In the words of Douglas E. Winter: Horror is not a genre, it is an emotion. It is a progressive form of fiction, one that evolves to meet the fears and anxieties of its times.
In the beginning of this year, I read On Writing horror by the American Horror Writers Association. It must have been the 2nd book I read in 2020. Let me make it clear that when it comes to horror, I am certainly biased, and I don't expect you to agree with everything I say, nor take my word for granted.
Horror is not a genre; it's an emotion. And although, all genres include this emotion in some form or another, books that are devoted to horror in their entirety are somewhat misjudged. And the writers, too. You have no idea how many looks I've gotten by people (artists and regular people alike) when I tell them I write horror. Finding out that established authors have felt the same way was comforting in a way.
I won't say this book has it all. It's a great tool, though. Reading essays from BIG NAME contributors who have been where I am right now, makes this one of the most important books I've read this year. (The other was On Writing by Stephen King). Within these pages, the talented cadre of horror writers unload an enormous amount of information, all gathered in one place. It is easily searchable and I could go back anytime I want to the chapter-specific segments. And you can do, too, if you're interested in writing horror.
There was a lot to digest in this slim volume. I know I gained a lot from reading this one. Each writer has their own take, and there are times when it conflicts, but for wildly different reasons. For instance, there's a part in the book where it is suggested that horror that is closer to real life, i.e. in your own city, is preferable and honest (Carrie), while a few chapters later, it is mentioned that seclusion is a great form to deliver horror (The Turning of the Screw). It’s up to the reader to try and see what works and what doesn’t for their individual style.
I do recommend this one and will be going through it again and again, as many times as I have to. Not only is it a solid resource for the horror writer, but there’s good information that any writer will find of value. This is not a book of formulas or a recipe to follow and each advice will have to be tried and tested by each reader to see what works and what doesn’t.
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