On Writing Horror: A Handbook by the Horror Writers Association: Mort Castle (Editor)

For anyone venturing into the world of fiction writing, it can sometimes seem like a daunting career choice. The market is constantly glutted with the best and worst available and just writing a good story isn't always enough to get yourself published. Even if you do manage to get published, you may not get paid for it. You might be told that you were lucky just to get the "exposure". As an aspiring fiction writing with a slant towards the paranormal and horror genre I was having a crisis of faith in my own talents and my abilities to market myself when I ran across On Writing Horror. Is it too dramatic to say that this book may have saved the career I don't even have yet?

The book is edited by the Horror Writers Association and is filled with articles written by members of the organization. It covers everything from the twenty-one horror classics that all horror writers should read and know, to how to properly write scenes of visual violence. There are chapters detailing the pros and cons of traditional versus modern takes, why one is better than the other and how to blend and take from each. For writers that are new to the craft there, is a chapter that details the best writing seminars for the horror genre as well as colleges and classes that specialize in fiction and horror.

Something that I found to be a huge benefit was the chapters on character development and storyline; most especially avoiding the time-honored cliches. There are several in-depth discussions on using known monsters (vampires, werewolves, ghosts) versus horror of a more psychological variety. Though the book is more geared for the short story/novel writer, there is a section for films, plays, and even radio scripts. And once your project is complete and ready for an audience, there is a section on marketing, with websites, literary magazines and publishing houses that specialize in this brand of fiction.

In my honest opinion, almost everything a speculative writer needs to get off the ground and running is right here in this book. The only thing the HWA can't provide is the talent. If you know you can write a good scary story but you need some fine tuning and a little direction, then you would be well-served by picking up this book and giving it your full attention. It's well-worth the cost. It opened up a whole new community to me and cast me in a completely different but utterly welcome direction.
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Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Writers Digest Books; 2Rev Ed edition (November 18, 2006)
ISBN-10: 1582974209
ISBN-13: 978-1582974200
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