1. Introduction
   1. What to Expect:
   2. Featured Story – Thank You for Your Donation
   3. Writing Tips: Writing Scary
   4. October Wrap-Up

Introduction

Welcome to the Spooky Season, also known as the month of October, newsletter! Having worked in a haunted house that inevitably inspired the character, The Artist, I’ve always loved the Halloween season. Let me know if you’re going to dress up this year, go trick or treating, or participate in any scary fun events.

What to Expect:

October 2023 will continue the posts on Conflict in Fiction. I hope you’ve enjoyed the first few posts and look forward to sharing more this month. Next week, you’ll learn more about External Conflict in the post “Mastering External Conflict in Fiction: Creating Tension and Drama”. External conflict is a great resource not just for plot progression, but also for worldbuilding. Don’t forget to check back next week!

The October Book review is a cyberpunk technothriller! “Rusted Synapse” by Elwood Stevens follows Viviana Rodriguez and her journey from the brink of death to the job she can’t refuse in order to stay alive. Learn more in a few weeks when this review is posted!

The final October post will focus on conflicts of interest. I think this is one of the most intriguing story dynamics through conflict. Having two people working towards the same goal with different intents is bound to build some nail-biting moments throughout your story. Learn more in the last post of October!

Featured Story – Thank You for Your Donation

If you’re looking for a visceral horror set in a Plasma Donation Center where the one responsible will be the last one to die, then check out Thank You for Your Donation!

This month, you should read “Thank You for Your Donation”. It’s a scary story about people who are being held captive and killed. They don’t know why it’s happening or who is doing it. They’re also wondering why no one is helping them. It’s a story that will leave you hanging on to every drop of blood.

Find the story page here and read for free! Next year I’ll be moving my stories to a different reader platform.

Writing Tips: Writing Scary

One thing I learned in my years of working in a haunted house is that jump scares are cheap, but the extra effort for the intelligent scares is worth it. Unless you’re writing a pop-up book, you won’t be able to get the true jump scare effect. A jump scare is when the antagonist comes out of nowhere and screams, makes a terrifying demonic noise, or slams something against a wall. So, how do you write scary?

One way to write scary is to create atmospheric settings that fit the right type of tension for your story. Try to remember a time you went to a coffee shop, restaurant, or store that had an atmosphere so powerful that you couldn’t help but bring it up. What are the elements you remember? When you’re writing for atmosphere, every word counts. Try using words that convey the feeling of the story. For example, don’t use “spooky” when you want “terrifying”. Try using metaphors and similes to draw comparisons to something a reader will recognize. Don’t forget that the way your character looks at and interprets the shadows in the dark impact your story.

Overall, remember that writing scary is an experience that is unlike any other. Movies, audio stories, and haunted houses scare you with sudden noises, but nothing is scarier than the monsters you create in your readers’ minds.

An obvious go-to author for horror is the King of Horror, Stephen King. But if you want to broaden your study, also check out Dean Koontz, Harlan Coben, and Anne Rice (whom I still need to read).

And don’t forget to check out my reviews on some indie author Horror/Thriller novels. If you want more of a thriller, then check out The Takings and The Replacings by Sandie Will. If you want more of a supernatural horror, then check out Shadow City and Dark City by Anna Mocikat.

Do you have a favorite Horror/Thriller Author you like to read? Any underrated ones you wish more would read?

October Wrap-Up

As always, thank you for checking in every month, my nugs. October is setting up to be a great learning experience in the types of conflict, and hopefully some new reads for you and me. Don’t forget to support your indie authors and all other creators as they work to build the worlds and stories you love.

Find me across all social media and drop your favorite book in the post. Or tag me with @myersfiction as you share your favorite books with your family and friends. I hope everyone has a scary, fun October!

Previous Post: Internal Conflict in Fiction

Previous Newsletter: September

Next Post: Mastering Extern Conflict in Fiction – Creating Tension and Drama

Next Newsletter: November