Reviews

Writing Horror by Mort Castle

caracabe's review

informative fast-paced

3.0

This was published in 1997, so no surprise  that parts are outdated— especially the marketing advice. Other parts remain relevant, and I learned things I believe will help me write better. However, the book seems padded. An appreciation of Forrest J. Ackerman (for instance), though deserved, is not useful. Neither is Harlan Ellison’s jeremiad on the state of horror.

rzarate9696's review

5.0

I grabbed this on a whim from my local library with the intention of skimming through casually, but man as soon as I started reading I realized I'd actually stumbled upon a gem of genuinely great writing advice. It's also a wonderful time capsule of the mid nineties' horror publishing scene, full of both nostalgia for horror's past and pessimistic hope for its future. It's a great companion piece to Grady Hendrix's 'Paperbacks from Hell."

nikiverse's review

2.0

A few gems hidden in a pile of dirt. Some of the information is outdated, but this was released in '97 so I'm sure no one is losing sleep over it. Either way, pass.

Maybe 1/3rd of the book is actually about writing horror content. Most of these essays are self congratulatory and have little content though. The ones that offer actual writing advice talk about genetic writing advice and don't specifically pertain to horror. The rest is outdated descriptions of the publishing industry. Most of the small presses are like - send your writing to horror magazines, go to conventions/build your contacts, or they suggest not getting into horror writing in the first place. Thanks for the vote of confidence ...