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Playing with Common Horror Tropes for Comedic Effect
What do horror and comedy have in common? Well, quite a lot actually. Some of my favorite books and movies are combinations of the two genres. In my mind, they work perfectly hand-in-hand with each...
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What a Coincidence: 7 Clever Strategies for Harnessing Coincidences in Fiction
Well-timed coincidences can catapult a story forward, but a poorly planned one can bring your readers to a dead stop. Use these 7 strategies to harness the power of this storytelling tool while...
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The Writer’s Digest Podcast, Episode 9: Using Your Words for the Power of...
Welcome, welcome, writers! From fiction to nonfiction, whatever your genre persuasion— whether you write heartwarming bedtime stories about Jack the Ripper or historical romantic vampire fiction (Can...
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Reading, Breathing and the Long Sentence: How to Write Horror That Frightens...
Following up on the success of my online Horror Intensive course for Writer’s Digest, I was asked to take the question of how to write horror a few steps deeper. The result is a new online course: the...
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Surprise vs. Suspense and How to Pair Them in Your Writing
In 1962, Alfred Hitchcock and François Truffaut discussed their work during a marathon session that lasted for days. The two great directors and their French/English interpreter barely paused for...
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Plausible Scares: Blending the Real and Unreal in Horror Fiction
Using examples from William Peter Blatty’s iconic horror novel The Exorcist, Dustin Grinnell explains how to craft truly frightening horror fiction by blending the believable and the unsettlingly...
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Scare Tactics: 7 Tricks for Writing Terrifying Horror Fiction & Monster Stories
Photo by Rob Potter on Unsplash by Jessica Page Morrell The bottom line for all fiction is that the story is a lie the reader can believe in, with characters he comes to know and care about. In horror...
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Writing Scary Stories & Horror for Kids: 4 Lessons from Goosebumps Author...
There is a fine line between scary and funny when it comes to clowns, ventriloquist dummies and other creepy ghouls, but author R.L. Stine heads straight for the dark side. For more than 25 years,...
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Imagination Unchained: BIRD BOX Author Josh Malerman on Film Adaptations,...
Bird Box author and multidisciplinary creative Josh Malerman shares insights into his writing process, what it’s like having a story adapted for the screen, his unique theatrical book readings and...
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Reddit for Writers: 47 Writing Subreddits to Explore
In the May/June 2019 issue of Writer’s Digest, you’ll find our annual roundup of the 101 Best Websites for Writers! This year’s collection is supplemented by online addendums, including this guide to...
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