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Printed from https://writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/1128-.html
Horror/Scary: July 05, 2006 Issue [#1128]

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Horror/Scary


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  Edited by: schipperke
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Table of Contents

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

About This Newsletter

Horror was one of the first genres I fell in love with as a child. I couldn't get enough of horror movies on the old UHF channels like "Creature Double Feature" or Godzilla and King Kong. There weren't many children books in the horror genre so I read adult books from writers like Poe or Lovecraft. These stories fired up my imagination and never gave me nightmares!

Today children have a wealth of horror stories to choose from including the Goosebumps series of books by R.L. Stein or Who Took my Hairy Toe? by Shutta Crum. Adults can delve into the classic horror stories or try new ones from authors like Robert Block or Stephen King.

I hope through my horror newsletters to bring you some thoughts on horror writing and some inspiration to create a horrific masterpiece of your own.


Word from our sponsor



Letter from the editor

Monster: ** Image ID #1126577 Unavailable **
1:mon·ster
Pronunciation: 'män(t)-st&r
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English monstre, from Middle French, from Latin monstrum omen, monster, from monEre to warn
1 a : an animal or plant of abnormal form or structure b : one who deviates from normal or acceptable behavior or character
2 : a threatening force
3 a : an animal of strange or terrifying shape b : one unusually large for its kind
4 : something monstrous; especially : a person of unnatural or extreme ugliness, deformity, wickedness, or cruelty
From Merriam Webster Online

What is a monster? Ask your friends and your family and I bet you will get different answers.

Ask a child, and you will hear the most creative answers. Monsters seem to come in all different shapes and sizes and colors for children although most of them seem to be some kind of mutant animal thing or even alien- like beings, depending on the latest movie they saw or book they read.

Ask an adult, and you will hear about human monsters such as Hitler or Ted Bundy. Not many adults believe in classic monsters like Frankenstein’s monster, or the Creature from the Black Lagoon anymore, but they can all describe a monstrous person to you.

The definition of monster includes anything that deviates from ‘normal’ in size, looks or behavior. With such a wide definition a writer can be creative and invent all kinds of monsters depending on the audience.

For a younger audience, a writer could stick to odd looking creatures who are scary or even comical. Where the Wild Things Are is a marvelous picture book with loads of monsters who children find strangely lovable. For adults, people seem to make the most believable monster. If you read Frankenstein’s Monster carefully, you will realize the monster is actually less of an evil creature than his maker. The monster is physically repulsive but has intelligence and needs and wants. Perhaps Mary Shelly wanted the reader to wonder who really was the monster in her story.

When you write your next horror story don’t forget the monsters. They are waiting under your bed and in your closet to come out and scare a new generation of readers.






Editor's Picks

schipperke's Weekly Picks


*Reading*
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This item number is not valid.
#930042 by Not Available.

*Reading*
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This item number is not valid.
#652503 by Not Available.

*Reading*
Monster Open in new Window. (18+)
If you call someone a name often enough they may soon believe it
#259585 by Andrea Author IconMail Icon

*Reading*
Image Protector
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The Beast Open in new Window. (ASR)
A story of one syllable words
#680478 by W.D.Wilcox Author IconMail Icon

*Reading*
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#903069 by Not Available.

*Reading*
 Smile Open in new Window. (GC)
What is horror? Any real monsters out there?
#879343 by EVOLVIST Author IconMail Icon

*Reading*
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#993367 by Not Available.


 
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Ask & Answer

schipperke's Reader's Comments


Nighala a.k.a. Doxie Do-Right Author Icon:Schipperke,
Isn't getting stuck in a car for hours on end with respective family members horror enough?
Nighala
Sounds scary to me!


zwisis:Great ideas to stimulate the horror writer's imagination, Schip. I remember seeing a film when I was small about a group of girls who go on a picnic to Ayers Rock in Austrailia... they were never seen again, dead or alive. Funny, to this day that place still scares me. There's also a mountain in Zimbabwe that has claimed a number of climbers - they've vanished without a trace. Fodder for the horror writer's mind? Absolutely!
Thank you for your comments!

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