Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Writers Workshop of Horror” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Writers Workshop of Horror

Michael Knost (Editor)

4.13 · Rating details · 204 ratings · 31 reviews

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

Get A Copy

Paperback, 262 pages

Published July 5th 2009 by Woodland Press, LLC

More Details... Edit Details

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.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 4.13 ·

Rating details

· 204 ratings · 31 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Writers Workshop of Horror

Jul 15, 2014 Rose rated it liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, reference, writing

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

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Jun 27, 2010 Arkadia rated it liked it

Shelves: on-writing

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

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jul 30, 2011 Suzanne rated it liked it

Shelves: nonfiction, read-in-2011, writing-resources

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 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 essay on scene and structure, which likens horror to a striptease of suspense, noting that "it is an exhibitionist genre, as much as it is the genre of fear. And this may very well be why horror gets a bum rap from the literati: horror can make a reader feel dirty..." Indeed!

Another favorite was Mort Castle's essay on the "New Fiction Blend: History, Fantasy, Horror." This and Lansdale's essay on "Cross Reading" particularly resonated with me, because although I enjoy horror very much, I read widely and may not write solely in that genre. It also seems timely, given the recent popularity of such genre blends as paranormal romance and urban fantasy.

Finally, I loved Robert N. Lee's "How Stephen King's Writing Advice Broke My Heart and Smashed My Dreams." It's a great personal story and I love the writing advice that comes from it:

"Do it as often as you do, do it as hard as you do, do it where you do, do it when you do. If you are going to be an occasional writer, be that. If you are going to try earnestly to make a career, if you are going to write novel after novel until one sticks, be that writer.

"These are all things you have to define for yourself, and if you're thinking too much about how other people do it, you will cause yourself no end of pain and you will end up writing less than you could otherwise, or not at all. No one does it exactly the same way. It is the most personal thing in the world that does not involve nudity--or it doesn't for me, anyway, no judgment intended." ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 14, 2009 Gef rated it it was amazing

Shelves: personal-favorites, writing

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

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 11, 2010 T. Frohock rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction

This is a super book for writers and for horror fans who want to see what makes your favorite author tick.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 01, 2010 Nayad Monroe rated it really liked it

Shelves: speculative-fiction, non-fiction, writing

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.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 01, 2010 Shaun rated it it was amazing

I thought Writers Workshop of Horror was going to be another run of the mill book about how to write. Boy, was I wrong. It’s a goddamn bible. It’s that good.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 22, 2010 Greg Chapman rated it it was amazing

The must have and must use addition to any budding writers bookshelf!

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jun 18, 2020 Bob Lewis rated it liked it

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 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 particular needs, but the relatively new writer will find a lot of value here.

On the other hand, if you're a seasoned writer, you'll probably find this book of limited utility. This isn't a book about the business side of writing, but rather about the creative act itself. While it's undoubtedly true that all of us, no matter how experienced, can always learn something new, it's unlikely that more experienced writers will find a lot here they didn't already know (though there can sometimes still be value in hearing old ideas in new ways, and the vast majority of the authors included in this collection do a good job of explaining their tips).

With a title like "Writers Workshop of Horror," I expected more of...well, an actual workshop. I knew, of course, that each of the authors included were going to offer advice on some particular aspect of the art and craft of writing in the horror genre, but I rather hoped that their advice would be illustrated by examples of works that utilized their techniques (as well as works that suffered for their failure to do so). It's a truism (which is repeated in this book, though thankfully not as often as it could have been) that a necessary precondition to becoming a skilled writer is to read widely, and one of the reasons for this is to learn what works in one's favorite books and what didn't work in one's least favorite books. One of the advantages of the workshop model of education as a writer (for all its faults, and you'll certainly hear plenty of authors warn their proteges against jumping blindly into a workshop setting) is that it provides direct exposure to the process of turning bad writing into good writing. That would have been a welcome addition to this collection.

Aside from a couple essays I disagree with (which is to be expected, especially in a multi-author work), my only real complaint about this book is the number of typographical errors that made it into print. I understand that typos and grammatical mistakes happen to the best of us. For all I know, I might have made some in this very review (though I certainly hope not), but there's a fundamental difference between casual writing in an informal review, in a friendly letter, or on social media and writing for publication. I can forgive errors in casual communication because they don't have a cover price of $21.95. For such mistakes to appear in a book of writing advice just seems unnecessarily careless. In his introduction, the editor pointed out that he didn't want to alter the various writers' individual styles, which I can understand. Preservation of authorial voice is a laudable goal, but I think it's safe to draw the line at basic proofreading, particularly when some of the errors are so glaring; on one page, for instance, Hannibal Lecter's name is spelled two different ways.

Overall, despite the aforementioned complaints, I did enjoy this book. It was a quick and pleasant read. Ultimately, though, I found it more inspiring than practically useful. ...more

flag Like · see review

Dec 27, 2020 Angela Isaac rated it really liked it

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

flag Like · see review

Sep 12, 2017 Louisa Heaton rated it it was amazing

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

flag Like · see review

May 29, 2017 David rated it really liked it

Some essays were brilliant, others were so-so, but overall a good reference for new writers ... and some great reminders for the not-so-new among us.

flag Like · see review

Nov 20, 2019 Jai Rahim rated it really liked it

Lots of excellent advice here.

flag Like · see review

May 26, 2020 Aurora Fox and Books added it

Good

flag Like · see review

Dec 27, 2009 Paul rated it really liked it

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 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 was one essay I hated. Like wanted to punch a wall hated. From G. Cameron Fuller's "The Power of Setting and Description":

"

when it comes to primary characters, the less described the better. Most of the time, especially in genre fiction the main character becomes functionally a stand-in for the reader. As the story progresses, if the writer is doing the job right, the reader increasingly identifies with the main character.

As a consequence, the reader begins to subconsciously imagine the main character as looking, more or less like the reader.... The more colorful the main character--weighs 790 pounds, walks with a pronounced limp, speaks in riddles--the less likely the reader will identify. And the less the reader identifies , the less likely the reader will feel what the main character feels..."

This is all part of the longer argument within the essay that a horror story equals atmosphere. It's all an utter steaming pile of bunk. I would hope that any beginning writer reading his essay would know that it's bunk, too.

It's so wrong I don't know where to start, really. What galls me the most about the above snippet is the insinuation that yeah, all readers are just like you, right? They're all the same, and they all bring the same personal, gender, and cultural experience to your cipher-character.

Um, you know, people, we look different, act different, experience different things, and that's okay. The differences are important, and are to be accepted and respected, not ignored, and they should be addressed in your fiction. Sorry, but you're creating weak fiction by not making your main character, you know, a real character.

Jesus, man, it's not about identifying with the main character. Not ever! At least not in any fiction worth a damn. Your job as a writer (no matter the genre) is to--within the framework of the story--to make the reader empathize or want to understand your character and your character's experience. ...more

flag Like · see review

Jan 28, 2010 Michele Lee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reviewed, horror-suspense, research-books-for-writers, 2010, anthology, lucy-snyder-books

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

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 09, 2013 Jack rated it really liked it

Shelves: owned

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

flag Like · see review

Feb 26, 2010 Guido Henkel rated it really liked it

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

flag Like · see review

Apr 24, 2012 Theresa Glover added it

Shelves: 2016-reading-list

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

flag Like · see review

Apr 29, 2012 Matt Moore rated it really liked it

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

flag Like · see review

Feb 22, 2010 Charles rated it it was amazing

Shelves: nonfic-writing

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

flag Like · see review

Dec 28, 2013 Justin rated it really liked it

Shelves: horror, writing

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

flag Like · see review

Dec 10, 2016 Katia M. Davis rated it really liked it

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

flag Like · see review

Jul 24, 2012 Reyn rated it really liked it

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

flag Like · see review

Nov 03, 2013 Angeline rated it it was amazing

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

flag Like · see review

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!

flag Like · see review

Mar 02, 2012 Nicole Galloway-Miller rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mfa-jan-2012

So far, I have found the articles in this writing guide extremely helpful.

flag Like · see review

Jan 26, 2013 Angie Lisle rated it really liked it

Lots of good advice here.

flag Like · see review

Feb 09, 2013 Kenya Wright rated it it was amazing

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

flag Like · see review

Jun 03, 2013 Eric rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, writing-guide, books-i-own

Solid and diverse collection of how-to essays on writing good horror fiction. A must reference for every writer's collection. ...more

flag Like · see review

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend It | Stats | Recent Status Updates

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Language > Writing

27 users

Nonfiction

13 users

Horror

12 users

Art > Crafts

2 users

Reference

2 users

See top shelves…

About Michael Knost

Michael Knost

25 followers

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