November is here and the winter holiday season is just around the bend.
If you’re like me you probably resent retail stores that put their Christmas decorations out the day after Halloween. However, if you’re like me, you put off holiday shopping until the day before, when there is little time and little selection left. As a community service I’m starting a special series of blog posts on Sunday, describing various presents you could purchase that writer in your life — be she a horror writer or a writer of some other genre.
It is my sincere hope that if I start early I can help cut down on those hellish last minute shopping excursions. And if you are a writer who finds something of interest here, print up the post and leave it for a loved one to use as a guide.
 On Writing Horror: A Handbook by the Horror Writers Association  |
On Writing Horror: A Handbook by the Horror Writers AssociationEditor: Castle, Mort |
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The masters of horror have united to teach you the secrets of success in the scariest genre of all! In On Writing Horror, Second Edition, Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates, Harlan Ellison, David Morrell, Jack Ketchum, and many others tell you everything you need to know to successfully write and publish horror novels and short stories. Edited by the Horror Writers Association (HWA), a worldwide organization of writers and publishing professionals dedicated to promoting dark literature, On Writing Horror includes exclusive information and guidance from 58 of the biggest names in horror writing to give you the inspiration you need to start scaring and exciting readers and editors. You’ll discover comprehensive instruction such as:
With On Writing Horror, you can unlock the mystery surrounding classic horror traditions, revel in the art and craft of writing horror, and find out exactly where the genre is going next. Learn from the best, and you could be the next best-selling author keeping readers up all night long. Table of Contents:
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This is a must have for any writer of horror fiction. I read the first edition (see book cover to the right) when it was published in 1997 and each page was an education — not only in how to write horror but in why I loved the genre so much to begin with. Over ninety percent of the material in this book could be applied to almost any genre fiction writing — even romance. Paranormal romance anyone?
If your writer doesn’t own this book, do him or her a favor and put this one at the top of this year’s shopping list.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Wish a book *could* teach me how to write a horror bestseller. I take this stuff as casual entertainment that basically does nothing.
It is entertaining though and actually, maybe it does psyche me up a little reading it, but the fact is most people who go through writing advice books don’t become successful as writers, anymore then those who don’t. I think its basically a waste of time, although its fun to hear amusing antidotes.
Now, if someone really had the secret of this, do you think they’d share it with everyone? Do you think they even could?
As a somewhat successful writer trying to make it big, I’ve pretty much accepted I’m on my own.
Cool visuals for Coffin County, by the way. Makes me interested in checking out the novel.
Hello David,
Ahhhh I understand some of your frustration. If books could teach the whole art I’d be a bestselling author. However, I’m just not a very good writer. Although I think I do passably well as a blogger.
If you do have a talent for writing, then experience (writing, writing, writing) is the single most important way to learn the craft — you’ll never get there if you never write (You already know that). However, I do believe that the best books on writing can help you avoid mistakes and strengthen your writing by learning using other people’s experience.
Good luck on your writer’s journey, David.
Thanks for wishing me luck, Gregory. You make a good blog. I know that writing books are a debatable subject and people have different opinions about them.