Guest Post – Top Tips For Aspiring Horror Writers by Danny Weston
It’s almost Halloween and what better way to celebrate than with a spooky blog tour for a brilliant creepy book!
Scarecrow by Danny Weston was released on the 5th October 2017 pubished by Andersen Press and is set to keep you wide awake with fear as the dark nights are drawing in!
“A terrifying, historical horror story from the winner of the 2016 Scottish Children’s Book Award.”
“The perfect Halloween read for fans of Darren Shan, Joseph Delaney & Stephen Cole.”
Today I have the man himself sharing some fab tips for aspiring horror writers in this fab guest post….
Jack and his dad are runaways. Jack’s father recently turned whistleblower, revealing the truth about the illicit dealings of some powerful people. Realising that he and Jack might be in danger, Dad drives them to a remote shooting lodge in the Scottish Highlands, where they intend to lay low.
In the cornfield beside the lodge stands a scarecrow. When Jack witnesses something incredible, he begins to realise that it is no ordinary scarecrow – it is alive, hungry and fuelled by rage. And when Dad’s enemies begin to converge on the lodge, the scarecrow might just turn out to be Jack’s best hope of survival.
Top Tips For Aspiring Horror Writers
Hi. Danny Weston here. My new book Scarecrow is now available.
The good people who run this blog have asked me to put together my top tips for aspiring horror writers. Here they are:
1.
Don’t ‘show’ too much. Remember that people are more frightened by what they don’t see than by what they do see.
2.
Make sure the eerie happenings are seen through the eyes of your characters. ‘Show Don’t Tell.’ The three most important words for any writer of fiction. When a writer tells us about something happening, it loses so much. When we see it exactly as the characters in the book see it, then it comes alive.
3.
Description is key. When something happens, you must paint a picture with words. Describe a thing in detail so your reader can picture it in their heads.
4.
Keep up the pace. Don’t linger too long on one particular scene. I think of books as ‘head movies. Always be ready to cut away and move on to the next scene.
5.
If you write a ghost story, never use the G Word. The word I’m referring to here is ‘ghost!’ Once you name it as that, it’s no longer a threat. Same goes for the V Word and the Z Word. Just say what you see and let the reader decide what that is.
6.
Never give your characters an easy ride! They must be conflicted from the start. Give them problems to solve and hardships to overcome.
7.
Never be afraid to rewrite a scene. Every time you do, it will get better.
8.
And don’t forget to have fun with what you’re writing. If you’re not enjoying what you’re writing it will show. Readers can be very unforgiving. Keep them hooked right to the very end!
You can buy a copy of Scarecrow here or from your local book shop!
About Danny Weston
Danny Weston is an author for children and young adults. He lives in Edinburgh with his wife. In 2016, he won the Scottish Children’s Book Award for The Piper, and in 2017 his novel The Haunting of Jessop Rise won the Hillingdon Libraries’ Primary Book of the Year Award. When he’s not writing, Danny can be found visiting schools to talk about what it’s like to be an author. In October 2017, Danny will be embarking on a Halloween school tour to celebrate to release of Scarecrow.
Blog Tour
Catch up for follow the rest of this spooky blog tour at the following stops or check out the hashtag #scarecrowbook
A huge thank you to Danny for a fab guest post and to Harriett at Andersen Press for asking me to host.
Have you read any of Scarecrow? Did you enjoy? What did you love about it? Do you have any horror writing tips? I would love to hear from you! Why not leave a comment using the reply button at the top of the post or tweet me on twitter using @ChelleyToy !
Happy Reading!
