Curtsies and Questions

[Regan Leigh]

Hello. *curtsy*

First I want to introduce myself before asking a load of questions later.

I've written one adult para romance and one YA UF novel in the past year. Both are in edits. (I feel more comfortable writing YA because that's the age population I work with at my day job.)

However, deep down I'm a dark and twisty gal. No, really. I promise.

Anyway, I have this lit horror idea... but I've never tried writing a horror story before. This will be quite a different direction for me and I was wondering what pointers you might have. I already know my story inspiration and the direction I want the WIP plot to take, but while I'm editing my other books, I'd like to start learning more about writing horror.

Any links, books, or threads you can point me towards would be much appreciated. I'm especially interested in how plot arcs might differ in horror than in other genres.

Should I first attempt a short story or flash to see how those go?

(And by Lit Horror, I'm saying Lit because it will have a significant Literary bent and will probably be very character driven.)

Oh, my. This is long. *Slinks away and whispers, "Thanks!"*

 

[EFCollins]

Hi Regan.

First off, I'd suggest you read a couple of horror novels. And by "read" I don't mean sit and enjoy them. You can still enjoy them, but really pay attention to how things are set up. Look for the things that all horror has in common. Pay attention to how suspense is used to heighten fear, how a subtle, seemingly innocent phrase can later come back to bite your protag on the ass.

Fear is a wonderful and powerful emotion. Tapping into it, though, is pretty darn hard.

Trying short stories and flash fiction is a great idea, though. I think that's as good a place to start as any. SYW has some really good examples of horror short stories from people other than the "well knowns". Damien (dgrintalis) is probably one of the the best writers among us (I don't think anyone would argue with me about that) and she has a lot of short work over in SYW. However, the rest of us that post over there, like JGold and Soapbox and LaurieD have very different styles, and also use very different subject matters. The reason I mentioned Damien first is because you said "Lit. Horror" which is exactly what she writes. I do too, but D's work is quite a bit more literary than mine, methinks. And I don't really have much over in SYW. I'd say pop in over there at SYW, read some stories, some of the crits, and then try your hand at a short piece. Then post it so we can help ya out.

One thing about horror short stories though. They are addicting to write. I find myself writing almost nothing but short works, which is fine by me, but it's really hard for me to write a novel now that I've gotten used to writing shorts. I love, love, love horror short stories, for reading AND writing. The form is so different, its hard to shift from short to novel, in my opinion. That may just be me, though. Hope this helps some! Good luck!

 

[soapdish]

Regan has crossed over to the dark side!


Ditto to everything Effie said. Plus--just adding--one book that really helps me to sink into what horror *is* is Danse Macabre by Stephen King. I struggle with his fiction, too long and wordy for me, but this non-fiction book is a fun and easy read (I think) and really gets at the heart of what horror is.

 

[dgrintalis]

Hi Regan!

And Effie, damn you for making me blush.

But she's right about one thing. Literary horror is my thing. I never really realized my stuff was literary until a bunch of people pointed it out, but there you go. I removed most of my short work from SYW for submission purposes, but I've got links on my blog to a few that are published. And no, I'm not saying any of them are great works of art, but I'd hate for you to peck around in SYW and get frustrated when you don't find anything.

Short stories and novels are totally different animals, though, and novels are a lot easier for me to write. My short work is usually too vague or open-ended. Bleh.

I'm going to echo Effie. The best way to learn about writing literary flavored horror is to read it. Try Joyce Carol Oates' Zombie (No, she isn't a horror writer, but this book is a perfectly example of dark literary.), Gerald's Game by Stephen King, Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill, Dark Places by Gillian Flynn. (Again, she isn't technically horror, but...), or In the Night Room by Peter Straub. That's all my brain can come up with right now, but I hope it helps.


ETA: Yes, yes! I second Danse Macabre.

 

[CACTUSWENDY]

Tee hee. Another bites the dust.

Welcome to the dark side. What has been said so far is right on. If you have the time, read all the SYW stuff all the way back. There's some really great stuff in there.

What I have learned/picked up from all the SYW shares is that each person has their own 'signature' way of doing a story. That's what makes the 'Kings' different from the others. In each story you will see the wonderful use or turn of a phrase that causes you to say...'why can't I write like that?'. There are folks in this part of the forum that can grab your kidneys and give them a good twist. (I wear depends sometimes.) Once in awhile you will find it is not a good idea to be eating or drinking anything while reading as your keyboard will suffer greatly.

The input that others deliver in response to share is very valuable, and most of the time worth it's weight in gold. So many of these folks have been published in one form or another. I predict that one day some will become very well known.

Again, welcome to hell and may your nightmares become magic words upon your pages.

 

[EFCollins]

Regan has crossed over to the dark side!


Ditto to everything Effie said. Plus--just adding--one book that really helps me to sink into what horror *is* is Danse Macabre by Stephen King. I struggle with his fiction, too long and wordy for me, but this non-fiction book is a fun and easy read (I think) and really gets at the heart of what horror is.

See, I was trying to remember that title earlier. I kept thinking the first word was something else entirely, and I even have the darned thing on my bookshelf. I was just too lazy to go and look.

Sorry Damien. But I speak truth.

Wendy, the poor girl would be reading till her eightieth birthday if she read everything in the horror section of syw!

 

[Regan Leigh]

Fear is a wonderful and powerful emotion. Tapping into it, though, is pretty darn hard.

Yes, this is what I want to work on...

Trying short stories and flash fiction is a great idea, though. I think that's as good a place to start as any.

I'm going to try this soon. And I will put it up for a crit, thanks.

Oh, and I know about the awesomeness that is Damien. She's already helped me a ton on other things! I like writing flash more than full short stories, I think... but I do love novels. I like to get really invested in the character for a longer time, so I think that's what keeps me going.

Regan has crossed over to the dark side!

Yay!

Danse Macabre by Stephen King.

Oh, thanks for the title!

Hi Regan!

And Effie, damn you for making me blush.

It was necessary and all true.

But she's right about one thing. Literary horror is my thing.

So excited cause I think you'd be perfect for giving feedback on my idea. Did I already tell it to you via Twitter? Can't remember.

Short stories and novels are totally different animals, though, and novels are a lot easier for me to write. My short work is usually too vague or open-ended. Bleh.

Oh, sounds very familiar. And thanks for the titles!

Tee hee. Another bites the dust.




What I have learned/picked up from all the SYW shares is that each person has their own 'signature' way of doing a story.

Yeah, this is what I'm wondering... what style mine would be more like...

Wendy, the poor girl would be reading till her eightieth birthday if she read everything in the horror section of syw!

LOL I thought the same.

I do plan to toss some syw out as soon as I get something horror related down. The stuff I have in lit syw is pretty old. But you can see, I work hard on listening to crits and won't waste your time!

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=154648


My most recent stuff is in the flash challenge area. It's the outcome of the AW 90 min challenge with a flash prompt, but it may give you an idea of my "voice" if you were interested.

Here are a couple of links. (password: flashed)

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=180304

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=179729


I may try doing a horror bent in tonight's challenge, but I'll decide after I see the prompt.

So... yeah. I really want to try this and I'd love the feedback. I really think my idea would be awesome, but if I screw it up, the idea won't matter a bit.

Thanks for the info and support!

 

[Regan Leigh]

Btw, is House of Leaves considered lit horror? I've had that on my shelf waiting for me to read forever!

 

[EFCollins]

Btw, is House of Leaves considered lit horror? I've had that on my shelf waiting for me to read forever!

House of Leaves is a thing all its own, not defined by any words or ideals. I think it's a masterpiece. Read it!!

 

[Regan Leigh]

House of Leaves is a thing all its own, not defined by any words or ideals. I think it's a masterpiece. Read it!!

Haha, awesome, thanks. It will be bumped higher on my list.

 

[RobertlewisIR]

I'll echo what's been said above. Doing some reading and experimenting is the best and fastest way to learn.

A worthwhile experiment is to find books or movies or television programs or whatever that really scare you. The "horror" elements hit home. Then, pick them apart, find out precisely why they work. Is it the premise that's scary? The atmosphere? And, without mimicking what others have done, try to figure out how they did it.

Despite what a lot of people seem to do these days in terms of gore and "going for the gross-out," which I really don't have a problem with but isn't really my style either, try to find out what chills the spine rather than makes one revisit lunch.

I remember a story I wrote...oh, many years ago. It was about a guy who goes crazy and thinks that, in order to save his children, he has to kill someone else's. In the first draft, I spent a few pages setting up the story and then let loose with the gore. The critique I got back stuck with me: "It was a great story, not a good one, but a great one, while I was wondering if he'd go through with it. Once he started, I didn't care anymore."

 

[Regan Leigh]

I'll echo what's been said above. Doing some reading and experimenting is the best and fastest way to learn.

A worthwhile experiment is to find books or movies or television programs or whatever that really scare you. The "horror" elements hit home. Then, pick them apart, find out precisely why they work. Is it the premise that's scary? The atmosphere? And, without mimicking what others have done, try to figure out how they did it.

Despite what a lot of people seem to do these days in terms of gore and "going for the gross-out," which I really don't have a problem with but isn't really my style either, try to find out what chills the spine rather than makes one revisit lunch.

I remember a story I wrote...oh, many years ago. It was about a guy who goes crazy and thinks that, in order to save his children, he has to kill someone else's. In the first draft, I spent a few pages setting up the story and then let loose with the gore. The critique I got back stuck with me: "It was a great story, not a good one, but a great one, while I was wondering if he'd go through with it. Once he started, I didn't care anymore."

Thank you for the comment. And this is exactly what I'd be going for. I have the premise kind of and I hope to give it a feel like the movie The Others... but a bit more creepy. Gore isn't my thing, either, but I'm not afraid to get gory when and if it calls for it.

I'm planning on hitting the book store this weekend to buy some of the previously mentioned titles. I'm excited that I have time to take this one slow and let it simmer while I work on current MS edits. I think that's very needed for me to find my footing with this one.

 

[RobertlewisIR]

While you're at it, and depending on your budget, I'd recommend snagging copies The Shining and one or two titles by Brian Keene. Both are great for watching how characterization and the "horror atmosphere" interact. If they have one, grab a copy of Feral by Brian Knight, too. It has a curious way of playing hell with the emotions. I'm afraid it might be out of print, though, so it might be a trick to find.

And then go and watch Amadeus, because I still insist that it's a horror film. When you understand why, you graduate Horror Writing 101.

 

[Regan Leigh]

Oh, thanks! I love The Shining, but don't know Feral. And I'm now very curious about Amadeus. lol Wasn't so much before.

I also remembered this movie I watched for a Spanish course once. The Devil's Backbone (subtitles, but great psychological/fantasy elements thriller)

I also plan to rewatch my fav cult classic The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari If I'm not mistaken, it was considered the first silent horror movie from 1920. Very cool, I promise.

So, yeah. I want THAT kind of stuff mixed into my story.

 

[rsmccoy]

If you're used to writing novels and you have an idea for a horror novel, make sure it hasn't been done. You can't read everything, but it helps to know what's come before and as stated here, will give you examples of arc and successful horror styles.

Learning to be a good short story horror writer is a different skill and while some of those skills are transferrable, they are different animals. It depends on your ultimate goal. There is also the question of readership. Have you established yourself as a YA or Paranormal Romance writer? There is no social contract with horror. Depending on what you plan to do with your characters, fans of your other work may not enjoy the shift.

I don't think there are rules for a horror novel, but readers do have expectations. If your quest is to create the best piece of art you can, then go for it. If your goal is the write a quality marketable horror product, then I recommend you read all of the above as well as the classics.

If you decide you wan to tackle short stories, then I recommend Writers Workshop of Horror, edited by Michael Knost.