  Horror/Scary
This week: Holidays ~ Unwelcome Gatherings Edited by: Kate - Writing & Reading  
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Words have no power to impress the mind
without the exquisite horror of their reality.
Edgar Allan Poe
Welcome to this week's WDC Horror/Scary Newsletter, where we journey into the 'dark' side of writing ~ prosaic and poetic ~ to create a reality that portends the horror to come. What makes us seek horror; what makes us desire to be frightened, mortified; what makes us want to embrace the darkness within ~ and without? Is it a modern-day phenomenon, or older than graveyard dirt? Come join the exploration.
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Greetings!
Have you ever been totally out of a holiday 'celebration'? Have you wanted to take that turkey drumstick and use it to bat a giblet through the window?
Beware, because you (and your houseguests) may get what you wished for ~ some horror past or future. The horror of the holiday gathering can scare the lead out of your pencil or fade the letters off your keyboard. But, before it does, you will write it and take your readers along with you on your journey.
Begin with the horror you (in character) encounter. No matter what form, human, animal, alien, natural, unnatural, make it seem invincible. Design a convincing way to engage it and defeat it, a believable flaw in the 'creature.'
Open with action. Encounter the turkey, the roast beef, the 'beast' or the results of its action. The vacant house with bats and tattered clothing and a finger, bloodied, pointing towards the oven, the cook, the guests. Make your reader want to discover where the bloodied finger belongs (and maybe put his/her hands safely in pockets while doing so).
Isolate your main character (protagonist), either physically or as the only one with the knowledge of the evil's existence. A kid nobody believes really saw a detatched bloodied finger (by the way, is it a human finger, that's for you and the kid to know) may not be physically alone, but alone in his knowledge and in figuring out how to prove, then best, the evil thing.
Torture your readers with tension. Raise and lower the stress level, offer anticipation with dialogue, action, and then moments of relief when your protagonist thinks he/she has found a solution, or perhaps wins a battle with the evil - but not yet the war. The stress rises after each breath of relief until the climax, at which point your reader has now clenched fists in pockets or perhaps is counting his/her own fingers (if it's a missing finger that started it all, that is).
Take your character into the kitchen, the dining room, open the basement door, tiptoe down the rotty steps, until you find (and here is where you get creative - what do you find? - not the cliche slamming door, but ...) The tension in the investigation can really bring your readers to maybe sit on their hands to protect their own fingers, toes, face.
Face off with the evil beast, mortal, animal, alien, nature, supernature. The climax that your reader is now near panting over pages to read. The battle, the confrontation, visual, active, and conclusive.
Your protagonist wins, finds the break he/she needed to best the beast (in whatever form it ultimately manifests), and is a stronger, better person for it. Everybody is now safe. However, the 'good' ending can be a ruse.
What if, there's something that intimates the bad thing may return, or still lurks in the shadows - do we have a fingernail still poking into a doorjamb, perhaps, as the protagonist passes through, closing the door on this 'celebration'?
Give it a shot - what if - one day, past, present or future, you happened to find in that cave/ room/ closet/ cabin/ alleyway/ .... a bloodied ..... and smelled .... (now you take it from there - and try the above pointers to battle and best what you encounter when you get what you wish for ?
Have fun - remember, it's a holiday
Write On!!
Kate - Writing & Reading
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Oh, the horror of it ~ yes, it's Thanksgiving ~ let's share in the repast served up by some members of our Community (I've had to include pumpkin - my fave dessert) and do share your 'thanks' (a comment or review) lest you be the next main course - Then, bring some of your own 'recipes' to the table
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I hope you've 'enjoyed' exploring some of the darker aspects of holiday traditions with me.
I've a thought for you. Take a holiday gathering and explore the dark side. Consider serving up a turkey that isn't quite 'done' or a pumpkin pie with seeds that come to life and a sentient being is served as the main course. Perhaps, as Hannibal Lechter envisioned, with fava beans and a nice Chianti? Share your story in prose or verse
But, seriously, I wish for you a Happy Thanksgiving ~ with a serving of creative license
Write On
Kate
Kate - Writing & Reading
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Horror/Scary: November 22, 2011 Issue [#4732]
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