There are many easily identifiable fiction genres on the market today. One of the most popular genres of literature is horror fiction. This genre, which has the ability to frighten its readers and induce feelings of horror, is closely related to crime fiction, dark fantasy, and thrillers. Horror fiction may be either supernatural or not, depending on the subgenre.
Characteristics of Horror Fiction
The defining trait of horror fiction is the response it provokes. A good horror novel evokes some type of psychological, emotional, or even physical reaction that causes some degree of fear in the reader. Authors of horror fiction will use a variety of techniques to accomplish this goal, usually involving a monster of some kind. Often this monster will be supernatural in nature, such as a werewolf, vampire, ghost, or mummy. However, more realistic are sometimes used to the same effect, usually in the form of a serial killer.
The entire genre is built upon a very particular kind of fear — the fear of the unknown. This can be accomplished in many different ways. If a book manages to terrify and even horrify the reader, it can be effectively classified as horror fiction.
Writing Horror Fiction
Creating your own work of horror isn’t necessarily as easy as it sounds. You have to be able to frighten your audience, and readers simply are not easily scared. However, if you think about what frightens people in general, you’ll have a place to start. Get out a notebook and jot down some of those things that elicit a feeling of dread — creepy crawlies, things that go bump in the night, and even something as simple as the dark. Then expand on these things. Keep your notebook with you and keep track of those things that cause you to jump. If you’re afraid of it, chances are someone else is too.
You’ll also have to choose a monster. Start by deciding if you’re interested in creating a human monster or the more supernatural variety. If your “bad guy” is human, he needs to be absolutely terrifying. He must be so far beyond what is considered normal human behavior that your readers are really and truly freaked out. Otherwise, you might find yourself in the wrong genre.
If you choose werewolves, vampires, or other supernatural monsters, you’ll need to be equally careful, but for different reasons. These monsters have all been done before (just take a look at your local bookstore), so attracting an audience and keeping them entertained can be a challenge. Try to put a new spin on some old favorites and you might have found your niche.
Setting is as important in horror novels as it is in any other type of book. You’ll be tempted to use the old favorites — graveyard, dark basement, lonely attic — but try to think outside the box. Everyone expects something bad to happen in a graveyard. Try using a sunlit garden or resort beach. If you are using traditional horror locations, try to do something unique to catch and hold the interest of your reader.
Using Gore in Horror Fiction
There’s often a debate regarding how graphic a horror novel should be. It’s really a matter of satisfying your audience while staying within the bounds of good taste. If you’re writing for children or young people, you need to be cautious. While even children like to be scared, you don’t want to be too explicit. Keep your descriptions general and use vague terms when crafting horror for children.
Adults expect more of everything. They pick up a novel described as “horror” and they expect more gore and more fear. Almost anything goes when writing for an audience comprised purely of adults, so let your fingers fly and create intricate and explicit scenes while writing. However, don’t be gross. If you can’t write well enough to avoid being vulgar, then you probably shouldn’t be tackling a genre as challenging as horror.
The horror genre is exciting, thrilling, and terrifying. It involves creating engaging plots, frightening your readers, and generally having a good time. If you choose to write horror fiction, you will find that you have almost limitless possibilities.
When writing a novel, there are many things to be concerned with. Creating realistic characters. Coming up with an engaging plot. And writing something long enough to be considered a novel. Let’s face it, 2500 words isn’t a novel. A short story, maybe. But if your goal is to write a novel, you’ll have to have some idea of how long your work may eventually be.
How Long Should My Novel Be?
The length of a novel really varies depending on your audience. Specifically, you’ll need to consider the age of your average reader. If you’re focusing on children’s novels, keep in mind the attention span of new readers. You’ll want to keep your story relatively short, perhaps 15,000 to 40,000 words. Any longer and children under 10 years of age may be intimidated.
Older children, up to about age 14 or so, might be interested in longer books. But most of them are still not ready to tackle a full-length novel. These readers will expect a more complex plot, however, which usually means a longer book. A story from 50,000 to 75,000 words will satisfy their craving for a longer book without overwhelming them.
Teenagers and young adults are much more difficult to judge. Some of them are still reading 50,000 word novels, while others have moved onto adult books and ideas. It really depends on the person. Writing specifically for this age bracket is tricky, so don’t try. Those who are still reading fiction for children will continue reading fiction for children. The teenagers who are ready for specific adult genres, such as western fiction or romance, will make the effort to tackle longer works.
So how long should adult genre fiction be? The word count for a full-length can vary, but if you’re hoping to be published, you should be aware that most publishing houses won’t even look at your book if it’s below 80,000 words. This is a good minimum if you’re writing genre fiction.
Identifying a healthy maximum is more difficult. In general, your book will be as long as it needs to be. You may intend to write 100,000 words, then find that it took many more words to really tell your story. On the other hand, you may fall far short of your goal and struggle to create a novel of 80,000 words. There is no magic number.
That said, most novels will run about 100,000 to 105,000 words. This will typically give you an approximately 300-page book. A little shorter or longer doesn’t make much of a difference. However, some books run quite a bit longer, 150,000 words or more. These tend to be epic novels and are found in many different genres. Some examples include The Lord of the Rings and Pillars of the Earth. These are very long books (The Lord of the Rings was originally intended to be published as a single volume), but it works. So, if you’re writing an epic, and notice your word count approaching 200,000 words or even more, don’t worry about it. Epics do that sometimes.
How Long Will It Take to Write a Full-Length Novel?
This is a question I’m often asked and can rarely answer with any real accuracy. There are an incredible number of factors involved. Do you have a fully developed story or will you have to spend six months just ironing out the details? How quickly do you type? How many days a week can you devote simply to writing your book? The answers will dictate how long it will take you to complete your novel.
As an example, assume that you’re writing a 100,000-word novel. Also assume that you’re going to write 1000 words a day, 5 days a week. At that rate, it will take you approximately 5 months to write your story. That doesn’t include editing, revising, or encountering the dreaded writer’s block. If you can’t write 5 days a week, or you write slower than 1000 words a day, it will take you longer.
How long it takes isn’t necessarily the issue, nor is the relative length of your book. While there are authors who write 4 or more novels in a year, others produce only a single novel in that same time. And these works will all vary in length. If you’ve told your story in a way your intended audience will appreciate, then it doesn’t really matter how long it took or how many words your word processor tells you the novel is.
If the novel is too long, edit some of it out during the revision process. If it’s too short, give the reader some more information in crucial areas of the story. Either way, make sure you stay true to your story, telling your story with as many words as it takes.
There are dozens of fiction genres on the market, from science fiction to fantasy. Western fiction is really part of the historic fiction genre, but it is distinctive enough to warrant its own category. The popularity of western fiction dates back to the dime novels of the late 1800s. They were considered romantic to those living on the east coast and featured gunslingers, heroes, and the exoticism of the Wild West.
What is Western Fiction?
It might be simple to state that a book, which claims to be western fiction, must take place west of the Mississippi River before the dawn of the 20th century. This might be an accurate description, but if you want to write western fiction, you’ll have to become aware of what fans of this intriguing genre are looking for in a good book.
Avid readers of western fiction will know whether you’re even attempting to be historically accurate. They’ll notice those errors that could have been avoided by a few minutes of research and won’t be very forgiving. Before you put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), do yourself a favor and sit down for a little research session.
You’ll want to get the right feel for your book. Westerns will naturally be rougher and less refined than an historic novel set in Victorian England, for example. The characters will be tougher, nature less forgiving, and the tows much simpler.
Finally, you need to make sure that you’re focusing on your hero (or heroine, as the case may be). Westerns are typically about the journey of the hero and less about-facing some great evil. While there’s nothing wrong with having a “big-bad” in your story, readers of western fiction are looking for more than a showdown. They’re intelligent people who are searching for realistic characters, plot, and an exciting conclusion. Don’t let them down.
Can I Use Historic Figures in My Novel?
The idea behind using historic figures in western fiction is a valid one. You’ll engage readers who know something about your real-life character and get the chance to enlighten those people who maybe didn’t even know Annie Oakley or Bill the Kid were real people. And it can be fun and exciting to recreate characters from centuries past.
However, choosing to include historic characters in your book can also present difficulties you may not be prepared for. Generally, fans of western fiction will know a great deal about historic characters. If you get something wrong, people are going to notice, and these people are going to be annoyed.
If you want to include historic characters without incurring the wrath of your readers, do so sparingly and with care. Unless you’re willing to do countless hours of research and spend many hours refining your ideas, don’t write about well-documented events. Look through the known history of Billy the Kid (or whoever the character is) and look for lapses. If there’s a period of time when little or nothing was recorded, that’s where you can get creative, at least within reason. Don’t change important dates or locations, but if you can sneak in some of your own details here and there, you’ll have a more interesting book.
Western fiction is exciting, rough, and fun. Pick your era, do your research, and start writing. Before you know it, you’ll have become an author within the western fiction genre.
It’s easy to say you want to write a novel. It’s harder to do it. You have to create a plot with vibrant characters that’s engaging enough to draw your readers in and keep them entertained. Having a beginning isn’t good enough. You have to take that beginning and weave it into a story that’s truly worth telling, and you’ll need characters that have realistic emotions and reactions. Writing these reactions can be a complicated and difficult task. However, there are two techniques that can help you to engage with your own characters and develop them in a way that is both realistic and in keeping with your story.
Learn to Play “What If” With Your Characters
Once you understand the basics of writing fiction, you have to weave your tale effectively. However, sometimes you’ll not really know where to go with your plot. You may not have any idea what your characters should do, or what they might do when presented with certain situations. In this case, it might be helpful to play “what if” with your characters.
Get out a blank piece of paper and scratch out a few “what ifs.” Play with each idea for a little while. Keep some basic notes about what might happen as each idea is explored. Eventually, you’ll find one that works, but don’t discard your list of “what ifs.” Put them in a folder somewhere. You might find a place to use them later in your story, or they might be useful in another book, especially if you intend to reuse some of your characters.
Put Yourself in Your Character’s Place
If you’re not sure what your character might do or say in a given situation, try being you character for a moment. Use your imagination and put yourself in your character’s shoes. If your character is going for a brisk jog across an icy lake, and you have no idea how that feels or how to describe it, take yourself outside and jog across an icy lake. Be your character and you’ll soon figure out exactly how it feels and what your character would think about the icy lake.
This also works for entire scenes that you might be trying to construct. Get up and act them out, even if you have to play the role of multiple characters. By actually considering real reactions to certain situations, you’ll be better able to create a story that seems plausible and engages your readers.
It’s easy to write yourself into a corner and not be entirely certain how to write yourself out again. However, by playing “what if” or taking the time to imagine or enact certain scenes, you will be well on your way to writing your first novel.
