On Writing Horror, from the Horror Writers Association

About ten years ago my job sent me to a Microsoft Excel course. It was only two days long, but it was supposed to teach me about the basics of working with Microsoft’s most hated program (right after Access). In fact, it was so basic, the entirety of the first day was dedicated to the three icons in the upper right hand corner of the screen.

I returned to work the next day and told them I had better things to do with my time.

That’s not necessarily my feelings regarding On Writing Horror, which was published by Writer’s Digest Books and written by members of the Horror Writers Association. But, the book doesn’t necessarily touch on any groundbreaking topics or provide completely new information that we wouldn’t expect to see from myriad other craft books.

However, I found the following sections enjoyable, in that they provided unique insight into the craft of writing horror, vice generic advice about the craft of writing.

Keep it Moving, Maniacs: Writing Action Scenes in Horror Fiction, Jay R. Bonansinga.  In this section, Bonansinga puts into words what most readers don’t really notice, but benefit hugely from: the ramp up in suspense and action during a horror novel. Establishing rhythm (Bonansinga, 96), made me feel liberated in my style of writing. What I once did to emulate, I began to do because I saw the value, and reading this section really solidified my feelings on the issue. Rhythm can draw the reader deeper into the story, the dialogue, the narrative and bring him closer to the precipice of whatever resolution is coming and –

Then stop.

It’s like edging, but in a literary sense.

Splat Goes the Hero: Visceral Horror, Jack Ketchum. This was truly a treat in a craft book: advice from one of the masters. A lot of horror writers today shy away from gore for the sake of gore. This is a good thing. But, sometimes the gore is necessary to move the story along, or to shock or move the reader. Ketchum talks about that fine line between honesty and exploitation (Ketchum, 121-122), but the gist of it is, the details are what make us feel the pain. If we’re writing a book about a creature that burrows its way into the soft, pink, fleshy corner of your eye, you need to explain how that feels. But, you should also know how it feels. Ketchum’s section is about the truth of writing, and sometimes… well, sometimes the truth hurts.

Take a Scalpel to Those Tropes, W. D. Gagliani. Another great entry, this essay talks openly about the blending of tropes to make them new. Gagliani uses the Wolf Man as an example, but we see these familiar tropes being used in new ways almost every day. The CW show Supernatural is famous for taking what we know and giving them a slight twist to add newness to them. And when it decides to create its own new monster (Jefferson Starships – why? “Because they're horrible and impossible to kill”), it takes elements of existing monsters. Creating a new creature today almost invariably requires us to rehash what already exists. But, Gagliani explains that we can do it without trying to be sneaky about it.

A terrifying, and wholly saddening section was dedicated to directing me toward the small press for “classics and new out-on-or-over-the-edge genre releases.” (Everson, 223). This sounds wonderful! Except, it does little more than point the reader to publishers to buy more books, as many of the ones listed take on few, if any, new talents. 

Beyond those sections, the book goes on to talk about screenplay writing, radio (audio theater) and research. Which is fine, if you suddenly woke up one morning and thought, I want to write!

I want to learn how to play the bagpipes, but I haven’t a clue where to start. A book called On Playing the Bagpipes would be fantastic for me. As a writer, the basics presented in On Writing Horror don’t offer any new tricks, secrets or insights into the business. However, it does provide the new writer an opportunity to hear directly from their favorites on what makes them tick. Overall, this book is tailored toward the novice writer, but there are plenty of other craft books out there for the intermediate writer that is prepared to take their craft to the next level.

I wouldn’t recommend this book to anybody in an advanced course of study like an MFA, but I will definitely hand my copy down to the first person who tells me they’re interested in learning what it takes to put together a decent story.