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This is a continuation of my blogging here at WdC |
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This will be a blog for my writing, maybe with (too much) personal thrown in. I am hoping it will be a little more interactive, with me answering questions, helping out and whatnot. It follows on from the old one, which is now full. An index of topics from old and new can be found here: "Writing Blog No.2 Index"  Feel free to comment and interact. And to suggest topics! |
| Novel #28 Gorgon With The Wind is an urban fantasy/mythological/humorous story. Set in an unnamed American city, a young man named Jason is apparently the latest in a long line of Zeus’ illegitimate children, and he meets up with Brigid, Aphrodite’s grand-daughter. He is strong but not the brightest bulb in the pack, while she is feisty, intelligent and everything else the woman behind the man should be. However, the Greek gods are planning a comeback by bringing back the monsters of old, all new and improved. But they don’t factor in a hero. Jason is yet another emo-like character at times, but that fits in with him. Unlike Relick, the humour is a little more gentle and subtle at times, and I think at least a working knowledge of Greek mythology might be needed in order to appreciate it. As for the title, I posted the question on my FaceBook page (back when I had a FB page) and this one was the winner. I even have a cover in mind, based on the film poster of Gone With The Wind. I also have the ideas for a sequel based around the Norse gods, but I’m not sure how to end it. I sent this off at the time as soon as it was beta read and edited (2012), and this was the response I received (cut and pasted from the email): “I don’t think in the current climate that it would be sellable. It’s mixture of Greek mythology, contemporary pop culture and humour would quite simply go over the heads of most readers.” Yadda, yadda, yadda. Having said that, he did say later: “This is one of the funniest things I’ve read this year.” So, thanks, but you still suck, I guess is what we take out of this. Anyway, let’s look at a brief excerpt from said book. Excerpt: 10. Let’s Discuss Things (i) The mayor’s office was large, dominated by a desk that was allegedly originally owned by Mark Twain’s chiropodist. He sat behind it (the mayor, not Mark Twain’s chiropodist) and did mayoring things often, at least two days a week, sometimes as many as three and a half. This was one of those times. On the other side of the desk sat a man who looked like he would rather be anywhere else than here, in this office, with this man, wearing these clothes. He much preferred his impressive army uniform, but it frightened the mayor, so he wore the suit instead. “I’m sorry, Mr Mayor, you want me to what?” the man asked in as kind a voice as he could muster at such short notice. “We need to stop these monsters, General Marshall,” the mayor stated coldly. The general’s face broke into an unfamiliar smile, the muscles protesting at the action. “I’d laugh,” he rumbled, “but I’ve forgotten how.” “This is not the response I expected,” the mayor said, hoping he sounded indignant and angry, not realising he sounded like his three year old nephew when refused a third bowl of sugar-infused breakfast cereal. “Let me spell it out for you,” the General said coldly, an emotion he did so much better than mirth. “You want me to burn down a hundred year old privately owned building, drain a lake and shut down all the businesses on its shores, send out random airstrikes over horse breeding farms, and then chop down a federally protected forest because of some mass hysteria about monsters that don’t actually exist.” He folded his arms across his broad chest, then stroked his thick, pointed beard. “So, no, I won’t. Nyah.” “But the people want something done,” the mayor tried. “They also want to pay no taxes, have everything given to them for free and have sex with supermodels. What they want and what they’re going to get are two mutually exclusive concepts.” The General’s voice dropped a tone, something that would have been taken as a warning in most sentient beings. But the mayor continued: “I’ve seen the photos! The videos!” he insisted lamely. “And I’ve seen the film Clash Of The Titans.” He spat the name of the film out as if it tasted of bitter almonds. “Special effects. Photoshop. By Ze… My God, we live in an age where any twelve year old geek with an iPhone can make it look like you’ve been eating live hamsters, and an age where the media will put out anything like that in order to get more readers to see their advertisements.” He leant forward and stared at the mayor through eyes that had struck fear into the hearts of too many men. “It’s all bullshit,” he finished somewhat lamely. “So what do I do now?” the mayor asked, doing simpering really well, even for a politician. General Marshall smiled at him in a manner that would make sharks wary. “We go on the public relations offensive and tell the people they’re idiots. We’ll get some famous Hollywood person to agree with us, find some geek who wants fifteen minutes of fame to admit he fiddled with the footage and the pictures, kill the people who try to disagree with us, put full page adverts online, and make it like someone – I’m sure we can blame the Chinese – wants us to believe in monsters because it will destroy the American way of life. See?” The mayor was nodding his agreement. “Makes sense,” he mused, doing his best impersonation of someone with intelligence, which it must be said was pretty good. “So we… hang on! Did you just say what I think you said?” “No,” Marshall replied, standing tall. “I didn’t. Good day, Mayor.” Without waiting for a response he strode out of the office, leaving the mayor to contemplate whatever the hell it was mayors contemplated when they were all alone. And that is Gorgon With the Wind, which is still, I believe, one of the best things I have written. I like the story, the humour and even the characters, stereotyped though they are meant to be. But 9 rejections so far tells me that maybe I am alone in that view. I’ll still push it out there, I guess, and keep being rejected, and wonder what I’m doing wrong… |
| How Did NaNoWriMo Help Writers For those unaware, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) has ended. It was an online challenge to write a complete work of 50,000+ words in the month of November. While the organisation itself had issues, the concept was a good one. And you can really challenge yourself – in 2025 I managed to churn out around 162,800 words in the month. So it is good to see that WdC is carrying on the idea; where I live, we left NaNoWriMo a couple of years ago because of the way we felt we were treated and yet we are also doing it again on our own this year. So why is it so good? Here’s a list of reasons: It is a good excuse to actually start writing So many people say they “want to write a book” but always manage to find excuses not to. Doing that first book as a challenge is a way to get started writing without pressure. What you get from winning is a feeling of satisfaction, and if you don’t succeed, at least you’ve started something, so it is not a waste of time. To get that kick-start, it is a non-confrontational way of going about it. There is a sense of accountability This leads directly onto the idea of accountability. If you have a goal pre-set for you, then you are accountable for achieving that goal. It becomes even more accountable when you tell everyone you know this is what you are doing in November, and if you are a member of a group doing it (like NaNoWriMo), then there are a bunch of other writers keeping you accountable. It is harder to give it up when others are there encouraging you. Further, there is personal accountability. This is a personal challenge. If you cheat by plagiarising or using AI to write your work, then you are only cheating yourself. Sure, you might feel good about “completing” the work, but if you had to cheat to do it, have you really completed the challenge? No, of course not. But, in the end, you are only cheating yourself and if you can live with that, then, well, good on ya. Congratulations. I guess your next task is going to be stealing candy from a baby. It develops a personal writing community Again, this leads to the next point – community. Writing is a very lonely pursuit. Very few writers are collaborative, and most don’t have people they can talk to about the problems that arise. The idea of NaNoWriMo put that sense of community into writing, so writers could ask one another questions, bounce ideas from each other, and that encouragement mentioned previously was there. Yes, it is also something about a site like WdC, but this was for a wider writing community. It is a good start to develop positive writing habits Many professional writers will say that it is a good habit to get into writing every day, or to treat writing as a job and write five or six days a week. For me, it’s every day, at least 250 words of personal (non-job-related) writing. But for those who are not used to writing longer works or writing something to completion, NaNoWriMo gets you into the every day writing habit, which you need to do in order to complete it. It makes you feel like you are an actual writer This all leads to this next point: if you manage to complete the 50k word work – even if it takes you until the middle of December, say – then you have done something very, very few people have done. So many say they are going to write a book and never do; well, you now have. There is something about this that says, “I am an actual writer!” There is no pressure And the final point is that there is no real pressure. The only pressure, such as it is, comes internally. You put the pressure on yourself to complete the novel. But there is no publisher, editor or agent waiting for the work; there is no real audience clamouring for the work; it has not cost you money, just time. If you don’t complete the book, shame, but no pressure. If you don’t complete the book for 2 years, does it matter? You still completed the book! All pressure is internal. That’s the benefits I see of writing to the NaNoWriMo dictates. While the organisation may have fallen – and the reasons are many, involving child writers and forum mods, treatment of international groups and writers, supporting AI use, etc – the concept that started it is still as strong today as it ever was. I see it as beneficial, especially for beginner writers of the long form, or for more experienced writers who want a challenge or to break out of a writing doldrums. And we encourage it here at WdC. So why not give it a go! |
| Square-Cube Law This is a little thing for people writing about oversized creatures, in a horror, fantasy or even science-fiction setting, especially on Earth. The square-cube law is how things change as they grow larger. To be really nerd-tastic: When a thing is increased by a certain degree or magnitude (call it x), the surface area and cross-section area are the square of this multiplier (x2) and the mass is the cube (x3) of the multiplier. So, let’s say we have a thing that triples in size. The surface area and cross-section area are 32 or 9 times the original, and the weight is 33, or 27 times original. So… let’s take a practical example. We have a 6’ tall man who weights 200lb. Through magic, he grows to three times his size – 18’ tall. But that means his surface area would be 9 times what it was, the cross sectional area of his musculature would have to be 9 times what it was in order to carry the new mass… and this new weight would be 200*27 or 5400lbs. So what? you might ask? The problem is that in living creatures, strength is pretty close to being related to area of support, likewise the power that can be exerted; that means the strength of a muscle or bone is proportional to the area of the cross-section of the muscle or bone, not the volume. This means, simply, if you triple the size of a creature but it maintains its same shape or dimensions, you end up with a being that does not have the 9 times the muscle cross-section, and hence strength, it needs in order to move 27 times the mass or weight! In fact, the legs probably couldn’t carry it if they maintained the same proportions, and the creature would collapse in agony on broken limbs. By the way, this also applies to mechanical machinery. It is worse for flying creatures. Triple the size again and we get an increase in the power of the wings of 9 times based on the same crass-sectional area increase, but now it is carrying 27 times the mass. In fact, at this sort of level, the creature would probably no longer be able to fly. Now, look, of course stories can have larger creatures, but they would have to change shape. A giant human would need a body that was much stockier and thicker, looking very out of proportion when compared to a normal human. A flyer would need very hollow bones to reduce the amount of excess mass suddenly thrown onto the being, and that would make the body’s structure weaker. That would also mean it could not carry x times the amount of weight. Or maybe not carry a person, for example. However, there is a bonus. If something is shrunk in size, say to a third of their original size, then they will have proportionally 9 times the strength. Now, this is all well and good when looking purely at biomechanics. But biochemistry is an issue as well. The change in size means metabolism also changes, how much heat is given off in relation to body changes, the amount of food needed to maintain heat or energy changes, the amount of oxygen needed to supply energy changes. These are deeply scientific concepts and make giant animals just seem insane. Hang on! you cry, interrupting me. What about whales? Well, see buoyancy is related to density not mass, and so animals that live in the water can grow much larger because there is not the stress on supporting limbs. But they still need to eat a lot. This is why skyscrapers could not be built without mass-produced steel. Double the size of a building and you have 8 times the mass, and wood and brick cannot hold that sort of stress. There needed to be a stronger material. Not only that, but the ground supporting them has to be able to handle something 8 times the weight! This would also apply to kaiju (like Godzilla) or even giant robots fighting them (like in Pacific Rim). So, yeah, this is something ignored all too often but draws people with some knowledge occasionally out of the story. Physics be damned, I guess, when a story is there to be told. |
| Author Voice Ever notice how some stories you read and you think, “Hey, that sounds like John Smith wrote it,” and a couple of years later you discover that, yes, John Smith was using a pseudonym. This is what happened to Stephen King when he tried to be Richard Bachman to stop swamping the book-stores with new releases under his own name. It did not take long for people to realise that, although darker, they were Stephen King works. Likewise, a book was released a year after Patrick White died, under his name. This was 1990 and he was a beloved Australian author and Nobel Laureate. But it did not take long before long-term readers thought something was amiss. It did not read like a White book. It seemed to be a pastiche and while the real author was never identified publicly, the book was withdrawn. This is what is called a “writer’s voice.” Now, many writers start with an author they admire, and their writing mimics that voice. It is so common that many editors can pick who a beginner writer’s favourite author might be. But, over time, you develop your own voice, and write like you, not a second-rate famous author. Of course, not everyone grows out of that and this is often because they deliberately stay in the pastiche lane. That is their choice. However, it should be said that not every author develops a voice that is recognisable. And that is perfectly fine. But it is always good to develop your own voice, especially if you want to take your writing to the next level. How do you do that? There are two things you need to do: 1) Read in multiple genres and read multiple authors so you are not influenced by just one; & 2) Write as much as you can and finish it, no matter how “good” you think it is. But – and this is important – you still might not develop your own distinct “writer’s voice.” A lot of online people tell would-be writers that everyone develops their own voice, and that is true to a certain extent. But having an own voice might not be obvious to readers. It does not mean you are a “bad writer”, or that you don’t have a voice, it just means it might not be as distinctive as some others. And don’t worry – Tom Clancy is recognised as a writer who does not have a distinctive voice, so much so that it is difficult to tell which books he wrote and which were written under his name, even before his 2013 death. It clearly does not affect sales or popularity! As for me? Well, that’s why I am writing this. I received an email from a former friend who asked about my pen-name. I asked why he would think that. Cut/paste: Mate it reads like you. Everything you write sounds the same and I can even hear it in your voice like your telling a story at a bonfire. So, apparently, I have a voice. I hope you all find yours, too. |
| External Writerings October 2025 Time again for me to self-promote! Half a dozen columns this time. Sorry. But remember, every click from a new IP address helps me. My favourite albums from July to September. Review Of Taylor Swift’s latest album, Songs about whispering. Songs about fingers (including thumbs). Halloween 1 – songs about blood and bleeding. Halloween 2 – songs about Hell. And that’s it. 6 columns this month. So, please, help a fellow writer out, and all it’ll cost you is a little bit of time.  |
| Novel #27 After Cult Of The Snake, I stayed with the young adult theme that that had started with, and the reptilian theme, and wrote a 33000 word novella called Underground (It Started With A Kiss). Designed specifically for the YA market, it was rejected twice (I could call this a ‘novel’, because YA novels tend to start at 30000 words). However, the second rejection only came after I felt I could not translate it from Australia to the USA (one of the monster types was based on koalas, for God’s sake!) and the editor did not think Australia was a strong enough selling point for American young adults. This means either American young adults are idiots, or this editor is vastly underestimating his audience. I’m inclining towards the latter. Anyway, the reason I bring it up is that it was published by Black Hare Press in 2022 as a YA novel. So we come to that 45600 word disaster Stranger In Town. I started the story maybe 10 years before with the cryptozoologist losing his tenure, and taking on one last job, worked on it on and off, and finally felt I had the ending to make it work. I didn’t. I like the main cryptozoologist character, and I think the three main characters are actually reasonably well written. But the bushfire doesn’t ring true, the town’s response doesn’t ring true and the monsters are too damn convenient. It just does not feel like it worked. But it was completed, and it shall sit there with some others and not be submitted unless I decide to do some serious editing. And I mean, serious editing. The story involves a cryptozoologist whose department has been shut down, but his last task is to investigate an animal at a remote South Australian community. It turns out this animal has even killed someone, though authorities don’t believe it. However, things are not as they seem with this animal, and when two petrol tankers have an accident, creating a severe bushfire, the animals head for the town and now people are being eaten. Only one thing can save the humans… Standard monster tale, just poorly done. Excerpt: CHAPTER 3 The hotel conformed to the stereotype of a country pub Karl had built up in his mind. The majority of those present had been at work all day and had come in with their partners, while another substantial group were the older members of the local community. But, as he had feared, as soon as it became known just who he was Karl was immediately the centre of attention. He had wanted to relax after the discovery he and Dawn had made at the abandoned train station, to come in here for a nice meal. But the food sat uneaten and cold on the plate as everyone seemed to have story to tell this apparently sympathetic man about the monster of the place. Most seemed to agree with Leroy – that it was one of the Aboriginal kadnomeyu. However a few others disagreed – some quite vociferously – and they said that what they had seen was not lizard-like at all, but more like some sort of large, hairy man-beast, like the more traditional yowie. But one thing they all agreed on – there was definitely something living just outside the town. And then: “So what do you think, Mr Hawkins?” Silence fell over everyone and every single eye in the place was focused on him, waiting for his answer. He could sense a sudden change in the atmosphere. While not hostile, it was suddenly suspicious. He had just been tested, and how well he answered was going to determine the success or failure of this last hurrah for the entire Department. His own eyes searched for Dawn. She merely smiled at him; she had a naïve faith in what he was going to do in Kandoo Creek. “We found some carcasses at the train station today,” he said quietly. “I’ve taken photos and measured the bites and sent the data back to Adelaide. They’ll let me know what did it in a few days, I hope. But what it means is that something is living out there.” The murmur that ran through the bar was one of relief and several people started to chat about what he had just said, but he coughed and raised his voice a little. “It might just be a pack of wild dogs. It might be some escaped zoo animal. It might even be some animal thought extinct. But I know there is something here and because I did not recognise the tracks or the markings in the wounds, I can’t say what it is. But as to if it is a humanoid, I am sceptical. However, if it turns out that that is the case, then I will do my best to find it. But that’s all I can offer.” “It’s not dogs,” growled one man and the mutter of agreement ran like a wave across the assembled people. Karl nodded. “No, I agree, it’s probably not. But I can’t discount anything. Sorry. I’m here to find the truth…” “But you do think there’s something out there?” the barman – a young man with a limp who everyone called Skip – asked. “Oh yeah, there’s something out there,” Karl agreed. “I just don’t know what and I don’t want to say…” “You believe us.” It was a statement, not a question, and it broke the suspicious mood straight away. The talk started again almost immediately and once more Karl was being waylaid by more and more stories until Dawn stood up. “Let the man eat!” she snapped, a slight smile on her lips. I do liken the idea and, like I said, the characters, but something about the story is off. I have lived through bushfires (I live in rural Australia) and so I am not sure just what I have got wrong. I think the response is muted to the fire, and the animals should be an additional threat. I reckon I’ve got it backwards – the animals are the main threat and the fire is secondary. Now that I write this, that’s it. Everything is backwards. I is a idjit. |
| Killing Tension When writing, tension is a very important aspect to keep the reader going. It does not matter the genre, without tension, the story does not grip a reader. It is as important as conflict in giving a story meat. In romance – the tension of the two leads not getting together … when will they get together? In war – the tension of if one of the leads will be killed, or will the bad guys capture them? And so on. Tension makes it exciting to read. Too often, writers forget this, and even some well-selling trad published books just lack any sense of tension. (*cough*Lightlark*cough*) So, borrowing the ideas from Oren Ashkenazi (whose bugbear book is Fourth Wing), here’s 5 ways tension can be killed. 1) Summarising Sometimes we need to summarise when writing or else we are going to have a book with us being shown the minutiae of daily living. But to summarise the plan that leads to the climax? Okay, sure, the MC can tell someone the plan… but then things should go wrong. But to summarise the plan, then it work fine, and we can see it is working fine, the tension just collapses. 2) Stretching There’s a bad guy. He’s in the shadows. He’s getting closer. He’s still in the shadows. He’s still getting closer. Oh, look, he’s in the shadows. Hey, what do you know, he’s getting closer… This happens a lot in TV series or books where the bad guy won’t be doing anything until volume 5. But the tension is so drawn out that the bad guy feels more like a paper threat. Do something! 3) Poor Stakes The bad guys have kidnapped the hero’s girlfriend and unless he does what they ask… they are going to shave her bald! A whole novella – a serious novella – was based around this. Oh, the writer managed to up the stakes when the bad guys cut off her - *gasp!* - ponytail. Or it’s when the bad guys are doing something that it is hard to see as evil, like trying to prevent catastrophic climate change (a few 1960s films). If the stakes don’t matter, how can the reader care? 4) The Wrong Hero This is when the person who is portrayed as the hero of a story and is who the reader is following is not… actually… doing… anything… Harry Potter in Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone is the classic example. The kids do nothing of note that affects anything (which is actually good to me because, well, they’re know-nothing kids!). Oh, sure, they are fighting and gallivanting, but other minor characters or off-screen characters are defeating the big bad. Or, worse, we follow our band of outmatched would-be heroes, only to see them joined in the third act by a mega-hero who saves the day… see the Josh Whedon cut of Justice League and the introduction of Superman against Darkseid. 5) Follow Through There is tension in the air. We hear about the bad guys. They are the things of nightmares. They are truly evil and have the world in their thrall! And then… we see them attack a village and they might as well be any other generic barbarian horde (and, yes, I am looking at you, the film Sorceress). The presentation has to live up to the hype or else all you are doing is making the audience go… “Meh.” So there are 5 great ways to kill the tension in your story. Try them! I’m sure you’ll be amazed at the results! |
| Conspiracy Theories The psychology of conspiracy theories is one that is very interesting. I studied this in one of my psychology classes at university, so have some basic, surface-level knowledge, and I think this can help some writers. The use of people who believe in conspiracy theories is becoming more prevalent in fiction because it reflects the world around us. So I thought it might be good to look at the whole psychology behind these beliefs so that these characters can be a bit more realistic. This, by the way, is expanded from a response I gave to a post at some stage here on WdC, so if it sounds familiar, that may be why. In addition, it is adapted from an essay I wrote in 2001 (2002?). One last thing here - this is "theory" in the philosophical definition. A scientific theory is something that can be proven by experimentation or by mathematics, or is accepted by those in the field. Evolution, gravity, nuclear decay are all theories because they can be proven. If something cannot be proven in science, it is referred to as a hypothesis. In philosophy, a "theory" is something that makes sense based on the evidence available to the person in question, but cannot really be proven. So... Basically, people find themselves nowadays in an increasingly hyper-connected world. Ever since World War I, the peoples of the world have been growing increasingly reliant on one another, with the United Nations (and League of Nations before that) seen as a one world ruling body or arbiter. This means whereas in the nineteenth century people had an idea of where they fit into the world because their world was so much smaller, as the scale has grown larger, many people feel they have become disenfranchised. Even their own local communities are part of a larger one-ness; that sense of being someone, even in a small way, is lost as personal comparisons (comparisons to others) are now made across a world of billions, as opposed to a community of thousands. Increasingly, in order to feel better about themselves, that they are not just a number on a spreadsheet, people try to adopt many different things to stand out. Artists, corporate (political and religious as well) leaders, sportspeople all have outlets to make themselves stand out from the crowd stretching back to ancient days. With the rise of the Internet and online “being known” in which more and more are putting themselves, suddenly even standing out like that doesn’t mean as much. It used to be a very small minority, but now so many (some would say too many) are in that sphere. So people want to feel like they mean something, and for a few people that "meaning something" comes with the willingness, mentally, to be open to information that could help set them apart. A conspiracy theory (theory used in the philosophical sense, not the scientific sense) is a form of believing in hidden knowledge. If the people in charge, if the "normal" people, do not see what the conspiracies are, then the believer feels they have special information, and that makes them feel like they are special in their own minds. They know things others don't. That takes them away from being just another number – they are part of the "enlightened." And so with minimal knowledge and a confidence born of over-belief, of course, Dunning-Kruger then comes into play.  Belief in conspiracy theories really didn't start amongst the mass populace until the mid-20th century. Some cite older ones, but the people, the regular people, had no idea, and these ideas were restricted to upper echelons of society. Like I said, with the world becoming more and more homogenised, a conspiracy theory is a means for people to make themselves feel like they mean something in a world that increasingly makes people feel like they do not matter. It is a natural response to being a part of a world more focused on everything except humanity. The fact that some conspiracies (and by some, I mean very, very, very few) come to pass or be proven as having been real only reinforces the idea that all conspiracies must be true to the believers. Belief in a conspiracy theory does not care about intelligence, education or anything else. It is a personal response to an unfeeling, uncaring, increasingly hostile world that only seems to want to divide and conquer. Believers tend to be people who feel they are overlooked by something – government, job, friends, family, anything – and that is about all they have in common. |
| 10 Under-Utilised Horror Settings First published online at https://horrortree.com/10-under-utilised-horror-settings/ December 30, 2019, Updated September 14, 2022. Revised just a little for this blog It’s the Gothic mentality that still permeates horror fiction. The dark castles, the grave-yards, the small country towns, the old churches, the old deserted houses, even the cellars – it’s all there. Always all there. The settings for the standard horror stories. Look, I’m a reader and a writer, and I understand the sense of isolation that can increase tension and terror, and the darkness is something that makes horror work because the hidden is often more terrifying. There is something to be said for the imagination of the reader/viewer being allowed to have a go. I think that’s why a lot of horror does not translate well from book to screen – what they create visually often does not match what we have created in our own minds. And I’m going off track. The point I’m trying to make is that we see these settings and we know we need to be ready for jump scares and clichés and the old-fashioned tropes. And that’s fine; it works and the reader knows what to expect. But in my reading, I feel there are some other settings that are not used anywhere near enough and yet could well be used to create a gripping horror story. In my opinion. As such, here’s ten I think should be looked at more closely. 1) Schools Now, what I mean here is a regular school. Stephen King’s The Institute is about a special school that is more a concentration camp, but what I am talking about is a real school. The Treehouse Of Horror series from The Simpsons may have reduced this idea to a concept of fun, but I feel there is still great value in a school. And not a deserted school, but an operational school with real people and students and teachers and administration staff and custodial staff and all that goes along with that. There is a myriad of possibilities there. And if you don’t think schools are scary places – ask any kid about that…(Note: I did sell a ghost story set in a school a few years ago, so this is a possibility.) 2) Suburbia Take a standard Australian soap opera – Neighbours or Home And Away for example –and you have suburbia in all its dull, tedious, banal boredom. Boring normal people doing boring normal things, just amped up to make it vaguely interesting for people with nothing better to do. However, how hard would it be to tweak that to make it the setting for a good horror story? I don’t mean a done-to-death zombie flick but something more insidious. We’ve seen it a few times – Invasion Of The Body Snatchers for one, Stepford Wives for another – but nowhere near enough. A normal suburb with normal housing (no deserted old house on the hill tropes) surely has great possibilities for horror beyond replacing people. 3) Seats of Power Some would say that looking at the current crop of world leaders that maybe horror has infiltrated the seats of power in real life, but we read horror to escape, and so we could surely up the ante in these places. Not necessarily those in power – who are, after all, just puppets, if the brilliant BBC series Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister are anything to go by (and they are) – but those bureaucrats pulling the strings. The horror could possibly be an all-encompassing “devil in charge” tale to a strange creature using politicians to get access to victims. And, really, who wouldn’t be scared when faced with mind-numbingly brainless politicians zombies slaves to aliens ruling the world? 4) Factories The nooks and crannies and machinery make a factory the ideal setting for strange goings-on and evil to lurk. We’ve seen it in the beginning/end of The Fly (original version) and there’s a scene in one the Hulk movies and the ending of Terminator 2 set in factories, but these are really just scenes. A whole factory with workers and functioning machines could be an ideal setting for a creepy horror film. There is so much darkness, with all those hidden and forgotten places, that this could be a great setting for a swarm of rat-like creatures to run amok. Or people to merge with their machines. Or… look, there are a heap of possibilities. And I’m not going to give away all my ideas… 5) Shopping Malls Sure, Dawn Of The Dead was set in a shopping mall, but that was a deserted one, post-zombie-apocalypse. For an idea of how a shopping centre could be used in all its glory, see the car chase scene from The Blues Brothers and nod and smile. Now, take away the cars and replace with, say, a werewolf (An American Werewolf In London style of huge animal, not a wolfman) and let the horror and fun begin! You have so many different shops, so many hiding places, so many potential victims, so many other things that could go awry in these places! (Note: I did sell a story last year about a hungry escalator in a shopping mall, so this is also a definite concept.) 6) High Rise Apartments We’ve had suburbia, so how about a different sort of living space? The high-prise apartment block, many storeys high and filled with different rooms and different people living in them and different levels… Again, it lends itself so well to a nice open-ended world in just one place. Again, not a deserted one, but one where normal people live and work and play. Rosemary’s Baby was set in a similar place, but there are so many more ideas than just a cabal of Satanists bringing forth the anti-Christ into the world. Look at Robin Bailes’ The Golem Of 2020 for a decent example, but that’s just one. I’m surprised it hasn’t been used more often, to be honest. 7) Pubs, Hotels, Bars and/or Nightclubs Drinking establishments. Places where people go to get drunk, to catch up, to unwind and be with like-minded people. Yes, there have been vampire books with nightclub settings (e.g. Robin Baker’s Chasing The Sun) but let’s get away from vampires and look at something a little different. Pubs are a great place to set all sorts of things. FAQ About Time Travel is an awesome sci-fi comedy set in a pub; The World’s End is a great sci-fi apocalyptic comedy. What about real horror, though? Surely, we can find something out there that works because pubs can be quite disturbing places. Think about it – a nightclub which is actually a level of hell where people are forced to dance for eternity… and that’s off the top of my head. (Note: I have sold a story about a barman that kills certain individuals, so this has selling potential.) 8) Beaches Not out in the water, like Jaws and its sequels, but the actual beach. Sure, the 1980s gave us Blood Beach (a ‘so bad it’s good’ film) but if we take that as a precursor to some more interesting horror concepts (though the idea of a beach that eats people is awesome) then the beach can become a scary place. It might look idyllic, but go to an Australian beach when it’s forty-plus degrees Celsius (104°F) – which is quite common – and tell me that despite the clear blue skies and golden sands and wonderful ocean you don’t feel like you’re dying. Monsters, people, sands – there are so many things we could worry about in an Australian summer. Or a Hawaiian summer. Or a Californian summer… 9) Art Galleries Museums have been done, although I am yet to see a good one (except maybe some of the Wax Museum films… and, no, Stiller’s Night At The Museum is not a good one), but what about the art gallery? Pictures, sculptures, installations – you name it, there is everything there for a decent horror yarn. Statues that come to life, paintings that trap people, installations that draw people in – these are all tales that have been mentioned in passing or used as part of a greater story, but to bring these aspects out on their own could make a really decent little horror story. 10) Brothels Now, I do not watch pornography – never have doubt I ever will. Just does not do anything for me, I’m afraid. And this means I do not know if any porn horror films set in brothels have been made. However, for a mainstream horror tale, the setting could be ideal. I have seen some horror comics with a tale in a brothel – all involving vampires, I’m afraid – but surely it could be so much more than that? There are endless possibilities in an establishment that exists slightly outside the law, and so could be forced to deal with its horrors in-house. Whatever those horrors may be. (Note: I have sold a story about a ghost brothel, so this is yet another idea with distinct possibilities.) Of course, I am the first to admit I have not seen or read everything to do with horror, so there could well be some fine examples set in these places. But for writers looking for somewhere different, looking to avoid the clichés of writing, looking to expand themselves, these ten settings could well lend themselves to all sorts of wonderful tales. Good writing! |
| Novel #26 Yes... I have filled in my old blog, so here we are, but the links remain the same. And we start the new with a novel. I’m really proud of the next story. I wrote it with a young adult audience in mind, though it became much more New Adult or even adult in tone by the time it was finished and edited. Yes, it has many dark undertones throughout its 88000 word length. Cult Of The Snake is a horror/urban fantasy story about a small group of university students out to stop a snake goddess/Naga queen from coming back to Earth, with the help of Garuda. Hindu mythology, splashes of Greek mythology, a lot of death, destruction and mayhem, and the destruction of lots of property. It’d make an awesome film, but I’m biased. For the first time in ages, two of the characters are actually based on real people. The gay best friend of the main character is based on a gay friend of mine, who helped me a little with the way his relationships have worked in the past. It was his idea, by the way, to [*spoiler alert!*] kill off the character at the end. And the main female character was based on a lady I had come to know at around the time it was written (early 2011), just with her age halved, and her appearance changed a fraction (probably not enough). Of course, enough other changes were made in the characters to make them different by the time the story was finished, but for this one I just needed some help to get the characters the way I wanted them, with all their little inconsistencies. As a famous author once said (and I’m paraphrasing here): the difference between fiction and reality is fiction has to make sense. Any way, this story is a weird one, and I still like it. The main male character starts a little emo-like, but the female drags him out of it, and he becomes that staple of horror fiction – the reluctant hero. Excerpt: Sunday 12:30pm Craig sighed as he played with the drink in his hand. Tayla stared at it as well before she lowered her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she muttered. “What for?” Craig asked. “Dragging you out here like this, making you listen to me bitch and moan, and now we’re just sitting here like two strangers.” She looked up at him again and was unable to stop the tears from coming. Without really thinking he rested his hand on hers. “Tayla, it’s okay. At least it got me out of the apartment for a change.” She smiled at him. “You’re just saying that.” She sighed again and looked at his hand on hers, but made no attempt to move it. He stared at her. Her thick, dark hair fell more than half way down her back in natural waves, offset perfectly by wide hazel eyes. She had a sweet, almost child-like smile and not for the first time he found himself thinking of her as quite an attractive young lady. “No, I’m not,” he laughed. “If you hadn’t called, I’d be sitting at home watching football all day, maybe doing some study.” “Yeah, I should be doing that as well,” she muttered. “You don’t need a tutor this year, then?” he asked suddenly, just trying to prevent the conversation from falling into another lull. “Second semester when my psych subjects start. Definitely. I’ll be calling you. This semester everything’s easy, and for psych it’s just stats.” Her face seemed to perk up for the first time since they’d come into the pub for lunch. “And that’s just maths. That’s all.” “Who you got?” “Carmichael. I can’t think of his first name…” “Michael.” Craig laughed. “He was my stats lecturer as well. How many octopus stories have you heard?” “My God! Like, every lecture!” She laughed, a real genuine laugh, her head thrown backwards. Craig smiled and shook his head, noticing that her hand did not leave his. “Wait. You’ve got the film he made about octopuses and stats to come yet. Last lesson of the semester.” He shook his head. “Guy knows his stuff, but he’s a complete nutcase.” The strains of the opening bars of the song ‘Jessica’ interrupted them. “Sorry,” Craig said, finally removing his hand and fumbling for his phone. “Craig Stevenson,” he said down it. Tayla watched him curiously as his face went from joy to genuine concern. He said very little, until, “I’ll get there as soon as I can. See you soon, Bry.” He disconnected the call and just stared at the screen in front of him blankly. “What’s the matter?” Tayla asked carefully. He looked up at her. “You’re not going to believe this,” he muttered, “but one of my friends has disappeared.” She stared at him, eyes wide, mouth open a little. “He was exploring a tunnel underneath the railway station and he just…” He pushed himself to his feet and grabbed his cane. “I’ve got to go. I’m sorry…” “No, wait. I’ll give you a lift.” Tayla’s mind had gone into a numb sort of shock. How could this be happening again? “No, Tayla, I couldn’t ask…” “I’m giving you a lift,” she repeated as she made her way ahead of him to hold the door open. He shook his head and limped after her. This story has been submitted six times for six generic rejections. But I still think it has legs. I really do. I’ll give a little back story as to how this one came about. I was playing Dungeons & Dragons and our characters were in a reptile world, with lizard-men, yuan-ti and all manner of other intelligent reptilians. My head asked after one grueling session (my cleric character had barely survived), “What if reptiles like this tried to take over Adelaide?” I started writing the story the next day, during the next D&D session when my character was not needed. What if…? Best friend a writer has. |
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