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Today we’re answering your ten most popular questions about how to write horror! I’m interviewing horror writer and international best selling author Daniel Willcocks on how to scare the $#!% out of your readers, PLUS we’re holding a giveaway! Enter by clicking the link in the description below and signing up. Meanwhile, enjoy our discussion on how to write a successful horror novel, captivate your audience, and write a truly scary story. 👻
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Funny how "hiding the monster" is among the most effective ways to make something scary. And in old horror movies, they knew this, but in many modern films it's like they go: "Look, look! See this cool CGI monster I created! Watch it in broad daylight so you don't miss the cool details! Do you see?" Which is why I often find books more scary. They also tend to be more personal since you get the introspection you often don't get in movies. :P
Books allow me to use my imagination way more than watching some horror movie
Yes. And I loved how birdbox kept the monsters unknown the movies because if they would've done the reveal like originally it would've ruined it imo.
@@teamkozmicabyss512 that movie was one of the few that got me just for that reason, and it has a interesting plot. Others should take examples…
I love the monsters that you can't see.
Fear of the unknown is the scariest of all😂
I thought it was Mark Zuckerberg in the thumbnail and I was like: "Yep. That's horror, alright". 😂
😂
Same Boy, I thought I was alone lol
Omg. You evil 😂
me too HAHAGHA
Shhh... he'll hear you...
0:00 Welcome 1:52 Introduction 2:54 What qualifies as horror? 5:09 How to make it scary? 9:28 How to plan horror story? 13:10 How to balance imagery & pacing? 18:56 What are the genre structural elements and how to use them? 21:58 How to avoid horror cliches? 24:33 Where to get inspiration for writing horror story? 29:48 How to craft characters for horror story? 33:11 How to deal with genre trend? 36:07 Where to find out more about Daniel Willcocks? 36:36 Giveaway 37:00 Reminders
Tysm
Thank you.
Bless you
I have a school assignment for horror writing so this is super helpful!
your school is cool af. I wish my school did that
I’m currently writing a monster book for fun. It’s gonna be short though.
@@gimme_ur_teeth Same I'm writing a short horror story for the spooky season! Then it's back to writing my current novel lol
@@gavgavgavie omg same! It’s so fun to know there are others out there experiencing similar things to you XD
@@gimme_ur_teeth Yes it is!! Have yourself a very Happy Halloween 🎃😆
jenna posting is the BEST part of wednesdays
Same
Im writinh my first horror and i scared the shit out of myself. Wont be doing this again anytime soon.
I’ve done that before, couldn’t sleep for a few days because of what I wrote
Same here! My sci-fi ended up being darker than I planned
Needed this, writing a horror comedy. Also Daniel is Wolf daddy
*Howl*
AROOO!
Just as i was generating ideas, Jenna makes videos at the perfect time!!
Everything's Eventual is the first Stephen King I ever read also! Crazy. That and Night Shift like changed my baby world at the time. Also loved Guts and the whole Haunted bk etc, and it led me to Chuck Palaniuk(sp)'s nonfiction about Portland, Fugitives and Refugees, also crazy good, but anyway thanks for this vid and for the podcast headsup as well. Looking forward to Twisted!
I like writing fantasy and sci-fi with a horror flavor (as you described it as haha).
8:30 I think that also goes for horror games about leaving as much the imagination as possible. I'm always definitely more afraid when the monster is unknown. Maybe we don't know what it looks like yet or we don't know what it is yet but whatever it is my imagination makes it scarier than anything the game designer could put in the game. There's this really great horror game I was playing the other day and when I first started playing it I was super scared super jumpy like seeing shadows moving in the background and I didn't know what they were. But the monster was revealed like really early into the game like fully revealed maybe 1/8 of the way into the game and it just wasn't very scary from then on.
I swear she's psychic or something. I was just thinking of how to write a horror story..... She knows....
Thanks! I'm getting into horror and I think It would be really fun to write!
It is true that in many horror stories the protagonist has a character flaw and gets an ironic-appropriate comeuppance by the end of the story. (In some ways similar to Greek tragedies!) In other cases the protagonist is "pure" which is why she survives. But the supporting characters are "sinful" which is why they get killed off: one by one! Punishment for their "sins."
Wonderful guest, Jenna!! So many takeaways for any genre! Thanks to both of you.
It can be hard to hide the monster. Last year I had a nightmare (I get my ideas from nightmares) about a terrifying girl. When I was writing about it I wanted so much to explain why she’s scary, but had to refrain. She would be so much scarier if I don’t put her in almost every scene and left her to the imagination.
I was just coming up with the draft to my horror novel! This helps a lot. Thank you.
Can you make an video on making detective novels please? Also, I love your videos! You helped me so much! You’re amazing Jenna
Omg you have no idea how much I needed this
YESSSSSSS I’m so excited for this !!! 😍😍
@JennaMoreci. I have to admire you for accepting your limitations by getting someone else to deal with subject. I have been watching your videos for quite some time. Very informative and fun, incidentally.
Really enjoyed this one, thanks!
Thank you both this is helpful.
This guy is very well spoken. I was thoroughly intrigued. You too, Jenna, as always. Great video overall!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I’m currently writing a short horror story and this was really helpful! Thanks!
YAAAAAAAS BRING ON THE HORROR!!!!!! I love Horror, and my WIP is a paranormal apocalypse, so Im constantly visiting other horror media to see what i can notice and learn
"Good Morning" "I love that you mentioned morning because I...."
This was a really cool video, I learned a lot; thank you.
How does she knows what I’m working on all the time???
Even though I don’t write full on horror, this was phenomenal. Thank you!!!
27:44 i know what you mean, i'll just be waiting at home for dad or mum or someone to get back. And i'll just think like, what if they've been pulled over by a criminal and are being held at gun point or, they've been kidnapped or something you know?
Thanks for the video! It was very helpful! Have a fantastic day!
And you! :D
Cliches: There's a difference between Cliche and Convention. A convention of horror is some kind of monster. A cliche of horror is a Transylvanian Vampire named Vlad Dracul in love with Mina Murray.
Oh nvm you cover it.
Horror, but many writers think they know how to write horror, it has a very tight structure, thanks for the great channel and info!
Thank you for posting this topic!!! I find it relates very closely to thrillers which is a genre I prefer to read, watch and write about! I especially love the part about not worrying too much about trends, because TBH I find the most recent trends to be way too fast-paced where I blink and then I miss something. I prefer stories that have a slow burn, but still, have a pace that is interesting and I prefer to write that way. I'm sorry if you have a short attention span, but I'm not writing a Marvel comic. I find horrors like Us, and Get Out to be really interesting where the villain isn't necessarily a monster but a person or group of people because that's much more realistic and those types of things that happen in the book could in theory happen in real life.
Horror is based on three simple formulas: Dread, horror, terror Dread - not knowing there’s a threat, but still feeling vulnerable if there were one. Atmosphere should be set. (Imagine being in a pitch black forest) Horror - knowing there’s a threat, and fearing it without knowing what or where it is. (There’s a sound in the forest that is very unnatural) Terror - knowing the threat, fearing the threat, and being put in a fight or flight moment. (Beast knows where you are in a pitch black forest)
Knowing the monster and the reveal doesn't have to be the moment of decent. The "Alien" franchise proved that. In "Aliens" we know what the drones look like already but the simple fact of how they are birthed instinctively inspires fear. On top of that the reveal of the Queen remains my favorite horror reveal to this day. Plus, no matter how many times I see a Queen, I recognize her as a genuine threat.
Thanks this video really helped me make my book that I'm writing scarier
literally this is what gets me through the week. It's like a nice little checkpoint half way between weekends :)
I never vocally requested horror, damn government with their mind rays
Quiet, HUMAN-55363LLB2
Awesomely awesome writing advice and interesting facts about the horror genre. I’ve been thinking about writing a horror book that will be a supernatural horror story about a haunted house next to a haunted cemetery and creepy dark cave called the whispering bells cave that is supposedly haunted. I might turn it into a third book series
I'm actually writing all horror so i really needed this. Thank you Jenna and Dan
I really needed this right now. Thank you!!
*Thank you.* 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕
Great video
I’m a horror writer myself. Any other horror writers in the comments?
Me too
Here!
me
@@sarahherbison5419 horror is the best kind of book to write in my highly biased opinion. Haha
🙋🏻♀👻👀🦴🌙🎃🧹♍
this could not have come at a better time
Just as I'm writing a short horror collection!
In French, the word "fantastique", the transliteration of "fantasy", is not used to designate the fantasy genre. The "fantastique" genre is where the fantastical elements are alien and disturbing rather than whimsical or wonderful. It is a subset of horror. So, yeah, in French, the word used to designate the fantasy genre... is "fantasy", pronounced as an English word. We owe that much to English litterature for helping the fantastical to make the transition from "new and intimidating" to "familiar and fun".
I'm fascinated on haunted horror dolls that's why I started writing short stories about them 😎🤘
Ahhhhhhhhh, I love Guts!
Well now I have to go read Chuck Pollanic's story, "Guts".
If anyone wants to see a good example of serialized horror (in comic form at least) I would recommend MPD Psycho and Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service. They’re both written by Eiji Otsuka and have had at least 10 volumes translated into English. Definitely hard horror though, verging into NC-17 gore and some sexual violence. So just keep that in mind if you take a look.
Ever heard about the art nouveau horror autor Lothar Sauer? It's very low in the blood and violence part, but the implications highten the tension. You are the monster in one story.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN JENNA 🕸👻
In my second book, I actually start with the villain killing someone, then in chapter two, we get to meet the main characters (police officers). Is that a good way to go? I mean, it definitely sets the tone of the book, right?
Yeah! I have read some books that begin like that. I mean, you do want to have the first chapter as a chapter that makes the readers invested in the story and for them to want to find out about the murderer or the person who got murdered!! ^^
I know I’m a bit late; beginning that way really helps establish the villain and keeps the reader on the edge of your seat think “when will the villain be revealed?”
@@galaxygirl9037 To add to that, the reader will be invested in who the villain is and keep it in the back of their mind when they read, so make sure to reveal their identity fairly late into the book, after all the suspense will go away once the villain is revealed. Granted, if you have other mysteries, that will keep the reader drawn in, but the "mystery villain" will be the readers' first impression of the book, so they will be invested in this more than other things, as long as you make sure to have scenes with the mystery villain every now and then to remind the readers that "oh yeah, the villain that killed someone in chapter one" and then the question of who the villain is will come back
@@applesqace The villain isn't exactly a mystery, it's more about how the eff to find him and get rid of him. (He's a demon). XD So I guess it's less of a mystery and more of a thriller? Since it's about saving, surviving, and figuring out how.
Him: “try to scare yourself” Me who’s a horror writer but not afraid of anything:
I’m writing a book which is three different feelings scared Sad Love So the death and sorrow You have the sad moments And the love where they fall in love Would these be ok all in the same book
Hi! Love your channel, Jenna! I have a question about horror: How often should something horrible happen in terms of chapters? To clarify, In writing my first draft, I noticed there wasn't a horror moment/death after the initial hook until twelve chapters later. I spent most of my time character building and exploring the theme of the story. Is this okay, or am I doing this *ish wrong? Thank you for your time.
As long as you establish the horror 'tone' there is no hard and fast rule for how much horror you need sprinkled in. Some authors splattergore the whole lot, others spend some time world building and giving readers a reason to 'feel' for the characters when the horror comes. I will say that if you are thinking it's not enough, then you're gut might be telling you correctly. Totally depends on the story.
I recommend The Troop, by Craig Davidson. I had to take breaks to get through that one.
I swear Jenna can read my mind.
Yeah, current events would make for some GREAT horror stories!
Why did I look up "Guts" after this interview. I love horror but that was not for the faint hearted...
It’s the cathulu pop for me
He's always watching...
@@activatedauthors waiting for the perfect time..
Never thought I’d go so deep into learning about writing just to make a decent quest for my ward in a Pokémon text roleplay game
I'm early! Yay :D (7th Like, 2nd comment, came here in a minute)
Jenna can you also make a video about using Verbs in dialogue.... I'm kind of perplexed by it... HEHEHEH... Tnx
LMAO. @29:00 As soon as he began "There's a short story that I highly recommend for anyone who wants to get in this- You've got to have a strong stomach---" I actually yelled "GUTS!!" these are amazing tips. I look forward to checking out Daniel's work.
I am planning to write a horror novel for #Nanowrimo2020 so this is a great video! Merci ;)
29:00 as soon as I heard him say “read only if you have a strong stomach”, I knew it had to be Guts 😭 that story will haunt me till the day I die.
Nice
Ya... watcher in the woods scared the fuck out of me when I was a kid. Then I saw the monster design they were going to go with... thank god they kept it hidden. Same thing with the banshee from darby o'gill and the little people.
Goddammit. I had blocked out Guts. Thank you.
My main issue I'm running into is that my story is basically about an escaped convict who just goes around killing people. It's from his perspective and I don't know where to go with it like I'm just making it gory to do the scare part but I'm not sure how affective it is. Any advise is really helpful seeing as this is my first ever novel
IDK if this helps but for me I find that not making it too gory can make it scary or more relatable in a way because you can almost relate to smaller/ simpler amounts of gore more than the high amount for example someone getting decapitated is less scary or harder to relate to than someone getting their fingers broken or eyes gouged out. What I'm trying to say is if you're focusing on gore I could try to keep it kinda simple that's not saying that you can't go full out! But just know that if you keep it simple it can be scarier and get more of a reaction. Sorry if this doesn't make any sense or isn't helpful. I'm new to writing stories as well 😅
Oh my gosh I was so startled when I saw him wearing a mask 🤣🤣
Me too. I don't even own a mask...
Trying to re-write my accidental horror novel so this came in my recommendations on time lol
MOTHER CRAP, OF COURSE SHE MADE THIS VIDEO WHEN I NEEDED IT.
I love your videos. This one is exceptional, at least to me. I'm an author of erotic horror, so there isn't much out there for me to learn from. These horror aspects are great. I'm currently writing Red Island. Essentially an extended series of human breeding experiments. I've published over 3 billion words at this point (1600+ stories) and this information you guys provide is amazing, allowing me to take my stories further. Keep it coming! Thank you! (Jezebel Rose Erotica)
Whatæs with the aound quality? Or lack thereof.
Dean Koontz has a frankenstien series... just goes to prove his point
Lost,a psychological horror novel. Melody was broken by the world and she eventually snapped and killed her family,but living with her brother changes here Life in this world was already tough for melody,her parents died in car crash and she had to live with her grandparents.due to events her grandfather died of heart disease.years later melody was any normal teenager,she like rock and would use it as a coping method.her grandmother came in one day “melody can we speak for a minute?” She accepted even though she’d knew what was going to happen.her grandma rambled on about how her grades kept dropping,it felt like hours before she was finally able to talk.”listen I just want to know what’s best for you” “.....what’s best for me is you leaving me alone”.her grandmother sighed and left the room,melody started her plan from there.she grabbed a rope from the drawer and head to the kitchen for a knife.she just needed to wait until night,then melody would strike.she started by going to her grandmothers room,she stabbed her in the chest multiple times.melody could hear the screams die out as she dragged the body to the living room.she slowly put it on a chair and tied a small noose.she grabbed the body and hanged it to the ceiling,she looked back and began to cry.” Heh I suppose you don’t know why I’m doing this…..” melody smiled as her tears turned to laughter.she turned psychotic at the second looking at the body.she decided to go back to her room and take her belongings,there was no real reason to stay now.when she opened the door rain was already falling down,melody put up her hood as she walked through it.she silently listened to rock as she thought about the rest of her family.her dad,mom,grandpa,and now grandmother,they were all killed by her.melody made her way through town as her demons followed her.the door was cold when she made it to her brothers “hello?”.he slowly opened the door to see her “melody what happened to you!?”.she know she couldn’t tell the truth,her brother was much too innocent.for once the darkness disappeared “I’m here….to live with you”.maybe her depression won’t be so bad after all
NOW WRITE THE NEXT LINE:(open to all) Even after a fifteen-minute bake at ninety-three degrees, Mindy thought the Cuisinart utility knife still felt like cold steel between her ribs.
Her hands, steady on the grip, trembled as she ripped the knife out. Sparing herself from a fate even worse.
Ok. Just read guts. Totally not what I was expecting and probably wouldn't have read it if I knew what it was about. Now I am sitting here laughing my ass off as I explain the story to my bf. he says that's why you struggle writing horror, it makes you laugh. my years as a nurse might have desensitized me. or my bdsm experiences. idk. all i can say is that i didn't almost pass out.
I have been writing stories (not published yet), and I read a lot of comics and play/watch a lot of video games, particularly horror, which inspires me. But I don’t read a lot of actual novels. My question is, is it really bad if I’m not reading my genre media if I’m getting my inspiration through other media? I don’t want to accidentally conform to and be influenced by others’ work. Nor do I often find the time to read a ton of books. I played Silent Hill, watched a Corpse Party playthrough, and watched Haunting of Hill House which are all things that have inspired and set me on edge. I want to replicate the feelings those types of series give to me.
I'm by no means an expert, but I'd say you don't necessarily HAVE to read novels. Maybe pick up one or two to look at the style and paragraph structure (I know I sound like an English teacher) that can help make your layout look better
Darragh J Moyola Thank you. I’ve wondered this question since I’ve heard it a lot in advice, but have also heard concerns like mine. A lot of the books I have read are older and not made in the past year or two, so they have vastly different writing styles to today.
@@terukisuke5324 Yeah, there's not going to be any two writing styles the same, but I personally find it useful to look at how characters speak, for example, and see how that's presented on the page
@@terukisuke5324 you don't have to read a ton of books, however it would help to find a style that better blends with the ones on the market, to make your book not stand out in a way of writing style. IMO your book stand out for its motives, characters and storyline, but not necesserally for its writing style, because I've seen some trying to be "avantgarde" and... it's a risky gamble. I once read a book that was interely told in interviews, where the main character was being interrogated about what happened prior and she told everything like she was explaining it to her interrogator, who ever so often would interrupt the story to ask further questions or clarifications. Now, firstly, I found it highly unbelievable that she would actually remember dialog from months/years ago down to the word (as some lines where foreshadowing), but I guess it was a compromise for stylistic reasons. I also guess it might be very sophisticated and everything, but I really didn't like it and at some point I was just reading it to get it over with, because the style of an interview didn't translate well into a novel that's supposed to pull you into its story and make you relate to the characters in it. However, some other books I read where not bad from a story perspective - they had similar flaws to that first book I mentioned - but their style made them so much more engaging that I really enjoyed them. And so, since video games, comics and movies have entirely different tones, modes of operation and styles than novels do, you might wanna pick up just a book or two to get a rough feeling for how that differs from what you're normally experiencing. And also choose contemporary books, because let me tell you, I got talked into reading Ringworld by Larry Niven, because everyone on KZhead just bragged on about how good it was, but I could barely finish the first book and I will sure as hell not touch the second. I guess they were icons for their day and age, but they were written in 1971-onward and by god their tropes haven't aged well... I don't know how it is with horror, because as Daniel Willcocks says, it's a very cyclical genre so it might be better, but Sci-fi ages like milk.
Midnight That’s an interesting point. I certainly don’t want to be alien (as in bad). I would say that my writing style has evolved to be a bit more simple, but in the sense that I’m not using a whole bunch of uselessly complicated words, my paragraphs are often not terribly long, and I write my characters’ thoughts through narration instead of quotes (this is third person POV, mostly limited). Sometimes I feel like my paragraphs are too few in word count, but I always separate them through change in topic and I describe only as much as I need to in order to set the groundwork and leave the rest to the imagination, and I don’t find them lacking currently. I would argue that the problem with the Interview example is moreso a problem with content, as that sounds like a lot of Telling vs. Showing. It is fine to do a little bit of telling, in my opinion; after all, there are some things that we simply don’t need to live out and see. However, it sounds like that scene needed to be chopped up into bits of “showing,” where the scene is verbally described and the audience is transitioned to something a bit more active. That might take some skill, though, and I haven’t read the book in question. I started reading Turn of the Screw and am about halfway through, somewhat short story. That was written in the very late 1800s, so it’s probably quite outdated lol. The paragraphs are very lengthy, and extend one if not two pages. But when it reaches the dialogue and shorter portions, it’s actually quite enjoyable. As far as contemporaries though, I might have to find some suggestions to read, because I’m not huge into book reading and I’d rather read a good example than a bad or mediocre. I’m not sure what it is. Maybe it was the start of a completely realized OCD (when it truly started showing), but my brain drifts a lot when reading a book and sometimes I have to reread portions. I don’t always take in what I’m actually reading as far as the techniques that a writer uses in its full execution instead of someone just telling me about it (like in Jenna’s video). But reading full-on text is a hurdle when it comes to learning from it as a whole. I should try though, you’re right. Thank you. I was just concerned if I didn’t read a ton of books, I wouldn’t be good enough to write one.
Creepypasta is a great way to start and there are plenty of narrators on KZhead looking for content. It's a supportive community as well. Also if you want to get short horror, fantasy and science fiction stories published check out horrortree.com. it's a want add for stories.
I read Bram Stoker's Dracula way too young, and even then it made me physically ill with fear
I have no problem writing short-short stories for people who wear short-shorts, but I get bored when it comes to writing lengthy tomes. I can’t figure out if I’m just lazy, or suffer from ADHD….
I'm actually new to writing horror. 📖 I'm still on my 3rd chapter. And I can only think of enough ideas for maybe 10 really good chapters, but a good horror book needs like 40 chapters, and I'm gonna be slightly vague in case someone were to try and steal my idea, but how would I write a horror 👻 book with you advancing into a type of portal type scenario into a new world? 🌎 How am I suppose to come up with ideas for chapters? That's the biggest thing for me. Thank you. Maybe my imagination will somehow guide me through.
Probably too little too late- but for my imaginative horror/fantasy Lovecraft/ Tolkien mash-up, i would go on long, long walks (usually with a six-pack and a joint for ambience). I would choose secluded areas, streets or wilderness, and not particularly dwell on the story- save peripherally. If I had a nagging problem I'd keep it in the back of my head and see if anything emerged during my little adventure. If the problem was bigger I wouldn't think of it at all until I'd gotten some mental distance from it. Walking and thinking are made for each other.
The scariest books I've ever read are The Shining, The Silence of the Lambs, and NOS4A2.
What is Horror? How do you spell "Edgar Allen Poe"? How about "H. P. Lovecraft"? Bram Stoker & "Dracula!"!
I'm not well-educated around the horror genre if I have to be honest but I find I cannot discover and categorize what I like in it. For 10+ years of looking into some horror stuff very few things have actually scared me and I feel they are very different. I recently got "Goblin" by Josh Malerman because I misunderstood what it is about and I'm stuck 3 stories in it because I feel more bored than scared by the stories in it. And Stephen King DOES have different styles of horror to himself - for me "IT" is more fun and enjoyable while "The Green Mile" is both horrifying and sad. / BUT - to note - I have just watched the movies for those two. Haven't read them./ I've read "Kujo" but I guess I've gotten some censored & chopped version because what I remember is SAD and not scary. Two fairly-recent things that are not books I find horrifying. "Five Nights at Freddy's" - with the story behind the first three games, the Charlie series books and just the entire knot around that; and "Little Nightmares" - which is a beautiful game but the untold mystery about what really is going on and the way the makers serve unexpected twists is heart-twisting. All that said - I'm still not sure if I want to give Lovecraft a go. I feel I won't like it but he's a classic? Can someone help me figure out what scares me so I can know what to look for as reading material?
In my opinion, don't read something just because "it's a classic". You can do it, if you're interested in how they thought and wrote back then, but I found that most older literature would never, ever make it through the editorial office today. So - at least for me - the classics are not something I read to get lost in them and enjoy myself. As an example, I read Larry Nivens "Ringworld", because it is a Sci-fi classic. I didn't like it, mildly speaking. The story is all over the place, basically every character and even entire species are mysogynistic assholes, and where the plot isn't riddled with holes, it just... happens. There is so much hand-waving and non-explanation, basically every page has a deus-ex-machina or pull-the-right-gadget-from-your-ass moment that you're not even beginning to root for the characters. And then there's literally spelled out plot armour (one character is said to be bred for luck, so by definition nothing bad can happen to her and their space ship is made from an indestructable alloy) and just plain wish-fullfillment (every contract between different species on the ringworld is finalized through inter-species sex and of course that can't be gay sex, so while the men negotiate the terms and conditions, the women are the ones who have to do all the nasty works, but that's not sexist as all, because the females are not really intelligent enough to be classified as sentient, anyways...)... it just makes the whole thing basically unreadable, if you have made a meaningful contact with any woman in the last decade or so. You might wanna check out Overly Sarcastic Productions for their video on Lovecraft (it's very comedic and animated, but I think it's a good overview to see how Lovecraft would hold up to modern standards) and then decide if you really wanna read it. But IMO, don't go for the classics, just because "they're classics".
Ive published 2 short horror books however given my writing style it's always labeled as erotica due to language and the themes. How do you get out of that publishing rut?
Erotica can be quite a dominant theme / genre. To showcase the horror, you might want to dial back on the sexual explicitness to avoid that labelling
@@activatedauthors thing is im not writing anything explicitly sexual. I actually just pulled my books from barns and noble due to they have horrible publishing services and im going with Amazon because at least their I'm not being misslabled.
One small note- horror /can/ have happy endings, right? Like it's not a genre requirement to not have a happy ending? Yes I know that usually a happy ending just doesn't fit but what if it does (If anyone cares, I'm currently thinking of Nightmare Time, which is a series of mini-musicals by Starkid. I don't know if they called them "horror" exactly, but I'd consider them horror-comedy. One of them, I won't say which because spoilers, has a happy ending, and at least in my opinion it actually fits really well. Does that disqualify it from the horror genre? Its focus is certainly on the horror.) Edit: there may be multiple stories in Nightmare Time that have a happy ending, I haven't seem them all so I don't know.
Most of the 'happy' endings tend to be rather bittersweet if you're looking at conventional horror. People win at a great loss and detriment to themselves. However, there is a level of horror where the monsters are vanquished and people can live happily, though I'd argue you're probably aiming those at a softer horror audience
The human creature is the most horrifying thing imaginable. Vampires, werewolves, zombies, mummies, dragons, etc., pale in comparison.
Me, literally planning a horror story for nano: 👁👄👁
i cant believe she knows the shrek meme
My sis searched "How to write a scary story without scaring your self" Im an author and my best friend's a philospher😅 She said she didnt understand us lmao💀
POV: you’re back after reading “Guts” because of this video. 😵💫
Jenna I’m trying to get rid of a psychological horror fanfic idea i want to get out of my head but I have a question. It’s hard to tell the story without the romance but the mc dies at the end so is it still a romance or is it a tragedy?
Oh hello there
@@someguysittinginafckingsou1818 hello
If the MC dies at the end I think it's tragedy. There's no happy ending
Romance has to have a happy end. So not romance.
@@mycatisnamedlucifer1389 the mc dies but the love interest survives so it’s more of a mixed ending but thanks
I find very few decent horror films, particularly modern films.