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Writing horror stories?

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Oliverbritten



Joined: 01 Mar 2008
Posts: 119
Writing horror stories?  Reply with quote  

Recently I have read a lot of H.P Lovecraft and noticed that its only more recently that his stories have become popular. So i was thinking, his style of cosmic horror, where the horror is of the unknown and of something you cannot imagine. could possibly be in need of return! Is this a good idea or do you think that kind of horror would not do well? Sorry If I have been posting too many topics recently, I guess I'm just really getting into this message board Smile

Post Fri Mar 14, 2008 8:18 pm   View user's profile Send private message
chris
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Joined: 02 Mar 2004
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O:

I don't think that Lovecraft's vision of a irrepresible, pervasive horror is that different from the Japanese horror films of the last ten years or so, with the irrestable, pervasive, horror. So, the short answer is, sure, there's an audience for it. But what there isn't an audience for is Lovecraft's style, which is almost comic in it's verbosity. You just can't use that many words to tell your story anymore. Other than that, go as far as your imagination can go (as long as you can bring someone along for the ride, that is).

Post Fri Mar 14, 2008 8:25 pm   View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Oliverbritten



Joined: 01 Mar 2008
Posts: 119
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chris wrote:
O:

I don't think that Lovecraft's vision of a irrepresible, pervasive horror is that different from the Japanese horror films of the last ten years or so, with the irrestable, pervasive, horror. So, the short answer is, sure, there's an audience for it. But what there isn't an audience for is Lovecraft's style, which is almost comic in it's verbosity. You just can't use that many words to tell your story anymore. Other than that, go as far as your imagination can go (as long as you can bring someone along for the ride, that is).


Lovecraft is hard to read sometimes yeah, he uses a crazy amount of big words and his choice of dialogue is questionable at times. My story would be about similar themes like the horror of the cosmic unknown, but instead of it being found in an arctic area like at the mountains of madness, it would be found in an unexplored jungle in the Congo. Did you know there is a large jungle in the Congo that to this day is more than 40 percent unknown? Thats where the horrors would be found, i wouldn't describe them too much though. Best to leave it to the imagination i think.

Post Fri Mar 14, 2008 9:52 pm   View user's profile Send private message
zendao42



Joined: 05 Sep 2006
Posts: 13570
Location: Somewhere in a galaxy near you
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Question Have you thought of writing a horror sonnet?

Guess that's just me-
I've also considered writing my memoirs in epic verse form, but the laziness always stops me...

Sorry, I think it's time for my meds now...

Post Sat Mar 15, 2008 2:41 am   View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
urhangovergirl



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
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zendao42 wrote:



I've also considered writing my memoirs in epic verse form, but the laziness always stops me...

Sorry, I think it's time for my meds now...


no way man. that's a totally legit excuse! That shit's crazy hard! I'm not even that big into reading epic verse; can't imagine trying to write it!

Though if you EVER EVER get the chance to hear the Iliad performed DO NOT pass it up. It's truly life changing-I actually WANTED to read the book after it was done.

(By then I should have read it at least five times...but somehow I always seemed to manage with just an intro. Twisted Evil )
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Post Sat Mar 15, 2008 10:55 am   View user's profile Send private message
zendao42



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urhangovergirl wrote:
zendao42 wrote:


I've also considered writing my memoirs in epic verse form, but the laziness always stops me...

Sorry, I think it's time for my meds now...


no way man. that's a totally legit excuse! That shit's crazy hard! I'm not even that big into reading epic verse; can't imagine trying to write it!

Though if you EVER EVER get the chance to hear the Iliad performed DO NOT pass it up. It's truly life changing-I actually WANTED to read the book after it was done.

(By then I should have read it at least five times...but somehow I always seemed to manage with just an intro. Twisted Evil )


Ah, pipe dreams- what are you gonna do? Wink

Somewhere, I think I have the ILIAD on tape-
unless it's that other ancient epic whose rather odd name currently escapes me...

Maybe I should just get backing to writing something-
then again, maybe I should wait until I'm off the cold meds & not sleep deprived...

What the hell am I doing giving writing advice?!
Oh yeah, I'm a voracious reader that's about to run out of books...

Post Sat Mar 15, 2008 8:44 pm   View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
mllefifi



Joined: 28 Jan 2006
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Well, zen, you could write your epic bio-poem like Pushkin's Eugene Onegin. Tough stanza form, together with some incomplete chapters.

Cool
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Post Sun Mar 16, 2008 3:54 am   View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website AIM Address
urhangovergirl



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^^the odyssey maybe? Very Happy

they're both incredibly slow when you try to read them. I do have one MAJOR suggestion. Get the ones by Robert Fagle, or at least one that keeps them in verse. NOT the novel form.

It's a totally different experience, And Fagle has a great intro to help you understand what the hell is going on, even when you don't understand what the hell is going on.

I passed four finals using that introduction alone!

the tape is...alright. But that might just be my opinion cuz I had to listen to it in English class...and well, english (literature) isn't exactly my favorite subject. Maybe if they would throw some grammar in there...
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Post Sun Mar 16, 2008 12:08 pm   View user's profile Send private message
zendao42



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Wow, you ever heard somebody read any Robert Burns? Shocked

I know I wasn't the only one in that class-
hope I didn't imagine that whole thing since that would be a waste of a perfectly good hallucination...

Post Mon Mar 17, 2008 4:21 am   View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
urhangovergirl



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it's entirely possible, but as I can rarely understand my scottish friends to begin with, I really couldnt tell ya. Laughing
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Post Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:20 am   View user's profile Send private message
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