this article is making the rounds. Thanks, Jaye! I find it especially fascinating because i've always been a horror fan but have only recently realized how much horror novels and movies have influenced my writing. over the years i've grown tired of other genres, but i'm more infatuated with horror now than ever before.
Why horror writing will be big in 2007
Keep all the lights on! Horror is set to be one of the coolest literary trends of 2007, but these ghosts, beasts and ghouls are subtle, not schlocky.
Danuta Kean reports on a reanimated genre
read entire article:
here
some good news: the POV discussion has ended and the first-person narrative is staying. whew. i was not looking forward to that massive revision. the book has officially gone into production which means i should receive payment in about four months.
About Me
- anne frasier
- Anne Frasier, USA Today bestselling author of Hush, Sleep Tight, Play Dead, Pale Immortal, and Garden of Darkness, has been recognized with numerous awards including the RITA and Daphne du Maurier for romantic suspense. Publishers Weekly says Frasier "has perfected the art of making a reader's skin crawl." The Minneapolis Star Tribune calls her a "master." She divides her time between Minnesota and Wisconsin.
15 comments:
Interesting article. Something that struck me was this paragraph:
"There's a generational change not only among authors but editors, claims Steve Jones. "A younger generation of editors who grew up reading horror came up through the ranks and had horror on their wish list. Now they are in a position of power, and that is what is behind the sudden upsurge.""
What surprises me is that this hasn't happened sooner. Popular media has been filled with children of the 80's for a long time now. Ever since we got out of hte 18-24 demographic and MTV stopped paying attention to us. I think they just hadn't turned their attention to this particular segment until recently.
South Park and the Cartoon Network wouldn't exist without all those Saturday mornings sprawled in front of the television watching Justic League. Same with the spate of superhero movies, serious graphic novels and shows like Heroes and Battlestar Galactica.
I wonder, has the younger generation not gotten into this segment because it's so entrenched with the Old Guard? Television and movies have such a rapid fire pace that it evolves fairly quickly. But books? Not so much, I'm thinking.
Glad the POV worked out!! =D
stephen, you'll have something to shop to a hot market! it does seem that the book business is aways pretty far behind everything else. usually by the time publishing houses spot a trend it's on the way out. part of that is due to how long it takes to write and publish a book, but that can't be the whole reason. movies take a long time too.
kelly, thanks! my agent liked the 1st person POV. always helps to get another opinion. it will be interesting to see what happens when the book comes out. i know some people will gripe about it. and i can post their bad amazon review right here. :D
Great news about your novel, Anne! I trust your instincts. Glad to see the editor has come around too.
BTW, I've put a little update for you on my post. Today was MGM. I dragged my whole family back to a certain ride late in the day because someone I know challenged me. Not mentioning any names....
This one really has made the rounds. I read a few posts that were less than glowing about the Para Porn paragraph. Hehe.
Horror has really influenced my writing, also. I cut my teeth on King and Koontz, and as a young teen would read any scary/gory/terrifying paperback I could find at the bookstore.
And yay for the first person decision. (Is this the PI sequel?)
Great news about the POV decision. I'm sure you're relieved not only about not needing to rewrite, but also that your original vision will be realized.
jason, i don't know what kind of nutjob would try to talk you into going on a ride you didn't want to go on.
yay, tower of terror!!
thanks, heather! yes, this is the pale immortal sequel. or as many call it:
Pale Immortal 2: Electric Boogaloo. it's gonna be tough getting that on the cover.
jaye, i am SO relieved. I know I wouldn't have been able to catch all the switches this late in the game. i was on the fence about the 1st person, but i would have hated to later realize it should have been left in.
What a relief about the POV! Non-writers don't always know that changing POV isn't just about changing "I and me" to "she and her." The soul of the piece changes too, and that's the bit that's harder to fix.
That's great news about the horror genre too. My first adult books were horror novels, so I have a particular love for those things that go bump.
I've wondered whether or not any of Stephen Kings children would become writers. The fact that Joe hasn't tried to cash in on his dad's name is admirable.
Congratulations on the good news about the sequel to PI, Anne. I'm looking forward to reading it.
alex, that's such a good point. the reason i switched the character back to first to begin with was because third simply didn't seem right for her. i never really knew why, but it didn't. it felt flat and almost phony, if that even makes any sense at all. i've always written in third person, so i've never experienced that before. for me, writing her in third was jarring.
jeff, i think having a parent as famous as king could also work against a writer. kinda reminds me of sean lennon and jakob dylan. how do you ever become your own person? and if people do like you, do they like you because your good or because you're somebody's kid? that said, i'd be fine with stephen king adopting me.
stephen -- call me.
Those sales figures are damned interesting. Double the amount is certainly not an anomaly. But when the article mentions the new books, "not all are classified as horror." Sounds a little like the journo's trying to see a trend where there isn't one.
Still, I'm all for it. Count me in, world of publishing (wait a minute, I better finish the book first).
I'd love to see horror making a new surge in the market. Like many of the previous posters, I'm also a child of the 80s who grew up on King and Koontz, as well as John Saul and pretty much any true crime novels I could get my hands on. I'd love to take a crack at a dark, juicy horror novel!
Anne, congratulations on winning the POV battle and on finishing the damn book! I hope you're joking about the 4 months . . . :-?
daniel, i think publishers are still afraid to put horror on the spine even when it is horror. that's okay with me, because it hopefully means a broader audience if it says mystery on the spine. maybe.
lara, thanks so much! yeah, big relief!
four months? did i say something about four months? i can't even remember what i'm blabbing about! :D
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