GWC- Wednesday 29th October- Leona Thomson on Horror Writing
Halloween Week!
With Halloween just around the corner, the Greenock Writers Club was in the spooky mood this week, as we were treated to an amazing talk by member Leona Thomson on all things horror writing!
Including a brief history of horror storytelling, the dos and don’ts to follow in order to tell a compelling story, genres, tropes, pacing and much more!
History of Horror
Leona led the club through a timeline of horror writing from the earliest recollections of horror in folklore, such as “The Epic Gilgamesh” from early 18th century B.C. and how these stories and tales gained popularity and
developed through time.
Some of the most significant and popular literature throughout the ages has been that of a horror nature or included these themes, such as William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, or Mary Shelleys Frankenstein.
Leona spoke about these types of stories origins and how the genre has persisted throughout the ages.
Now as well as horror stories in books, there are adaptations of horror stories in all types of media in today’s modern age, such as television, movies and online apps such as YouTube and TikTok.
Women In Horror
Leona gave some thoughtful insights and information about women in horror and the misogynistic undercurrents
that can run through many of these types of narratives.
She spoke about how often it has been very common in
these stories to have women brutalised, emotionally, physically and sexually and how the torture of women becamenormalised and almost glamourised for the audience.
Leona said there was a danger of romanticising women’s
suffering for a narrative and how common this actually takes place.
However, she shared an optimism for the future of women in horror and horror storytelling as she discussed that women-made horror movies are on a steady incline and films in which the woman is empowered and fights back are increasing in popularity.
Show Don’t Tell
Leona spoke about how, when telling a compelling, gripping horror story, you need to focus on building tension and
taking your reader into the world your character is in.
She spoke about effective ways to evoke strong reactions from your reader and to make your tension palpable and your story as alluring as possible.
Giving two examples of a sentence describing the same scenario, the first described exactly how the character felt, whereas the other
highlighted the character’s feelings, senses, and reactions .
This showed how important it is in your writing to use detailed, sensory descriptions to paint a vivid picture,
therefore really gripping the reader and making them feel the tension.
Setting and Character
In writing, Leona highlighted how important it is to choose a setting that feels alive and matches the vibe of your story. By lulling your reader into a false sense of security by
creating an environment like a quiet town, a more eerie,
unsettling location such as the woods where local children have gone missing,
helps give the atmosphere and direstion of the story.
She also spoke about how developing character is important for engaging the reader and giving them someone to root for. By creating relatability in your character, allows the reader to become invested in the character and their story. Examples she
shared included: giving your character realistic flaws, giving them something to lose like friends,
family or even a pet, or letting the horrors reflect their inner issues such as mental health problems, guilt, etc.
Overall, it was an incredibly interesting, engaging, and in-depth session, where Leona shared much of her valuable
knowledge on all things horror writing. Everyone at the club was completely gripped and spooked to the core!
Happy Halloween, everyone! And thank you very much, Leona!