Horror Newsletter October 4, 2006

Men fear death as children fear to go into the dark; and as that natural fear in children is increased with tales, so is the other.
~Sir Francis Bacon


No passion so effectively robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear.
~Edmund Burke


When you look into the abyss, the abyss also looks into you.
~Nietzsche



From the Editor:

Do you really want to see the thing?

When reading a horror piece in which there is a "monster," do we really want to see it? I think it depends on the story and the reader preference.

When reading something such as a vampire story, we expect to "see" our monster. We want to know what he or she looks like. The same goes for werewolves. We already have our own preconceived notion of what such a creature should look like but it is the job of the author to confirm or surprise us.

Some monsters are less clear or they are some eerie delight the writer has dreamed up. Don't discount these! They can be as much fun to dream up as they are to read.

Another type of "monster" is phobia based. There are numerous tales of killer clowns and rampaging spiders. We each have our own clear picture as to how these horrors appear. A writer can describe them in detail for maximum effect. Or a writer can merely allude to the chosen phobia and allow our fear-crazed minds to take it from there. If written well, either of these techniques can be equally frightening.

But what about the monsters we never quite see? The ones we know are there lurking just out of the corner of our eye? I often find these to be the most terrifying. When I was a little girl, I had monsters that lived in my closet and under my bedroom furniture. I never quite saw them but I {i]knew they were there. My mom tried to tell me they were "make believes." My child's interpretation was "night leaves." I was petrified to leave the closet door open and still am. I won't leave my feet uncovered when I'm in bed because I don't want something to creep out from under my bed to grab them. Did I ever see the monsters? No. But I didn't need to. Just knowing they existed was enough for me. My point is that with our innate fear of the unknown, sometimes not seeing what it is that scares us can be more effective.

When writing Horror, don't be afraid to utilize the monster that is never seen as well as the more common (but nonetheless scary) methods.

Happy Halloween!

~Nikola



Feedback:

From TRose-Going Insane : Waverly Hills Sanitorium is an awesome topic for discussion in this newsletter Nikola! I have read alot about it & I have to agree with you,I want to go there! It'd be a mind bending experience & surely give me more dark things to write about(as if I don't have enough already floating like dead things inside my head mwhaha). Thanks again for the awards you have bestowed upon my humble tale of horror & give you my applause on another newsletter well done!!
I noticed mention you live in a pretty haunted area. I can empathize completely because North Carolina, especially near where I live is rife with tales of hauntings and sightings of all varieties. One I have even seen for myself,in a small graveyard with original church that dates back before the days of slavery. There is a tombstone that seeps what appears to be blood when it rains. I believe in recent years this substance was tested & has actually been classified as real blood though there's no explanation for why it happens.


From writeone : Another good one. Being a native Kentuckian, I am impressed when my home state becomes fodder for lore. Anyway, I would visit, but only during the day. We are hoping to buy a house - circa 1900 - and I try not to think too much about who could be hanging around. My imagination makes that happen anyway! Thanks for the story! Keep on writing!

writeone


From Sarah : Excellent story, and what a lot of history with so much potential material for the Horror genre! I'll be looking this one up on the Internet!


From Schipperke : I have watched two shows about Waverly Hills, and read info on the internet. If you listen to the former patients, they were treated very well, and they were grateful they had a place to go. It was like a small community complete with romances and children.

After Waverly was a sanitorium, it was a Nursing Home, and that is where I heard about patient complaints.

If anyplace is haunted, Waverly probably is. So many people died there in pain. You can visit Waverly, and the fee will help the new owners continue to fix it up. It is architecturally historic also.


From A Solitary Traveler : Sounds like a great place for a Halloween party. Great visuals.