It’s Normal to Embrace the Paranormal

By Bjorn Leesson

Humanity has been fascinated with the paranormal in one form or another since time immemorial. From the suppositions regarding the “Bermuda Triangle,” to the longing to peek behind the veil to see what’s on the “other side,” we have always wanted to know the “unknowable.” From the interpreted meanings of a cave drawing produced by our prehistoric ancestors to a book in its first draft completed this morning. It fascinates us all on some level.

The interest in the paranormal over the ages has influenced all manners of disciplines from psychology to history, and of course, storytelling and writing. The largest impact on writing is naturally an entire very popular and large genre of paranormal literature. Ghost stories, curses, supernatural creatures, sorcery, and so on – millions of books and many more millions of loyal fans.

(more…)

Why You Can’t Write Fear Without Feeling It First

by: J.M. Shaw

Every story requires a different creative mindset. I can’t write a sombre narrative if I’m feeling lighthearted and carefree, nor can I write a tranquil scene if I’m weighed down by inner turmoil. Creativity isn’t something that can be forced—it’s inextricably connected to one’s emotional state. If writing is a process powered by imagination, then one’s mood is the fuel that keeps the imaginative fire burning. And while our feelings can’t always be controlled, they can certainly be influenced.

(more…)

Advance to Adaptation
By Kristina Rienzi

Do you want your book turned into a movie? Does it seem like a dream that will never come true? 

If you answered yes, you’re not alone. Most authors dream about their stories on screen. But Hollywood isn’t breaking down doors. There are more writers than ever, and plenty of material for them to be super picky. Besides, unlike self-publishing, self-movie making doesn’t exist. 

Or does it…

Maybe not, yet. But let’s explore what we CAN do as writers. 

(more…)

The Development of a Trope

By James L Hill

Vampires have haunted the mind for millennia. The Mesopotamians, Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans all believed in blood drinking demons, the precursors to modern vampires. Probably because blood is the one thing everyone recognizes as essential for life. It is irreplaceable. I was born with a fever, the doctors wanted to do a full transfusion, and my father refused. His reasoning, “no way you can take all the blood out of my boy and put it back in.”

This is the first trope of the vampire story, they need blood to survive. Working off this main idea, blood will reconstitute the vampire. They gain control of their victims through the blood. They slowly suck the blood, gaining power over the person’s will until one night they completely drain them. The victim dies to rise as a vampire and slave to their master.

(more…)

The Importance Of The First Line

By Joel McKay

“Jack Torrance thought: Officious little prick.”  (King, The Shining, 3).

That’s the first line in, arguably, Stephen King’s most well-known scare fest, 1977’s The Shining.

Terrifying? Not at all.

Engaging? You bet your ass it is, and, more than that, it immediately reveals Jack’s deep-seeded self-confidence issues that manifest as rage, which underpins the entire novel.

So far as first lines go, it’s a stand-out. Let’s review a few more:

(more…)

5 Things This Podcast Host Needs Horror Authors to Know

By: Ashe Woodward

If you’re a horror author, you’re likely more comfortable scribing alone in the silence of the blackened night. So it may seem like a direct gash in the face when it seems like everyone is telling you to “put yourself out there,” in the light of day, on a podcast, with an extroverted host spewing questions at you. 

I get it. I’m an author too.

But I’m also a podcaster, and you should know that being a guest on a respected podcast can do a lot for you. Not only is it great for exposure and book sales but it’s a way to build a sustaining brand around you and your future work. 

(more…)

How fantasy built the foundation for my horror stories

I’m frequently asked how it is that I became interested in horror as a creator.

It’s one of those questions that I tend to immediately internalize as if it’s coming from a place of judgment (in fairness, more than once it has).

But it’s an honest question also, and the answer is rather mundane, but I think it is useful for us as creators.

Here’s the big (read: boring) reveal: I come to horror by way of fantasy. If anything, fantasy is homebase for me and horror came a bit later.

(more…)

Read what you love, not what you think you should love

By Joel McKay

Read what you like, write what you like, not what you think you should like.

Sounds simple but it’s hard to do in practice. Let me unpack this a bit.

One of the more annoying habits of social groups—particularly in the arts, but I’ve witnessed it just the same in sports and athletics—is the impression a newbie is left with by some that they need to have a certain amount of knowledge or experiences to gain entry to the crowd.

I’ve seen this pop up in literary circles, sometimes horror, whereas readers or new writers are led to believe by some that they’re not “legit” or don’t have anything meaningful to “contribute” unless they’ve consumed certain texts, typically it’s obscure stuff but also classics such as Mary Shelley, Shirley Jackson, H.P. Lovecraft or Henry James.

(more…)