Masterplots Theater: X is for X Meets Y (Genre Mashups)

Welcome back to Masterplots Theater! All month we’ve been talking about writing individual masterplots, but what if you’re deliberately writing a story in two genres? What the heck is that? Well, I’d call that a “mashup”, or for the purposes of the A-Z Challenge, an “X Meets Y” masterplot. But the real question is: should …
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Horror Writing Round-Up

Robin told me that in about two weeks stores will shift from back-to-school specials to Halloween masks and décor, which I think is kind of wacky considering summer just started up here in Toronto. But fall is coming and some writers are shifting into Halloween mode too, especially if they are hoping to release a novella or short …
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One Simple Rule of Writing Horror

I love scary stories! As a kid, I devoured every R.L. Stine, Christopher Pike and Lois Duncan on my small town library’s shelves. When the Scholastic Book Fair came to my school, I ordered more spine-tingling novels. I would read them under my covers with a flashlight, not for atmosphere but because I was supposed …
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How Writing Horror is like Writing Comedy

It’s almost Halloween! So here at Write On Sisters we’ve lined up a week of scary writing tips and tricks. I love scary stories. I grew up reading R.L Stine and Christopher Pike and Lois Duncan. I experienced the teen slasher flick revival that started with the movie SCREAM. I wanted to write my own …
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Nightstalkers and Nightmares

I’ve never been a fan of graphic horror. I have vivid memories of burying my face in my boyfriend’s shoulder whenever our friends talked us into watching a horror movie. However, I love gothic tales, the darker and creepier the better. I will always drop whatever I’m doing to watch black and white episodes of …
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