While the
focus of my upcoming workshops on writing Horror Stories is on getting people to write dark,
twisted and disturbing stories, I will also be talking a little about what
stories make me shudder with fear.
Here then is the first of a
series of blogs in which I will be musing on some of the dark tales that I
enjoy. This is not a reading/watching list for the workshops, but it will give
people an idea of where I’m coming from as a reader, writer and teller of Dark
Tales.
I recently wrote a short blog article on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, one of my all-time favourite
stories. I’ve seen many film versions of
the Frankenstein story, and while some were brilliant none seemed to be based
on the original story. This means that when many people try to
read the book they find it so different from their expectations that they put
it aside. This is a pity because it is an incredible story. How best to
describe it though? Perhaps a Sci-Fi feminist masterpiece that absolutely and
savagely eviscerates masculine dreams of power over life and procreation, with
some incredible High Definition set pieces of mountains and forests throw in
for good measure.
It is no surprise that Mary
Shelley’s has beautiful poetic images in it. In poetry images are used to evoke
other things beyond the immediate subject of the poem (emotions, memories) and
to act as a lense that serves to widen our understanding of the poet, and of
the internal and external world she or he lives in. Poetry give us a deeper
understanding of, and empathy with, the rational world we exist in. Horror
stories use imagery in a similar way, to evoke other things – but the things
that are evoked by dark and weird tales are most certainly not of the rational
world. Horror takes us to worlds beyond this one, to places of terror so
shocking and overwhelming that it threatens to destroy not only our physical
bodies but our immortal souls.
Great horror stories, in
summary, scare the shit out of you. And the secret to making a terrifying story
is to understand how to use the texture and symbols of language. Lovecraft is the master of this; though it
could be argued that in his better works Stephen King manages to surpass
Lovecraft. Both writers can create images that are as beautiful as they are
eerie and disturbing. Equally they both tell a good gripping tale that keeps
you turning the page even though your brain is screaming Stop!
It’s hard to pick a favourite
from either writer, but The Call of Cthulhu is a great introduction to
Lovecraft’s work (though the racism in it is a bit hard to swallow). Christine is one of my favourite Stephen
King novels: for all the growing horror in this story of a possessed car King manages
to keep a sense of the innocence and wonder of boys on the cusp of adulthood.
* * *
For more on my work as a
writer and storyteller see rabfultonstories
My new workshops on writing
dark tales of Horror, Sci-fi and Fantasy begin January 2016. For details see: Writing
Dark Tales - creative writing workshops.
Fans of dark tales, may want
to check out my online blog novel Marcus
Marcus & the Hurting Heart which was commissioned by the Múscailt
Arts Festival.
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