And Now for Something Completely Different
By Cathy Yardley | October 2, 2020 |
Photo by Robert Couse-Baker
I’m a romance author. I’ve written Chick Lit/Women’s Fiction (which is different from romance – any romance reader can tell you that) and I’ve written Urban Fantasy. But there’s a strong through-line of “happy love story” in all my work, spanning over a twenty-one year career, covering over twenty-seven novels, novellas, and serial episodes.
Imagine my surprise, then, when I got hit with the idea for a horror novel this year.
Terror terroir.
If you like wine at all (or if you’ve got a friend who is a vocal wine aficionado) you might have heard the term “terroir.” According to Oxford, “terroir” means “the complete natural environment in which a particular wine is produced, including factors such as soil, topography, and climate.”
On a secondary level, it also means “the characteristic taste and flavor imparted to a wine by the environment in which it is produced.”
That’s why the same kind of wine, like a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Chardonnay, can taste very different if one is from Oregon and one is from Australia. Everything around the plant is drawn in and influences the outer product, the grape, which in turn affects the wine.
I think that writers have terroir, too. Our environments, our upbringing, our circles of contact, all influence the work we produce.
Welcome to hell.
Looking at the world now is to watch a planet ablaze.
Beneath it all, there is a pulsing, seething emotion. Not fear, or at least, not just fear. Rage. Some of it absolutely justified. Some of it horrifically excused or dangerously downplayed. Either way, it is getting amplified. If the world is a bonfire, then there are people out there gleefully tossing on napalm.
It’s been hard to focus on love stories. Not impossible, but a struggle… because romance is an exercise in hope. I find myself digging deep and using up a disproportionate amount of my energy to keep the words flowing on the page.
But as the year continues, and the fury and despair grows, I also find my writing ideas shifting. I feel this little story seed swelling like a bubble of poison, one that desperately needs to be leached out somehow.
Writing teaches lessons – to the reader and the writer.
I adore romance. Romance reading has been my refuge, especially in these perilous times. The best romances give me three-dimensional characters to root for, and examples of people genuinely caring about others, not just the romantic couple, but usually the family (found or blood) that surrounds them. To write a romance is to write about people who are no longer alone, to share the journey of people who are just finding love and learning to overcome their own baggage to intertwine their lives with others, who are learning to accept themselves (because that’s a cornerstone of being able to accept someone else.)
I’ve learned a lot about taking care of myself, connecting with others, and how to be better in relationships as a result of writing romance. I also learned that I was a bit of a workaholic and that I was burning myself out and that I had some childhood stuff to work out. (Yes, I feel stupid writing that. But if it’s any comfort, Stephen King himself points out that he didn’t realize he was an alcoholic when he essentially wrote an entire metaphor about alcoholism in The Shining.)
I’ll be honest. I’m a little curious, and a little terrified, of what the heck horror is going to be teaching me.
How to process rage in a senseless reality? How to deal with despair? How to face your fear?
If you can’t be a sterling example, be one hell of a cautionary tale?
The mind boggles.
I don’t even know how to approach horror.
I have a standard three-act-structure routine to fall back on, which isn’t nothing. But the sheer mechanics of how to instill fear are a lot different (I think?) than creating, say, romantic tension.
I’m reading more horror, to get a sense of the conventions of the genre, and see how much it’s changed in the decades since I last devoured it, back when I’d binged on Stephen King and Dean Koontz in high school. There’s some good stuff out there, but I’ve changed so much as a person, I find myself hard pressed to be as “scared” as I used to be.
In fairness, that might also be because of the world in 2020. Now, a simple house haunting or chainsaw-wielding murderer might well make a protagonist crack open a beer and state: “That all you got?”
Regardless… I’m giving it a shot.
I am in awe of writers that jump genres. I can write different genres (and as a ghostwriter, I have) but I’ve never had such a draw for something so polar opposite to what I normally gravitate toward. I imagine there will be a lot of flailing, and failing, and revising, and trying again. But if anything can help me process the weird, angry, desperate world we’re currently living in, I am going to give it a try.
So my question to you: what’s the scariest thing you’ve ever read, and why? Have you ever radically changed genres? And what did you find most helpful when you did? Are you finding it challenging to write like you used to in 2020?
Bonus points for horror writers willing to give tips to a newbie!
Cathy Yardley has published over 33 novels, novellas, and serialized fiction, both traditionally and independently. In 2011, she started RockYourWriting.com, with the mission of helping novelists make a living. She has helped hundreds of authors as a developmental editor, writing coach, and through her “plot sessions” – one-on-one calls that get authors from concept to plot points in one hour. She’s also written the Rock Your Writing series of reference books, taking authors through the writing cycle, from concept to completion. Sign up for her newsletter, and you can receive free downloads to help you plot and revise your novel.
Good luck! And I’ll bet romance is actually great training for horror. –Let’s skip the obvious jokes here. I mean, the common advice that horror is only as good as our ability to care about the *protagonist* and other potential victims as well as the threats. Romance writers may actually be starting it from a better direction than most.
One tip I’ve found more useful than anything: look at a scare (or any other kind of scene, actually) in terms of how many choices the character really has… and then take them away one at a time. It’s not the big old house that’s spooky, it’s realizing you simply have to go inside, and then finding you can’t see the door behind you, and then your phone goes out, and…
Looking outside your wheelhouse is a great way to stretch those writing chops, Cathy. Have fun with it!
Yours,
Dee
Books that scared me include “NOS4A2” by Joe Hill, “Hour of the Hunter” by J.A. Jance, and “Family Plot” by Cherie Priest.
Admittedly, those aren’t books that diehard horror fans would probably include on their lists.
But I’ve long avoided horror as a genre to read or watch. My own imagination (coupled with my own childhood stuff) gave me excuses to avoid most horror.
And yet, I’m coming to realize I read and watch a lot of stuff with elements of horror in it. Even more surprising is that several close friends and family–who know me well–have recently suggested I try my hand at horror.
I’m not sure I’ll try it, but I applaud your willingness to move into a new genre.
It’s funny how the universe conspires to send you a message just when you most need it–I am also trying my hand at horror for the first time. I really loved Stephen Chbosky’s Imaginary Friend, which just came out this year. It really got my goosebumps a pricklin’.
Cathy, it must be strange to be exploring horror. I don’t generally go for scary stories but my son was reading Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz and I got curious…it was one of the scariest books I read.
My Christian faith keeps me firmly grounded in Jesus. The psalms are a great consolation during times of pain and sorrow. And today, we celebrate the Feast of our Guardian Angels and what comfort in these words. I pray you will have it too.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 91:1-2, 3-4ab, 4c-6, 10-11
R. The Lord has put angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.
You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
Say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
R. The Lord has put angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.
For he will rescue you from the snare of the fowler,
from the destroying pestilence.
With his pinions he will cover you,
and under his wings you shall take refuge.
R. The Lord has put angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.
His faithfulness is a buckler and a shield.
You shall not fear the terror of the night
nor the arrow that flies by day;
Nor the pestilence that roams in darkness,
nor the devastating plague at noon.
R. The Lord has put angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.
No evil shall befall you,
nor shall affliction come near your tent,
For to his angels he has given command about you,
that they guard you in all your ways.
R. The Lord has put angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.
The book that comes to mind for me is The Exorcist. Kept me awake for many nights, and the movie lived up to the horror as well. I write historical mysteries with a paranormal component, and the opportunity to include some horror is always there, but I’m a wimp when it comes to going completely in that direction.
It must be something in the air. After 3 historical novels my first Urban Fantasy /Horror book is coming out next month. The last year has forced my inner werewolf out into the open, I guess
Pat your ability to keep your ghosts friendly, or at least helpful, makes you a better person than I am. If you like mysteries mixed with history peiple should check you out
I’ve seen a few articles this year that could roughly be called “Writing in a Time of Trauma.” I think the main thing is not to scare the hell out of people who are already traumatized, but to write a message of courage and ultimate hope. Yes, we go through horror and turmoil, but by joining with others and using our ingenuity and what resources are available to us, we can get each other through.
It must be something in the air. After 3 historical novels my first Urban Fantasy /Horror book is coming out next month. The last year has forced my inner werewolf out into the open, I guess
I’ve found the best horror books I’ve read tend to be not the ones that scare me, but the ones that unsettle me – leave me looking over my shoulder and shuddering when I recall a plot point. Rotters by Daniel Kraus was one of those books. Major heebie jeebies. On the surface, it seems like your standard angsty YA book, but the dark elements go DARK, and then crank it up to 11.