Hi all, Looking to seek some advice, im writing what could be seen as 'psychological horrors' with a twist of the standard horror added, is there any way of keeping this running while writing as i seem to go off into a bit of a dark fantasy/Sci-fi moment on occasion, it works but i need to keep the whole fact that its supposed to be a horror book going throughout. basic premise is that a PI finds himself in an abandoned hospital, as a test subject being put through all different situations, believing that somehow, he is going to end up in the FBI. another note to add is this is actually all a forced dream and the guy is a psychopath stuck in a sanitarium permanently
Don't pay too much attention to slotting a story into a genre. Let it be what it wants to be. Consider the small stuff after a draft. Unless of course there is a stipulation that the work must be a psychological horror and nothing else. The important thing here, I think, after reading your logline, is that the weaving of the guy's reality and situation needs to be done well. Or, the reader upon discovering it's all a dream may consider it a cop-out. The 'weave' is the important point here. So. Go for it, write that story!
Cheers for that Doghouse, im trying not to slot this into just one genre, but i feel the other genres im putting in are almost taking away from what im trying to do with it, which is a lot of psychological mayhem... i would divulge what i have so far, but im keeping it as far out of the loop as possible, because, if it works and i get it nailed down, im hoping to approach a professional with it
It looks like a Science fiction/horror mix to me. Psychology is a science. And being experimented on is horror. So, why are you pulling back...?
I feel im adding too many other sci-fi elements to it, in the kind of Peter F Hamilton way, some of which i dont think are necessary, im just interested in how to keep from going way over the margin between them
No worries. And, stop putting too much weight on genre and its tropes. It seems to be bogging you down a little. Of course, what do I know?! Although, if you do wish to approach a professional (agent, I assume?), then it may pay to research some now and look at work type of work they represent. At least keeping their criteria in mind will help stop your 'swaying genre tendencies', and potentially improve getting the agent you want. In respect of sharing your work. You may wish to consider a writer community. Find one that provides a means to submit work privately (avoiding the old, 'If it's public, it's published' issue). If this site provides that, then, happy days. Perhaps gain a beta reader -- feedback can be invaluable. Good luck!
cheers for the advice Doghouse, i somehow unwittingly gained a beta reader for my piece purely from a completely unedited part of my piece, (which has duly been removed from the net as its completely changed since) as you say, it would be wise to research, which may be the right idea, as I've put a stop to it (only briefly) while i get all other mindless ideas out of my head, i say mindless ideas, theres another fairly good idea amongst them, also a horror based one, though, for the moment, im still in the development stage with that
Maintain and escalate tension. Horror and suspense are all about the build up of tension, never its release. The revelation of the bloodlusting beast is a release, so if it occurs, it belongs at the very end. In doing so then, you are letting the reader off the hook. That doesn't mean you shouldn't provide that release, though. It's like the orgasm after prolonged foreplay - if you withhold that, the reader is left frustrated, unsatisfied. Action is a release as well. Always offer action, dangle it like a carrot. But if you have action, keep it ineffectual, and leave your characters in even more dire peril afterward. On the other hand, the buildup cannot be a continuously steady rise either. There should be changes in pace and threat for variety, and to keep the reader off balance,
