Writing Horror [Hardcover]

Mort Castle (Editor, Introduction), Stanley Wiater (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1997

As a writer of the macabre, you know the only thing scarier than a good horror novel is the nightmare of seeing your hard work go unpublished. This definitive anthology enables you to learn from some of the genre's biggest names as they share their wisdom on developing horror that will shock and excite readers and editors alike.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Oftentimes how-to books fall short because they spend too much time with the basics and not enough time explaining the nuances of their subject. Writing Horror, by the Horror Writers Association, doesn't fall into that trap; the authors of the 39 articles in this anthology assume you can write, and thus they concentrate on getting the most out of working in the horror genre. The result is more like an inspirational guide than a how-to book. Of specific interest is the small section on writing horror comic books, featuring essays on E. C. Comics by Dan Chichester (who has done several Clive Barker adaptations as well as a well-received run on Daredevil), and "Breaking All Codes" by David Quinn (who broke all sorts of taboos in his bloody and sexy Faust). Other authors include Joe R. Lansdale, Joyce Carol Oates, and the one and only Harlan Ellison.

From Booklist

A seasoned horror writer and writing teacher pulls together a vast amount of information on the genre. The psychology of writing horror; techniques of dialogue and characterization; the relationship of horror to other forms of literature; submission procedures; career management; horror in electronic, graphic, and other nonprint media--there is something here about all these and more. Some of the essays require a bit of mental translating, but others--notably those of Tina Jens and David Morrell--are models of clarity, content, and wit. Robert Weinberg contributes a basic reading list, and there are tidbits on markets (inevitably soon to become outdated--the fault of fate, not the editor) and even an interview with and a story by Harlan Ellison. No one seriously interested in writing or reading horror will fail to gain something from this straightforward, largely successful how-to. Roland Green

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Writer's Digest Books; 1st edition (July 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898797985
• ISBN-13: 978-0898797985
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #360,931 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Writing Horror Full of Motivating Inspiration, December 31, 1999

By 

Bradley T. Combs (Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Writing Horror (Hardcover)

Morte Castle pulls the top horror writers together in this volume of inspirational essays on the art of writing dark fiction. This work does not go into too much of the blood and guts of practical writing tips on horror, which would end up as another mass of opinions that conflict with one another. No, instead Writing Horror trancends that writers' Purgatory and offers enlightening viewpoints of the various approaches and understandings of how good horror fiction is crafted by these outstanding authors. One of the most valuable resource this book provides is the light the multiple authors shed on what mistakes they and other beginning writers have made that kept their works from being published before finally making it into print. But more importantly, Writing Horror provides a truck load of motivation for writers stuck in that literary lull that overtakes us all at one point or another. There has got to be a scientific formula that determines how long it takes for the reader of this book to put it down and start typing because it happens every time. Perhaps Frankenstein will let us all know what the formula is after he's done playing with those usless corpses of his, surly those experiments will lead to a DEAD end. Right?

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The best advice on becoming a horror writer, May 21, 2002

By 

G. Van Der Bent "Gerb" (Katwijk, The Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Writing Horror (Hardcover)

I'm from Holland and I want to be a writer of horror fiction.
Seems like an odd choice, especially for someone living in a country which hasn't spawned a (good) horror writer in ages (if ever), but this book made me decide to go through with it.

It is great how WRITING HORROR is divided into all these chapters/ articles in which known (and some lesser known)horrorwriters give advice and pointers on how to master the craft. I learned so much from this book. There are things I hadn't even thought of yet (and never would) which are explained here. A few examples: setting the mood, how to write believable characters, draw your influences from real life, avoid cliches, don't EVER try to copy Stephen King...etc etc.

The best article for me was David Morrel's on writing dialogue. I knew him as the creator of John Rambo (of all characters). But from this book (and the real hard to find FACES OF FEAR, by Douglas Winter) I learned he's also a well accomplished writer of horror and suspense.
This man has such a clear voice and his words were so helpful to me. I'll be sure to read some more of his work in the future.

In short WRITING HORROR makes me want to create my own stories, and I think that's the best compliment you can give the people who put this book together.
I have some minor critisicm in that most of the articles are very short (only a few pages), but on the other hand I guess the writers make every word count.

It's hard being an aspiring novelist and sometimes you have to drag yourself behind your wordprocessor. WRITING HORROR makes it a little less hard!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some thoughts opinions and a bit of fact take it as you will, December 12, 2001

By 

"moira_marselle" (Chicago South Suburbs, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Writing Horror (Hardcover)

I bought this book after Mort challenged me to write horror again, I had no idea when I bought it that he had edited it, I saw the title, thought I struck gold, and bought it right away.
The information inside has proved invaluable to me, if gives many different (sometimes opposing) viewpoints of many, many authors in the genre. I wholeheartedly recomend this book, not only for the up-and-coming horror writer, but also for the expert.
It is true that there are some portions of the book that seem to take up space, but it is nothing more than interviews from established writer's (like Stephen King) and the history of the HWA and horror itself. Although, most of these provide no writing advice, they let you know where horror has been, and how not to repeat it, so that you can sell your work to an editor, something that they, possibly, have never seen before.
If you still are not sure of whether or not you want this book after reading this review, or any of the others, log-off, get up and go to (...) whatever bookstore you go to, look for this book, and read through a few of the articles (not neccessarily in order, skip around if you want) and then decide for yourself. :)