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Horror/Scary: February 10, 2016 Issue [#7466]

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Horror/Scary


 This week: Horrors of Unrequited Love
  Edited by: Cinn Author IconMail Icon
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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



It is almost Valentine's Day, and though it seems sort of silly-obvious to use that as the prompt for this week's horror newsletter, I can't resist. I enjoy crazy love gone awry as much as everyone else, after all. It can be an excellent way to add depth to a character and to heighten the level of danger.



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Letter from the editor



I imagine that many people reading this have written a story or poem before about someone who flies off their hinges over unrequited love. It's a staple, after all. Anything from obsessive stalkers to Carrie-style date pranks fall into this category. I rarely write stories myself, and even I have written at least one character who flies off the handle because the woman he loves makes fun of him. Or more specifically, dares to make fun of his beloved disco music. Hey, these characters can be both fun and chilling, right?

What makes these unrequited-love psychos different from the average nut job is the passion and motive. Everyone has felt a sliver of what the killer is feeling, which makes even the most insane character relatable. Many "insane killer" types have no concrete reason for lashing out. The question becomes: Is it more scary to know or not to know the reason?

This question is the basis of a very old horror fan argument-- Jason Voorhees vs Michael Myers, who is scarier? Some say Michael because he is cold and inherently evil, and others cite Voorhees because he has a real agenda, a passion for slaying certain people. With passion comes unrelenting obsession and the burning need for revenge and a true desire to torment. This can add an extra level of crazy to your latest pyscho.

My personal favorite though is a combination of the two. Some characters start with frenzied passion, but once they have their victim in sight, they become a cold and calculating monster of a different sort. It's the best of both worlds.

As for upping the danger level, that too lies in passion. If the character is unbalanced, intense love may believably twist into an intense need for revenge. And of course, the desire to be physically intimate with someone has been known to morph into an entirely different version of physical intimacy. Either can be a horrific 180.

Like many of you, I have read some Valentine's inspired horror stories and have seen all of the classic holiday horror movies as well. While poisoned chocolates and human hearts in candy boxes are fun and quirky, nothing says horror to me quite like an insane character whose love turns to wrath. Hopefully, I'll be seeing some of them floating around WDC in a few days.



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Ask & Answer


What drove your most recent psychotic killer character over the edge? *Asteriskb* What holiday-related horror stories have you written? *Asteriskb* If you haven't written one, would you consider it, or is it too cliche for you?

*AsteriskV* *AsteriskO* *AsteriskB*



It has been a long while since I had the honor of being your Horror newsletter editor! The last time I had the pleasure, the topic was using childhood memories to provide settings, characters, and situations for your horror stories. Here are some of the interesting responses:

*Asteriskv* *Asterisko* *Asteriskv*



I really enjoyed this newsletter! Plumbing the depths of my childhood for plot bunnies is not an unfamiliar activity for me, perhaps there is something about us Mainers and our environment? The part where you talked about adults and their lack of censor around a child because they think the child doesn't or won't understand... described my grandmother perfectly. Of course I sometimes think some of the things she would say in my presence were said on purpose to scare me, but that in itself adds a new level of horror... why would an adult do that?           From MacTíre Taibhse GhostWolf Author Icon


Maybe it's those cold winters that just have us all diving into the depths of horror, hmmm? I know that there were times when just shoveling the driveway seemed like a nightmare scenario to me. *Facepalm* It had not occurred to me that the adults in my life might have said such things just loud enough for me to hear... on purpose. And the plot thickens. *Smirk* Good point.



When I was only about five or six, we were still living in Goose Creek, South Carolina(located just on the edge of Charleston.) I remember that Halloween being dressed as a gypsy to go trick-or-treating. There was one house in particular that I loved. It was right on the edge of a wooded section at the end of the road. In front, they had dummies hanging from trees and set up on tables as though a mad scientist had been experimenting. Mixed in with the dummies were a few costumed members of the family. It terrified me. I loved it.
Years later I would think back on it and use it for scenes in Goosebumps and Fear Street. Even today when I measure how scary something is, I compare it to coming up to that house as the sun was sinking below the treeline. Very little has actually compared to it.           From Ency Peterson Author Icon


*Laugh* I know just what you mean about the crazy Halloween decorations that are legitimately scary. Where I currently live, my neighbors are the ghoulish royalty of the neighborhood, complete with strobe lights and fog machine. There are kids who wont go near their house, but they have lots of fun doing it. The mad scientist dummies on tables is an amazing touch that I'd not heard of before. Terrifying to children, I'm sure... but pretty awesome idea from an adult perspective!



At the ripe old age of 16, I awoke in the middle of the night to a very tall black-cloaked-and-hooded-figure standing over my bed. Its face wasn't discernible because of the hood, and as I stared at it the shape began to dissipate until it vanished right before my eyes. I was so frightened I slipped into bed with my older brother, who slept in the same room. Did I see Death in my room? Perhaps, but I've never forgotten it.
-Bill           From willwilcox


Woah... I don't think that I had anticipated anything quite so vividly, obviously horror when I asked the question. Skeptic that I am, I cannot say that I really believe Death was in your room. *Ha* Still though, that type of scare would certainly be memorable. If you haven't used it in a story before, perhaps you should. You're certainly no stranger to the horror genre. *Wink*



Great Newsletter! You have shared some very solid and interesting ways for one's muse to get up and at it! Thanks for sharing.           From Patrece ~ Author Icon


Always happy to get the juices flowing, love! I know that you have never had much of a problem drawing from personal experience when writing, but as someone who has struggled with writing "what I know", I figured that a little boost might get other people's wheels spinning as well as my own! *Thumbsup*



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