Why Do I Write Horror?

If you follow me on Twitter, you might have seen that I promised a “deep” post for today. Well, you’re going to get one…it’s just a bit late. Technically, I have a little over an hour until it’s officially tomorrow. It’s been a crazy week! Anyway, here you go. Please feel free to sound off in the comments. I’d like to generate some sort of discussion with this, and I can’t do that without you guys.

You’ve probably got a pretty good glimpse of my personality through this blog. We all have our days, but I would say, typically, I’m a pretty happy person. I love to laugh and to make others laugh. I’m a geek. I have crazy ideas and plans. I like to have fun. I’m down to earth. I like talking and I like listening. I usually have trouble not smiling.

So, it’s not a big surprise that when I tell people that I write horror they’re pretty shocked.

My mom is one of them. Well, she isn’t shocked so much as she just doesn’t understand it. She told me the other day that if she were to sit down and write something, she would want it to be inspirational. She isn’t interested in some of the things that I write because she just doesn’t understand why I would want to add to the collective “crap” that’s out there in the world. If I’m going to put my mark on it, why not make it a positive one?

(Disclaimer: My mom is wonderful and amazing and I don’t mind that she has a differing opinion. Actually, I’m glad that she does because it’s made me reflect on why I write some of the things I do.)

She’s got a point. A pretty good one, actually. There’s a lot of horrible, terrible, tragic things that happen in this world. Why would I want to put those things down on paper for other people to read?

I don’t know if there’s a good answer to this. There certainly isn’t a “right” one. I’m not sure what other people have to say – why they choose to write in this genre. But here are my thoughts.

First of all, I’m a pantser (for those of you not in the know, it’s much less scandalous than it sounds – it just means I don’t like to plot my stories and that I’d rather fly by the seat of my pants). I get an image or a piece of dialogue stuck in my head and all of a sudden a story blossoms from this little seed. I start to write it down and, before I can help myself, the entire thing is unfolding in front of me. I’ve always been this way and even though it makes writing novels a little difficult, I really do enjoy my general process. So, the reason why I may write horror stories is pretty easy: it pops into my head and I write it down. Simple.

So, why do these things pop into my head? Probably because I like to watch crime shows. Law & Order, CSI, Criminal Minds, NCIS – the list literally goes on and on. They’ve sparked ideas before and often that spark is all I need to put my fingers to the keyboard. The other part of this is that I am absolutely fascinated by psychology – especially the psychology of the criminal mind. Why do people do the things they do? To me, it’s something so terrible and abhorrent that I just have to get a closer look to figure it out. It might sound strange to some, but without people who have a fascination for this sort of thing, we wouldn’t be able to understand and stop these kinds of criminals.

(P.S. I have to plug Stacy Green here because I live for her Thriller Thursday posts. Here’s one of my favorites.)

And I guess that is sort of where I’m going with this whole discussion. I write horror because it’s horrible. I want to bring light to what has happened in the real world. I can’t do that by becoming a politician or a civil rights activist, because that’s not who I am. I am a writer. I write.

I also write these sorts of things because, believe it or not, there is an underlying message there – a positive spin to these often ghastly stories that I write. There’s a lesson. Sometimes you have to dig for it, but it’s always there. I write to make you think. And if I can make you think, then maybe I can make you talk. And if I can make you talk, well…maybe then I can make a difference.

So, here’s the big question: why do YOU write. And, yes, I want the philosophical answer. Whether you write romance or sci-fi or fantasy or horror or any other genre or combination of those types, I want to know why you write. What are you trying to accomplish? What are you trying to say?

Guest Post by Ddog from Gamerscene – The Amazing Spiderman: An Amazing Idea?

Today I’m lucky enough to have my friend Ddog, from Gamerscene, over here at my blog! He’s a fellow movie junkie, and I love reading his movie reviews. But he’s got so much more than that! He also reviews video games and books, has some opinion pieces he calls “rage segments,” and even has polls every once in a while (and who doesn’t love a good poll?). It’s great having you here, Ddog, thanks for guest posting for me!!

*****

Hello everyone! Ddog here from gamerscene.wordpress.com, and it’s an honor to be here at Karen’s blog: The Midnight Novelist!

Spiderman…a name that brings mixed emotions. I grew up watching the first one, fascinated by the costume and the sinister Green Goblin. Didn’t we all enjoy the first? It’s a classic. But then the second and the third Spiderman movies came out, and they visibly declined in quality each time. But I’m not here to talk about how terrible Spiderman 3 was. I’m here to do a bit of an analysis, answering the following questions: Why did this movie get made? Is this the correct time to release this movie? Will it be successful? These are questions that I’m sure everyone is scratching their heads to.

Why is a Spiderman reboot being made? Well, Spiderman 4 was supposed to be created, until the Spidey himself said no to another installment. But why? The Spiderman movies were always the top at the box office! Tobey Maguire would rack up a ton of cash, so why would he deny another opportunity? Well, the script of Spiderman 4 sent Peter Parker back to high school, and Tobey didn’t want that. He refused to join in, being 34. The director of the first three films dropped out of the franchise with him.

Word was always going around that the cast of the original three dreaded the work, too. They supposedly hated working on the movies. Why? That’s been kept under wraps, but everyone knows that when people don’t enjoy their work, they don’t perform their best. Maybe it was a good thing that Tobey bailed. I never liked the guy anyways.

Let’s take a quick break. Do you remember how Peter Parker beat up the goons chasing Mary Jane? And after that, he kissed her upside down in the pouring rain? Well, that scene was extremely difficult to film. Tobey Maguire kept getting water in his nose. On the topic of Spiderman, I have to bring that up.

BUT…back on topic. Is this the correct time to reboot the Spiderman franchise? It’s been ten years. We have to introduce the youngsters to the friendly neighborhood Spider Man, right? Unfortunately, the youngsters aren’t the ones who purchase movie tickets and popcorn. The adults have to flock to the film, but will they?  At the moment, there’s a grand coffee stain on the jeans of Spiderman. Not even Oxi-Clean can remove it. That stain is the Spiderman Broadway show, Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark.

 

This production has been a train-wreck since it premiered. Concussions and injuries and technical issues are crumbling its reputation. It has been postponed and delayed as well. But who cares about Broadway productions? What does that have to do with the movie? Well, it could have some effect. I highly doubt that those who saw the musical are extremely eager to see the film. But that’s just a small population of people. Will it have a huge impact on the film? We can’t know until the movie is released, but there are other factors that lure (and repel) people to the theaters.

The actors. Let’s talk about the faces in this flick. There’s no Leonardo DiCaprio or Tom Hanks, but a more youthful, fresher cast. First, let’s start with the new Spidey himself, Andrew Garfield. What’s he from? He’s worked on some TV shows and movies, but his biggest film is The Social Network, the movie telling the story of Facebook. I greatly enjoyed his performance, and I feel confident that he could pull of emotional scenes in this movie. Spiderman is an emotional superhero, after all.

Emma Stone. I will be honest, I know her film history, but I haven’t seen many of her big movies. I cannot make an opinion fairly, so I will leave that for you to think on…I liked her in Zombieland, however. Moving on. Martin Sheen is highly prestigious. Other than those three names, no other star caught my eye. This can be an issue. People don’t know who Andrew Garfield is. He is the leading man, after all. Luckily, the name “Spiderman” is known to us all, so the cast may not be a big factor to reel people in.

Now, let’s look at the timing of this release. July 3^rd of 2012. That’s two months after The Avengers is released. I have a strong feeling that the success of The Amazing Spiderman financially relies on the success of the Avengers. But why? Spiderman isn’t in it. But there is speculation that he could be. Here is a post I recently typed up on Peter Parker possibly being spotted in the Avengers trailer, which is right here. But anyways, The Avengers will leave a taste in the viewer’s mouth concerning superheroes…either a good taste, of being satisfied and entertained, or a bad one, showing the atrocity of superheroes. If this movie is bad, I don’t think that people will be so eager to dive into another superhero franchise. After all, it’s been years of cinema leading up to The Avengers. People have high expectations. The Amazing Spiderman seems so tiny in comparison to The Avengers. One hero opposed to six…two months after the huge project.

This, of course, is just speculation. Who knows? There’s always a dark horse every year at the box office, and 2012 has yet to see one. Who would have guessed that Avatar, a movie with a plot as generic as it gets, would make as much money as it did? Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved that movie, but who honestly expected the lines that suddenly sprouted infront of theaters and the hype that emerged after opening night?

Thanks for reading!  But it’s not about me, it’s about you. What do you think of this reboot? Is it a good idea to launch the Spidey franchise once again for round two?  Let me know in the comments and check out my blog for reviews, rage segments, and polls. Thanks for having me, Karen!
~Ddog