  Horror/Scary
This week: Scare me again please! Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon  
More Newsletters By This Editor 
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
Quote for the week: We are fascinated by the darkness in ourselves, we are fascinated by the shadow, we are fascinated by the boogeyman." ~Anthony Hopkins
|
| ASIN: B01CJ2TNQI |
Product Type: Kindle Store
|
Amazon's Price: $ 5.99
|
|
Hello! I am Arakun the twisted raccoon and I am your guest editor for this issue of the horror newsletter.
Some people don't understand why anyone would want to read a story that scares the daylights out of them. Since you are reading a horror newsletter, you are probably not one of those people! Like me, you probably love reading a story that scares you out of your wits. But why do we enjoy being scared?
According to dictionary.com, fear is a distressing emotion caused by impending danger, harm, or pain, whether the threat is real or not. Fear is a normal reaction that may save our lives. Primitive humans lived in a world with danger over every hill and around every corner. The adrenaline rush caused by fear helped them avoid and escape predators or enemies. Our primitive ancestors lived in the moment, reacting instinctively to the dangers around them.
For most of us, the modern world is not so dangerous. We no longer need to always live in the moment, so we spend much of our time reliving the past and worrying or dreaming about the future. Some people crave the adrenaline rush associated with fear and choose dangerous occupations or hobbies such as driving racecars or skydiving. These activities allow them to live in the moment and experience the same adrenaline rush their ancestors felt when fleeing from a pack of dire wolves.
Horror fans prefer to get our adrenaline rush vicariously. Most of us have no desire to actually be chased by a zombie, but we love watching it happen to fictional characters in books or on the screen. Horror stories and scary movies allow us to live in the moment and face our fears in a safe way. Our fears are not much different than those of our primitive counterparts. Darkness, predators, disease, and death evoke the same responses today as they did thousands of years ago. Even in modern cities with millions of electric lights, darkness still comes at night, and predators still lurk in the darkness. These predators are armed with guns and knives, but they are even more dangerous than the animal kind. With all our technology, we still haven't conquered disease or death, and probably never will.
Dark houses, vampires, werewolves, zombies, ghosts, demons, and serial killers will probably always be part of horror fiction in some form. The modern world has also given us a new "boogeyman"--technology. We have become dependent on machines, but most people don't really understand how they work. We wonder what might happen if they stopped working or if the bad guys used them against us. In Stephen King's "Maximum Overdrive" machines turned against humanity. Movies such as "Scream" and "The Ring" would not have been possible without modern technology.
As horror writers our challenge is to keep readers in the moment as they read our stories. Unrealistic characters or events will bring the reader out of the story. Since book characters are no more perfect than real people, it is fine if characters make mistakes, but try to avoid horror movie cliches. When a character runs upstairs when any halfway intelligent person would run out the front door, the reader stops being scared for her and thinks, "Why did the idiot do that?"
Thanks for reading!
Something to try: Write a story about the thing that scares you the most.
|
| |  | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#1802112 by Not Available. |
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#1898401 by Not Available. |
|
Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
Don't forget to support our sponsor!
| ASIN: 1542722411 |
|
Amazon's Price: $ 12.99
|
|
| Question of the week: What story or movie scares you the most and why? |
| ASIN: B01DSJSURY |
Product Type: Kindle Store
|
Amazon's Price: $ 5.99
|
|
To stop receiving this newsletter, click here for your newsletter subscription list. Simply uncheck the box next to any newsletter(s) you wish to cancel and then click to "Submit Changes". You can edit your subscriptions at any time.
|
Horror/Scary: November 06, 2012 Issue [#5347]
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
