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Archives On Writing

10 Wikipedia Pages Every Horror Writer Needs To Read

We horror writers draw inspiration from everything. Every. Thing. Wes Craven credited A Nightmare on Elm Street to a story he read in the local paper. While the paranormal portion of The Amityville Horror may have been fictionalized, the shootings that occurred were not. Sometimes a real tragedy or mystery can act as a vehicle […]

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Interviews

Interview: ‘The Snare’ Writer/Director C.A. Cooper on the Screenwriting Process, Building Dread, and Alternate Endings

January 7th just saw the theatrical and On Demand release of  C.A. Cooper’s psychological horror/thriller The Snare, which we praised as “90 minutes of disorienting dread.” Starring Eaoifa Forward, Dan Paton, Rachel Warren, The Snare follows, “three friends headed to the seafront for a drunken weekend, only to be imprisoned on the top floor of their […]

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On Writing Posts

10 Horror Plots That Need To Die

  Last month, we at Horror Writers successfully hosted our first horror flash fiction contest. We received a slew of entries covering every horror sub genre imaginable. Goreporn, southern Gothic, dark fantasy, even zombies made their way into the submissions inbox. I had the honor of judging the entries and while some submissions never made it […]

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Archives Interviews

Interview with Contest Winner E. Reyes

In December, Horror Writers held its first flash fiction contest, calling for submissions 750 words or less, in the realm of horror. E. Reyes stood out from the 50+ entries with his short tale “Christmas Blues”, a glimpse into the mind of a family man on the threshold of a life-changing decision. I had a […]

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On Writing Posts

7 Ways to Lose a Writing Contest

  It’s done. You’ve finished your beautiful, haunting work of art and for once, you’re happy with the result. You’re confident enough to not only share your story, but to put it up against countless others in a competition to see who has the best storytelling skills. You decide to enter a writing contest. Entering […]

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Posts

7 True Crime Novels to Inspire Your Next Horror Story

“Based on true events.” Four little words that have the power to heighten tension before the story even begins. Heinous crimes have long served as inspiration for genre writers, giving us works such as Room (based upon the Fritzl case), We Need To Talk About Kevin (inspired by the Columbine massacre), and The Night of […]

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Archives Articles On Writing

50+ Essential Subreddits for Horror Writers

Most folks today are at least aware of Reddit. “The front page of the Internet” is both an endless source of information, and a notorious time-waster. You can find whole communities dedicated to even the tiniest of niches, and it turns out that horror writers are no exception. When we previously posted a list of […]

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Archives On Writing Posts

5 MORE Horror Films Every Horror Writer Should Watch

Last month, I talked about movies that all horror writers must watch to help them become better storytellers.  Learning what makes good horror stories work so well can give an incredible boost to your own writing in the same way that absorbing more books (both good and bad) can help you hone your craft. Here is another roundup of […]

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Archives On Writing Posts

10 Great Online Resources For Horror Writers

A.M. Novak is here to help you with some great resources for finishing your next great work of literary art.

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Archives On Writing Posts

5 Horror Films Every Horror Writer Should Watch

  As a reader and scary movie fanatic, I love a well-told story. A few weekends ago, I sat down one evening and had a marathon of, IMO, some of the most well-written horror/suspense films in my film library. As I was taking notes on what made these movies so damn good, certain storytelling elements stood […]