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Printed from https://writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/828-.html
Horror/Scary: January 18, 2006 Issue [#828]

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Horror/Scary


 This week:
  Edited by: schipperke
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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

What is that I feel crawling up my leg?


Word from our sponsor



Letter from the editor

What scares you more, a fat spider crawling up your bare belly, or driving up a steep slope of ice in a VW bus? Does your blood turn cold at the results of mass apathy, or are you squeamish at the sight of roadkill being eaten by maggots?

What scares you? I asked a random sampling of my friends and this is what they came up with:
1) Bugs. Meaning spiders, ants, worms, spiders and spiders.
2) Death.
3) Getting old.
4) Being sick.
5) Being alone.

When I look at the list my friends made, I was surprised. To me, bugs are fascinating creatures. I have a whole cellar full of helpful spiders who eat the less desirable bugs like beetles or ants.
Getting old is interesting. I plan to fight it every step of the way.
Being alone can be wonderful. Lots of quiet time to write or sleep and reflect on life.
Now death, and being sick, those things can be scary to me, the first because it is the unknown, the second, because I am too familiar with it.

A writer can use the reader’s fears to create a gripping horror yarn, however, what scares me may be different than what scares you. How does a writer pen a story to frighten most readers?

I think my friends hit on one universal fear; the fear of the unknown. What else scares a person more than not knowing what is going to happen next. What is out there in the dark? What will happen after the operation? How will it feel to die?

The bugs are easy. A good shod foot will take care of that fear!


Editor's Picks

schipperke's Picks of the Week


*Shock*
 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#991467 by Not Available.

*Shock*
 One Night Stand... Open in new Window. (13+)
This is a poem that was written to unleash the devil in me. Read through to find more
#1046505 by Shara-vacationing till Feb 20 Author IconMail Icon

*Shock*
The Violinist Open in new Window. (13+)
A violinist in 18th Century Austria is about to discover his destiny.
#1026789 by Pen Name Author IconMail Icon

*Shock*
 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#413629 by Not Available.

*Shock*
 Smile Open in new Window. (GC)
What is horror? Any real monsters out there?
#879343 by EVOLVIST Author IconMail Icon

*Shock*
 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#691698 by Not Available.


 
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Ask & Answer

:schipperke's Reader Feedback


billwilcox
Schipper,
Another idea came to me that there have not been any stories written about vampire dogs--done that I know of anyway. And with those sharp doggie teeth too.
Puppies have needle teeth and lots of em!

Elizabeth Anne Ensley Author IconMail Icon: "I don’t want to scare you, but trying to be original with horror stories will be difficult." (from last newsletter)

But isn't that the purpose of horror fiction?
FINALLY someone gets my humor! Thank you Liz!*Smile*

In response to my question about coming up with an original idea for a horror story involving a dog, a couple of readers had some great ideas...

nexuscommand

This is my idea...
That nightmares are our inner evils seeking to escape,and that similar to how Cerberus guarded Hades gates in Greek mythology,similar hounds keep them from consuming our own worlds.
However, one man's subconscious becomes so dark and twisted,that the guardian of his nightmares turns against him,seeking to drag him into his own nightmares,so that the hound does not need to suffer any longer.
*Shock*Excellent idea, and original. Now go and write it!

animatqua:
The woman is a brilliant scientist. She is blind, but moves within the other
senses to live strongly and productively within her competitive world.
Her one weakness is her dependence on her seeing eye dog.
A rival scientist developes a dog capable of thinking like a human, albeit on a
limited level of intelligence. The scientist trains the dog to 1)be a seeing
eye dog, 2)work the tiny camera embedded in his collar to spy on the woman's
work 3)to respond to the tiny microphone injected beneathe the skin by his ear
4)to be aware (through the information fed to him by the rival scientist) when
the woman is about to make a major break through in her work, 5) to kill the
woman when she does so.
Twist to the plot: the dog never overcomes the nature of a dog, which is to
become fiercely loyal to a kind owner. When the rival scientist tells the dog
the woman is on the verge of succeeding, the dog waits until the woman is
asleep and hunts down the rival scientist.
There are several routes to take within this concept. First, of course, is the
elimination of the plot twist. This will allow the writer to concentrate on the
feelings of helplessness and terror as the woman realizes her trusted ally has
turned against her.
Second, the terror of the rival scientist as he realizes he has forgotten this
dog nature and that the dog is coming after him.
There are a couple more, but my husband just called me to breakfast. Hope this
fits the bill for the Horror Letter---and good job on the idea!
*Shock*Wow, Animatqua, now you just need to write it into a complete story. Has a great sci-fi twist too!

And our resident Horror Writer Extraordinaire has come up with the winning entry:
STATIC
Ol' Fat Charlie Open in new Window. (13+)
When you cheat Death, somebody's got to die.
#1004860 by W.D.Wilcox Author IconMail Icon


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