On writing horror
Revised edition
A Handbook by The Horror Writers Association
Edited by Mort Castle
Writers Digest Books, Cincinnati, 2007
ISBN 1-58297-420-9
ISBN 978-1-58297-420-0
If you are interested in writing horror, this 260-page book is essential. In fact there is a lot of good stuff in here for people interested in writing any type of fiction.
The eight part book covers the whole spread of writing horror, ranging from core concepts, like characterization and plot, to genre specific details of writing gore and action scenes. The editor has achieved this by sourcing contributions from leading and upcoming horror (and science fiction) authors, editors and publishers.
The book is divided into eight parts:
- Horror, Literature and Horror Literature
- An Education in Horror
- Developing Horror Concepts
- Horror Crafting
- Horror, Art, Innovation, Excellence
- Tradition and Modern Times
- Genre and Subgenre
- Horror Business: Selling, Marketing, Promoting
Each part contains from three to ten essays that focus on a particular aspect.
The advice is nothing short of brilliant. I can only hope that there are similar books that are as good for aspiring authors in other genres, and in fiction generally. The editor has done a great job of ensuring that each contribution is of an equally high standard. There are no weak contributions and not one that I did not get at least two great pieces of information from, which is a major achievement in a book of this type. Even essays on topics I was not overly interested in, such as the one on comics and graphic novels, contained useful information I could extrapolate to my interests. Perhaps this just reflects my low level of knowledge, but I really do believe it has hit the mark throughout.
Particular highlights are all of Part Four, which examines the craft of writing and Robert Weinberg’s ‘What You Are Meant to Know: Twenty-One Horror Classics’. This latter was an education in pointing me to particular books, some of which I had never heard of, which are considered classics or have something important to teach. I’ve added them to my existing list of ‘to read’ books and have been most impressed with the ones I have read so far. You even learn something from the individual styles of the essays: each having its own voice and approach.
This is a fantastic book and I highly recommend it.
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