tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post7046915585045512151..comments2023-09-05T12:51:25.656-05:00Comments on edittorrent: Horrible thoughtsEdittorrenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14295505709568570553noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post-59311033897635750482012-10-05T12:38:43.328-05:002012-10-05T12:38:43.328-05:00It is worth noting that H.P. Lovecraft's most ...It is worth noting that H.P. Lovecraft's most effective story -- "The Call of Cthulhu" -- is simply a gradual revelation that there is a supremely powerful monster out there, & neither the narrator nor the reader (who has bought into the fictive dream) can do anything to it. The story gains its power by being rooted in concrete, everyday details while at the same time using enigmatic touches to deepen the emotional impact. (I will always remember the line that Cthulhu is prophesied to return "when the stars are right". This phrase can be understood to refer to more than sidereal time.) Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post-26272165856821438422012-10-05T12:00:50.914-05:002012-10-05T12:00:50.914-05:00Great post! I'm attempting to do exactly that ...Great post! I'm attempting to do exactly that - use elements of horror even though I'm writing YA urban fantasy. Another little trick I noticed Stephen King uses - is the element of 'unknown' - coupled with what we do know. In The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, while we read about the girl lost alone in the forest, he throws in the detail about a serial killer with a taste for little girls on the loose, then describes the girl seeing a male silhouette in the woods, in the distance. We as readers don't know WHO that is, and in the end (SPOILER ALERT!) the guy never shows up, but for the next several chapters his presence adds to the horror.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15566785418768233747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post-72556958671052480942012-10-04T21:48:16.955-05:002012-10-04T21:48:16.955-05:00Jan, yes, and there might be some hint that the lo...Jan, yes, and there might be some hint that the loss is more than just possible. <br /><br />Stephanie, I just always think of the Gone with the Wind ending, and how much her running through the foggy street felt like a horror scene. I wonder if that's what set up for the big ooomph at the end, that emotional payoff.<br /><br />Adrian, yes, those are two amazing stories. <br />I studied Frankenstein in college, and I remember the professor saying that it was as much a romance (twisted) as it was a horror novel! <br />I'm thinking about Poe's horror stories, wondering whether these notions might fit them.<br />AliciaAnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post-17503095494193890592012-10-04T16:08:04.184-05:002012-10-04T16:08:04.184-05:00I remember the titles of many of the stories and b...I remember the titles of many of the stories and books that were required through junior high and high school, but there are few I actually remember in any significant detail. Even ones that I was required to read multiple times, like <i>Heart of Darkness</i> and <i>Frankenstein</i> and some Shakespeare plays, are nothing more than mental notes that I have read them rather than recollections of the stories themselves.<br /><br />"The Lottery" and "Flowers for Algernon," however, top the list very short list of ones that I remember vividly.Adriannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post-89542272767017684622012-10-04T10:57:16.989-05:002012-10-04T10:57:16.989-05:00I'd never thought of horror in a romance, but ...I'd never thought of horror in a romance, but I can see how it would improve the conflict. You've also shown different types of horror depending on the characters. Thanks for a great post.Stephaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09020966780454775460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post-55301936117515709542012-10-04T10:50:57.029-05:002012-10-04T10:50:57.029-05:00Love this post. Thank you.
So I can see what woul...Love this post. Thank you.<br /><br />So I can see what would build that dread. A sympathetic character who cares deeply about something; an anticipated, visceral loss which they *might* avoid if they're extremely lucky or able; an atmosphere painted through word choice, story context, and setting which suggest that favorable outcome is unlikely; finally a particular vulnerability in the character, which implies the loss has the potential to devastate them psychologically or spiritually. (Physical death seems less frightening than obliteration, if that makes sense.)<br /><br />I realized from this that I'm aiming for horror elements in my WIP (loss of love), and that's why this one feels more urgent and angsty than other pieces I've written. Awesome news. Jan O'Hara (Tartitude)https://www.blogger.com/profile/04930129153455367820noreply@blogger.com