"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

Things that go bump in your novel: Tips for writing a monster

Posted on 07/14/2020 at 02:24 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Maybe reality is scary enough for you and your readers right now – or maybe it’s only whetting your appetite...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Horror, Joanna Penn, Writing advice

How to stay mentally strong while writing dark fiction

Posted on 11/11/2019 at 11:25 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

No matter what you’re writing, it can be hard to quiet the critical voices in your head as you work....

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Horror, Joanna Penn, Thriller, Writing advice

Stephen King's house will become a writing retreat

Posted on 10/26/2019 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Would this be a dream come true or a nightmare come true? Stephen King and his wife have received rezoning...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Horror, Writer's block / writing prompts

Writing advice from Stephen King

Posted on 09/20/2019 at 03:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

We have several literary birthdays this week and tomorrow especially, but few of the other authors were as generous with...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Horror, Writing advice

Tips on writing horror from a bestselling author

Posted on 02/15/2019 at 11:18 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Alright, Valentine’s Day is over, and we can turn our attention away from love and romance and to something decidedly...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Horror, Joanna Penn, Marketing, Podcast, Writing advice

Horror authors, terrify your readers with strong storytelling

Posted on 11/07/2018 at 10:57 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Horror sometimes gets a bad rap as being all about blood, guts, and other types of gore. Alan Baxter —...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Horror, Joanna Penn, Plot / narrative, Writing advice