That nagging 'What If?' factor

 

“A strong emotion, especially ifexperienced for the first time, leaves a vivid memory of the scene where itoccurred.” – Algernon Blackwood

  

Bornin England on this date in 1869, Blackwood was a short story writer andnovelist and one of the most prolific writers of ghost stories in the historyof the genre. He was also a journalist and narrator in both radio andthe early years of television.   

 

Agifted storyteller, even in childhood, he said he always amazed friends andneighbors with his ability to spin yarns about the supernatural and so thoughtit was his calling to continue doing so as an adult.   Ultimately, hewrote some 3 dozen original short story collections, 14 novels, severalchildren's books, and a number of plays before his death in 1951.

 

Mostof Blackwood’s stories were written to elicit a sense of “awe” or carry throughthe  “What if?”  factor, which made them perfect for suchbroadcast shows as “Suspense” and “Night Gallery.”  

 

Hesaid his secret to success in the genre was to leave a sort-of nagging sense inthe reader that something was yet to happen. “Those little things that pierce and burn and prick for years to come.”

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