4 factors to consider when writing a gothic horror novel

Posted on 07/20/2022 at 03:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

You've heard books be described as gothic horror, and you can likely even name a few examples (probably by Shirley...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Horror, Writer's Digest, Writing advice

6 steps for writing a fantasy creature

Posted on 06/06/2022 at 09:58 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

It can be enough of a struggle to write a realistic-feeling human character, let alone a living being that doesn't...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Characters, Dave Chesson (the Kindlepreneur), Fantasy, Horror, Science fiction

Catching up with Writer’s Digest

Posted on 04/11/2022 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

It can be hard to keep on top of all the blogs and news sources that aim to help writers....

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Horror, Science fiction, Writer's Digest, Writing advice

13 ways to make your horror novel nightmare-inducing

Posted on 03/03/2022 at 01:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Reality may seem scary enough to a lot of us, but for others, horror fiction is a welcome escape. And...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Horror, Jane Friedman

Horror tropes to subvert — and help with doing so

Posted on 02/24/2022 at 09:00 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

So Writer's Digest recently shared a list of twenty-one popular horror tropes. And then it also shared advice on how...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Horror, Writer's Digest

How to write horror stories involving possession

Posted on 10/09/2021 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

It’s October — cue the tips on horror and the paranormal! Writer’s Digest has added an offering on how to...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Horror, Writer's Digest

"Writing in the Dark" author on the psychology of horror

Posted on 10/26/2020 at 11:07 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

If you’ve liked Tim Waggoner’s advice on horror novels in Writer’s Digest, we have some good news for you. Waggoner,...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Horror, Joanna Penn

How William Peter Blatty made "The Exorcist" so darn scary

Posted on 10/21/2020 at 10:22 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

When we watch a horror movie, we find ourselves most scared by the scenarios that we can actually imagine happening...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Horror, Writer's Digest, Writing advice

The painful truth: 3 types of suffering for horror-story characters

Posted on 10/14/2020 at 03:44 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Authors of certain genres like to joke that they’d hate to be a character in their books. Those following the...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Horror, Writer's Digest, Writing advice

How to avoid clichés in your horror story

Posted on 10/07/2020 at 11:33 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Authors must walk a fine line when it comes to reader expectations. Miss a few themes associated with the genre,...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Horror, Writer's Digest, Writing advice