Effective horror writing transcends mere jump scares, focusing on crafting an immersive atmosphere and relatable characters. Key elements include exploring primal fears, utilizing sensory details, pacing scares, and leveraging the unknown. Psychological layers and unexpected twists enhance tension, ensuring that the horror resonates long after the story ends.
Author Archives: L. Marie Wood
What Neuroscience Reveals About Our Love For Horror
Horror movies evoke fear yet captivate audiences due to complex brain mechanisms. The amygdala triggers fear responses, while the prefrontal cortex allows for controlled enjoyment. This blend of thrill releases dopamine, creating pleasure. Additionally, horror films offer emotional regulation, social bonding, and cultural reflection, encapsulating our primal instincts and modern anxieties.
Incorporating Séances and Spirit Communication in Horror Stories
This content explores the effective incorporation of séances and spirit communication in horror fiction, emphasizing their historical significance, atmospheric creation, and narrative potential. It outlines methods like Ouija boards and EVP, while stressing the balance between supernatural elements and realism, ultimately enhancing suspense and psychological tension within readers.
We’re BAAACCKKK!!!
The Speculative Fiction Academy is BACK with new ways to learn! No more subbscriptions or monthly fees! All our classes are a la carte – ONE AND DONE! If you love genre fiction and want to learn the practical stuff like how to get the medical details right, how you can use your daydreams toContinue reading “We’re BAAACCKKK!!!”
How to Write Convincing and Terrifying Ghost Characters
This guide outlines effective strategies for creating compelling ghost characters in literature and film. Essential elements include understanding a ghost’s motivations, crafting an immersive atmosphere, developing relatable characters, and balancing terror with subtlety. Additionally, tapping into universal fears, establishing internal rules, and incorporating diverse ghost lore enhance the haunting experience for readers.
Be careful trimming the tree…
From me to you 🙂 Until next time… L. Marie
It’s the holiday season…
Are you feeling festive yet? If not, let me help you along a little… We think of presents and good cheer during this season, egg nog, and chestnuts roasting on an open fire (thanks, Nat King Cole). But have you ever thought about Santa Claus? I mean, really thought about Santa Claus and what heContinue reading “It’s the holiday season…”
Conversations with Horror Film Directors on Creating Terror
Creating a truly terrifying horror film involves balancing deep fears, compelling storytelling, and emotion-manipulating techniques. Directors like John Carpenter and Ari Aster emphasize psychological elements and relatable fears, while others focus on atmosphere, sound, and character development. The genre continues to evolve, reflecting societal anxieties and exploring profound themes beyond simple scares.
… And just like that…
It’s awards season again! I’ve had the honor of being included in some amazing magazines and anthologies this year, as well as had a few of my solo projects release. If you are part of the voting membership in the Horror Writers Association (Stoker Awards), the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (Nebula), and theContinue reading “… And just like that…”
Whatchu Know About This? 13
Writer and professor, Lisa Wood, offers a comprehensive deep dive into the study of horror fiction. With importance placed on knowing the history of the genre and how integral to storytelling research is, this textbook will serve as a referenceable guide for anyone interested in writing in the horror genre. This work, which is accessibleContinue reading “Whatchu Know About This? 13”
L. Marie Wood 