“It’s the dark basement where the only thing you can hear is the beating of your own
heart.”
The history of horror is long, dating back to the era of the Inquisitions. Before delving into the History of Horror we need to define it. Trap it in some way, long enough to have a look at its scary parts. This is no easy task. Horror comes from within and without. Tangible and elusive. We all have fears, the things that keep us awake at night or the things in our dreams that awaken us at night. Some fears are rational others, such as the fear of things to the
left of your body are not so rational.
In horror writing it is the writer’s job to frighten the reader. To bring out fears the reader may not even be aware exist.
“For the Horror Writer, the more real, the better. And the scarier. It’s the dark basement where the only thing you can hear is the beating of your own heart. That’s real horror. The kind of stuff
that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up, as if someone was standing inches behind you.
But
writing horror isn’t so easy. With any type of fiction, it’s difficult to think of something that hasn’t already been done. With horror fiction, it’s especially true. Creepy basements, loud noises from the attic, hidden rooms, Indian burial grounds, old hotels, multiple personality disorder, etc.—it’s all been done before, and it’s all out there. These clichés shouldn’t restrain you, however. They’ve simply defined the space you’re working in. You know what’s there, now create your own
story.”
Join us Sunday as we prepare for the arrival of our October Celebrity Guests, Loren Rhoads, Mary SanGiovanni, John Everson and our Quarterly Celebrity Guest Barb Drozdowich.
Resources
for Sunday’s chat include The Writers Digest, CM Humphries, 6 Things American Horror Story Can Teach Us About Writing, 5 Elements of a Good Horror Story, a list of phobias and other websites I found while following a trail of candy corn.
