This weekend I went to a convention, whilst there I spoke to quite a few people, and took part in an all author panel Q+A session. It got me think about all the other people I have spoken to, for interviews, at other signings, and even just on a night in the pub.
I have titled this post the 3rd most commonly asked question to horror authors, as I think that question is the most important one, and in some ways it answers the first two questions as well.
So what are the first two questions? I hear you ask. Well number one, is not exclusive to horror, it is asked of any author.
Where do you get your ideas?
If I had a penny for everytime I've been asked that question I would have a few pounds by now. It is a question that has many possible answers, but I think the most honest answer I can give is anywhere and everywhere. Inspiration for stories can strike at any time, and be set off by anything I see, hear or just ponder on.
The second question
Why horror?
This is often delivered in a tone of derision. People look down on horror, they always have. When asking this question people tend to really be asking 'what is wrong with you, mentally, that makes so you write this sick crap?' The fact is though, all the horror writers I've met have been lovely, sane people. We just perceive things in a slightly skewed way. The fact is I have always loved horror, and the idea that I would end up writing anything else is almost ridiculous to anyone who knows me.
So we get to the big one, the 3rd and most important question.
What scares you?
By definition of what we do, it is very hard to scare a horror writer through horror fiction, we are so aware of the genre that we have desensitised ourselves to the fear other people get from our work. However, the simple answer is everything scares me, seriously I am terrified of spiders, small spaces, balloons, duffle coats ( well actually I'm not scared of duffle coats, I just don't trust them, long story). I am scared of losing the people I love, to the point that I worry everytime the phone rings that it's a worst case scenario. I lie at awake some nights torturing myself with graphic images of my worst fears running through my head.
So I use those fears as inspiration for story ideas. My debut novel, 'Beneath', is a supernatural horror story, but at it's heart it is a tale of a man scared that he can't protect his family. It is no coincidence that I started writing it when my wife was pregnant with our first child, and completed when my son was six months old. I channeled my own fears and insecurities into that story.
Why do that? Because writing it down, making it a fiction works to release these worries and fears from my mind. It is often said that the horror genre offers it's audience a form of catharsis, a safe way to face their fears. In my case writing horror does the same thing. So why do I write horror? Because it's good for my mental health. If I didn't I'd probably be in a padded cell by now.
