Tag: Fiction
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THINKING ABOUT VILLAINS
Last year I listened to the audiobook Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, And The Secret History Of The 60s. It had me hooked, because I can remember as a teen in the early 90s when Manson’s crazed face got put on black T-shirts and placed on serial killer trading cards. This is a true horror…
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The Door
There are few objects more ordinary than a door. We pass through them a dozen times a day without thought. They separate rooms, mark boundaries, provide privacy. But in horror, doors carry far heavier meaning. They become symbols of fear—of what lies beyond, or of what might cross through when we least expect it. A…
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Story Structure for Horror Stories: Part Two
Continuing my last post on story structure for horror, I wanted to take another look at structure, this time dissecting it using the 10 steps to story structure from K.M. Weiland. Let’s first take a quick look at those steps and then see how they can be applied to horror. 1. The Hook What is…
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Attractive and Monstrous Vampires
When people learn I write about vampires, they often ask what kind of vampires I write about. They want to know if I write about monstrous vampires or attractive vampires. Monstrous vampires are the ones closer to the folkloric roots of vampires. These are the frightening wraiths that stalk the night. Examples might include Count…
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The Hungur Chronicles
Last week, I received my contributor copy of the Samhain 2023 issue of The Hungur Chronicles, which proved to be a nice, early Holiday present. This semi-annual, digest-sized magazine edited by Terrie Leigh Relf and Robert Bellam features stories and poems about vampires, with a special emphasis on vampires who have a connection to space.…
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Did I Write That?
Let’s talk about the subconscious mind and its effects on writing fiction. I’ve studied and practiced the art of fiction writing for a short time: four years, two months, and four days (4 to 8 hours per day, most days.) That’s a lot of hours. About two years ago I phoned my ‘favourite reader’, and…
Threads that Bind 