So, my first NaNo was last year, and I ended up writing a story that was set in the modern day, had ghosts, and demonic possession, chase scenes and kidnapping, nightmares and attempted suicide. It also had a lot of character and relationship development, conversation. However, no one died, no one was even hurt very badly. There was no gore, but some suspense and mystery.
Was this really horror/thriller?
This year, I'm writing a sequel that includes an undead child, slow loss of souls, more ghosts, paranormal investigators, and musings on anger, jealousy, love, friendship and letting go.
I'm not sure these books fit in any other category, but I wonder if most horror fans would really consider it to be horror? Where else would these fit? Fantasy conjures up images of sword and sorcery, dragons and knights.
Thanks for any thoughts.
Chris
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NaNo 2007 - Four 'til Late - Winner!
NaNo 2008 - Sinking Down
70,644 / 50,000
Nov 11, 2008 - 12 26
Sounds like Chick Lit to me :)
__________________________________
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Nov 13, 2008 - 06 55
Sounds like Chick Lit to me :)
So having emotions as part of the theme of my novel disqualifies it as horror? Should it all be just detached violence then? The only relationships people are allowed involve who's on what end of the chainsaw?
Horror's all about emotion though... fear is a primal emotion. I don't think dealing with other issues makes it Chick Lit. More of the book revolves around how far gone you have to be to no longer be human, however.
Chris
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NaNo 2007 - Four 'til Late - Winner!
NaNo 2008 - Sinking Down
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NaNo 2007 - Four 'til Late - Winner!
NaNo 2008 - Sinking Down
50,156 / 50,000
Nov 13, 2008 - 12 31
I'm...fairly certain that was sarcasm...
56,369 / 50,000
Nov 13, 2008 - 14 44
Was this really horror/thriller?
This year, I'm writing a sequel that includes an undead child, slow loss of souls, more ghosts, paranormal investigators, and musings on anger, jealousy, love, friendship and letting go.
I'm not sure these books fit in any other category, but I wonder if most horror fans would really consider it to be horror? Where else would these fit? Fantasy conjures up images of sword and sorcery, dragons and knights.
Thanks for any thoughts.
I don't know if it's technically horror/thriller, but sounds like it to me. My novel is urban fantasy. There's no swords, dragons, halfbreeds, etc...but the main character is transported to a negative version of our world, like a photographic negative, where he's alone with the villain, a homeless man in our world, but the ruler of the negative world. The villain is vicious, attacking the MCs mind with terrifying thoughts that exist only in the negative world. It's a little bit thriller, but I classified it fantasy, because the 'other world-ness' seems like fantasy element even if it is urban fantasy rather than the stereotypical fantasy.
Urban fantasy is set in modern day (unlike high fantasy which seems to be what you're thinking of, like Chronicles of Narnia and Lord of the Rings), and can have human like creatures, that have fantastic elements to them. All the ghosts, demon possession, etc, sounds like urban fantasy to me, mostly because urban fantasy often contains a lot of elements from the horror/thriller genre.
50,151 / 50,000
Nov 13, 2008 - 16 20
Chick lit is plenty horrifying.
While I don't consider myself a horror writer, many who actually bother reading my work seem to think it is pure unadulterated horror.
And here I am, thinking I write slightly surrealistic sci-fi stories...
----------Cars wrecked: 31+
Bodycount: depends on the definition of "alive."
70,644 / 50,000
Nov 13, 2008 - 22 52
Sounds like Chick Lit to me :)
So having emotions as part of the theme of my novel disqualifies it as horror?
Yes.
I don't read horror stories to feel all warm and cozy while I get in touch with my feelings.
And definitely think you can never have enough chain saws attached to severed human limbs.
and dude, if you haven't figured it out yet...I'm just giving you a hard time. You stuff sounds fine for Horror.
__________________________________
NaNo 2007 - "30 Days" (63679 words) WON
Participate in my Interactive Adventure Blogvel!
----------http://blog.dawnsrise.com
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NaNo 2007 - "30 Days" (63679 words) WON
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Nov 14, 2008 - 03 24
If you're writing horror, you're trying to evoke a particular emotional reaction in the reader.
The best way to do that is to give the reader characters they can identify with or care about.
So your characters really have to be fleshed out, well-rounded and human. Give them hopes, dreams, aspirations. Give them relationships and real lives and strong beliefs and entertaining little quirks.
Then kill 'em.
Yours,
Steve Wright,
mercilessly slaughtering the innocent, the sympathetic, and the sometimes genuinely heroic since 2003
----------"As a writer, if you took away my paper, I would write on my heart. If you took away my ink, I'd write on the wind ... It wouldn't be an ideal way to work." - Garth Marenghi
56,369 / 50,000
Nov 14, 2008 - 17 11
So your characters really have to be fleshed out, well-rounded and human. Give them hopes, dreams, aspirations. Give them relationships and real lives and strong beliefs and entertaining little quirks.
Then kill 'em.
I lol'ed.
57,530 / 50,000
Nov 25, 2008 - 10 23
It sounds a lot like my NaNo. I have ghosts and demonic possession and until about 10 minutes ago, was thinking it was fantasy. I'm thinking it borders on horror. That's what brought me to the Horror section to browse through old threads. :-)
Was this really horror/thriller?
This year, I'm writing a sequel that includes an undead child, slow loss of souls, more ghosts, paranormal investigators, and musings on anger, jealousy, love, friendship and letting go.
I'm not sure these books fit in any other category, but I wonder if most horror fans would really consider it to be horror? Where else would these fit? Fantasy conjures up images of sword and sorcery, dragons and knights.
Thanks for any thoughts.
Chris
----------
--
NaNo 2007 - Four 'til Late - Winner!
NaNo 2008 - Sinking Down
50,015 / 50,000
Nov 28, 2008 - 20 37
I'm not sure these books fit in any other category, but I wonder if most horror fans would really consider it to be horror? Where else would these fit?
This is my dilemma too. When I started this year's novel, I didn't yet know its genre. Depending on how it evolved, and the world-building yet to come, it could potentially be SF, urban fantasy, a thriller with paranormal elements, or even mainstream with paranormal elements.
And here I am now, with the rough draft almost complete, and my story is rife with stolen souls, psychic parasites, resurrections, grievous bodily harm, and a smattering of truly gruesome events. And my MC may, very much against her will, be turning into a succubus. Like you said above,
Yes, that's it exactly. That's what my story's exploring.
And so I'm forced to wonder: is this horror? I'm thinking maybe I can hedge by calling it 'dark fantasy.'
But.
I wonder.
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----------2008: The Trajectory of Falling Souls
2005: Fell
2004: Sock Puppets in the Underworld
2008: The Trajectory of Falling Souls
2005: Fell
2004: Sock Puppets in the Underworld
7,666 / 50,000
Nov 30, 2008 - 18 14
Dude. If the severed limbs are attached, you need to sharpen your chainsaw. =/
To the OP, I think "dark fantasy" covers it. I consider my writing to be dark fantasy but I feel more at home with the horror kids than the fantasy crowd. A lot of dark fantasy winds up shelved in the horror section anyway.