Listen to the Symposium’s finest vocalist, as their tenor bends the living into unnatural angles and swivels them into the air! Tell us, what ghosts do you prefer? Of the folkloric tradition, or those invented by authors? And why? #HorrorWritersChat
Now, let us begin! Let the flutes bleat and the trumps blare, snatching all the souls of the living away! What are your favourite haunts? Mausoleums? Lavish estates? What secrets do their wraiths protect within? #HorrorWritersChat
#HorrorWritersChat Question 1: I'm a nerd from the American South who's writing is inspired by old horror movies. My visage is a 30-something white guy.
Be welcomed to the ethereal music hall! A stringed aperitif is in order… do tell the Symposium what do you write, from where… and what IS, indeed, your wraithful visage for tonight? #HorrorWritersChat
#HorrorWritersChat Question 4: Fear of aging is always present in anyone old enough to realize they're mortal. It makes people do stupid things, for good and ill.
Ageing comes to us all, if we're lucky. And while we might not self-insert, our fears colour our horror. Does it matter if our characters are young or old? Do our ages, and our feelings about ageing, slip quietly out of their mouths? Do we speak our fears? 10 minutes to outro
#HorrorWritersChat Question 3: I like giving a character history, no matter the age. I spent God knows how many words detailing the trauma a 12 year old went through.
Puberty or kids brings one element to a story. Hero's journey, finding themselves, etc. An older character might have that too. Or it might be entirely different. What say you?
#HorrorWritersChat Question 2: In my current book the older characters are often the driving force. The youngest protagonist is mostly there to be shaped by the journey.
Gather close, #HorrorWritersChat bods, whether you creak, or not. And believe me, many of us creaked in our teens, it's all good. Age is just one factor. But it's an interesting one that we do overlook. How many of us actually have older characters in our books, that aren't the wise mentor type?
Here we go, #HorrorWritersChat! Today is the 1st October, beginning of spooky season, if you ever let it end, and that means it's International Day of Older Persons. I like the idea of it being International Longevity Day but it isn't that yet. Today is about ageing and horror.
Our moonlit communion is soon coming to a close, but an outro shall be sung in a few moments.
But now, behold! “You rip out the tooth, its blood gleaming with opportunity.” Continue the sermon, through word or rhyme. Show us the darkness roiling in your soul.
#HorrorWritersChat Question 3: Continuing from my last answer, I wouldn't need a sacrifice. They'd have to give good reason to believe they wouldn't hurt anyone else if released.
There is great power in subduing a wretch with a curse and a hex… but there is even greater power in the delusion of freeing yourself from them. Tell the Cabal what would the victim have to… remove… cut out… shear, if you will… from themselves to be free?
#HorrorWritersChat Question 2: If someone was enough of a problem to need cursing, I would transport them to a remote cave far away from anyone they could hurt. Plenty of food and water, but the only company would be other people bad enough to need cursing.
The Cabal is pleased with our worldly tendrils woven about this earth. But enough introduction; it is time for supernatural predilection. Tell us – what curses and hexes would you cast? What would they *need* to be cast? What… pain… would they unleash upon your victims?
#HorrorWritersChat Question 1: Pen name Victor K. Sanders from the rural South. I write stories inspired by old horror movies. The scariest curse is one that hurts your loved ones as much as you.
The Cabal welcomes you in tonight’s vengeful proclamations. Tell us, from where do you cast, what do you cast, and most importantly… what curse, or hex, is the most frightening to you?
No promotion! Only afterwards… or every food you’ll eat will sharpen into glass shards!
Nearly there, #HorrorWritersChat bods. Hang around for the outro when you can throw out all the links. But not yet, my darlings, not yet. We live in a world that we saw loom in scifi, the rise of AI, but not yet the Terminator... drones, smart devices, Alexa... So what do you think brings the fear?
Catching up, somewhat. Tech is tech. We forget that wheels, fountains, cars, were tech once, something new and exciting. Our brains making something new. What's scarier, really? An old tv? An old setting? Nostalgia? Is tech our new religion?
Basically, I'm a big fan of classic Universal films. I feel like there's this idea that the Monsters our grandparents liked are all outdated, so I'm working on a book spinning off from those films (the Universal Dracula and Frankenstein movies are public domain in 2027).
