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FEAR ~ My First Day of Teaching
What is fear? What does it mean to be brave, to show courage? Where is the actual courage and bravery if one is not afraid? According to a famous John Wayne quote, “Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.” My favorite quote on this subject is from Eddie Rickenbacker (WW-1, Ace Pilot) “Courage…
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Facing the Sinister
The other week someone asked me about the symbolism behind the emblem of the Office of Unidentified Phenomena (OUP). The fictional agency for which my paranormal investigator Pierce Mostyn works to save America and the world from those things that make big bumps in the night. It’s a good question, because the design wasn’t haphazard.…
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Tim Sorrensen on Writing Part 2
Welcome back. The next step I take is to cut and paste the story parts in order. At this stage you may notice we have some names. Jack J. Novak, Jules Sinclair, and Isabel Novak. I chose these on the fly as I wrote. Note the syllable ratios. Jack J. Novak=1:1:2. Jules Sinclair=1:2. Isabel Novak=3:2.…
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Tim Sorrensen on Writing
Jack Tyler has asked me to talk to you about writing, about how I construct my short stories, about the nuts and bolts of the craft I love so much. At first, I refused. After all, I’m the new kid on the block. I’m a student not a teacher. Who would even listen, right? Then…
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How Not to Write a Horror Story
This is my first blog. What exactly do I mean by that statement? Is this my first blog on this new site created by my friend and fellow writer, Jack Tyler. No, I mean literally; this is the first blog I have ever written. The original thread that started this blog was on the theme…
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Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories
There’s something about the long, dark nights just as autumn turns into full-fledged winter that seems especially suited to spooky tales. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons the Victorians were especially fond of telling ghost stories on Christmas Eve. Of course, one of the most famous ghost stories of Christmas is none other than A…
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The Catacombs of Horror
Last week, our very capable colleague CW Hawes looked into the specifics of one man who saved one publication, which in turn went on to give voice to much of what we call modern horror. This week I propose to take a look at the whole shooting match, horror, terror, suspense, thrillers, and attempt to…
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Seabury Quinn: The Man Who Saved Weird Tales
…and saved weird fiction. Really? Weird Tales and weird fiction owe their existence to one man? The Unique Magazine? The magazine of HP Lovecraft? Actually, Weird Tales wasn’t the magazine of HP Lovecraft. Sure, he submitted stories to WT and had them published (and a few rejected). But HPL actually disdained the commercial press and…
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Updating Baba Yaga
I think it’s safe to say that many of us first encounter scary stories through fairy tales and folklore. Whether it be the wolves, ghosts, or trolls of the Brothers Grimm or banshees, werewolves, and vengeful witches of folklore, many of us have been kept awake at night worrying that one or more of these…
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