We Interrupt This Program

Yeah, I know I wasn't going to write anything until September, but this is my blog and I can break the rules if I want.  You know it had to be something important, right, for me to come out of the cave where I'm hiding from the Texas sun and actually write here, right?

Well, here it is.  During the summer, I read a lot for fun, because it's nice to have a break from textbooks.  So, two of the books I've read have been of the horror/suspense genre.

And I'm so irritated.

Listen, I'll tell you a secret.  My favorite thing to write is the dark stuff.  I don't know why.  But I love writing spooky, suspenseful, turn your hair white kind of stories.  And I'm annoyed by the chum bucket of so-called "horror" that is gracing the shelves these days.

Now, lest you think I'm dissing Stephen King, or one of the other great horror heavyweights, I'm not. But, here's what's annoying:  cliches. Cliches are not scary, unless you're talented enough to pull it off. Here are some examples of some cliches:  scary, evil little ghost girl in a white dress.  Non verbal autistic savant with a psychic ability that manifests at just the right moment.  Chainsaws.  Hatchets. Clowns (unless they're hiding in a sewer or drain).  Young lovers who venture into a deserted campsite that's eerily silent.  That sort of thing.

What I've learned from reading is that really, really great horror writers play on our deepest fears.  A loss of control.  A phobia.  Losing a loved one.  Losing one's sanity.  Being tormented by someone or something that won't stop.  Things that seem right, but just aren't.  And the other thing I've learned is that in writing this type of fiction, less is more.  Using the reader's imagination to fill in gaps is one thing that Stephen King excels at...because what you can imagine is so much more horrifying than what anyone could put on paper.  One of my favorite scenes in his book "Salem's Lot" comes when a vampire carries a teenager into a graveyard.  He doesn't tell us what happens after that.  He just writes "It became unspeakable."  And chills went down my spine after that.  What?  What became unspeakable?  What happened?  What did he do?  Unanswered questions that spark all kinds of ghoulish nonsense in your brain.

One day I hope to successful in this genre...or one close to it.  Until then, I'm avoiding the chum bucket.