Like love and sex, fear is instinctual. The fight or flight response to things which may cause us harm is centered in our amygdala, a roughly almond-shaped mass of gray matter inside each cerebral hemisphere, involved with the experiencing of emotions. The root of our nightmares. This is the domain of the horror writer. But there is more to horror stories in what they teach us. It is a training ground of sorts, defining how we may react, but also what we should react to. Our rational minds know the dark characters of horror tales will not harm us. These stories teach us to act rationally and not allow our fears to run rampant and out of control. Beyond the macabre, these are moralistic stories about life, love and eternity. When you write horror, you are writing about so much more.
Dan Klefstad is a longtime radio host and newscaster at NPR station WNIJ in Dekalb. His latest novel is Fiona’s Guardians, available at Amazon and quality independent bookstores.
Resources and Links:
How to Write a Horror Story: 7 Tips for Writing Horror, From: reedsy blog, June 20, 2022
From nownovel.com, How to write a horror story: 6 terrific tips
A link to Fiona's Guardians by Dan Klefstad, available at Amazon!
The film teaser for Fiona's Guardians from director Stuart Wahlin is on Youtube.
Listen to Rick and Dave's Celebrity Misfits podcast.
The link to the CWA Speakers Bureau.
Please contact CWA Speakers Bureau director Daniel Smith at 708.717.6126 or smithwriting@gmail.com with any questions.
Register for the 2023 Let's Just Write! An Uncommon Writers Conference, voted one of the best writing conferences in the U.S. by The Writer Magazine, March 25-26, 2023 at the Warwick Allerton Hotel in the heart of Chicago’s Loop, 701 north Michigan avenue. Visit wildapricot.org.
And reserve your spot now by November 30, 2022 for Early registration discounts wildapricot.org. Visit Chicago Writes.org for complete details.
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