Posts Tagged ‘authors’

You Know A Story Is Good When You Celebrate The Victories With The Characters

Posted: February 12, 2014 in Living and Life, Reflections, Writing
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Here’s a fun manga I highly recommend.

Well, that was a longer title than what I usually give a blog post. But it contains grains of truth.

Last night I was reading a manga in bed. The manga was Hikaru no Go, which is about a boy who starts learning how to play Go (a Japanese board game, for those of you who haven’t heard of it before) and how he becomes a better Go player. While it’s not the kind of story you’d expect to have you at the edge of your bed, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I wanted to know if the main character passed the pro test (in Japan, you can take the pro test if you’re under the age of 30), and was reading as fast as I could to find out what happened.

When I finally got to the last chapter of the volume I was reading, I couldn’t put the book down. They kept me wondering the results right up until the last moment, and when they finally revealed the results, I jumped out of bed and started doing a funny little dance. Thank goodness I didn’t shout for joy, though I was tempted to (I did not want to wake up my roommate, who had just gone to sleep).

But you see, this illustrates a very important point. While Hikaru no Go isn’t a very complex manga and its rating is for “General Audiences”, the author and illustrator were able to tell the story in such a way that you begin to feel the emotions of the characters and you wish the best for them while at the same time reading on ahead just so you can find out how they are doing. And when the resolution presents itself, you just want to dance like I did at the end of the volume I was reading, because you felt you were there and that you wanted to partake in the celebrations as well.

I think the mark of a great story is when an author can induce this effect in its readers. It’s an effect I don’t usually see in stories, but when I do they end up becoming some of my favorite stories. Every author tries to replicate that effect, and whether or not they do depends on the skill and experience of the author, as well as on the readers who take the time to commit to the story. I know it’s an effect I’ve been trying to create in my stories, and if some of the reviewers of my work are being truthful, I’m getting to the point where I might be able to insert that effect into my stories.

But how does one go about getting that effect into the stories? I’m not sure any author can answer that very well. The only advice I can give is that you should read a lot and take notes on what the writers did in the novels or other stories you find yourself celebrating with the authors. Then trty to replicate that wth your own stories. If your audiences end up enjoying your work and give responses like what you’re looking for, that they celebrated the victory of the characters, then I guess you’ve done your job.

What are some stories you’ve read that made you celebrate the victories of the characters? What do you think the author(s) did to make you feel that way?

The Importance of Grammar

Posted: February 6, 2014 in Living and Life, Reflections, Writing
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Yesterday I got some great advice from my American History teacher on grammar. You’re probably thinking “What?” Allow me to explain.

I take an American History class that covers America’s rise as a superpower from right after WWI to 1963 as one of the required classes I need to take for my study abroad trip. The class meets three days a week for about fifty-five minutes, and it is probably my favorite class this semester. Not only is it the first class I have on the days we meet (and we meet after 10am, so I’m a little less rushed to get to class on those days), but the subject material is interesting, we do small quizzes and short papers instead of midterms and finals, and the teacher is such an animated storyteller and genial character, you can’t help but be mesmerized and enjoy listening to him when he speaks.

Yesterday morning, our teacher was talking to us about the grades we got on our first papers, where we examined the different sides in the Scopes trial back in the 1920s. He was telling us about how to improve our essays for next time, and then he said something that really resonated with me as a writer. This is what he said, as best as I can reproduce it here:

“I always have the one student that grumbles about grammar. It’s not an English class, so why is it so important to have good grammar? Well, if this were an engineering class, would it be okay to have a little bad math? Or if this were a physics class, would it be okay to have a few incorrect equations? If the answer is yes, then let me know what bridges you’ve built or what planes you’ve built, so I can know to avoid them! Good grammar is important in History, even if it’s not an English class. And I expect good grammar in your papers.”

And not just in history papers, but in all written works, one should have good grammar. If one looks at the self-publishing phenomenon, one has see new authors emerging by the thousands to publish their books. And that’s good. Although it means more competition for every author, it’s great that authors get the chance to publish their work without having to pander to New York-based publishing companies who are only concerned with making a profit. However, some of these authors, whether they feel that too much attention to grammar stifles creativity, or they have forgotten the rules of good grammar, or they’re too lazy to be bothered with it, have neglected grammar in their books. This has not only brought down the quality of their stories, but has put a stain on all self-published authors, that we’re half-assed about our craft and that we write sub-par stories with horrifying grammar.

Grammar can also be like that.

The truth is, most self-published authors–a majority of self-published authors–are very serious about their craft, grammar included. And it’s important that authors, whether they’re writing their first book or their twelfth or their fiftieth, should pay attention to their grammar. It makes the story flow nicely, the quality of the story is vastly improved, and the author feels a sense of satisfaction when, in reviews (when they get them), no one’s griping about how bad the grammar has been.

So if you’re an author who thinks that grammar isn’t that important, consider thinking again. Because grammar is there for a reason, and it is not one to be taken lightly. Yes, it’s sometimes a pain to add every apostrophe or to know where the semicolon belongs or whether to use “me” or “I”. But nobody ever said writing was easy. And sometimes we have to go through annoying or painful trials in order to make our art the best.

Or we could get on the unstable bridge or the plane that won’t stay up after reaching a certain altitude. But I hear the chances of doing those twice aren’t so great.

Oh, good news: one of my teachers is allowing me to write a short story I came up with for class (not the American History teacher, though I will use material from that class). My Deaf Literature class has an assignment where we have to bring in something representative of the Deaf community or Deaf culture. I plan to write a short story about a young deaf woman living in the Oklahoma Panhandle during the middle of the Dust Bowl of the 1930’s. I figure I can make an exciting story when I add those factors together. Though whether I can add a serial killer or a monster is up in the air at this point. Might not even happen (sigh). We’ll see what I can come up with by next Wednesday.

Conversations With CC Finlay

Posted: February 4, 2014 in Author Interciew, Review, Writing
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Today I finally get the chance to post my interview with science fiction author Charles Coleman Finlay, or CC Finlay for short. A graduate of Ohio State, his first story Footnotes was published in 2001 in Fantasy and Science Fiction, where several of his short stories have been published since. He’s also published four novels, including the Traitor to the Crown series (which one of my favorite shows, Sleepy Hollow, strangely resembles) and a collection of short stories, The Wild Things.

I sat down with him to talk about writing, fiction, and how delicious the food from the Wexner Café was (comments about that last subject are not in this interview). It was a great way to have lunch on a Friday afternoon.

RU: I guess the first question I want to ask you is, how did you get into science fiction?

CCF: I’m not sure there’s a short answer. When I was a kid, I felt overwhelmed by the world just because of personal events in my life. So I was looking, unconsciously,  for larger than life characters, people who faced world-sized problems and overcame them. So I started with cartoons and comic books. I loved superheroes–Superman, Batman, Green Arrow, the Flash, the X-Men. When I started reading a lot of books, science fiction and fantasy fulfilled the same needs but in a more complex way. Take Lord of the Rings, for example. Here’s Frodo with this burden he didn’t want, and he’s not a wizard or a superhero, and still he finds some way to triumph. That really resonated with me. Edgar Rice Burroughs was also a really important writer for me. All of his characters face big overwhelming problems, whether it’s Tarzan orphaned in the jungle or John Carter transported to another planet. Science fiction and fantasy are  full of those kinds of stories, and I loved them. I still do.

RU: I like comic books too, though they’re usually the Japanese kind, and I still read them a lot. When you write, what is your process?

CCF: Every writer is different. For me, it’s an iterative process. I have to have the whole story in my head, the shape of it like a picture, and then write it down. My first drafts can be pretty rough, but then I revise it and rewrite it many times. My wife’s also a writer, but she’s the exact opposite of me. She needs the scene perfect each time. So she writes more slowly, but she does less editing than I do. But if you ask this question of a hundred different writers, you’re going to get a hundred different answers. Everyone is different.

RU: A lot of the readers on my blog are a strange grouping of traditionally-published and self-published authors. How do you feel about the changing dynamics of the publishing industry these days?

CCF: There’s not a period of time where you can point to traditional publishing–however you define traditional publishing–as stable. It’s always changing, always evolving. If you’re thinking of it from a professional point of view, the most important question is this: how do authors get paid. A lot of technologies are allowing authors to get paid and published in new ways. That can be good for authors. But there are also a lot of authors who publish their books too soon, before they’re ready. I know one writer who, when he was young, self-published his first novel and was so discouraged by the reaction to it that he gave up writing for a decade. That was a shame, because he was incredibly talented. Had he stuck with traditional publishing there would have been more people around him to keep him going and to help make his books better, so that when they did come out, people would have loved them. On the other hand, I have friends who, after being traditionally published, have started to self-publish. T.A. Pratt and Henry Connolly, for example, both had series that got cancelled by their publishers, but they had a hardcore group of dedicated readers. They self-published more books in the series and had huge success with it. So it’s a lot like the question about the writing process. There’s no single right answer, and every writer has to find the right path for them. Everyone will make mistakes along the way. So it’s up to authors to educate themselves about potential opportunities, but also potential problems.

RU: What advice would you have for an author who isn’t having much success right now?

CCF: Keep working at it. I was writing seriously and submitting fiction for over six years before I sold my first story professionally. That’s pretty common. I’ve heard it described as the Million Words of Crap theory–that every writer has to write a million words of crap before they start producing something good. Other people I know quote Malcolm Gladwell and point out that you need to put in 10,000 hours of practice to get good at any skill.

Also, surround yourself with other writers who are as serious about it as you are. Pick them up when they get discouraged, and let them do the same for you. Learn from them and share your own mistakes to shorten the learning curve for everyone. Writing can be lonely enough, but don’t let it isolate you.

RU: Do you think as less people are reading, the novel will die out?

CCF: More people are reading than ever before, not just in the US but throughout the world and ebooks are making that easier. So I don’t see the novel dying out soon. The problem is there are more writers, more novels, than ever before. So it’s harder to find a big readership for any single book.

(Editor’s note: Mr. Finlay recommends going to this website for more information on the subject.)

RU: What do you look for in the stories you read?

CCF: That is a great question. I am a guest editor for the July/August issue of Fantasy and Science Fiction. In the month of January, over 750 stories were submitted to me to read for this issue. From that I had to narrow it down to about 12 stories that I will get to publish. So I’ve been thinking about this a lot.

I like to be surprised, which is hard when you’re a writer. The surprise can be plot, language, format, character, knowledge. But it has to be something. The more I read, the more it’s something else besides plot–you see every plot twist, every angle in a story before it happens. So when a plot surprises me, I really value it. And then I look for stories that make me feel. It’s not just putting characters through terrible things, there has to be some emotional resonance as well. Fear, excitement, sadness are all good emotions, but I really look for and enjoy stories that can make me feel delight, wonder, joy. Those are a lot harder to write, and I appreciate stories that can evoke those emotions. And then I love to laugh. Not every story is funny, or should try to be funny, but when a writer can make me laugh consistently, I really appreciate that.

RU: So much science fiction has become reality: communicators become cell phones, all-matter materialization devices are 3D printers, and we have information literally at the tips of our fingers. Where do you think science fiction will go from here now that a lot of it is becoming science reality?

CCF: I don’t think it’s something new. Thomas Disch wrote a great nonfiction book called The Stuff Our Dreams Are Made Of about this phenomenon. But I also don’t think that science fiction is a laboratory for new technology. Science fiction is about the present, not the future. If people envision something and make it a reality, then that’s something different from science fiction.

RU: Final question: If you were stuck on a desert island and could only bring three books with you, what would you bring?

CCF: I think you have to take Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe with you for all the obvious reasons. Defoe invented the novel and Robinson was one of the first he invented. I would also take a collection of Lois McMaster Bujold. I think she’s an amazing writer, and I reread her Vorkosigan series in particular every year or so. And then I’m a writer. So the last one would be a book full of blank pages, so I could write the book I wanted to read. That’s what we do as writers, right?

 

If you’re interested in learning more about CC Finlay, you can check out his website at www.ccfinlay.com.

Snake: The Cover

Posted: February 3, 2014 in Novel, Progress Report, Writing
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The photo up above is NOT the cover. I just wanted one more photo of a snake before I unveiled it. Actually, the cover is right below this paragraph, and I must say it’s some of my best work yet in covers. Take a look:

Snake

Yes, that woman is naked on the cover. The actual painting is called Lilith by the English painter John Collier. I chose it for three main reasons. One was that it represents a Genesis theme, and references to Genesis do appear in Snake (three guesses what they are, the first two don’t count). The second reason is that a lot of authors I admire have famous paintings on their book covers and I wanted to do something similar with Snake and with any sequels I might write. Or maybe I wanted to draw audiences in by featuring a naked woman on the cover because nothing sells like sex. I confuse the two often. No, it’s the one about authors I admire. Never mind.

The third reason is that the only other option I had for a cover was a photo of a mask similar to what the Snake wears in the novel, but that was too disturbing to put on the cover. I decided to go with the less-disturbing Lilith instead.

Well, that’s the cover. I plan to back my files up in the morning and then send them off to the copyright office. Hopefully for once the US Copyright Office will make good on that promise of a processing time of two-and-a-half months (I doubt it).

And while I have your attention, I would like to announce a tentative release date for Snake. Assuming that nothing gets in the way of this book coming out by that time, I would like to announce that Snake will be coming out June 10, 2014, my twenty-first birthday and exactly two years to the day I started work on this novel. If it needs to be pushed back, I’ll do that, but I’d like to release it on that day. Not only will it feel right to release it that day, but it’ll be a great birthday present if a lot of people buy the book the day it comes out.

Well, that’s all for now, Followers of Fear. Please let me know what you think of the cover and of the release date. I’d love to hear from you. For now though, I’m heading to bed. Goodnight!

Snake: The Final Draft Is Done

Posted: February 3, 2014 in Novel, Progress Report, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Oh, I am on the ceiling tonight! Okay, I’m not literally on the ceiling, but you can guess how I’m feeling right now. As the title suggests, I’ve finished the final draft for Snake, which means it’s time to get it ready for publication! So excited right now, and I can’t wait to get started. In fact, I’ll start after this blog post is done.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Snake, it’s a thriller novel I wrote through the latter half of 2012. It follows a young man who becomes a serial killer in order to take down the mafia family who took from him what he considers most precious in life. Referred to by the media as the New York Mafia Killer (most of the novel takes place in New York City), he calls himself the Snake, for reasons that become apparent in the novel. So it’s basically a story of an antihero vigilante with mental problems and methods that would make Batman cringe. Still, it’s a story I enjoyed writing and I think that anyone who’s into these sort of dark thrillers will enjoy the story.

I know Angela Misri did. Angela, for those of you who haven’t been lucky enough to meet her yet, is an author and friend from Toronto whose first book, Jewel of the Thames, is due out next month. She did me a great favor by taking a look at Snake and giving me suggestions on how best to spruce it up before I published it. During the last twenty chapters or so, she was getting back to me every couple of days with revisions and suggestions on the manuscript. I have to say, I’m impressed that she was able to find the time to look over the whole novel with a full schedule of her own. Most of all though, I’m thankful for her help. She gave me amazing feedback on Snake, and I’m so happy to have collaborated with her. I hope that if I ever get around to writing a sequel to Snake, she’ll be willing to look at that as well.

Oh, before I forget. I did another check on the page and word count for Snake. All told, the novel is 370 8.5″ x 11″ pages and a little under 120,000 words. So it’s like a mid-length Harry Potter novel in length. Hope that doesn’t scare off any readers. That would suck! Anyway, I already have a cover picked out and I know who I’ll be acknowledging and who I’ll be dedicating the book to. I’m going to get on compiling the final manuscript together and creating the cover, so I’ll post on Snake again when I have those made up, along with a release date for the book.

One last thing though: I have to thank everyone reading this blog. Your support keeps me going and every time someone reads one of my books, it brings a boost to my mood and makes me want to write more and to improve the quality of my storytelling. Thank you so very much. I hope you’ll continue to support me in the future as I work on my dream of becoming an author.

And before I go to put dinner in the oven, I just want to let you know that if you’re interested in Snake or interested in reading an excerpt from Snake, please click here.

Have a lovely evening, Followers of Fear.

Reborn City: Three Months Since Publication

Posted: February 1, 2014 in Living and Life, Novel, Review, Writing
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Reborn City

As I said earlier in the week, it’s been three months since my first novel Reborn City was published. I still can’t believe it’s only been three months! Maybe it’s because during November, December, and this past month I’ve been busy with school and work, but it feels much, much longer.

For those unfamiliar with RC, this is a science-fiction novel I wrote in high school and edited and polished through my first two years or so of college before publishing it in November. The first book in a trilogy, the novel follows Zahara Bakur, a Muslim teenager living in Reborn City, a Las Vegas-esque entertainment city owned by the powerful and mysterious Parthenon Company. The world Zahara lives in is a dystopia that resulted from the War on Terror devolving into a third world war, leaving most of the Western world prejudiced against Islam and Muslims, making life for Zahara very difficult. One day though she’s forced to join an interracial street gang called the Hydras, and it’s from there the story begins, with Zahara learning to live in a gang and finding out that there are more than just other gangs after the Hydras. The choices she makes will not only influence her own life, but the lives of those around her.

I’ve only gotten two reviews on RC so far, but they’ve all been pretty positive. Here’s what they’ve had to say:

“As a reader who does not read books in this genre, I must admit that I could not put down the book. I attribute this to the talent of the author. I am looking forward to reading the next books published by Ungar. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy action with  features of supernatural powers and sci-fi.”

Enji

“Gangland violence, superhero-like enhancements, a futuristic setting, and social commentary that stems from a semi-post-apocalyptic theme. And then there’s a story where people come together as a family to deal with mutual loss and tragedy. What’s not to like?”

Matthew S. Williams, author of Whiskey Delta and other great books.

I must say, I really enjoy RC, and I’ve grown close to many of the characters. And if you end up liking RC, there’s good news: I just finished the second book in the trilogy and I’ll probably start editing it later this year (for a summary of Video Rage, please click here). I’m very excited for VR, actually. I felt that while writing it I experienced both personal growth and growth as a writer, and it shows in how I wrote VR. It also expands a bit on the world the Hydras inhabit and explores their personal relationships more deeply than the first book. I think a lot of readers will like it.

If you’d be interested in reading Reborn City, you can get it in both print paperback and e-book from Amazon and Smashwords. And whatever you think of it, please let me know what you think. I enjoy feedback, positive or negative.

Thanks and I wish you happy reading!

The Quiet Game: Six Month Anniversary

Posted: January 29, 2014 in Living and Life, Review, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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tqg cover

I kind of let this pass by without really realizing it, but now that it’s on my mind, I’d like to commemorate that six months (and twelve days) ago my first book, The Quiet Game: Five Tales To Chill Your Bones, was first released for paperback and e-reader.

Since that July day, a lot has happened, but especially with this book. A small collection of original short stories I’d written over Winter Break 2012 and Spring Semester 2013, the book has sold about a little over fifty copies (which for the first book of a self-published author is not that bad). It’s also received eight reviews from readers, which has brought the book’s average to a 4.4 out of 5 (which for the first book of a self-published author is pretty mind-blowing for me). Here are what some of the reviewers have been saying:

“5 wonderfully crafted tales! I purchased this as an eBook originally and put off reading it for quite a while, I really wish I hadn’t waited. Sometimes when one purchases a collection of short stories you expect some of them to be less entertaining or of lower quality than the others, but none of these disappoint. Well worth the money, especially considering after you read each story the author gives you creative insight into what inspired him to write each tale, which is really wonderful.”

Jeff D.

“I happened across The author Rami Unger about a year ago when he was researching the paranormal online.

He nailed the Dybbuk story. Write more… soon!”

Jason Haxton, author of The Dybbuk Box

“I liked that each story was unusual. I think that the book was appropriately named. I prefer chilled bones rather than scared out of my whits since I am a bit of a chicken”

Enji

I’d just like to say that it’s been wonderful hearing from people what they think of The Quiet Game and finding out that they enjoyed the book and want to read more. It’s the readers themselves that have made all of this possible for me, so I really owe everyone reading my work a great debt that can never be repaid. So thank you very much and I hope we’ll be able to have great times together in the future.

If you are interested in reading The Quiet Game, you can find it on Amazon and on Smashwords. The print version is available for a little over five dollars, while the e-book version is available for about a dollar-thirty. And if you do decide to read The Quiet Game, please let me know what you think of it. Good or bad, I’m always happy for reviews and feedback.

Thanks for reading, and I hope to have more good news at the one-year anniversary. And speaking of anniversaries, Saturday will make three months since Reborn City came out. I’ll have to do a post about that as well. Look forward to it!

Sales In Self-Publishing

Posted: January 20, 2014 in Reflections, Writing
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Some people think that anyone who’s published a book must be very talented  and rolling in money. I’m going to leave the question of talent to the side for another post, and focus on sales, particularly sales in the world of self-publishing.

I published my first book in July last year and my first novel in November. As a self-published author, a college student, and a guy working at Ohio State’s Student Financial Aid office part-time for nine bucks an hour, I couldn’t exactly afford an advertising team to help me spread the word about my books. I’m completely reliant on my blog, every social media platform I can get my hands on and learn to use, and the spoken word, along with any contacts I can make in the writing industry.

Truth is, most writers don’t make that much money out of their craft, especially if they’re self-published and doing a lot of the work on their own. Most writers usually have teaching jobs or something else to help pay the bills. Stephen King didn’t stop teaching until Carrie went paperback. Anne Rice and JK Rowling had small sales until their careers started taking off, and then they began writing full time. There are numerous other examples I could mention, but the point is that writing and publishing books is not guaranteed income. In fact, several authors I know, most of them self-published but a few of them having gone the traditional route, have described their book sales as getting a big boost whenever a book is published, followed by a steady decline to the usual amount of sales after a month or so. I’m still working to get to that level of popularity!

But then again, most authors don’t care about the amount of sales, at least not like an executive in a toy company might worry about how a toy is not selling as it should among kids 8-12. Most of the time, we’re more worried about how people are liking our books, if they enjoy what they’re reading and if they’re connecting with the characters. In short, every writer wants to know is if people are appreciating the stories they create. And the authors that are more concerned with sales in the other sense? Well, I don’t think that they got into writing for the right reasons.

So most authors don’t make big sales like some people tend to think. We certainly wouldn’t mind having more sales but it’s not as big a factor for us as one might think. In fact, I’m very happy with my current fanbase, though it’s pretty small at this point. The people who read my work tend to enjoy it very much, and they let me know in reviews and emails and in conversations. And for now, that’s all I can ask for. When I get the big sales and the larger fanbase, it’ll be because I’ve earned it.

All for now. I’ve got a short story to work on. Wish me luck!

The 3 Types of Terror

Posted: January 18, 2014 in Reflections, Scary Stuff, Writing
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I came across this post by Stephen King on Facebook the other day and I thought it’d be interesting to write about. The post goes like this:

The 3 types of terror: The Gross-out: the sight of a severed head tumbling down a flight of stairs, it’s when the lights go out and something green and slimy splatters against your arm. The Horror: the unnatural, spiders the size of bears, the dead waking up and walking around, it’s when the lights go out and something with claws grabs you by the arm. And the last and worse one: Terror, when you come home and notice everything you own had been taken away and replaced by an exact substitute. It’s when the lights go out and you feel something behind you, you hear it, you feel its breath against your ear, but when you turn around, there’s nothing there…

Words of wisdom from the King himself.

When I read this, it struck a certain chord with me. I realized that a lot of horror writers and filmmakers can easily gain an understanding of the first two, but it takes a long time to get into the third type, and an even longer time to gain a mastery of it. For example, there are a lot of films out there (of varying quality) that utilize Gross-out and Horror. They have serial killers, they have vampires and demons, but they’re kind of low on terror. The Evil Dead films and many bad slasher flicks are prime examples of this (I’m talking to you, Friday the 13th remake). Even I had trouble with this early on in my writing career. I could easily write a story about vampires or demons that had plenty of blood  and fight sequences, but I was lacking in the terror department. Even worse, I rarely thought about including the terror factor, and when I did I didn’t really do it as best as I could.

But at that age though, and in that point of my development as a writer, all I thought I needed was a monster, someone’s life in danger, and the rest would take care of itself. I learned later on that adding terror to the story is a process, something that has to be consciously done before you can go about actually adding it in unconsciously. This is something I’ve had to comprehend with lately and which I’ve been working on with some of my latest stories. With The Loneliest Roads, I tried to put in a sense of unreality and strangeness even before my protagonist entered the limo, and slowly heightened it once she got into the limo. with some of the short stories I’m planning on writing now, I’m looking for ways to increase that terror without seeming silly or absurd. And in future novels, I hope to add that factor in with more skill and precision than I have in the past.

Perhaps adding terror in is the most difficult part of horror writing because, as King said, it’s the worst. It’s what really makes a horror story memorable to those who read or see it, and the thing about it is that it’s often an underlying element in the story, something that’s a factor in the scary elements of the story but rarely the main element. That goes to the Horror, which usually causes in one way or another the Gross-out. But the Terror? It’s what hails the coming of the horror, what prepares you for the jumps and scream the Horror will cause. And getting someone prepared for that can be really difficult, all told.

Although I’m still trying to get mastery of all 3 elements, I’m hoping that in the future I’ll be able to get a better handle on them, and to do that I just have to keep writing, to keep practicing and see where it takes me. As I write, I learn, and hopefully I learn how to tell scary stories much better than I have in the past. It’s an ongoing process, but I feel it’s one I must take part in. Wish me luck.

And for those horror writers out there, how do you deal with the 3 elements listed above? Do you have any advice on utilizing any of them? What?

(Don’t say “limit Gross-out” though, because I’ve already figured that one out. Too many horror films rely on Gross-out as it is, and it’s annoying after a while.)

Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors: My First Post of the New Year

Posted: January 17, 2014 in Journalism, Living and Life, Writing
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
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This morning I published my first article of 2014 on Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors, a website I write for that aims to help self-published authors make the most of their options and succeed in self-publishing. It’s also my tenth article for the website, which I’m very happy about.

The article is called Some Tips For WattPad Users, and it’s about–you guessed it–using WattPad. I promise, I’ll leave the topic of the website alone for a while after this post. Well, I did say that if any of our readers on that blog had any tips about using WattPad, I’d publish those in a follow-up article, but…well, after that article. I think I’ve been going on a Wattpad obsession lately, and it’s been showing through on this blog. I hope it hasn’t annoyed anyone. At least not too much.

Anyway, the article is about some general tips for utilizing WattPad, so if you have an account or are thinking of getting an account, please check out the article. And if you’re a self-published author or you’re considering self-publishing, I highly recommend Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors. It’s a wonderful website with many articles on just about every subject you can think of devoted to self-publishing and it’s run by a variety of authors, myself included, who are devoted to their craft and love helping others out.

All for now. Have a great day, my Followers of Fear.

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