Horror/Scary: February 19, 2013 Issue [#5523] |
Horror/Scary
This week: Horror Around Every Corner Edited by: Diane 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
Welcome to this week's edition of the Horror/Scary newsletter. Horror can be found lurking in every genre from action to mystery. Each edition of this newsletter highlights stories and poetry on the site that will hopefully set your nerves on edge and send shivers up your spine.
~ Diane ~
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ASIN: B07B63CTKX |
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As I've matured, I've come to the realization that it isn't the physical aspect of horror that terrifies me most, but the psychological. The thought that horror could be found in an ordinary object or situation and is potentially lurking around every corner is enough to make a person paranoid! Still, I must love the potential for paranoia because my bookcase is filled with books that are clearly horrific in nature. My favorites are those that take the mundane and add a twist to make the reader tense with the possibility of a similar situation happening in their life.
As a writing exercise, I often take an ordinary object or situation and bend it into something horrifying. For example, one of the stories below, "Myself? Himself?" [GC] by Pacific Blue , uses a glass eye as the focus of horror. While many might dislike the idea of a glass eye, it isn't truly a horrifying object in and of itself, but the author adds a twist that elicits dread in the mind of the reader at the possibility. As the story progresses, the tension builds and while I was confident that the author was taking me down one path, I was proven wrong in the end, which made it even more horrific.
Another story linked below, "How About this Weather?" [13+] by Beckyl takes an ordinary situation, a call taken at work, and transforms that moment into the start of a terrifying experience. The emotion from the situation in the story creates an overwhelming sense of horror and by the time I finished reading, I was wondering how it happened. The key to using an ordinary situation as the basis of horror is to make everything outside of the situation completely normal, which this author does well. That keeps the focus on the horror and allows the tension to build.
One of my favorite quotes about horror was written by Douglas Winter who stated, "Horror is not a genre, like the mystery or science fiction or the western. It is not a kind of fiction, meant to be confined to the ghetto of a special shelf in libraries or bookstores. Horror is an emotion." Clearly, horror can be found everywhere and there is the potential for a scary story in the most innocent of scenes. To that point, I challenge you to take the photo prompt below from "Short Shots: Official WDC Contest" and write a horror story.
Until next time,
Diane
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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
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ASIN: B00KN0JEYA |
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As a guest editor, I have no feedback to share with you, but the editors work hard to make sure the newsletters are informative and enjoyable and appreciate your responses.
In lieu of feedback, I'll share a prompt from Prompts and a place to post and find items in the Horror/Scary genre:
Prompt: In a castle, where you stay as a tourist, an armoire swallows people who open its doors.
If you write something based on the above prompt, email the link to me and I will review it for you. After sending the link to me, you should also plug it, and any other horror items you write, in:
| | Invalid Item This item number is not valid. #1831282 by Not Available. |
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ASIN: 1542722411 |
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Amazon's Price: $ 12.99
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