck the box next to any newsletter(s) you wish to cancel and then click to "Submit Changes". You can edit your subscriptions at any time.
|
This printed copy is for your personal use only. Reproduction
of this work in any other form is not allowed and does violate its copyright. |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
