Horror (You Write It!)

Hamilton, John

ISBN 10: 1604535067 ISBN 13: 9781604535068

Publisher: Abdo Group, 2009

Synopsis

Describes how to write horror fiction, including formulating a plot, creating characters, organizing a work schedule, and getting it published.

About this title

From Booklist:

All those flame-throwing psychics, demon cars, and rabid dogs don’t come from nowhere, and this primer helps to draw forth just such unpleasantness from young authors. “Elements of horror can be found in almost all kinds of writing,” notes Hamilton, and accordingly he offers up a lot of advice that isn’t genre-specific, followed by plenty of ghoulish examples. The brief chapter titles sum it up: Ideas, Work Habits, Plots, Get Published, and so on, and along the way Hamilton does a particularly good job of illustrating the “show, don’t tell” rule. Though the use of movies as exemplars of plot structure may chafe the literati, it effectively brings vivid relief to abstract concepts. Each chapter kicks off with a quote from the likes of Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Ray Bradbury, and a latter chapter includes biographies of top names in the field. Would-be Edgar Allan Poes and Stephenie Meyerses will surely benefit from the clever mix of nitty-gritty tools and inspiration found in the You Write It! series. Grades 4-7. --Daniel Kraus

Review:

All those flame-throwing psychics, demon cars, and rabid dogs don't come from nowhere, and this helpful primer helps to draw forth just such unpleasantness from young authors...Hamilton does a particularly good job illustrating the "show, don't tell" rule. Would-be Edgar Allan Poes and Stephenie Meyerses will surely benefit from the clever mix of nitty-gritty tools and inspiration found in the You Write It! series. --Booklist, April 1, 2009

About this edition

• Publisher: Abdo Group
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1604535067
• ISBN 13: 9781604535068
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 32