Writing horror – Writer and the Wolf Editorial

Flavours of Fear: Writing Scary Scenes

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By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

Today I’m going to be diving into Rayne Hall’s craft book, Writing Scary Scenes. Scary scenes aren’t solely the domain of horror stories – any character can feel fear or…

Tips for writing a creepy attic or basement in middle grade or YA

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By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

Alright, I don’t blame you. Attics (AKA lofts) and basements (AKA cellars) are obviously the scariest rooms in any house (except for maybe Regan’s bedroom in The Exorcist) which is why I’m glad I’m a Londoner and don’t have either. But their innate creepiness isn’t enough to sell your setting: you need to make readers see, feel, hear, smell, taste the room, experience the claustrophobia, sense the lurking danger.

Analysing the Tale of the Twisted Claw

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By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

‘Be careful what you wish for – you might just get it!’ Analysing S01E04 ‘The Tale of the Twisted Claw‘ Let’s get started! Here’s an embedded video from the official Are…

Want to read more middle grade horror? Start here! 2021 edition

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By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

Maybe you write horror for adults and want to dip your toe into the middle grade pool. Maybe you write realistic fiction for kids and want to try your hand…

Analysing The Tale of Laughing in the Dark

By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

It’s the most fun in the park when you’re laughing in the dark! I have a soft spot for this episode because I love any horror featuring creepy fairgrounds, although…

Lessons from R. L. Stine’s Masterclass #2: Write for fun!

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By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

I talked recently about my love for R.L. Stine and his fabulous masterclass for children’s authors and today I’m going to do that a bit more. For this post I’ve…

Making your spooky kidlit scenes even scarier with sound effects

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By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

Sensory description is so important in any genre of fiction, but in scary stories it can add a chilling, leave-the-lights-on-tonight-please-mum atmosphere to an otherwise flat scene. In fact, you should…

Lessons from R. L. Stine’s Masterclass #1: No moralising

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By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

Last year I took R. L. Stine’s masterclass on writing horror for young readers and it was utterly fascinating. I was a huge Point Horror fan as a teenager and still read…

Analysing The Tale of the Phantom Cab

By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

Welcome back, genre authors, to what is quickly becoming one of my favourite blog series ever! In the last post I explained that I’m going to be analysing each episode…

Analysing The Tale of the Lonely Ghost

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By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

Hi, horror fans! I’m really excited about this blog series and I hope you will be too. I was a big fan of Are You Afraid of the Dark? as…