 Horror/Scary: October 05, 2011 Issue [#4653] |
  Horror/Scary
This week: Two Sources of Inspiration Edited by: Jeff  
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"Last night you were, unhinged.
You were like some desperate, howling demon.
You frightened me. ... Do it again."
-- Morticia Addams
Random Writing Trivia of the Week: Despite continuing to publish novels to this day, the real V.C. Andrews (Cleo Virginia Andrews) died of breast cancer in 1986. Her estate hired Andrew Neiderman to ghostwrite her unfinished works after her death. The IRS then successfully argued that the name is a valuable commercial asset, which allowed her estate and publisher to continue writing books under the "V.C. Andrews" name. To date, nearly six dozen novels have been written under that name since her death, many based on ideas and outlines created by the "original" V.C. Andrews.
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TWO SOURCES OF INSPIRATION
Writers, especially when they're successful, are often asked how they come up with their story ideas. People are fascinated by the creative process and want to know how particularly unique stories come to exist. This is especially true of writers who tackle genres that are further from the reality that we're all familiar with, like science fiction, fantasy, and horror, where there's a significant amount of imagination and creativity that goes into coming up with concepts that extend far beyond the day-to-day events in our own lives. When it comes to creating horror concepts, there are - for me - really one of two ways you can go about it. You can:
Draw upon things people already fear
or
Twist something familiar in a disturbing way
Drawing upon things people already fear is a surefire way of developing a story that will make a reader cringe, squirm, scream, and cower. Writing a story about spiders, snakes, heights, clowns, confined spaces, needles, germs, death, pain, being buried alive, or having a loved one abducted instantly triggers our horror reflex, because they're things and situations which already terrify us. If you can find something people are afraid of, chances are writing about it will in and of itself go a long way toward creating that atmosphere of terror that you're looking for in a horror story. It's straightforward... and it works. That's why about ghosts, demons, zombies, serial killers, and torture never go out of style in the horror genre.
Twisting something familiar in a disturbing way, of course, is an alternative to the tried and true stories about all the things that already make our flesh crawl. In this case, the challenge for the writer is to find something that we don't associate with horror and then make that thing horrifying for the audience. Edgar Allan Poe was able to create a sense of dread around a raven. Dean Koontz gave us reason to fear carnivals, heart transplants, and weekend getaways to Napa wine country. Stephen King made us afraid of cars, cell phones, and even those little toy plastic green army men.
Each approach has it's benefits and drawbacks. With a fear that's already established in the reader's mind, there isn't a lot of setup that's required to get them into the appropriate mood for your story. Twisting something familiar, by contrast, requires a setup that could require an investment of time and words to make sure it's properly established. While this isn't such a major concern when writing a novel, it can be problematic for short stories (especially contest entries) where a word count is a legitimate concern and every word that's used to establish and explain the premise is potentially a word that isn't being used for characterization or narrative progression.
On the other hand, while memorable stories can be written using either technique, twisting something familiar is usually the one that's employed when readers say, "I'll never be able to look at that the same way again." The danger of doing something familiar is that the reader has seen it or read it before in any of the dozens of other books, movies, and other media that exploit the horror genre.
Ultimately, the method used to come up with a story is up to you. But before you write a horror story, it may be worth your time to give it some thought; especially if you're writing for a contest or for publication where you really need to stand out from all the other submissions. Ask yourself if you would be better served by terrifying your audience with something that already creeps them out, or whether you should terrify them with something they didn't even know they should be afraid of. 
Sometimes horror readers want to be frightened by something and seemingly innocuous. Then again, sometimes they want to be frightened by something they've been afraid of for years. Either one can produce the desired result, depending on the circumstance. Choose wisely. 
Until next time,
-- Jeff
QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Are there any seemingly harmless things you're afraid of? What caused that fear?
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This week, I would encourage you to check out the following horror items. These are the entries from last month's "Sinister Stories Contest" , which challenged the entrants to write a story about superpowers with a dark twist:
"Insanity defense?" Sergeant never could keep up with detectives rapid fire assessments of suspects. Sixteen year old Daniel Kravitz confessed to killing Billy-Bud, recently awarded Best-in-Breed American Staffordshire Terrier at the Madison Dog Show, and Missy, a rabid Australian Shepherd/Black Lab mix. Sergeant watched Kravitz pace his holding cell on the surveillance monitor.
"I don't like the dark and I don't believe in ghosts...", Ollie whispered in the silence of his room while covering his mouth and nose with his trembling hands. It was the sixth time that he had heard the grumbling in the night's darkness. His heart thundered in his chest. His mouth - dry and he wanted to escape but he couldn't move - he was stuck to his bed. Two tears rolled down his cheeks.
What does--it look like? Why is it here--after me?, Ollie thought. I will keep my eyes closed. It---it might go away.
He checked him for a pulse, knowing full well that there would be nothing. His own heart pounded with the knowledge that yet another innocent person fell victim to his cruel power over life. Why did that kid wander through the woods in such a random place? Would anyone be able to find his body? Did anyone know he was there? It sounded like he was lost when he came to him. Now he was dead and no one would ever find him.
Finally, his voice drifted up the stairs, asking why the dishes weren't washed properly, why the TV volume had been changed,why the chair was at the wrong angle. Her mother pleaded for mercy instantly. When Lily was younger, she remembered her mother would point out it didn't matter, or apologize for her carelessness. It never worked. Now, her mother just wept.
"It's the third one in as many weeks." Special Agent Daniels said. His eyes scanned the computer screen as he spoke. Agent Crawford sat thinking. "I saw the last one take his life. I know it was suicide." "That's what bothers me." Daniels said. "My gut tells me otherwise." "You think some kind of influence caused these people to take their own lives?" Crawford was more thinking out loud than questioning his superior.
One night four mobsters had to go visit there boss Louis White to go figure out when they would get there payments. Darlene was very upset about the delay and kept wanting a answer.
A starless night in the big metropolis filled my senses with all kinds of odors. Perspiration of hard workers soaking their sorrows in tequila, rum, and other assorted poisons blended into the extraordinary landscape below. Nothing stirred on the rooftop as humidity held a firm grip on the living. I stayed behind a man while he stood on a ledge of a six story building.
Luke frowned. This is not going well. Shadows from the darkest corners of the room crept toward Sharon. They looked like monsters, thin fingers and long claws reaching to snatch her. She glanced up at them and shuddered. With a shaking voice, she said, "What in the world?" Luke forced a smile.
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by Jeff |
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In response to my last newsletter on isolation (the question was regarding whether isolation is scary, tragic, or both):
Great Article. Big fan of Koontz and a selective fan of King (my wife thinks he's the devil incarnate). There is a lot we can learn from the experience and skill of these guys. I'm a strong believer in using the aspect of emotion against the reader and wielding it like a weapon to attain our goal whether it is fear or sadness or joy. Nice article. -- jbenj
That's a great point. As writers, the best way for our work to resonate with a reader is to have it affect them on an emotional level. 
Wow, being alone can be frightening. But being alone with something unnatural lurking around the corner is totally unnerving. Good newsletter, my friend. -- billwilcox
Thank you, Bill. And you're right... being alone is one thing; being alone with something else out there is even worse! 
In comment to your question about being alone, I think about the saying that a person who is okay being alone, as in truly alone for an extended period of time, is either a god or a beast. For the rest of us it is intolerable. -- David 
I haven't heard that saying before, but I'm going to make a note of it. Thanks for the reference!
Being alone can affect the mind. -- BIG BAD WOLF is Howling 
Succinctly put, my friend! 
Is isolation or being alone terrifying or tragic? That's hard for me to answer, as I have not just agoraphobia but anthropophobia as well (which, ironically, is the fear of people. It's kind of a catch 22 for me. I'd like to be around people, but they scare me. So I guess I'm not scared of being alone, but it is aggravating. That was a great newsletter. -- Angus 
Thank you for the kind words, and for sharing your own experiences with us.
i was inspired by your newsletter.keep up the good work ! -- chi1 
Glad I could inspire you!
I think being alone and or isolated depends on the circumstances before you can decide if it's terrifying or tragic. Losing a spouse when there are no other family members can be tragic but not necessarily terrifying. Unless of course that loss leaves you the only living thing left on the planet. Now you're isolated from human or any other living contact physically as well as mentally. That's terrifying. Same situation except you're left with only a house. While you may isolate yourself inside, there are others who attempt to make contact with you but you reject that. That's tragic. -- drifter46
Great points. Thank you for your insightful comments!
Both...isolation can be both terrifying and tragic. As much as us writerly types treasure or moments of silence, there is a certain comfort that comes from knowing it's only temporary, that interaction is only a knock, phone call, IM, or room away. Very interesting newsletter, SoCal, and some definite food for thought! -- Adriana Noir
I'm glad you enjoyed it, Adriana! Maybe this is why so many of us gravitate toward WdC... because we know that if we ever get lonely with our writing, kindred spirits are only a mouse click away.
In many cases, writing horror isn't about what kinds of gross or nasty things you can make your reader imagine... it's about what you can make your reader feel. I couldn't agree more Jeff and that is true with not just horror but all the genres of writing. You have to get your reader involved to hook them. With horror, it's particularly compelling though if you can involve them in every sound and nuance, that's what makes it truly scary. Great NL! -- Tornado Dodger 
Thanks, Brooke! It's always flattering to hear such high praise from a great NL editor like you.
SoCal - I just want to add that not only do they tap into those emotions, but they take "simple" everyday ordinary things and make them scary - like cell phones. For me, that "amps" up the horror element. -- StephBee 
Absolutely. I couldn't agree more.
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