  Horror/Scary
This week: Edited by: W.D.Wilcox  
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The teenager was kneeling on the backseat of the speeding car, out the window to his waist, holding a ragged chunk of cinderblock in his hands. As the car raced by, he threw the block. It flew a short and lethal course through the ditch of dark and struck Alice in the side of the head. Clay never forgot the sound it made. He fell on his knees beside her, calling her name. Her hands were twitching aimlessly, the fingers kicking up little sprays of roadside dirt. Her feet were twitching, too, he saw, and he could feel the blood pouring out of her.
--‘Cell’ by Stephen King
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Can you hear scratching at your door while you're reading this? Nothing too insistent. It might just be a sound you haven't heard before, a banging in the radiator pipes possibly. A creaky floorboard? That's the way a lot of horror stories start. Something small and apparently insignificant grows gradually until all hell is let loose, sometimes quite literally.
How do successful authors of horror manage to keep scaring their audiences, time and time again?
What scares people? And how do I tap into it?
Well, a good place to start as a source of fear would be the most logical and often overlooked one: YOURSELF.
Face it...you’re rarely going to get anywhere by trying to capitalize on what you THINK scares people. Start with yourself...not only is this your most reliable source, but your writing will come across as more genuine, less artificial. What scares you? Monsters under your bed? Loss of control? Ghosts?
And that's my first piece of advice. Write about something close to your heart, something you feel strongly about, something that scares you. Exorcise your demons on the page. The chances are, when someone reads your outpourings, they'll share some of those fears and feelings you've expressed.
Beware of clichés…
They are death to any horror writer—myself included. The days of writing, but it was all just a dream, or, and then he realized, that she too was a vampire have long past my friends. There are a lot of good horror writers out there making the bucks, don’t get left behind with stale descriptions and old clichés.
There IS a difference between being gross and being disturbing…
Gross is a friend who pulls a big booger out of his nose and shoves it in your face. Disturbing is when you touch your reader emotionally. Gross is good, but must be used sparingly and play a crucial part in the telling of your story. And remember, gross has a limited effect that only touches your reader on the shallowest of emotional levels. If you really want them to remember your story, disturb them deeply.
Give us characters we care about…
I’ve never read a best seller that didn’t have a memorable character. Practice developing your characters; get inside their head and see what makes ‘em tick—make them unique and fascinating.
Short and Scary…
Use short sentences, short paragraphs and short chapters. Most people read in bed, on trains, on the bus, places like that. If your chapters are short then people will tend to think, "I'll just read the next one," then, on finding that too is short, the next one. So on and so on until they find, to their surprise, they've finished the book and if you finish a book quickly, you tend to think it's good (even if it isn't...). That's my biggest trick. It also helps to keep your dialogue tight and as direct as possible.
If possible, leave every chapter with something approaching a cliffhanger ending, something that makes the reader want to continue. Even if it's only a simple line like, "And then the phone rang." Or, "He didn't realise someone was watching him." You get the drift. Using short chapters and short punchy sentences creates and maintains tension.
Also, if you start with slightly longer chapters, cut them in length as you get near to the end of the book. This also helps because it gives the impression of the writing speeding up. Film editors use this technique. Cuts come much quicker towards the end of horror films and thrillers to hurry the viewer along and give that feeling of urgency.
Even if you're working on a "slow-burner" (a book which contains a gradual build up to a shattering climax) you're still going to need the odd fright along the way. Otherwise the reader will have lost interest and put the book down, nodded off or died before your brilliant final revelation hits them. Again, use the short chapter technique to maintain interest until all is revealed at the end.
There’s a lot more to writing good horror, but if you take the morsels of advice I’ve given you to heart, you’ll create stories which will not only rise above the generic tales of flesh-munching zombies and blood-lusting serial killers that are out there, you’ll create fiction worth reading—and worth remembering.
Until next time,
billwilcox
*Sigs by cwiz 
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SCARY PICKS
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When you’re writing horror, sometimes you need a good support group…
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HORRIFIC FEEDBACK
Dystopia
Submitted Comment:
When you consider who dictates the truly fine writing, the word-smithing that will echo along lines of history to be studied in educational institutes for years to come, you will find it is actually nobody, and everybody at once. It is not the editor at a publisher that dictates what true art is, but the heart and soul we pour into our own writing. Hindered by the restrictions of the grammar rules and dictation we live within, it is our plot and twist of phase that makes a writing great. Again, who is the one that makes this decision? Who ultimately is the judge?
Write for yourself, for your enjoyment, for you own escape. Write for the same reason you read. Never allow another person discredit your work simply because they decided not to publish it. Some people like cherry lollipops and others like to chew on dried meat. A rejection is, and always will be based on the personal opinion of an intern, an editor, or a chief editor, (sometimes all three), and not the merit of an authors art.
Of all the authors I have read at writing.com, the published, the successful, the struggling, You, Mr. Wilcox, I judge to be the most apt to publish and in such volume as to no longer be concerned of monetary matters. Don’t let someone’s personal opinion ever dissuade you, for you already are an artist.
Thanks!
.▪□J4□▪.
Thank you, Jon, that was very nice of you to say. It really means a lot to me to see that my writing has touched someone out there - especially a fellow writer who shares an even more critical eye.
Thanks again, my friend,
-Bill
silonsilke
Submitted comment:
I have to say:
I'm having a hard time believing that what you wrote in this latest editorial is true--your writing is some of the best on this site. I have, over the years, come across many of your stories and given them rave reviews. I have even told other people that W.D. Wilcox is one of the good ones. To find out that you have not had formal training in writing (I have studied Eng. lit in college and both my parents were writers, and I'm not anywhere close to where you are in skill and talent) and that you also did not go to college makes me think that what makes a good writer is something entirely intangible, and going to school to study literature may not be the best way for an aspiring writer to achieve success. Rather, by writing short stories as often as possible, as you say, a writer improves.
Also, I read once that Edgar Allen Poe and John Donne both were terrible spellers and had grammar problems, as well as illegible handwriting.(Not to say that you suffer these problems so far as I can see, but you mentioned wishing that you could improve in those areas.) And Mark Twain never went past grade school. With so many short stories, you probably could release a "novel" in a sense, in the form of a collection.
All in all, I very much enjoyed this frank editorial about rejection and dedication with all the great quotes.
Cheers, Silon
Are my cheeks glowing ? What kind remarks, Silon, thank you. But, alas, it is true, I have no formal training in writing other than the will to succeed; and the fact that I read a lot and try to imitate those writers as best I can. They teach me proper grammer too...if Stephen King does it like this, then I figure, so can I.
Now, I don't want to be the cause of someone dropping out of school, but, like the guitar (I'm no vituoso, mine you, but I can play anything I hear) I have basically taught myself.
I believe my problem with not getting published has to do with my lack of self-confidence and a lazy streak a mile wide.
Again, thank you for your wonderful comments,
-Bill
writeone
Submitted Comment:
This is beautiful. I started a file for rejections. The bigger it gets, the more I know I put myself out there. I console my muse by saying those people are stupid and obviously illiterate. Sometimes it works ... sometimes not.
Never quit, Kristy...never quit.
aussiewriter
Submitted Comment:
Horror is a genre I would like to try. Thanks for the tips. I can recall a dream I once where I was a child and myself and my siblings were being kidnapped from home and all the time this was happening my parents were laughing. There must be a horror story in that somewhere.
Yeah, I'll say! Alien controlled parents. Yikes!
Nikola~CHRISTmas Blessed 
Submitted Comment:
Very encouraging and wise words, Bill. I'm proud of ya!
...thank you 
Kraken through the Snow 
Submitted Comment:
Two instances of Murphy's Law: Your drought-ravaged region gets its first rainfall in months, but it's acid rain. When you reach the pot at the end of the rainbow, you find that it does contain gold: fool's gold.
Wise words, Davy. Thanks for sharing.
Starr Phenix 
Submitted Comment:
Wonderful article, W.D.! You're on a roll this month! It is so hard not to let all the rejections get to you, and though you know folks like King and Rice got their fair share before they got their big breaks, it doesn't make it any easier to swallow. Thank you for the encouraging words. They are greatly appreciated.
You are more than welcome...
allright
Submitted Comment:
Same here! Thanks for your encouraging words. I think writing is user-friendly, and everyone does have something to say. Again, thanks for your words,...they were right on!
Thank you, Allright.
Lily Faretra
Submitted Comment:
Fantastic newsletter! One of the most inspiring I've read in a while. I loved the author's quotes, and will certainly be bearing them in mind next time I'm feeling doubtful about my ability to write something worthwhile. This is a problem that plagues us all, and it's good to have a reminder that the only true failure lies in giving up.
You gotta ask yourself...how bad do you want it?
zwisis
Submitted Comment:
Having never submitted anything to a publisher, rejection slips are something I've not yet experienced. After reading this I wonder if I ever want to submit anything, although your positive attitude does give me hope! Excellent quotes, WD!
You are too kind, thank you.
animatqua
Submitted Comment:
Boy, do I know those "Aint got no publishing spot for you" blues! After fifty years of trying, I could warm the world by burning my rejection slips. But I keep writing for the same reason Asimov did: I can't not do it. Nice job on letting us all in on the struggle. It helps to know we are not alone.
Yes, Grandmother, we are never alone...scary isn't it.
schipperke
Submitted Comment:
Just in time quotes for future rejection letters.Thanks Bill!
bizaromike
Submitted Comment:
Thanks for the encouragement- I love the newsletter!
bazilbob
Submitted Comment:
Yup, writing's a discipline, no doubt about it. Right now I've slipped into a deadly state of convincing myself I 'don't have time' to write, what with exam revision and everything, but I probably actually do...
kelly1202
Submitted Comment:
Another great newsletter, Bill. I'm going to print out the quotes and tape them on the wall right next to my desk. That way when I feel discouraged-I'll have something to read to pick up my spirits-and know that I am not alone on this journey.Good Job, Kelly
Thank you, Kelly, the strong shall survive.
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Horror/Scary: April 19, 2006 Issue [#984]
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