Happy Friday, Operation Awesome! Well, the sun is still trying to melt us out there, so I'll be writing another post on horror-writing today - because as I said in my last post, if you don't have some ice cream on hand, giving yourself goosebumps is actually a pretty great way to cool down.
So, if horror movies are your thing, you might have gone to see the new movie The Conjuring last weekend, as I did. And I enjoyed it very much! It was a fun, gore-free, 70's throwback kind of creepy, which is very much my weakness. But as someone who likes to write horror, it's hard to just turn my brain off and enjoy the scary - I usually end up breaking the movie down to its working parts as I'm watching. This doubles as a pretty good way to avoid sleepless nights, but it also means taking a look at each trope and technique to see how effective they are. There's one in particular I noticed the director seems to enjoy (it popped up in his past effort, Insidious, as well) and when used properly, it's chillingly effective indeed.
Creating a Pavlovian response is all about setting a creepy precedent early on centered around a word, phrase, object, or character, and turning that word/phrase/etc into an instant tension-builder. In the movies I mentioned above, the director sets the precedent by associating each film's monster with a distinct sound (claws slowly unfurling and the sound of a straining rope, respectively) and using that sound to suggest that stuff's about to go down.
But you can be sneakier than that, if you want. Sometimes it's even scarier if your callback is buried in a perfectly normal scene, without any attention called to it whatsoever. Your reader's imagination is the scariest thing you've got in your arsenal, and I know for me, it's extra unsettling to run across a passage like this and wonder if I've imagined the creep-factor altogether.
Have a great weekend, all, and happy writing! I hope you're staying cool - even if you're not doing so by scaring yourself silly. ;)
Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts
Friday, July 26, 2013
Friday, July 12, 2013
Writing horror: when the familiar becomes the unknown
When you think about what kind of fiction complements these hot summer months, generally people will bring up romance or summer action blockbusters first. But one of the great things about living in Tokyo during the summer (one of the only great things, considering how brutally humid it was) was
that summer goes hand-in-hand with ghost stories - not only does this coincide with O-bon, but those cold chills down your spine might even help you deal with the heat. So today, I'm going to talk a little about one of my favorite elements of horror: familiarity.
I get nightmares on a fairly regular basis. Regular enough, at least, that it takes a lot to make me wake up breathless with terror nowadays. And it's probably my own fault for watching so many scary movies, anyway.
When I was younger, it was much worse - I don't know if those dreams were actually, objectively more terrifying, or if it was just because I hadn't built up the tolerance to creepy I have now. But I remember those dreams more clearly than I do the ones I've had this week alone: I remember an endless black hole in my driveway, a creepy deserted cabin that suddenly appeared in our back woods, and a strange, high voice coming from my brother's room next door. (Which might have been him talking in his sleep, now that I think about it.)
But out of all the horror movie stylings of my subconscious, this one scared me the most: I was sitting in the backyard, rocking back and forth on the swing and watching my father mow the lawn while someone moved, a little too quickly for me to make out, inside the house. I hopped off the swing and walked closer to the house so I could see the person inside, until I realized that he was my father, too. And then he stopped, turned, and smiled at me as the dream ended.
That was years ago, and it still makes me shudder!
There's one thing all the examples above have in common: each one featured something intimately familiar, whether it's a place or a person. I had the usual monster nightmares when I was a kid, and those were scary at the time, but no monster is quite as terrifying as an everyday sight suddenly turned completely alien.
The same principle is true in horror. There's a big difference between momentary chills and the kind of unease that lingers with the reader long after they set your book down. Even a well-executed horror sequence can lose its potency after the fact if the reader can 'think their way out of it,' so to speak. If the protagonist's circumstances seem completely removed from mine, I would be able to talk myself out of being scared.
Even if there's no way your reader would be in the situation your protagonist is, there are other ways to hit your reader where they live - and this is why it's just as important to balance the more fantastical elements of a horror story with a more down-to-earth terror, something in your protagonist's life that your reader might recognize in him or herself. Horror is a very personal genre when you get down to it, so the author needs to make it personal, both for their characters and their readers.
So go forth and inflict those cold chills! Given how scorching it is in DC right now, I could do with a few myself...
that summer goes hand-in-hand with ghost stories - not only does this coincide with O-bon, but those cold chills down your spine might even help you deal with the heat. So today, I'm going to talk a little about one of my favorite elements of horror: familiarity.
I get nightmares on a fairly regular basis. Regular enough, at least, that it takes a lot to make me wake up breathless with terror nowadays. And it's probably my own fault for watching so many scary movies, anyway.
When I was younger, it was much worse - I don't know if those dreams were actually, objectively more terrifying, or if it was just because I hadn't built up the tolerance to creepy I have now. But I remember those dreams more clearly than I do the ones I've had this week alone: I remember an endless black hole in my driveway, a creepy deserted cabin that suddenly appeared in our back woods, and a strange, high voice coming from my brother's room next door. (Which might have been him talking in his sleep, now that I think about it.)
But out of all the horror movie stylings of my subconscious, this one scared me the most: I was sitting in the backyard, rocking back and forth on the swing and watching my father mow the lawn while someone moved, a little too quickly for me to make out, inside the house. I hopped off the swing and walked closer to the house so I could see the person inside, until I realized that he was my father, too. And then he stopped, turned, and smiled at me as the dream ended.
That was years ago, and it still makes me shudder!
There's one thing all the examples above have in common: each one featured something intimately familiar, whether it's a place or a person. I had the usual monster nightmares when I was a kid, and those were scary at the time, but no monster is quite as terrifying as an everyday sight suddenly turned completely alien.
The same principle is true in horror. There's a big difference between momentary chills and the kind of unease that lingers with the reader long after they set your book down. Even a well-executed horror sequence can lose its potency after the fact if the reader can 'think their way out of it,' so to speak. If the protagonist's circumstances seem completely removed from mine, I would be able to talk myself out of being scared.
Even if there's no way your reader would be in the situation your protagonist is, there are other ways to hit your reader where they live - and this is why it's just as important to balance the more fantastical elements of a horror story with a more down-to-earth terror, something in your protagonist's life that your reader might recognize in him or herself. Horror is a very personal genre when you get down to it, so the author needs to make it personal, both for their characters and their readers.
So go forth and inflict those cold chills! Given how scorching it is in DC right now, I could do with a few myself...
Friday, June 28, 2013
Open Thread: Summer Reading List
Hello all! Sorry I'm not going to be my usual verbose self today - it's my last day at my current job, so naturally I have been keeping up an impressive juggling act all week. :)
So this time, I'm turning the mike over to you all to see what's on your summer reading lists. What awesome things have you read, or are on your shelf waiting for you to pick them up? As for me, due to my aforementioned transition, I haven't been able to finish much of anything lately, but with the short break I've scheduled for myself on the horizon, here's what I'm tackling first, in no particular order:
THE 5TH WAVE by Rick Yancey
ONE by Leigh Ann Kopans
OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE by Neil Gaiman
I HUNT KILLERS by Barry Lyga
SHADOW AND BONE by Leigh Bardugo
THE CAGED GRAVES by Dianne Salerni
... and lots more I'm forgetting, I'm sure.
You're up, OAers! What are you looking forward to?
So this time, I'm turning the mike over to you all to see what's on your summer reading lists. What awesome things have you read, or are on your shelf waiting for you to pick them up? As for me, due to my aforementioned transition, I haven't been able to finish much of anything lately, but with the short break I've scheduled for myself on the horizon, here's what I'm tackling first, in no particular order:
THE 5TH WAVE by Rick Yancey
ONE by Leigh Ann Kopans
OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE by Neil Gaiman
I HUNT KILLERS by Barry Lyga
SHADOW AND BONE by Leigh Bardugo
THE CAGED GRAVES by Dianne Salerni
... and lots more I'm forgetting, I'm sure.
You're up, OAers! What are you looking forward to?
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Summertime, when the writing is easy
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| Ready to earn your writing badge? Join Camp NaNoWriMo or another writing challenge. |
I know a lot of writers with day jobs as teachers and school librarians look forward to summer as a time to work on their writing. For a lot of writers, it's business as usual at the day job, with writing during nights and weekends. And other writers with children find summer their least productive time, when kids are home from school. Operation Awesome's Toni Kerr wrote about challenges and strategies for handling the season earlier this week. Becky Mahoney wrote about the frustrations and agonies of the summer publishing slow-down for writers who are querying or on sub.
For me, it's not a great time to write -- children, day job, and the distractions of summer fun. But I've realized no time is really good -- the only time is the time we have. So for me, this summer is it!
Need some inspiration? Summer is also the season for writers' conferences, retreats, and workshops, small and large. Here are a few of the biggest:
Camp NaNoWriMo - Pick your summer month, then write a novel during a month-long virtual writing retreat. Join now for the July session!
ALA Chicago - The summer conference of the American Library Association is where librarians convene and rub elbows with writers like Alice Walker, Khaled Hosseini, Temple Grandin, and Ann Patchett. (June 27 - July 2)
The 42nd Annual SCBWI Summer Conference - The Los Angeles meeting of SCBWI is about craft and networking with fellow children's writers and illustrators, like Laurie Halse Anderson, Kirby Larson, Jon Scieszka, Mac Barnett, and Richard Peck. And be sure to check your regional SCBWI for more events. (August 2-5)
What are your summer plans? More writing? Less? What are your goals? Do you have any events on the calendar, or know of any others? Any books you're especially interested in reading?
Friday, May 31, 2013
Publishing Summer (and How to Survive It)
TGIF, everyone!
Somehow it is already the final day of May. The official start of summer is less than a month away, but where I am, summer has already begun, really. *delicately fans self* It also means that we are entering the summer doldrums of publishing.
I have often explained the concept of Publishing Time to excited friends and family members who are dying to know what's going on with my book - but even if we understand it perfectly and are getting used to it, Publishing Time can be a difficult adjustment for writers! After all, when we are in drafting/revising/rewriting mode, that driven, Type A intensity is a good thing... and then we get to querying/submission mode and we must flex our patience muscles a bit. We're entering a period of very little activity until September or so as people take their well-deserved vacations, which means we need to scale it back before our heads explode.
So where do you channel that extra writing-related energy in the interim? Here are some humble suggestions:
1. Read all the things! Sure, some of you might be lucky enough to live in a place without 2000% humidity and the occasional hot breeze. (I kid. Mostly.) And some of you are strong enough to venture outside anyway! But for those of you who would rather pull the shades and camp out at home, this is an excellent time to catch up on your TBR list. I know it's been sitting there for the past few months, staring at you accusingly. Summer is the perfect time to read a good romance... or a good summer ghost story, if you're me.
2. Find something awesome to do (that has nothing to do with writing.) And in the end, you'll usually find that it feeds into your writing one way or the other. I am basically part fish, so my favorite thing about summer is the chance to swim several times a week. Aside from the fact that it's great exercise, when I find a quiet time to do my laps, that often ends up being the best brainstorming fuel.
3. Start a new story from scratch, just for fun. I'm a huge fan of cowriting for this one - it keeps your improv skills sharp, and it shuts off that internal editor that can make drafting so tricky. But this largely depends on finding someone you can really click with, and a shiny new solo project will work just as well. Giving your creativity a workout might add new verve to your pre-existing WIP. Or, while playing around, you might accidentally create the Next Big Thing. It's a win either way, and lots of fun, at that!
4. Take a vacation. Or a staycation. One of the two. Either way, switch up your routine a bit and try to see something new. Even if you're not traveling anywhere this summer (*stares longingly at flights to London, lets out wistful sigh*) there's always something in your area that you haven't seen yet.
Happy writing, all, and stay cool this weekend!
Somehow it is already the final day of May. The official start of summer is less than a month away, but where I am, summer has already begun, really. *delicately fans self* It also means that we are entering the summer doldrums of publishing.
I have often explained the concept of Publishing Time to excited friends and family members who are dying to know what's going on with my book - but even if we understand it perfectly and are getting used to it, Publishing Time can be a difficult adjustment for writers! After all, when we are in drafting/revising/rewriting mode, that driven, Type A intensity is a good thing... and then we get to querying/submission mode and we must flex our patience muscles a bit. We're entering a period of very little activity until September or so as people take their well-deserved vacations, which means we need to scale it back before our heads explode.
So where do you channel that extra writing-related energy in the interim? Here are some humble suggestions:
1. Read all the things! Sure, some of you might be lucky enough to live in a place without 2000% humidity and the occasional hot breeze. (I kid. Mostly.) And some of you are strong enough to venture outside anyway! But for those of you who would rather pull the shades and camp out at home, this is an excellent time to catch up on your TBR list. I know it's been sitting there for the past few months, staring at you accusingly. Summer is the perfect time to read a good romance... or a good summer ghost story, if you're me.
2. Find something awesome to do (that has nothing to do with writing.) And in the end, you'll usually find that it feeds into your writing one way or the other. I am basically part fish, so my favorite thing about summer is the chance to swim several times a week. Aside from the fact that it's great exercise, when I find a quiet time to do my laps, that often ends up being the best brainstorming fuel.
3. Start a new story from scratch, just for fun. I'm a huge fan of cowriting for this one - it keeps your improv skills sharp, and it shuts off that internal editor that can make drafting so tricky. But this largely depends on finding someone you can really click with, and a shiny new solo project will work just as well. Giving your creativity a workout might add new verve to your pre-existing WIP. Or, while playing around, you might accidentally create the Next Big Thing. It's a win either way, and lots of fun, at that!
4. Take a vacation. Or a staycation. One of the two. Either way, switch up your routine a bit and try to see something new. Even if you're not traveling anywhere this summer (*stares longingly at flights to London, lets out wistful sigh*) there's always something in your area that you haven't seen yet.
Happy writing, all, and stay cool this weekend!
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Competing With Summer
As far as writing goes, summer is the toughest time of year for me. The kids and I pack up and visit family for two months straight. We
always have a great time and the memories will last forever, but I have to turn
my back on my characters and the worlds they live in.
Why?
1. Because my office is where I write best. I control all
the distractions.
2. While gorgeous locations can inspire my writing, I'm
more inspired to go out and enjoy it. It's hard for me to send my kids out on adventures
without tagging along- especially if said adventures call for swimming in a
creek, 4-wheelers, or horses.
3. Non-writers don't understand the writing process. I
can't write or edit and carry on a conversation (or watch a movie) at the same
time. And it's kind of rude for me to try when I'm the guest. ;-)
4. I'm a binge writer. I like to be fully submerged for many,
many hours at time--not in and out every 10 minutes with half an idea.
5. Lack of internet. I know this should be a plus, but without
internet, I'm more likely to walk away from the computer when I need a moment,
which of course leads to a full day of activity. With internet, I can check
email or chat with a friend for a few minutes, then get back to work. That
said, I do have some limited access, with bandwidth restrictions, but the
nearest town (if I want full access) is 25 miles away.
If I lived there permanently, I'd have to adjust my writing
habits for sure. But summer is temporary, my kids will be grown soon, and I
have to weigh what's more important. I'm grateful for the opportunity to offer such amazing experiences for my kids to grow on.
If you have kids that are out of school for the summer,
how does your writing compete?
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Proposal Pros and Cons and the Amazing Time Suck that is Glee
So...I have been a TERRIBLE little blogger the last few weeks. My personal blog is a ghost town, and I missed my post on this blog last week.
The reason: I've been working on several proposals to send off to my publisher and with my kids at home for the summer (and my newfound and totally sidetracking obsession with Glee) work on the proposals is sometimes slow going.
Now there are many good and bad things about being able to sub on proposal.
Pro: I can sell a book based on a few chapters and the synopsis
Con: Those chapters need to rock. And I have to know how things are going to play out so I can do the synopsis. This is not easy for me.
Pro: Only needing to do a few chapters up front means I can focus my time on projects that have found a home, rather than on projects I just hope will find a home.
Con: Getting distracted is actually easier, I think, because in my head I'm thinking "Oh, I don't have that much work to do. I can afford to blow an entire day on a Glee marathon." And this just isn't true. Work needs to come first. But it feels true. And I want it to be true so bad. (Curse you Glee!!)
Pro: I can play around with all these awesome ideas I have, writing the first few chapters and spending some time outlining as I develop the story for the synopsis. I LOVE to brainstorm.
Con: SO MANY SHINY IDEAS!!! I still need to focus. Focusing is hard.
For the most part, I'm having a blast. I love swimming around in my idea file and pulling out a few that I think will make great stories. I love spending a little time with each one and I love that I have an amazing editor to share them with.
I just. Need. To. FOCUS.
And things like kids who are bored because it's too hot to play outside, cute new kitties running through the house, fun friends to talk to, awesome pages from awesome writer peeps to read, a never-ending TBR pile, and finding shows on Netflix that have three seasons of twenty-something hour-long episodes a piece that I must watch immediately *coughcurseyougleecough* sometimes make focusing on work a little difficult. Even when deadlines are looming :)
How is your summer going?
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Summertime!
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| Phineas and Ferb know how to do summer right. |
Last summer I really wanted to enjoy the season -- I didn't want to spend Saturdays torn between whether I was writing or playing with my children on the beach. This summer, I think the best way to seize the day would be to get back into my WIP -- as long as I still have Saturdays free for building a rocket, fighting a mummy, or climbing the Eiffel Tower -- maybe going to the park if I'm feeling less ambitious.
I know a lot of writers with day jobs as teachers and school librarians look forward to summer as a time to work on their writing. And other writers with children find summer their least productive time, when kids are home from school. For a lot of writers, it's business as usual at the day job, with writing during nights and weekends.
But summer is also the season for writers' conferences, retreats, and workshops, small and large.
ALA Anaheim - The summer conference of the American Library Association is where librarians convene and rub elbows with writers like John Irving, Jodi Picault, Sherman Alexie, and Lin Oliver, and George R.R. Martin. (June 21-26)
The 40th Anniversary SCBWI Summer Conference - The Los Angeles meeting of SCBWI is about craft and networking with fellow children's writers and illustrators. It's already sold out, but check your regional SCBWI for more events. (August 5-8)
Teachers Write! - Writer Kate Messner (a former children's librarian) is hosting a summer-long online writing workshop and community for teachers and librarians.
What are your summer plans? More writing? Less? What are your goals? Do you have any events on the calendar, or know of any others? Any books you're especially interested in reading?
Oh, and happy Father's Day to all of the writer and reader dads out there!
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