July 22, 2008

Steps on the Journey – On Writing Horror

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So you don’t write horror, huh? Well, too bad! Pick this book up anyway! On Writing Horror is a collection of essays by dozens of premiere horror authors, including Stephen King, Tom Piccirilli, Jack Ketchum, Douglas E. Winter and many more.

This book will appeal to horror authors, especially, so why should you check this out if you don’t write horror? Simple: Most of the essays in this book can be applied across most, if not all, genres. The general principles are similar.

There’s a fantastic essay on character creation by Tina Jens called "Such Horrible People." You’ll find a lot of suggestions that you don’t see in every other book on character. There’s also a good piece on writing actions scenes in horror by Jay R. Bonansinga which can be applied to other genres. You’ll also find essays on marketing, plotting, and publishing in general.

Recommendation:
An absolute MUST for aspiring horror writers. Other writers can also benefit from a number of essays in this collection, so a library-check-out is definitely worth it!

Recent Comments

  • David Leonhardt
    September 9, 2008 - 9:09 pm · Reply

    It’s like that way with most aspects of writing. For the rest, just divide it all in two: storytelling (fiction, biography, history) and information sharing (everything else).

    Oh yes, and picture books., I suppose they o in a category by themselves. 🙂

  • Crystal-Rain Love
    September 20, 2008 - 10:09 pm · Reply

    I write paranormal romance and romantic suspense, but think this book would have some good information in it. I think the best writing is when the author delves into different genres, taking elements from them all to create something unique.

  • Andre L. West, editor
    October 12, 2008 - 1:10 am · Reply

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