Lol... I have no idea! I just finished my flash fiction for Horror at Hannah's, and never having written horror before, I have no idea what to think. Is it passable? Does it suck? I guess I'll find out soon! Trying to have a few people read over it for me before I submit. Hubby told me he got chills, but didn't have any suggestions other than fixing a typo (lol). I haven't gotten a WiP to the Crit Partner stage yet, so I don't have a tear-it-to-shreds bud just yet. ;) And flash fic doesn't offer much wiggle room - My 1,000 words or less story is 1,000 words on the nose. Go me! Or something. ;)
I'm not a huge reader of scary stories. I
like suspense, but not a ton of gore. I read a couple of John Saul books a few months ago and they were sort of suspenseful but icky. I'm not a big Stephen King fan; I actually really prefer his non-horror books like
The Green Mile.
The Eyes of the Dragon is my favorite by him, and it's fantasy. I liked
The Ruins, even though it was kind of silly.
Hmm. What are your favorite books that are suspenseful or scary but not overly gory?
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Unwind by Neil Shusterman is my favourite at the moment, but it probably crosses into sci-fi and thriller.
Suspense works too from what I read on the posting but I am not sure if my suspense/horror is that of a modern suspense/horror field. Dread, doom. despair and puppies... Sure, that is my bread and butter!
Give it a go, that is the best way to expand your writing skills is to do something you aren't familiar with! I know I have confidence in ya, you do some great work!
As far as horror/suspense books? World War Z was fantastic. There were some moments that made me not want to sleep in case the zombie horde approaches (and it will, mind you). And it is written by Mel Brooks son so that is extra bonus!
Oh darn!! I clicked over at Horror at Hannah's and the entries aren't up yet cos the comp is still ongoing! LOL!
I wanna read your story!! :-)
Er... I love me a good scary story/novel but I guess I would look to the classics for not overtly gory - like MR James' ghost stories!
Take care
x
i loved writing my entry for hannah's contest too. there is usually some element of suspense or creepiness to my stories, but this one felt completely different. the character's voice completely took over and wrote the thing... which was really a different kind of experience for me.
LOVE the eyes of the dragon!! (actually i'm reading it aloud to my kids -with major content editing as i go- right now... i didn't remember all the content- i can't believe my mom encouraged me to read it alone when i was 10)
neverwhere by neil gaiman is a good suspenseful story with only a few real icky scenes- and a WHOLE lotta creativity. :)
Congrats on trying some different.
I avoid that genre all together--I am such a whimp.
Thanks for the suggestions! I do really like thrillers and suspense. I don't mind some yucky stuff, but I guess what I really don't like is when gore MAKES it horror, like in slasher movies.
HH and I do watch our fair share of horror movies because it's the genre we tend to agree on most. I prefer scary to gross by far. Children of the Corn is the scariest to me!
I think you're right about Hannah's not being specifically thriller/horror/suspense. I'm not sure how I would categorize mine. Hoping I can find another reader or two today before I submit it.
I LOVE that her contest is making me stretch my wings in a new direction. That's my favorite part of contests! Winning would be great, but flexing new writing muscles is already a win. Definitely a helpful thing for me!
Congrats on finish your first horror! I don’t like gore myself but I’m amaze how it seems to be popping up more and more in the books I’m reading (which are not horror).
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