Customer Reviews

Writing Horror

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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?

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!

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. :)

Writing Horror, edited by Mort Castle, is a collection of dozens upon dozens of essays written by the leading voices in horror. Editors, comic book writers, short story writers, novelists... Everyone is given a say in this book. And for any writer who wants to get a start in the genre, this book does offer a lot of very good and constructive advice.

The real great piece in this book is Jack Ketchum's essay on Splatter Lit and its hero, telling us how to create a realistic hero and how to make him sound/seem real. As a matter of fact, many of the essays in this book talk about realism; how to make your story sound real, how to make the tone and mood real, how to create realistic settings... Plot, techniques, the horror market, the independent press and agents are also discussed in great lengths.

Unfortunately, this book is downplayed a little as it includes too many retrospection on works by artists that didn't really work in the writing relm of horror. I'm thinking here of Owl Goingback's piece on classical horror films, which, although good, doesn't really offer any advice to the writer wannabe.

But those few essays aside, this book is a must for anyone who is interested or who wants to break into the horror relm. It's a great collection by the masters, including Ketchum, Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen King, Harlan Ellison, Elizabeth Massie and many many more.

I'm convinced that no one, not even the most respected writers in horror, can teach a person how to write; writers learn by doing, picking up lessons as they go. Based on the contents of this excellent and informative book, I suspect editor Castle agrees. Instead of the usual assortment of articles with detailed instructions, Writing Horror presents thirty nine pieces by professionals explaining both the diversity of the horror genre and how they practice their craft--readers are treated to articles like "Mirror, Mirror: Drawing Characters and Stories from Life," by Wayne Allen Sallee, "Guerilla Literature: Plotting the Horror Novel," by Nancy Holder, "Splat Goes the Hero," by Jack Ketchum, and "What You Are Meant to Know: A Reading List for the Horror Writer," by Robert Weinberg. Useful for the insight they provide to both writers and laymen, each article has something to teach--it's up to readers to decide which lessons they find most valuable.

I was a bit disappointed by this collection. For some reason I expected more. Certainly, I found some some good advice. Particularly good were the articles by David Morrell and J N Williamson but I found the interview with Harlan Ellison contained nothing I hadn't read before.

"Yet talent, not excluding genius, may flourish in any genre -- provided it is not stigmatized by that deadly label 'genre.'"
-- Joyce Carol Oates

The Horror Writers Association is home to some of the best and brightest writers of dark fiction today. Now with the publication of this handbook, they share the secrets of their craft. Edited by Mort Castle, author of eight novels and former instructor with Writer's Digest School, Writing Horror gives the aspiring author the insider's knowledge needed to write and market his or her work in this special field.

We find here a brief history of the Horror Writers Association by Stanley Wiater, and Joyce Carol Oates tells us why we need horror fiction, and how it helps us see the truth behind the lies.

Included are chapters on characterization, setting, dialogue and that all important question: where to find story ideas. Robert Weinberg provides a list of "must read" books to find out what has been done, and Karen E. Taylor tells writers how to bring traditional horror into the twenty-first century.

Jack Ketchum writes an insightful chapter on visceral horror: how to create reader empathy for characters and the writer's duty to add the details that make the scenes come alive.

We find chapters on finding agents and marking short stories in the professional, small press and Internet markets.

Don D'Auria, editor for leisure books, and Richard Chizmar, editor of Cemetery Dance Magazine and CD Publishing, give us the editors' prospective.

Then there is a great interview with Stephen King about his serial novel, The Green Mile, and a wonderfully telling story entitled "Quiet Lies the Locust Tells" by Harlan Ellison. A real 'think piece.'

Writing Horror is a much needed instruction manual for the aspiring horror writer written by the authors who know the art and craft best. But it's much more than that. It's entertaining and easy to read and it gives the reader an inside look at how the authors go about constructing their own stories.

The amazing thing about this book is how these writers were able to pack so much information into one volume.

This is a 'must read' for beginning writers and a refresher course for working authors.

Highly recommended.

I had a very hard time reading this book. It read like stereo instructions. It is really not a how-to book at all. It is more like the sole opinions of the people interviewed. Although, it did give some of the most insightful information on horror itself. I would recommend this book to anyone who is trying to write horror in order to get a semi-good grasp on horror. If you are looking for a how-to book, this is really not the one.

I highly recommend this one. If you really want to make a living writing this fiction in this frowned upon genre you can avoid a lot of worn cliches and come up with something unique and... Hmm, what's that other word? Oh, yeah, SCARY!

A fountain of info for the fledgling horror writer. Excellant article on dialogue by David Morrell. For the most part, it's a wonderful book, but some of the articles are less than helpful and a tad repetitive. Some of the info has been lifted from the other so-called "How To" horror books. A great book nonetheless. Buy it with J.N Williamson's "How To Write Tales Of Horror, Fantasy & Science Fiction" and Stanley Wiater's "Dark Thoughts: On Writing" for a clear and concise understanding of horror writing.