  Horror/Scary
This week: The Horror of Presence Edited by: Kate - Writing & Reading  
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Welcome to this week's edition of the WDC Horror/Scary Newsletter ~ where we explore the absence ~ and presence ~ of elemental horror ~~~
Write On!
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Greetings,
Last month we explored the elements of absence in igniting and instilling horror in our verse and prose for our readers. I'd like to explore today the not-quite-opposite of absence - presence.
These elements intrude on our comfort zone, shaking our confidence in the ability to act, to be self-reliant. Where nature abhors a vacuum, these horrors rush in, smothering us with their weight. They bother us just by existing.
 Helplessness - the inability to affect fate. In most fiction, characters can act, react and change. In horror, much of the attraction comes from a lack of power. We all feel helpless sometimes, so this strikes a chord with everyone. We can relate deeply to the anguish of helplessness. We also love the rush of satisfaction when, in many stories, the protagonist somehow manages to overcome the odds.
Urgency - is the central conflict in most horror. When you can't do something that you must. Helplessness contrasts with desperate need. The price of failure is always astronomical: the death of a loved one, the destruction of the world. The characters cannot simply walk away; they draw us into their urgency as well. This driving force also contrasts with today's apathy, that what we do makes no difference in the grand scheme of things. The stress of the protagonist's struggle appeals to us.
Pressure - Suspense, the building of tension and the increased need to do something, to act. Characters attain greater feats, while heightening reader involvement. Your fingers walk across the page, perhaps you mouth the words you read, needing to turn the page and continue the quest. The pressure builds, peaks, and then dissipates.
Intensity - With danger comes a heightened awareness, enhancing all emotions both positive and negative, drawing attention to every detail. The senses pick up far more than usual; the world becomes more immediate, more real. Also, the threat of death often drives people to celebrate life, so there's often romance running hand in hand with horror. Emotional intensity wafts through the pages to your readers' fingers as they embrace the characters' need to do something, to quell the horror that is known and perceived. Pacing the intensity with perhaps an interlude of calm (most likely an illusion), allows the characters to interact with each other before facing again the horror, whether it have a fixed pattern or is engaged and reacted to n random encounters.
Release - The promise of resolution, a resolution from the heightened stress and anxiety. Every story has an end, every poem a denouement. In horror, the world may return to 'normal' or be bent beyond recognition, removed from all hope or recognition. This uncertainty keeps us reading eagerly to find out what happens, because we have no way of knowing how the story ends until we get there. Either redemption or disaster offers a sense of completion not often found in reality ~ it allows us to heave a sigh and let the story go.
Consider as well sharing your story or verse with the following publications, which welcome established and emerging tales of of horrific 'presence,'
http://weirdtales.net/wordpress/contact/submission-guidelines/
Write On!
Kate
Kate - Writing & Reading
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Embark on the journey ~ engage the presence ~ and let the writers know your thoughts
| |  | Look Away (18+)
Sarah is haunted by a disquieting presence which takes away her entire life.
#1683488 by Jesmond  |
| | | Lucid Dream (18+)
Lucid dreaming is knowing that you're dreaming while you are dreaming.
#1681638 by Sleuth |
{bitem{1546186}
and on a lighter note,
| |  | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#1602909 by Not Available. |
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I'd like to share some 'scary' feedback to last month's exploration and invite you spend a few minutes, or more, in company of some creative writers in our Community
From: LJPC - the tortoise
Hi Kate! You're the first person I've ever known who shares my feelings about why people love horror and things like extreme sports. I've always thought it IS the ancestral need for the "flight or fight" response. Our day to day existence (for most of us) is pretty well controlled. Some of us like the feeling that anything can happen and want the adrenalin rush that comes with the fear of the unknown. (Although most of us horror watchers and readers prefer to have that rush in the safety of our homes. ) Thanks for the great newsletter. -- Laura
Thanks for your encouragement ~ it's good to know also that I'm not alone ~ out there ~
From: Adriana Noir
Incredible job, Kate. You gave some fantastic tips in this one. Thanks so much for featuring my contest, too!
Thanks for offering such an enticing challenge ~
From: kgomotso.b
Thank you for the great tips Kate!
Thank you for your encouragement along the journey ~Write On
From:
Great newsletter, Kate! I think removing the comfort zone is one of the most important things to consider when writing a horror story. It makes the characters and settings much more exciting. Thank you for selecting one of my stories to be posted in the newsletter also.
Thanks for your constant encouragement~ yes, taking away the blinders of comfort our characters ~ and readers ~ see with fresh eyes
Until we next meet,
Write On!
Kate
{user:manga_kate)
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Horror/Scary: August 04, 2010 Issue [#3843]
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