Customer Reviews

Writing Horror (Self-Counsel Writing)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
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2 star:		(2)
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I'm not sure what others saw in this book. My writer friend and I both found it very unhelpful. Van Belkom seems to have a rather staunch and simplistic view of everything he discussed in this book. For example, he considers the use of the first-person point-of-view pretentious sounding, as if to say "look at me, I'm literary." What a baffling (and not to mention entirely unuseful) opinion.

What also bothered me was that despite the large dimensions of the book, the margins are huge, and there just isn't as much material as I'd hoped for--especially not in the area of the craft itself (as opposed to the marketing aspects).

I see that this book was appreciated by many other readers, so I'm not going to advise against buying it altogether. Just beware that if you're looking for in-depth analysis about the actual craft of horror writing, this may not satisfy.

I've been writing since I was 15 but I've lacked the initiative and experience to finish a story, now that I've read Writing Horror I've done the exercises and finished a few stories. I found the sections on the seven steps of plotting and the five ways to open a story immensely helpful. The exercises and advice are geared towards short story writing although there's a few helpful hints about book length fiction. Throughout the book Van Belkom stresses how hard the publishing industry is, only those who stick it out will make it in this business. Also of note, being a fellow Canadian it's refreshing to see a writing book told from the perspective of a Canadian author. Use this book to write a story and Renni Browne's Self Editing For Fiction Writers to edit it into print. I can't recommend this book enough.

I'm glad I purchased this book. It's basically a "beginners" book for anyone considering writing horror fiction. I've taken writing classes, but none that specifically focus on the horror genre. I want to write horror short-stories, and that's the main focus of the book. Belkom gives great advice and examples of the various ways to start a story, how to decide if your tale is best suited to short story, novel, etc... He also talks about dialogue, and many other things the novice horror writer should be concerned with - format, story ideas, and characterization just to name a few. I think it could've gone a little more in-depth on most of the topics, but that's my only complaint.

As someone who has written and sold a number of horror short stories, I can tell you that this book is right on the money. Edo van Belkom knows the markets and he knows what it takes to make it in this crazy business.

If you're just starting out and you want to write horror, you should begin by buying this book. Read it. The book is jam-packed with common sense and examples. Follow Edo's suggestions, do the exercises and then apply your seat to the chair in front of your computer and get busy writing and submitting your work.

For those of you who are already selling your horror stories and novels at a professional level, WRITING HORROR won't help you nearly as much, but it's fun to read, it's tax deductible and most important, it makes you want to get some writing done.

You know you're in good hands when you open this book. But it takes more than just an incredible set of credentials (Bram Stoker Award, several novels and over 15 anthology appearances) to be an effective teacher. It takes a broad understanding of the writing craft and business, and an organized approach--all of which Van Belkom has with this book. It's a fast (216 pages), informative primer for new horror writers, and perhaps a nice refresher for the pros. Covering all the topics a book like this should, such as composition, marketing, and the current state of the genre, Van Belkom is at his best when he dissects his own stories and experiences for the reader's benefit; I'm just disappointed he didn't give us more--more meat, as they say. If you're still in the I'm-embarrassed-I-love-horror stage, Writing Horror has a flexible, paper cover that's perfect for folding over when you're on a crowded subway.

Writing horror is a must for any horror fan and aspiring writer. It asnwers EVERY question one might have about the craft of writing and about the process of selling and publishing a story/novel.

Van Belkom, who has written more than 150 published short stories and some very amazing novels, takes the genre apart to teach his readers the bare bones of horror writing. Everything is touched upon; from the provenance of ideas, to the actual writing (grammar, techniques, and dos and don'ts), selling, publishing, revising, finding an agent... You get it all in this book.

This wonderful book answered all the questions I had about the process of writing horror, and I'm sure it will do the same for any aspiring writer. It is a great reference book that any writer should keep close to his/her writing desk, as you'll keep coming back to it whenever you have a question that needs answering.

This is an excellent book if you are interested in writing horror. It takes you though each aspect of the genre step by step. The exercises in the book are useful too. I recommend this book to anyone interested in writing horror.

I've been writing for a few years now, and my goal in life is to become an author. I've written several books, none up to the standards of being published, though. I started a new book, a horror, and decided if I was going to get published, this was my best chance to do it. I found Writing Horror on Amazon and ordered it just days after finding it.

When the book came, I read it for hours at a time, finding the information very helpful. I sat down at my computer and began using the things I learned to make my book more interesting and add a much more suspensful affect to it.

The only problem I had with the book was that it mainly focused on writing short stories first, but I had already worked my way up to writing novels. Despite that, though, which wasn't a big problem, this was an excellent book well worth the money.

Edo van Belkom is no stranger to genre writing. He's sold 160 short stories, 4 novels, and numerous non-fiction pieces. He knows his stuff.

Writing Horror is a lean, mean practical guide, written in a friendly, earnest style. Van Belkom lays it all out for you: POV, sub-genres, submission format, market advice, etc. Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of this guide is the interview with current genre writers like Gary Braunbeck and Doug Clegg.

All-in-all an indispensable book.

I've wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. I realized I wanted to write scary stories at age 8 while reading Goosebumps books.

Unfortunately, I usually can only make it halfway through a story before I decide it's garbage and scrap it. So I've been reading some books about writing.

Edo van Belkom's book, Writing Horror, has an advantage over the other books I've read because it is specifically about the horror genre.

Within the 216 pages, the following topics are covered:

* A definition of horror and its sub-genres
* The elements of a story (plot, characters, setting, dialogue, etc.)
* How horror works
* Revising
* Selling
* Manuscript format and how to send it
* The horror fiction marketplace
* Contracts and agents

The book also features brief, three-question interviews with authors including Richard Laymon, Douglas Clegg and Kathryn Ptacek.

Writing Horror was helpful to me, as a beginner, but I'm unsure whether it would be beneficial to others who are more experienced. It covers the basics and not much else. And hopefully anyone who is interested in writing horror will already know the horror sub-genres and have read most of the authors listed. The book can also be repetitive at times (especially about being persistent), but it works to drill it into your head. But I found the exercises to be useful, and learned about things I never knew much about before, such as SASEs and manuscript format.

If you are interested in reading more books about writing horror, Stephen King's novel, On Writing: 10th Anniversary Edition: A Memoir of the Craft is helpful. There are also a few other books on writing horror specifically: On Writing Horror: A Handbook by the Horror Writers Association and Writers Workshop of Horror.