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Is There a Point to Writing Horror?
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Jason wrote: " M Joseph wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "Good, thoughtful essay, Darnell. I think the best horror writing does tackle weighty subject matter, and as effectively as Shakespeare or Dostoyevsky--just from a..."Shiver. Now THAT is scary.
Horror is an exciting genre to write in. The money isn't there, really, but it's fun to write and fun to read. Romance and YA is full of briskly-selling crap.
People who like horror are like people who like rollercoasters; they like a nice safe scare that reminds them that they are alive and it's entertaining being scared, otherwise we wouldn't have rollercoasters and horror.
I write horror because it is the most poignant way to explore the human condition. What better way to take an unfiltered look at the darkness in humanity than to write about the darkness that lies within the imagination?
My definition of horror is far broader than most, so I'd argue that many books considered mainstream are actually horror. Cormac McCarthy's The Road, for me, is an amazing horror novel. And it's an example of one of the many reasons why horror is so worthwhile to read and to write. The man and the boy in that story love each other deathlessly. The deeper the love between people, the higher the emotional stakes. The higher the stakes, the greater the potential for horror. Horror is all about--or can be about--emotional investment. Of course it can be about a billion other things, but this is one of the many things I love about horror--it can involve deep and lasting love. And the fear of losing the one you love the most.
Hi all - I also wrote an essay that's over on
I Smell Sheep
that pertains to not only the validity of horror but fiction in general. It's not all fun and games. We can educate, manipulate, and steer people through the power of writing and that includes horror. Depending upon who you speak with, many will say that we live in horrible times. Now there's an opportunity for horror writers!Essay - Why I Use Fiction to Mirror Reality
I say theres more of a point to horror then there is for romance genre. People want to get scared so they read a horror book, if you want to get turned on well maybe you should go out and meet someone instead of curling up to the fire and reading a book about about hogwashy love. Horror is true to its elements raw, scary and lethal, romance? scary yes but not as much of there being a point to it in a genre as much or nearly as much as horror
I think people write horror for a lot of different reasons, and some of them are probably very difficult to quantify. I think for me it's a mix of it being an incredibly vibrant medium in regard to the images it allows you to paint in the mind of the reader, and also because it's easy in some ways to couch philosophical concepts inside a horror story that would be difficult to express in other fields.
When I read what some of my readers have thought of my books in their reviews and comments, it validates my writing of horror. My longer pieces do tend to delve into the philosophical and religious issues mentioned above, but my shorter works tend to just scare people. I love that. Knowing that I can evoke an emotional response in a reader (i.e. "Goosebumps, everyone!") makes me know that though my writing may never impact the world, it impacted that reader. That's the reason any real writer (and I use to term to separate the "artists" from those who just produce a product) writes. Whether it's horror, comedy, romance, action, or my least favorite term when it comes to writing: literary, we all just want our writing to touch something in somebody. Most us will never be rich, but I would rather have reviews like the one I quoted above on a story I never get paid for than a big fat check because I wrote some pulp fiction crap aimed at just making a buck. Nothing against popular or successful authors. I hope to join that group someday, and many very rich and successful authors do so without compromising their art or integrity, but then there are those who look at market trends and write a book that will sell a few hundred thousand copies because that's what's in right now and will be forgotten in a year's time. How many crappy teenage vampire romance novels came out since Twilight? How many of them actually impacted their readers?
I write for the same reason I play the music. It's funny. I'm a bassist in a hardcore band, and at work I had some older guy (23ish?) harassing me, telling me that I probably don't like anything that's not screaming, or with guitars, or that I think that rap isn't a type of music. He shut up when I told him I actually like rap, and that I also write it.I write horror, it fits my personality, but that doesn't mean I can't write anything else, and being a horror author doesn't define me.
I just think a lot, and I like making other people think. I don't like playing with labels, and I'd be rather unappreciative if someone came up and asked my WHY I wrote horror.
WHY do you need to know?
Kirsten wrote: "I write for the same reason I play the music. It's funny. I'm a bassist in a hardcore band, and at work I had some older guy (23ish?) harassing me, telling me that I probably don't like anything th..."23ish is older?
Hmmmmm....Just to belabor a point I'm going to link the McNaughton intro to the Cardin book again. He discusses some of the same things that have popped up in this thread (for those of you who didn't see it), namely Lovecraft, religion, and horror (and there interrelation): http://www.mattcardin.com/intro.html . It's interesting to take that and juxtapose it with the various things Brian M. himself used. In "The House Across The Way', he builds an elaborate and utterly chilling construct out of a hodge-podge of Chambers and Carrol allusions. In some of his stories, he drives at at the 'sense of sanity'. I suppose he's traded Lovecraft's pantheon for Freud's. I think there is a great deal to be said about the perspective of evil/paranormal and it's appeal to various readers.
Ardy wrote: "Kirsten wrote: "I write for the same reason I play the music. It's funny. I'm a bassist in a hardcore band, and at work I had some older guy (23ish?) harassing me, telling me that I probably don't ..."Haha, compared to me it is. That's why I specified the age. I'm only nineteen. Right now I'm the youngest in my work environment. When I said older, I meant older than me.
Got ya', though I feel practically ancient right now. But I do understand your point about music. In my younger days (though based on what you said, I would still be "older") I was in a rock band. It was a Christian rock band and though the sentiment has changed a bit over the years, there was still some on the mainstream side who considered Christian rock inferior and many on the religious side who thought that rock music was devil music and any Christian who played it or listened to it was either bad or fooling themselves. When asked why I did Christian rock my answer was much the same as my response to those who question why I write horror. When music was concerned I played the style that moved me the most and wrote the lyrics that were in my heart. Honestly, I didn't really think too much on the subject of why I write what I write until I started posting on this thread. But having those discussions about my music ten years ago prepared me to answer the questions.
It's fun to write what ever story that comes to mind. I write for the enjoyment of it. When you enjoy what you write about it seems to be an accomplishment. Everything is worth it.
I write horror for fun, but if money come along I'll take it.
It's fun, and it's cheaper than therapy
I just like horror novels and want to write what I enjoy.
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The Glen (other topics)Apparition (other topics)
I don't know. I bet there have been a lot of things in Snooki. ;)