Monday, January 20, 2014

Motivational Monday


I HAVE ALWAYS TRIED TO PRESENT
TERROR AS SOMETHING YOU
DO NOT SEE BUT SENSE.
NOT SO EASY TO DO.
(Richard Matheson)

As someone who is pretty much afraid of everything, I find it ironic that I love horror, especially watching scary movies, and reading and writing creepy stuff. Those stories where the evil is sensed and not seen are the ones that scare me the most. Where you don't see the monster until the very end, if at all. Where the monster doesn't always look like a monster. Where the gore isn't so much on the screen or on the page as it is splattering our psyche, our sense of safety.  

Sometimes it's the subtleties in our craft that make the most impact. On screen, look for the slow creep of the closet door opening behind the oblivious actors. In a book, watch the antagonist smile and offer help to the unsuspecting hero. There's a quiet, creepy thrill I associate with good horror, and that is what I aim to give my readers. 

Let's play with using subtleties this week in our crafts and in our lives -  

Instead of your character stating his feelings outright, make him drop hints. 

Instead of streaking bold, bright colors across your canvas, try softer shades. 

Instead of taking photos of buildings and bridges, try zooming in on one window, one support beam. 

Instead of telling someone you care about them, buy their favorite candy and leave it where they'll least expect it. Or do their chores for them...or do your own without being asked. Or, if your loved one is a horror fan, do what my husband did. He bought the first three Paranormal Activity movies on DVD, watched them all with me over the course of a weekend, and didn't complain once about how many times I jumped or how hard I grabbed his arm.

Have a great week, everyone!

20 comments:

  1. Wonderful advice, Madeline. It's so funny: I was just given a new prompt for my art journaling workshop, and it's also got me thinking along lines of subtlety. Have a great week!

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    1. Now that's synchronicity! Good luck with your art journaling. :)

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  2. Great advice, Madeline. That's definitely something I need to work on - the hints, and clues, and the nicely planned moments of surprise (in real life too).

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    1. Sometimes I can be too subtle in my stories - and in real life, too!

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  3. BTW I posted a review of your book a Goodreads the other day - it's super short, but I meant every word of it. :)

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    1. Yes! Thank you so much! I really appreciated it and I "liked" it over there on GR.

      I kinda wish they had a "love it" button that I could click for all the great ratings and reviews you guys are giving the collection. :)

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  4. I love the advice here. I love horror movies! I especially love the ones where it's suspenseful throughout (like the original Halloween) as opposed to gory (i.e. Saw)

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    1. I'm not sure if "Jaws" is considered a horror movie or not, but it's one of my favorites, and it best illustrates what I love - that whole "lurking monster/terror" feeling. :)

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  5. I stopped watching scary movies after I started living on my own. I don't want to be scared. LOL

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    1. If I was on my own, I would only watch scary movies in the day time. And I would do what I usually/actually do now - watch something funny after it, like a sitcom. :)

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  6. As a rebellious teenager, I enjoyed reading horror, even in art, but I've grown out of that and become the biggest chicken with age. Not a fan of horror anymore to say the least. But, I do agree with your advice, sometimes it's best to focus on the details and drop hints, showing instead of telling. (:

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    1. As I've gotten older, I've become less a fan of some kinds of horror - gore and yuck just for the sake of gore and yuck - and more a fan of others, like the subtle kind, the suspense, the psychological, etc.

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  7. Working on subtle.
    I don't mind a gore-fest, but it has to be a good story.
    Feel free to leave a box of Hot Tamales for me!

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    1. Some writers and other artists do subtle so well! And I'll put up with more gore than I usually like if the story is compelling.

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  8. That is the same kind of horror that scares me the most too, the psychological kind. Subtle is a great technique.

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    1. Subtle works well for, and on, me - I don't need to be "grabbed" by the first page/chapter/scene. I can be wooed. :)

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  9. yep, that's true love :)

    I love the subtleties in writing, and not just in the horror genre, though it works particularly well in horror (shudder).

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    1. Sometimes the subtleties are even more powerful than a car chase or a gore fest.

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  10. LOVE it. Let's be subtle and trust our readers are intelligent enough to read between the lines. =) Be careful, you're validating the minimalist in me. Dangerous thing...

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    1. Trusting the reader to "get it" is so important. Thanks for that!

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