Non-Fiction Gallery

Innovation in Horror Writing
J. Daniel Seffens

In 1974, an original novel hit bookstore shelves that revolutionized the horror industry. You may have heard of it; it was “Carrie” by Stephen King. He brought new depth to characters and created horror that that made the reader think, “This could happen to me!” His novels became bestsellers because his writing was different from anything ever written before. This same innovation makes authors into household names. You can become one of the greats too, if you can push the boundaries of horror to new limits.

The first thing you need to do is find your own voice. You want to tell your story, so tell it your own way. Do not try to write like Stephen King, Anne Rice, or John Saul, all that will come out is a shallow copy of a copy of their work. Their voice only works for them because it is their own. If your imitation is exceptional and sounds like another author, someone might be able to compare your work. You might think that is a good thing, until you hear what the reader will inevitably say: “Hey, this sounds kind of like Stephen King, only not as good.” That is a fast track to losing readers. You do not want anyone to compare your work; you want to be original.

The truth is that there are no original plots, settings, or characters. You may ask, “How can I be original if everything’s already been done?” Originality comes from pooling your resources; select parts of different stories and put together something fresh. That is why countless books and articles about writing say to read, read, and read some more. The more you read, the more grasp you have on what others have already done.

Another way to produce original work is to tell a familiar story from a fresh point of view. If you do not think you can retell an old tale, consider this: everyone tells a story differently. If I gave a theme about a family dog disappearing to ten horror writers, the result would be ten different stories. One might be about the dog being a monster, one might be from the dog’s point of view, and one might be from the monster’s point of view as it falls in love with the dog. The point is that any story idea can result in countless original tales.

So, if you are having trouble selling a story, or just cannot get that scene to work, try changing the point of view or toying with the general storytelling. It may just give your story the boost it needs to become more entertaining and original. In addition, who knows, perhaps one day your name will be the one that would-be writers try to imitate.