Customer Reviews

On Writing Horror: A Handbook by the Horror Writers Association

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On Writing Horror: A Handbook by the Horror Writers Association is a surprising treat for the still-struggling writer who is looking for good advice on how to make a horror story WORK - in order to get it published.

With contributions from such an array as e.g. Stephen King (the popular attraction, I imagine - but his words, culled from his Acceptance Speech when receiving the National Book Award in 2003, are still interesting and worth keeping in mind!), Ramsey Campbell, Mort Castle, Jeanne Cavelos, and Nancy Kilpatrick it comes as no surprise that what we get here is really only a glimpse of how to approach the genre. And, boy, is that good. As is mentioned several times throughout the book (by different authors), too often one hears that what you need for a book or story to be successful is to "include A, B, and C", when in fact the truth is rarely, if ever, so simple.

I found it refreshing that just about EVERY aspect of the genre is being covered - from classic horror, to the violent and even sexually oriented subgenres. This keeps the reader on a constant learning curve, I think. Something to fuel the imagination that lies at the dark heart of every horror writer's story.

To help the reader stay on line with the essays' diversity & suggestions, the editor, Mort Castle, has wisely arranged for them to be placed in various headlines -

"Horror, Literature, and Horror Literature" (general introductions), An Education in Horror" ("good things to know & read before you commence writing" stuff), "Developing Horror Concepts" (a personal favourite section), "Horror Crafting" (incl. advice on writing dialogue - which is useful for ANY writer of fiction!), "Horror, Art, Innovation, Excellence", "Tradition and Modern Times" (what to choose, what to choose?), `"Genre and Subgenre", "Horror, Business, Selling, Marketing, Promoting" (I think this ought to be something EVERY aspiring writer reads!).

There are of course (and wisely) no guarantees for success, if one follows the suggestions in the book, but that's not of relevance in the first place. What it offers is diverse looks at various important aspects of writing a horror story - be that in literature form or, even, as a screenplay!

The latter I probably won't ever use myself, but I found a pleasent surprise that it is there, since it is a good example of the diversity of the book - which is what makes it a good, trustworthy guideline for the aspiring writer (such as myself). And I am quite sure there is something for everybody; something you hadn't thought of yourself, and for which you will be thankful that you opted for buying the book.

As a final word I must say that I always appreciate a wellmade cover and overall quality, be that paperback or hardcover - and this book is such a book. Nice job!

I paid 9.99 for the Kindle edition of this book, and the thing that infuriates me more than anything about e-books is that I can't return them for a refund. This edition is the most poorly formatted piece of garbage I've ever had the displeasure of shelling out my hard earned money for. I have read self-published books by teenagers that showed more attention to quality than this. I read the print version of this book, and there was no problem. The Kindle version? Rife with spelling errors, missing passages, and completely nonsensical phrases that look like the formatter skipped over a line or 10. For example, page 46: "Besides, by the time backwards into my unconscious thought." That is not even a complete sentence! "x" is substituted for apostrophes and entire pages are left blank when there should be text. When I set down money for something, I expect quality, and this is not a quality product.

A thoughtful friend gave me this for Christmas and I read it in a couple of days. As in any lengthy reference work, especially a multi-author one, the importance and depth of the info varies greatly, but I certainly found lots of helpful points, from writing tips on dialogue, to markets I never would've thought of on my own. And there is also a high level of camaraderie and inspiration, as many of the authors give anecdotes of their own years of rejections, and it feels good to know one is not alone at one's computer, toiling away, while all the "real" authors just rap something out and get it accepted on the first try.

This collection of essays by a variety of authors and editors involved with the craft of writing and publishing horror fiction is a diverse and entertaining reading experience. Each essay provides a different insight and opinion to the craft, and often the writing of the text itself serves as an example for the reader of what "right" looks like.

The subject is approached from every angle. The art of writing, editing, inventing new ideas, avoiding cliche, finding appropriate educational resources, action writing, using spunk and style, as well as a list of important works already produced within the genre are among some of the tools that the reader will find.

The volume itself is compact and attractive, and offers far more value than its price tag hints at. A serious student of horror fiction, or even of fiction writing in general, should not be without it, and cannot help but learn from it.

For the kind of reference book it attempts to be, this is a pretty good book. It's compiled well, has generally good advice by generally successful and well-received authors and industry professionals.

One problem with this book is that most of the people that supply the contend for the book are now senior citizens, many of whom are form the pre-TV generation, and don't have an entirely modern viewpoint on the publishing and promotional mechanisms available today. There is talk of the evils of vanity presses for example; which is silly, as modern platforms like the Kindle Self-Publishing Program render such things moot. Other examples are abound, but I won't get into it. The point is, some of the information in this book is both dated, and told from a dated perspective. Thus, if you buy this book, keep in mind that you don't have to take all of their advice literally, and that there are many, many more options available to you when it comes to publishing.

I'm not bagging on older people at all, mind you. I'm not saying that being a member of the pre-TV generation is a bad thing either; as a writer, it's a very good thing in my opinion. I just know that technology has opened about a half-billion doors that the people writing in this book aren't familiar with and haven't considered.

The other aspect of this book that I disagreed with is the great push for writers conferences and workshops. While there is a warning that they're not for everyone, the push is obvious. Why do they push them? It's not on-the-level, if you ask me. Many of those that write for this book have their own conferences and workshops that they sell as a service, so it's inherently biased advice.

Other than these small issues, the general advice in the book is solid. I really liked some of the suggested-reading and I liked reading the work by the authors that were name-dropped (whom I'd previously never heard of).

Take ALL writing advice with a grain of salt.

OK, so you're a writer, and you've found all conflicting answers to what you need to know about writing in previous 'how to' books. Well, this book isn't going to help that (there are conflicting opinions in different essays in this same book). But what's great about this book, is that it shows what writing really is.

How YOU do it.

Read this book to find indispensable valuable information to how published writers of the genre create their magic. You will disagree with some, maybe most, but you will appreciate it all. I picked up many good tips from this like how to write more truthfully, how to incorporate a more literary style to my writing, and of course, most importantly, that you shouldn't listen to anyone who tells you how to write.

Write how you write.

Steal what you like.

Discard the rest.

This books is good inspiration, and looks good on your shelf.

Horror is in the unique position (along with romance) of slopping across many genres and book categories. In much the same way, this guide can help you find the sweet spots and avoid the sharpened stakes of writing and publishing. I contributed an essay on promotion, but I forgot to include the part where you post a review on the book you're in, then link to your own book below it...the very sort of clever tips found throughout this book.

This collection of essays is a valuable asset to anyone hoping to craft a story that brings chills (or shock, as the case may be) to its readers. From characters to plots to settings, the BEST writers in the horror world are assembled here to share their advice and secrets with you - don't miss your opportunity to benefit from this unique and insightful book.

The original hardcover edition by Mort Castle was fantastic, and this new paperback edition improves on that edition with updates for horror-writing in the 21st century. Horror is far removed from its heyday in the 1980's, and this new edition is a realistic assessment of the current state of the industry. If you're thinking about writing horror professionally, you need to read this book first.

On Writing Horror contains many great chapters on style, technique, characterization, building suspense - you name it. The advice contained in this horror writers' bible can be applied across the board to all genres, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to improve their writing craft - even if they think horror is too 'gross'.

Highly recommended!

Joel Arnold
author of BEDTIME STORIES FOR THE APOCALYPSE