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The Historian
“The difference between the right word and the nearly right word is the same as that between lightning and the lightning bug.” ~ MARK TWAIN I think I’ve made it pretty clear that I’m no longer a writer, so what am I doing administering a writing site? Well, that’s a leftover from a former life…
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TROUSERS
Have you ever been a pantser? Not the German tank, and this is not about whether or not you prefer jeans, slacks, or skirts. I’m asking if you’ve ever just been the kind of writer who just, you know, wings it. If you haven’t heard, there are traditionally two types of writers. Plotters, who outline…
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Why Are Vampires Scary?
As a writer of vampire horror, I find it useful to take a look at what makes them an effective source of horror. This is not necessarily intended to be a definitive or exhaustive list. Also, just because I cite a book under one category doesn’t mean it won’t fit under other categories as well.…
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The New Penny Dreadfuls
This post is not supernatural or steampunk ‘dark’ in the manner of many other posts here. But I think this topic has ‘dark’ real-world implications, and it’s something that’s been on my mind lately. “Move fast and break things.” – Mark Zuckerberg “Yes, why not? What is the worst that could happen?” – Cloacina Thus…
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Here Comes the Sun — But it Won’t Help
Who doesn’t know that the best way to kill a vampire is to drive a stake through it’s heart, or to give it a good dose of Mr. Sunshine and watch the creature of the night burn up? We all know that, don’t we? Easy-Peasy. Just look at Buffy. So imagine my surprise when I…
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High Noon
Good morning, friends and followers, and welcome to June. I sincerely hope it finds you well. June 1st, and if I tilt my head just right, I can still catch the lingering scent of last year’s Christmas tree… Now, that’s horror! This month I’m going to continue my series on my writing techniques that I…
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WORLD SPLATTER DAY
I am writing this on Monday afternoon, World Goth Day, in case you didn’t know. It’s an appreciation of the subculture and its music that began in the UK in 2009, and since the previous Saturday, yours truly has used it to continue shaking off the vestiges of social anxiety disorder by going out to…
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The Dark Side of the Wild West
On Saturday, May 20, I’ll be at the Ironwood Library in Chandler, Arizona discussing the Weird and Wild West on panels with such authors as Jeff Mariotte and Hal Astell. On one of the panels, we’ll be discussing all the flavors of westerns from Spaghetti Westerns to Steampunk-flavored Westerns to Space Westerns. One thing most…
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Fear and the Occult Detective
Fear is one of our oldest emotions — if not the oldest. And fear of the unknown is one of our greatest fears. I don’t know what I don’t know, and that lack of knowing scares us. It is primal, that fear of the unknown. Playing on our Fears Fear, and playing on our fears,…
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The Hero’s Cage
Those among you who are writers are well aware of the processes involved in character creation. Of course, you need a name and an appearance to build your character around. That’s what your audience will consciously relate to throughout the story. But every character must have quirks, traits, mannerisms, accents, all of which will serve…
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