Sunday, April 3, 2011

What Every Horror Writer Should Always Have On Hand!

This thought came to me late last night after my husband and I were running through some promotional photo ideas for my book. The first thing I want to remind you is that #1 was my husband's idea, which after a moment of thought, I agreed with him. Personally, I think these are must-haves, because they really do capture the imagination and help us as writers.

1. An a**hole for a spouse or partner (in the case of a woman  - use your imagination) - This is perfect for when you need murder scene ideas and your spouse has managed to piss you off once again (use your imagination). Or just aggravate your significant other, so you can delve into your creative process. You need to be able to improvise and come up with ideas for not getting caught or just for creating the scene.

REMINDER - By all means, I'm not a violent advocate in the least bit, and I'm sure others would question that considering I write horror. I also am not promoting intentionally harming another person or animal. THIS IS STRICTLY FOR YOUR WRITER'S IMAGINATION FOR YOUR STORIES! So, please keep this is mind. (After 23 years of a successful marriage, my husband and I still have a sense of humor over this stuff.)

2. Laptop - This is pretty self-explanatory.
3. Pen & Paper - Self explanatory
4. Evil Cat - What better than an evil cat to fuel up your imagination. I do have one of those. Ok, maybe she's not evil,  but she sure does look it sometimes.
5. Camera - These are good to have on hand, whether you're writing or taking a day out on the town. If something catches your eye, take a picture of it. Whether you use it for writing or not, it's nice to reminisce over it.
6. Fake Blood - Hmm, okay, I know what you're thinking now. Why the hell should I have that on hand? Here you go, fake blood is great for those promotional pics you're going to take with your camera, whether you're going for the gore factor or playing with that murder scene you just wrote. It's nice to have a body nearby...oh excuse me, your spouse, partner, sister, brother, whomever. We don't want to give anybody the wrong impression here. THIS IS STRICTLY FOR THEATRICS, PROMOTION AND RESEARCH!
7. Caffeine - I prefer coca-cola or coffee myself. These are for those late nights you're working hard and by God, you're not going to bed until you get those thoughts written down. Lord knows, we don't want to forget our ideas!
8. Music - Look for inspirational music for whatever you are writing. Open your mind - and listen to that type of music or artist you FORBID yourself to listen to. You might find something that will inspire you. Believe it or not, I'm listening to music I never thought I would have in my entire life. I was looking for music to help my mindset when writing my first book when my daughter, Cassandra, told me, "Mom, you need to listen to Marilyn Manson. Even those that don't like him like at least one of his songs." So, I listened, and then I found myself researching him and his music. Now, I'm hooked!
9. Research books, dictionary, & thesaurus - If you're writing on a subject that needs plenty of research, I recommend having your research books on hand. And, yes, have your dictionary and thesaurus available too, even if you're writing on your laptop. They do come in handy, sometimes.
10. Phone - Keep it near you, but keep it on vibrate. Lord knows, you don't need any interruptions, but if there is an emergency, you have it available. This is also good to have when your done writing. It's always good to call that special someone (family, friend, whoever) after you're done writing to bring you back to earth. Do you ever get so involved in your writing that your mindset is focused strictly on the feelings and emotions in your book? It's good to call someone to bring your mind back to reality!

And, that's it for today. I hope you enjoyed my list of must-haves. Please remember to get back in focus with reality when you're done writing. Even if you can't talk to anybody, sit on the back porch and enjoy the sunlight. I know I've locked myself up in the bedroom too many times for my writing pleasure. Soak up the sun, jump in the pool, run in the sprinklers, just do something. Have a wonderful day!

Friday, April 1, 2011

New Connections

I must say, I am enjoying making new connections via social websites. Last night I received a friend's request, which I am delighted to say, made me extremely happy. This gentleman, Bruce S. Fuller, sent me the friend's request, along with a nice message, saying "I JUST BOUGHT YOUR E-BOOK!"

In doing my research on him, I found out he is the make-up artist, sculpture and special effects guy for such films as: The Underworld Series, Evil Resident II and III (not sure about the first one), Hellboy 2, Edward Scissorhands, Predator 2, Alien vs Predator, and lots of other films. His work is absolutely amazing and I am delighted because he is going to READ MY BOOK! I hope he enjoys it and if anything, I look forward to a book review from.

WISH ME LUCK!