6 Questions with the winner of our 2016 Halloween Horror Flash Fiction Contest, Jill Hand.
Horror is my favorite genre both to read and write, but it’s also the most difficult for me. What advice do you have for writing good horror?
I like to follow the masters, IMO that group includes M.R. James, Edgar Allan Poe, Shirley Jackson and Stephen King. They have a knack for slowly building up to a scare instead of starting out by flinging guts in the reader’s face (metaphorically speaking.) It also pays to do your research. If the action happens in the 16th century in a Florentine castle, be sure you know what things were like back then.
Who do you consider some of the best horror writers, both historically and presently?
I mentioned some earlier. Arthur Machen, Wilkie Collins, Sheridan Le Fanu and Michael McDowell are some others.
What horror movies you do enjoy as a writer?
I like The Shining.
What about as a fan?
Session 9 and The Ring. They’re creepy as hell.
Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers, Leatherface?
I’m not familiar with any of them, blasphemy, I know. For real-life scary guys I’d say Ed Gein freaks me out the most. (Note from Jason: Leatherface it is 🙂 .)
Why is Halloween so awesome?
Candy, dude, candy! And dressing up, of course.
