Hi all, This is a bit of a strange question, and I'm not really sure what I want the answer to be I am a big horror fiction fan, but I also read a lot of thrillers. I would dearly love to write horror novels but every idea I get seems to be more of a thriller plot; I have real trouble coming up with horror ideas. I have started writing a few different thriller novels now, but I always start thinking that I'm not writing what I really want to and give up. I guess what I'm asking is: should I carry on writing the thriller style just for the writing experience, or should I stop and concentrate on my first love: horror?
I always find it odd when people ask what they should write. What do YOU feel most drawn to write? If it's horror, then write that. If you really want to write a thriller, then write that. It's that simple. Write what you want to write the most, what type of story most calls to you. I find it equally puzzling that you'll be in the middle of a project, worry that you're "not writing what you really want to," and give up. If you don't want to be writing it then why are you starting the story in the first place? It sounds kind of like an excuse to not finish anything. Start a story you WANT to write, and maybe you won't worry that it's "not what you want to write" and you'll finish it. Write what calls to you the most. What YOU want. We can't tell you what that is.
I think you're right, I probably am making excuses. I definitely feel drawn to horror writing but I seem to be better at coming up with thriller plots. I'm going to try to write what I want to write, not what I find easier. Thanks for your response.
Writing a good horror isn't an easy task. But if you love horror like you say that you do, why not give it a go? Can't hurt to at least try.
Have you ever thought about immersing the two? Authors such as John Connelly and Thomas Harris do such thing.
Oh! If you want to grow as a writer and gain more experience, try writing a horror. YOu will never gain experience writing in a different genre/etc, if you don't give it a go. Horror can be quite enjoyable to write as well. Step outside your comfort zone and expand your abilities a bit. Don't jsut do something because you can and have the experience, do something because you want to, you find it interesting, you are passionate about it and want to do something different.
There is a fine line between thriller and horror anyway. Check out Dean Koontz - he's classified as horror but I would class him as thriller. Same goes to James Herbert. What makes Seven a thriller and Saw a horror? Seven could so easily be a horror while Saw could so easily be done as a thriller? Silence of the lambs is a good example of the fine line between these two genres.
Thanks for all the replies, guys. I think some of you hit the nail on the head: I need to step out of my comfort zone and write what i want to write, not what comes easiest naturally. I will definitely conside merging the two genres though, I have just finished reading "The Eyes of Darkness" by Dean Koontz, and he does exactly that. Thanks again!
It's probably best just to not even have a F'ing genre in your mind before you've finished it. Edit: Or even after you've finished it. Hell, I feel like it's respectable to not even classify a novel after it's already on the shelves, or even been off and on the shelves for years. Just don't worry about it, let your readers decide for themselves. Unless it's blatantly horror or blatantly fiction (you should be able to tell the difference between the two especially when you're done and you've read over the thing--I think that at very most it should become apparent only then.
