Here is a superb explanation from http://grammar.about.com/od/alightersideofwriting/a/sensualgloss.htm of the distinction between two words I still confuse (no matter how many times I watch the supermarket scene from Animal House). Knowing the history of the two words helps. I stumbled across this article today while double-checking its usage for a story I am writing. After reading this it occurred to … Continue reading “Sensual vs. Sensuous”
This morning I have been going through all the daily updates I have been getting from Goodreads, but have not read. Here’s an interesting one. “I am fated to journey hand in hand with my strange heroes and to survey the surging immensity of life, to survey it through the laughter that all can see … Continue reading “Gogol”
http://www.businessinsider.com/stephen-king-on-how-to-write-2014-7 Follow the above link to advice on writing from Stephen King.
Here’s an interesting article for those writing a story and are trying to find a way to negate a cell phone. You probably won’t want to use these (that runs counter to being creative), but these methods may point you in the right direction: http://mentalfloss.com/article/56842/7-creative-ways-modern-horror-films-get-rid-cell-phones.
I just finished watching an episode of the X-Files entitled “Chinga” [note to Spanish-speakers out there: I don’t know who chose the title, so please forgive my language] from Season Five and I noticed that it was written by Stephen King and Chris Carter (the creator of the X-Files). The story’s antagonist is a talking doll that … Continue reading “Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft, and the X-files”
If you are an avid reader (of anything) and are not familiar with Project Gutenberg (http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page), you are doing yourself a great disservice. As they state on their homepage: “Project Gutenberg offers over 46,000 free ebooks: choose among free epub books, free kindle books, download them or read them online. We carry high quality ebooks: … Continue reading “Horror at Project Gutenberg”
I am having troubling sleeping tonight and thought I would continue with our tour of the world’s horror locales. [I am not having nightmares about H.H. Holmes, if that is what you are thinking or even about any other horror topic.] One of America’s first and most prolific serial killers was Herman Webster Mudgett, who went … Continue reading “H. H. Holmes’s Castle–Stop 3 on Slattery’s Tour of Horror Locales”
One of the best gifts I received this Christmas was Best New Horror 25 (for the year 2013) edited by Stephen Jones. I consider this book a must-have for any serious horror aficionado. In addition to having 21 stories by such icons as Clive Barker, Ramsey Campbell, and Neil Gaiman (among others), Mr. Jones provides a … Continue reading “Recommendation: “Best New Horror 25” edited by Stephen Jones”
The first thing you learn about the historical Castle Dracula is that it is a fictional location from Bram Stoker’s imagination. The Wikipedia article does a nice job of summarizing the history of the fictional abode and of analyzing the novel for clues to its supposed locale. The most precise it comes to identifying … Continue reading “The Real Dracula’s Castle — Stop 2 of the World’s Greatest Horror Locales”
The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, Volume 1. Yes, this link takes you to a collection of Poe’s works, but the reason I am mentioning it here is because the preface to this particular volume includes fascinating biographical notes and insight into the character of this master of horror that may help you understand the roots … Continue reading “Visit “The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, Volume 1” but not for the obvious reason.”
The other day I happened to find my copy of The Writer’s Home Companion (by James Charlton and Lisbeth Mark, 1987), which I had lost/forgotten some time back. I have been perusing it since and have found several anecdotes on various authors of horror, which had not captured my attention when I purchased the book, because I was not interested in writing … Continue reading “Selections from The Writer’s Home Companion”
In Barrio Tales, two well-off American college students (perhaps recent college grads) head into the Mexican border town of Barrio one night to buy cheap drugs from a man named Pedro, whom they have never met. While they wait in the desert, a really creepy man comes up to their car and tells them he … Continue reading “Review of Barrio Tales”
Today at Stumble Upon, I found a fascinating article entitled “10 Mind-Blowing Theories That Will Change Your Perception of the World”. Of the ten, the most fascinating for writers is #9, “Fictional Realism” which reads: 9. Fictional realism. This is the most fascinating branch of multiverse theory. Superman is real. Yes, some of you would … Continue reading “Fictional Realism and You”
Elmore Leonard passed away the other day and today a friend of mine posted this on Facebook in his honor. It contains some great tips on writing in general. Enjoy. Mr. Leonard will be sorely missed. Unfortunately, I have read only a small fraction of his works, but I do have one or two … Continue reading “Elmore Leonard on Writing”
I watched “The ABC’s of Death” about a couple of weeks ago on Netflix. This is a bizarre, mind-blowing film that is not for the squeamish and definitely not for children. Though I had to turn my face a couple of times when the gore and violence becaume more than I could stomach, I found … Continue reading “Movie Review: “The ABC’s of Death””
Phil Slattery, Writer, Publisher 