Horror Newsletter, October 3, 2007

About This Newsletter:
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

The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.
-- H. P. Lovecraft.

Fear of monsters attracts monsters.
-- Unknown.





Reviewing Horror

One of the greatest benefits of Writing.Com is having our work reviewed. Another joy is to review another member’s work. A good, constructive review assists an author to become better at their craft. Being a helpful reviewer can take some practice but it can be done!

A few simple pointers is all it takes to get started on your reviewing journey. Of course, grammar and spelling are huge. If a piece if rife with these kinds of errors, you may choose to point out a few and let the author know that here are several more that need their attention. If there are not many, you may wish to call the author’s attention to them and perhaps offer some ideas for changes.

Here are some more areas to consider when reviewing:

Characters: Can you envision the people? Are there any quirks or traits that make a character stand out? Are they consistent in speech and mannerisms? Do they make you want to read further? Let the author know how the characters affected you as a reader.

Plot: The plot should keep the story moving along. Too slow and you lose the reader, too fast and the reader becomes confused. Is the plot understnadable? Do you follow what is taking place? Is the timeline correct?

Setting: Does the setting play a large part in the story you are reviewing? If so, can you visualize it? Can you feel and see it?

Unique to Horror--Fear factor: Since we are discussing horror we must consider the fear factor it brings to is readers. Did the story make you eerily uncomfortable? Did it scare you? Both of these scenarios are wonderful news for a horror writer! Let them know what scared you and what wasn't quite there.

Now you have the basic tools for reviewing and a special one for the horror genre. Consider these aspects of a story when reviewing. Not only does it help the writer to become better at his/her craft, it can enhance your own writing as well!