You think writing a unique story is tough? Try writing a different and plot twisty horror. But if this is truly your love, let’s talk about ideas.
I mean it…let’s talk. I’m opening up the first Tuesday of the month to horror writing related questions and answers. We are a community and we’d love to have more interaction with lovers of horror stories.
How will this work?
1. I’ll post new writing questions on the first Tuesday of the month. That means, you can either ask us questions in the comment section, on Facebook, or on Twitter at anytime, but I’ll post them only on the first Tuesday.
2. On the second Tuesday of the month, I’ll post the answers from our members, horror authors, or any responses we get via our comment section, Facebook, or Twitter.
Sound good? I can’t wait to hear your answers to the first set of questions.
Question Set #1: Ideas
Where do your ideas for a new story come from? How can you get around the typical horror tropes? Or how do you include them in a new way into a story?
Brian
Where Do My Ideas for a New Story Come From?
My brain is sort of always marinating in a 80s stew of horror movies, heavy metal, and Dungeons & Dragons-style swords and sorcery. So, ideas just tend to kind of float to the surface of that stew. I write them down so i won’t forget, and then come back to develop them later.
How Do You Get Around the Typical Horror Tropes, Or Include Them in a New Way?
I usually embrace them when to comes to horror story tropes. I love horror because of the tropes, so I never look at them as a negative. Where I will often deviate from the tropes is when it comes to characters. I don’t always play to the archetypes. And I do always add my own twist on the formula. I’m not a huge plotter, so a lot of times the twist will come about organically, from asking “What If?” at different parts in the story.
Amy Giuffrida
Love your answers, Brian! Thanks for commenting!