Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Writers Workshop of Horror” as Want to Read:
Writers Workshop of Horror
by
Writers Workshop of Horror focuses solely on honing the craft of writing. It includes solid advice, from professionals of every publishing level, on how to improve one's writing skills. The volume edited by Michael Knost includes contributions by a dream-team of nationally known authors and storytellers, many Bram Stoker Award winners. Contributors to this work include#58;
...more
Paperback, 262 pages
Published
July 5th 2009
by Woodland Press, LLC
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Writers Workshop of Horror,
please sign up.
Recent Questions
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of Writers Workshop of Horror

Quick review for a quick read. To be honest, I was a bit underwhelmed by this compilation of writing advice in the horror genre, because while it has many great contributors and aspects of writing to consider, it's still very limited and for a limited audience who can get the fruit of its overarching points. Probably designed more in mind for the beginning writer who is not only looking for genre definition, but also writing definitions.
I will say that the information from all the articles given ...more
I will say that the information from all the articles given ...more

This book is really a mixed bag. There is an assortment of helpful advice, completely subjective information, some things that read like filler and an essay that is cringingly bad that should never have been published.
I write this review as a writer who has a handle on 'the basics'. I'm far from incredible but I do have a grasp on most of the general building blocks. Writers Workshop of Horror reads more like a guide for very new writers who are only just embarking into the field of fiction.
A go ...more
I write this review as a writer who has a handle on 'the basics'. I'm far from incredible but I do have a grasp on most of the general building blocks. Writers Workshop of Horror reads more like a guide for very new writers who are only just embarking into the field of fiction.
A go ...more

On the first day of intro psych, our professor admitted that a lot of the fundamentals of psychology come off as rather obvious. People hear them and say, "Yeah, I knew that." I think it can be much the same with writing advice. Be sure to have strong beginning, middle, and ending, and make your characters interesting! Yeah, thanks. Some of the essays here left me feeling that way and one struck me as a bit on the obnoxious side.
There were bright spots, however. I very much enjoyed Arnzen's essa ...more
There were bright spots, however. I very much enjoyed Arnzen's essa ...more

Required reading for anyone even entertaining the thought of writing dark fiction. It's not the first book of its kind to come along, but it's a darned good one. Writers and others in the field contribute what might be considered their special insights on specific topics, which range from dialogue, action scenes, time management, and theme. This book has a permanent place on my bookshelf next to Mort Castle's "On Writing Horror" and Stephen King's "On Writing."
...more

Essays by well-known horror writers cover a diverse selection of topics about writing fiction, especially in the horror genre. All of them are useful, and many are excellent. Their information and advice will help new writers of any kind of fiction, not just horror. The book includes fascinating interviews with some of the top writers in the horror field.

As with any anthology of advice for creative endeavors, this book is a bit of a mixed bag. A few of the essays stood out as particularly useful. A few stood out, unfortunately, as decidedly *not* useful. Most offered sound advice, but failed to deliver anything particularly original.
If you're a very new writer, I highly recommend this book. You'd be well-advised to also go and find yourself a mentor to help you sift through its tips to sort the good from the bad and to adapt them to your own par ...more
If you're a very new writer, I highly recommend this book. You'd be well-advised to also go and find yourself a mentor to help you sift through its tips to sort the good from the bad and to adapt them to your own par ...more

An interesting selection of essays and interviews from a diverse range of horror writers. I enjoyed reading insights into the authors' creative processes and found the practical advice useful.
This is more of a book to dip in and out of, rather than a workbook of exercises. I found useful writing techniques to add emotion, create suspense, and make my horror writing more scary. The authors cover a wide range of genres within horror; from supernatural thrillers to comedy horror, non-fiction, scre ...more
This is more of a book to dip in and out of, rather than a workbook of exercises. I found useful writing techniques to add emotion, create suspense, and make my horror writing more scary. The authors cover a wide range of genres within horror; from supernatural thrillers to comedy horror, non-fiction, scre ...more

Very enjoyable. Just one or two essays that didn't pertain to me, but they all had something valuable to give. Recommended for anyone who wants to write horror or put scary elements into their stories.
...more

May 26, 2020
Aurora Fox and Books
added it
Good

From a small/indie publisher comes a solid compendium of essays and how-to's from a wide range of horror authors and critics. I thought the contributions from Mort Castle, Joe R. Lansdale, Brian Keene, Ramsey Campbell, Robert N. Lee, and Jack Haringa (who's essay is alternately titled, Lies the Internet Told You) were the standouts.
I didn't agree with every essay/how-to. For me, that's part of the fun of this kind of book. Confronting ideas about fiction, how it works, or doesn't work. But there ...more
I didn't agree with every essay/how-to. For me, that's part of the fun of this kind of book. Confronting ideas about fiction, how it works, or doesn't work. But there ...more

Reviewed for MonsterLibrarian.com
Imagine taking a college writing class where each day a new, experienced writer shuffles in, lectures the class on a new aspect of storytelling and writing, before walking away without another word, leaving the budding writers to digest and utilize the information as they like. Or perhaps two walk in, one interviewing the other, leaving you privy to what seems like intimate, insider knowledge. This is Writers Workshop of Horror. A comprehensive collection of es ...more
Imagine taking a college writing class where each day a new, experienced writer shuffles in, lectures the class on a new aspect of storytelling and writing, before walking away without another word, leaving the budding writers to digest and utilize the information as they like. Or perhaps two walk in, one interviewing the other, leaving you privy to what seems like intimate, insider knowledge. This is Writers Workshop of Horror. A comprehensive collection of es ...more

This isn't a writing book just for the horror genre, but for writing in general. While the essays are written by horror authors, and are specifically addressed to the horror writer, most of the advice could and should be applied to any genre. Some of it is the stuff you've heard before. Read widely and deeply. Write a lot. Some of it is relatively specific beyond the usual read, write, repeat. One of the most fantastic things about the book, however, is its insight into some of your favorite wri
...more

This assortment of tips from countless horror writers is filled with lots of good advice and tips for budding writers and those who simply want to refresh their memory when it comes to good style and effectiveness in the genre.
I have read a lot of books on writing and as such "Writers Workshop of Horror" didn't have a whole lot of new to add to the subject. Most of what is presented here I have read or heard elsewhere before. That is not necessarily a bad thing but for well-read authors, its inf ...more
I have read a lot of books on writing and as such "Writers Workshop of Horror" didn't have a whole lot of new to add to the subject. Most of what is presented here I have read or heard elsewhere before. That is not necessarily a bad thing but for well-read authors, its inf ...more

Like any compendium of writing advice, this book includes a wide range of opinion, suggestion and the expected warning "all writing advice is subjective, so you do you..." What makes this volume special is the wide range of authors included, the engaging and intimate way each chapter is written, and (for the horror writer) the focus on the quirks specific to the genre. This book doesn't contain revelations previously unknown, but its method of presenting the material makes it feel like a private
...more

For new authors settling into writing, this book is worth reading slowly and carefully because the advice is excellent. And since there are so many authors, different chapters will appeal to different people.
For those more established, it may seem tedious since the advice is obvious—keep the middle of your story tense, make sure we care about your characters. Still, something I learned from martial arts is no matter how advanced you are, sometime you have to return to the basics & fundamentals.
A ...more
For those more established, it may seem tedious since the advice is obvious—keep the middle of your story tense, make sure we care about your characters. Still, something I learned from martial arts is no matter how advanced you are, sometime you have to return to the basics & fundamentals.
A ...more

I thought this was a really good collection, and very thorough. There are interviews with Clive Barker, Ramsey Campbell, and F. Paul Wilson, and numerous essays on writing by the likes of Joe Lansdale, Tom Piccirilli, Jonathan Maberry, Michael Arnzen, and many more. The focus is primarily on horror, as the title suggests, but much of the advice holds true in general for writing.
The editor, Michael Knost, managed to get good, honest advice from all sorts of writers in the horror field, from the ...more
The editor, Michael Knost, managed to get good, honest advice from all sorts of writers in the horror field, from the ...more

Writers Workshop of Horror is a collection of 28 short essays about writing, but geared towards horror writers. The book was a quick read and with short chapters, you aren't overwhelmed with too much content. Topics ranged from elements in writing, reading, interviews with authors, and publishing tips.
Since it's pretty comprehensive in topics, some chapters will have more or less relevance to you depending on what you know/don't know, and what you want to work on in your writing.
But overall, t ...more
Since it's pretty comprehensive in topics, some chapters will have more or less relevance to you depending on what you know/don't know, and what you want to work on in your writing.
But overall, t ...more

A rather good collection of essays on writing horror. Practical advice that gets to the nitty gritty of the genre. Above all, it helps new or prospective authors realise those who have made it in the field had to start somewhere and they also made mistakes, felt embarrassed by things they had written, and had learned the hard way. Writers are not born a success, they have to work at it, sometimes for many years without recognition. This book may help others examine their own writing and improve
...more

I enjoy books of short essays like this, and I'm happy to say this one was no exception. I don't read much horror fiction, so I liked getting the many viewpoints on what makes horror (and often stories in general) successful. If you aren't interested in the writing process, there isn't much here for you, though.
...more

Absolutely excellent collection of advice; nicely balanced, varied and extremely helpful. A mix of essays and interviews on several different aspects of writing, all written with passion, honesty and humour. Totally readable and entertaining. Perhaps the only criticism I'd have is the strong bias towards male writers, but then, that is representative of the industry.
...more

Feb 18, 2011
Rhonda Browning
marked it as to-read
From what I have read to date, this book would be helpful to any genre writer or writer of short stories. The compilation of authors who have contributed essays to this reference book are some of the best and most well-know in mystery, PI, suspense and horror writing.
So far, so good!
So far, so good!

Great book for all writers. Especially those who don't necessarily write horror, but do write dark scenes.
...more

Solid and diverse collection of how-to essays on writing good horror fiction. A must reference for every writer's collection.
...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Bram Stoker Award-winner Michael Knost is an author, editor, and columnist of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and supernatural thrillers. He has written many books in various genres, helmed anthologies such as the Bram Stoker Award-nominated Barbers & Beauties. His Writers Workshop of Horror won the 2009 Bram Stoker Award for superior achievement in nonfiction. His critically acclaimed Writers W
...more
News & Interviews
If you listen to NPR regularly, you’ve likely heard the voice of Shankar Vedantam, the longtime science correspondent and host of the radio...
2 likes · 0 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »