Top Ten Fantastically Scary Movies To Watch This Halloween

There is no shortage of horror flicks this time of year, but the only thing worse than getting raisins for Halloween is wasting your time watching a stinker of a scary movie.

Fear not (ha!) I have the top picks that will soon have you squirming in your chair with suspense, screaming with terror, and covering your own eyes—but not completely because you need to know what it's safe to look again.


#1. FRIGHT NIGHT (1985)

When a teenager discovers his next door neighbour is a vampire, nobody believes him.

His only hope is a washed out black and white movie horror film star, played by the incomparable Roddy McDowell.

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#2. THE CHANGELING (1980)

A recently widowed music professor moves into a secluded mansion and is soon haunted by the ghost of a murdered child.

The spooky séance scene alone will raise the hair on the back of your neck.

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#3. PSYCHO (1960)

A secretary embezzles thousands from her employer and goes on the run only to end up at a secluded hotel owned by a young man and his overbearing mother.

Of course we all know the iconic shower scene, but the creepy camera angles and 'out of nowhere' attack scenes will have you screaming.

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#4. PET SEMATARY (1989)

A big city doctor moves to a small town in Maine with his picture perfect family only to discover an unearthly graveyard with the power to bring back the dead, a power that soon becomes irresistible.

Oh, dear Lord, the last scene. *shudders*

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#5. WHEN A STRANGER CALLS (1979)

A babysitter is terrorized by a serial killer.

I saw this at the drive-in when I was twelve and had to sleep with the lights on for a week.

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#6. THE HITCHER (1986)

A man who escapes an attack from a psychotic hitchhiker is stalked and framed for all his murderous crimes.

C. Thomas Howell, that's all you need to know. Plus there's a French fry scene you won't soon forget.

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#7. REAR VIEW WINDOW (1954)

A wheelchair bound photographer spies on his neighbours and is soon convinced one of them has killed his wife.

Oh please, Grace Kelly's outfits are worth your time. A classic.

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#8. THE SILVER BULLET (1985)

A small town is terrorized by a werewolf and its up to Marty, a paralysed twelve year old, to figure out which one of his neighbours is the killer.

YIKES! I still remember the moment of the reveal. Awesome to watch the youngish Cory Haim and Megan Follows as his sister. Plus, lets not forget Gary Busey as the good natured, drunken Uncle.

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#9. POLTERGEIST (1982)

A family's newly renovated home is soon inhabited by vengeful ghosts.

Remember the scene with the clown under the bed? *whimpers*

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#10. AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON

Two American college students backpacking through Britain get attacked by a beast that none of the locals says exists.

A good combination of funny and scary.

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BONUS!!!!!

HOUSE OF WAX (1953)

After a tragic fire nearly destroyed his business, the owner of a wax museum turns vengeful and soon discovers a gruesome way to make his sculptures more life like.

What's Halloween without Vincent Price?

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Do you have any favourite scary movies?

In Defence of Romance in YA

Romeo & Juliet
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At my latest 'YA only' book club meeting, we were discussing our favourite novels that we'd read over the Christmas holidays. See the list at the end of this post for our top picks!

We got on the topic of how we'd like to see stronger friendships for the main character to develop in addition to the love interest. “There's romance, of course,” someone had said, “but you can't escape that in YA.”

Everyone nodded and then the conversation progressed to the next novel on the list. But I couldn't stop thinking about that one particular comment. It wasn't said with a negative intonation, but it wasn't a compliment either.

“You can't escape romance in YA.”

Sometimes, as adults, we forgot how different our brain worked as a teenager. I remember my entire happiness riding on the simplest decision. And don't get me started on bad hair. A whole day could be ruined by a wayward curl. That is, until the guy you've secretly been crushing on for two months, finally smiled at you in history class and let you borrow his pen.

In high school, I was terribly average in every way. I wasn't fashionable, athletic or an outstanding student. Reading was my escape. It was a place where I could be the smart, stylish girl who was brilliant on the soccer field.

YA was limited back then—not the cornucopia of selection today. Thank God for Judy Blume or I'd be stuck reading Sweet Valley High over and over again. I discovered Lois Duncan and then branched off into Ray Bradbury and Stephen King.

And even in these genres of horror and mystery, there was still romance. The protagonist always had someone they were in love with or were falling in love with—there was someone worth fighting for.

“You can't escape romance in YA.”

You can't escape mystery, humour, horror, fantasy, or science fiction in YA either.

But why is the romantic element viewed differently?

Would The Fault in Our Stars be more compelling if Hazel hadn't fallen in love with Augustus?

Um...no way! A female protagonist motivated by love isn't weak or boring; she's genuine and compassionate.

One of my favourite books is The Republic of Love by Canadian author, Carol Shields (Pulitzer Prize winner). It's told from the view points of both Fay, a folklorist whose passion for mermaids has kept her from focusing on any one man, and Tom, a popular radio talk-show host, who has been married and divorced three times.

When they finally meet at the mid-point of the book, they fall in love at first sight.

'But Fay's noticed something she's never noticed before. That love is not, anywhere, taken seriously. It's not respected. It's the one thing in the world everyone wants—she's convinced of that—but for some reason people are obligated to pretend that love is trifling and foolish.'

“You can't escape romance in YA.”

What about Romeo and Juliet? Do you think anyone took Shakespeare aside and told him Juliet seemed weak because she was consumed by her love for Romeo?

So far in the last four hundred years, no one's mentioned romance ruined the story.

Recently, Alice Munro (another Canadian author) won the Nobel Prize for Literature. In the presentation speech, Professor Peter Englund said, “Over the years, numerous prominent scientists have received their well deserved awards in this auditorium for having solved some of the greatest enigmas of the universe or our material of existence. But you, dear Alice Munro, like few others, have come close to solving the greatest mystery of all; the human heart and its caprices."

“You can't escape romance in YA.”

Here, here, I say!

And in honour of romance, check out this post on how to write a simply head over heels, swoony worthy, kissing scene.

Awesome YA titles highly recommended by a bunch of smart bookish people

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

Namesake by Sue MacLeod

Picture Me Gone by Meg Rosoff

Small as an Elephant by Jennifer Richard Jacobson

Sorrow's Knot by Erin Bow

Undercurrent by Paul Blackwell

Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock




What are your views on romance in YA?

Be The Caterpillar

"Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way." - E.L. Doctorow

The key is to keep moving forward. A lot of times in writing we hit a wall; some call it writer's block, I call it fear.

"Will anyone like this?"

"Is it too much like that other book everyone is talking about?"

"I know nothing about this genre, why am I thinking of starting this story?" 

And my personal favorite, "I have no idea what will happen after this scene!" 

Fortunately, there is a cure. Be the caterpillar.

Let me explain...

A caterpillar begins life having no idea that it's going to be a beautiful butterfly one day. It just eats, and eats, and eats until it starts to make a cocoon.

What the heck is going through it's head during this nonstop feast?

Oh my, God! I'm so hungry. Like ALL the the time. What is wrong with me?

Does it worry that it doesn't have time to talk with other caterpillars. And if it did, what would they say to each other?

"I know, me too!" Munch. Munch. "And now I have this intense desire to wrap myself in thread spun from my butt. It's starting to become more important than eating."

It goes through this cycle completely loyal to its needs spurned on by natural instincts.

Until one day...


"I can't believe I slept so long.  What day is it? And now I'm hungry for flower nectar. What is flower nectar? Holy shit! The ground is so far below! How can I move around. Whoa, I have wings. Check me out! I'm beautiful!"

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When writers block gets in your way, be like the caterpillar and let instinct take over.


Now go write something without caring why you're doing it, but trust that one day, it will be beautiful.

I Am Currently...

                                                                       indigochapters.ca


Loving: The warmer weather. My garden kicks ass.
Reading: THE HYPNOTIST by Lars Kepler. Holy hebbie gebbies! I'm freaked out already and I'm only on page 65.  Next up is JOYLAND by Stephen King. Who needs sleep?
Watching: Kill me now, I'm watching The Bachelorette. And to counteract any neuron damage, I've decided to start watching Game Of Thrones...that is as soon as I finish THE HYPNOTIST. 

Thinking about: Alex Pettyfer, and how I should really learn to play the ukulele this summer. This is how I imagine Alex would react if I played the ukulele for him.

 

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Anticipating: Finishing my YA mystery novella, THE ASP. It's Veronica Mars meets Indiana Jones. Check it out for free! Plus there's a Pinterest board that your eyeballs may enjoy as well.

Wishing: For more wishes ;)
Making me happy: Knowing that summer and all its glorious 'french fries and ice cream eating at the beach' days are on the way. Plus there's writing and watching my tomato plants inch along each day. 

 

How about you?

Scary Books For Stormy Nights

I usually enjoy a good bump in the night...er, I mean scare. This time of year as the evenings get cooler and Halloween decorations appear around the neighborhood, a suspenseful thriller is the perfect companion for my bedtime cup of tea...okay whiskey.

For nights when the wind whistles under the eaves and the shadows of the bare trees look like witch fingers reaching for the window, may I suggest a few reads that will get you in the mood...er, for reading a scary book.

(Don't miss the trailer I made at the very bottom!)

The Spiral Staircase by Ethel Lina White

Hitchcock brought it to television and Dorothy McGuire starred in the movie. If that doesn't impress you, nothing will.

This is a classic slow building suspense novel complete with an isolated mansion and a stormy night. At it's heart is a poor servant girl trapped in a house with old family secrets while a killer prowls outside looking for an unlocked door.

photo credit, mysterytarget.com

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Stephen King admits it's one of his favorite horror stories. Enough said.

Here's a tip, read the book first THEN watch the movie—the original black and white, forget about the Catherine Zeta Jones version.

photo credit, connorcoyne.com

Pet Semetary by Stephen King

How can I pick just one Stephen King title? It's tough but this book explores the power of grief and how it can make people act in a way that others would consider insane.

I read this over twenty years ago, but the last line has stayed with me all this time, and still gives me goosebumps.

"Darling," it said. 

photo credit, en.wikipedia.com

Ghost Story by Peter Straub

There's nothing better than a group of old guys in tuxedos reminiscing about one summer fifty years ago when they were all in love with the same woman.

You think you know what's going to happen, but you're wrong. You think you know who is to blame, but you're wrong. You think you'll be able to sleep after reading this, but you're wrong.

Holy graveyard spookfest! Keep the lights on.

photo credit, womansday.com

Stranger With My Face by Lois Duncan

This is the cover that caught my teenage eye in the Chester Book Mobile (ahem...many years ago) and introduced me to the awesome Lois Duncan.

It's light on the gore by contemporary standards, however this suspense filled, paranormal teen drama has all the voice and angst of today's younger generation with clever dialogue and pitch perfect emotions.

A horror story that's full of clever twists with a heroine you'll be cheering for until the heart stopping finale.

photo credit, jezabel.com

The Woman In White by Wilkie Collins

One of the best openings you'll read. A working class man falls in love with a gentleman's daughter, only to find she has a mysterious connection to a local family tragedy. A must for any mystery lover!

photo credit, broadviewpress.com



Check out the quick video I made for YouTube!

If you liked this, click on the Google+1 button below and help share the awesome!

What are some of your favorite spooky reads?

The Best Place To Start Your Story

Let's start at the very beginning...
photo credit, bedsongstory.blogspot.com

In The Sound of Music, Julie Andrews said it best, “Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.”

Sounds easy, right? But the most common mistake among new writers is to put waaaaay too much back story in the first few paragraphs.

STOP!

That's valuable real estate. Let go of the notion your MC won't be interesting unless we know all about them on the first page.

NONSENSE!

Stephen King says, “Good books don't give up their secrets at once.”

And neither should your character. Let us learn about your MC slowly, as the story progresses.

Let's say your MC is stuck in traffic.

photo credit, allamericapatriots.com

Lenny pulled on the steering wheel and leaned forward. He craned his neck, trying to see around the cab in front of him. He checked his watch and swore under his breath, then began to jab the stereo buttons, changing the radio channels.

Then you fill in the space with the fact he's a hit man—make that newly retired hit man, soon to be engaged to his high school sweetheart—but he's breaking his promise to his girlfriend by doing this one last job.

But when he finally arrives at the location of the assassination, his stomach drops. The only way to get to the penthouse is by taking the glass elevator that runs up the side of the one hundred story plus building. Lenny's last hit will be one of the city's most notorious mob bosses. This one will pay off big time, and Lenny needs the dough. He has to hire a big shot lawyer to help him get custody of his kid from his ex-wife and her alcoholic boyfriend...blah, blah, blah.

Don't bore you reader
photo credit 123rf.com

Still here? You don't have to lose all that stuff, but instead slowly add the elements of Lenny's story as the story unfolds. Make the reader wonder why, instead of telling them right off the bat.

Get out your WIP and go to your favorite part of the first few chapters. Now start the story from there. Yes, right there! The stuff you had at the beginning can be threaded into the later chapters or chucked out all together.

Deep breaths. It's all about playing with words, relax. It's not brain surgery, that's easy compared to writing.

photo credit, traveladvisor.com

Let's check back in with Lenny. By this time he's entered the building and started to take the elevator. Why not the stairs, you ask. Duh—over a hundred flights!

Lenny made sure the elevator was empty before he stepped inside and pressed the button to the penthouse. When the doors closed behind him, it was as quiet as a tomb, then there was a jolt. Lenny felt himself being lifted up, but the ground fell away so smoothly it seemed like he was still, and it was the earth that was moving instead.

He breathed in through his nose and focused on the horizon, just like his shrink told him. And it worked—for the first ten floors, then Lenny made the mistake of looking down.

His stomach knotted painfully and his balls tried to crawl up inside his gut. Lenny swallowed, setting off a series of painful spasms down his throat. His gloved hands gripped on the brass handrail.

Lenny froze, afraid to move even a step, hyper aware of how reactive the elevator was to his weight. His eyes traced up the panel, all the way to the one hundred button, then finally the top one labelled PH—penthouse. At least he made sure to put on the gloves before he pressed it. First rule; leave no fingerprints. Lenny stared at those two letters, trying to focus, he needed to get a grip.

Isn't that a better beginning compared to Lenny driving in the car thinking about EVERYTHING in his past, present and future?

Keep your reader guessing. Give little tidbits and hints about Lenny a bit at a time. Why the heck is this guy taking a glass elevator to the penthouse if he's so afraid of heights? Also, the mention of the fingerprints hints to something illegal, and therefore more interesting than a trip to the dentist.

And why is he afraid of heights? Is there a childhood trauma you can start to thread into the story? How has it affected his character? How does it affect the choices he makes in his life?

Donald Maas, President of the Donald Maas Literary Agency, regularly tweets tips on writing. Check this one out, What's the big thing your MC must do at the end? Make it the one thing he/she has sworn never to do.

Another reason a good beginning is essential to any story—is because it also helps with the ending. Since we've established Lenny is afraid of heights, we can use that for the finale.

What if Lenny botched the hit in the penthouse because his fear of heights incapacitated his ability to follow through with the job? And what if that set off a violent series of events leading to the mob bosses rise to power, taking innocent lives along the way—including Lenny's girlfriend?

This nicely sets up a confrontation scene between Lenny and the mob boss. Put them on the scaffolding of an unfinished skyscraper. What will it take for Lenny to win? What has Lenny learnt about himself that will help him defeat his own fears?

I hope this helps your writing.

For kicks and giggles, leave the first few sentences of your WIP in the comments!

Next Monday I'll be blogging the latest episode of Once Upon A Time.

Cheers!

Suspension of Disbelief

Originally posted November, 2011


Run away!
photo credit, villians.wikia.com

Ah, suspension of disbelief, or as I like to say, 'buying into anything Stephen King writes.' Quite simply, it's believing in a premise which you would never accept in the real world. No kidding. Try explaining the plot of IT to someone you meet at a party.

Me: "Okay, there's this clown-thing that climbs out of the sewer and terrorizes little kids in a small town in Maine."

Other person: "Riiiiight."
Stephen King does it much better than that, but you know what I mean. And if you were at that party, you'd run over, probably dripping chip dip down your shirt in all the excitement, and say something like, "Holy crap, I love that book. Remember the big spider? And that poor kid with asthma?!"

So, as writers, how can we make our readers believe in something that they know is impossible?

1. Describe the mundane parts of life in your fantasy world.

In Across The Universe, by Beth Revis, she concentrates on her protagonist eating bland stew served through a metal portal, jogging in a tunic instead of her sports bra and shorts, and how there isn't a real sun, but only lights high above. It is effective because it grounds the reader in that world by comparing the familiar with the fantasy.

2. Ease your reader into the world.

A good way to do this is by using a transitional scene, or down the rabbit hole, named for the beginning of Alice's adventure. It should involve your protagonist, be grounded in the familiar, and have a logical sequence.

We're all willing to board the Hogwarts Express, but if Harry looked at platform nine and three quarters, and then just waltzed through the brick wall, we'd all cry 'shame'. The charming appeal of that scene is that Harry is abandoned at the station, embarrassed to be pushing an owl around, clueless and pathetic looking. When Mrs. Wesley takes him aside and gently explains how it works, we all breathe a sigh of relief because at that point in the story, we're right beside him, feeling clueless and pathetic as well.

3. Make the rules consistent.

If your teenage superhero can only fly at night, then he can only fly at night—even if the girl he secretly loves is dangling from a runaway hot air balloon at high noon. Don't change his abilities near the end of the story to make the plot work.

Give suspension of disbelief a try. Let your characters experience something extraordinary, and see what happens.

What's your favorite writing example of suspension of disbelief?

Next Monday I'll be telling you how Justin Timberlake and myself have started a petition to get Sheriff Graham back on Once Upon A Time. Until then, enjoy the Oscars!

Cheers!

Favorite Author Quotes

Writing is solitary. It's you, the blank page, and your characters. With self doubt taking up residence on your shoulder, constantly staring down your work, sometimes it's hard to believe what you're doing is worth while. This can't be explained to someone who doesn't write—trust me.

I discovered the best advice comes from writers themselves. Here are a few of my favorite quotes. Hopefully one will kick the self doubt off your shoulder.

“First, find out what your hero wants, then just follow him!” Ray Bradbury

“I have been successful probably because I have always realized that I knew nothing about writing and have merely tried to tell an interesting story entertaining.” Edgar Rice Burroughs

“It is perfectly okay to write garbage—as long as you edit brilliantly.”  C.J. Cherryh

“A writer never has a vacation. For a writer life consists of either writing or thinking about writing.” Eugene Ionesco

“I try to create sympathy for my character's, then turn the monsters loose.” Stephen King

 

“A science fiction story is a story with a human problem, and a human solution, that would not have happened at all without its scientific content.” Theodore Sturgeon

“As for the adjective, when in doubt leave it out.” Mark Twain

“The only thing that works with writing is that you care so passionately about it yourself, that you make someone else care passionately about it.” Judy Blume

 

“Number one rule for fiction: Coincidence can be used to worsen a character's predicament, but never to solve his problems.” Vivian Vande Velde

“Good stories are not written. They are rewritten.” Phyllis Whitney

Amen to that, Phyllis.

Do you have any favorite quotes to share?

Cheers! 

                     

Suspension of Disbelief

November 24, 2011

Ah, suspension of disbelief, or as I like to say, 'buying into anything Stephen King writes.' Quite simply, it's believing in a premise which you would never accept in the real world. No kidding. Try explaining the plot of IT to someone you meet at a party.

Me: "Okay, there's this clown-thing that climbs out of the sewer and terrorizes little kids in a small town in Maine."

Other person: "Riiiiight."

Of course, Stephen King does it much better than that, but you know what I mean. And if you were at that party, you'd run over, probably dripping chip dip down your shirt in all the excitement, and say something like, "Holy crap, I love that book. Remember the big spider? And that poor kid with asthma?!"

So, as writers, how can we make our readers believe in something that they know is impossible?

1. Describe the mundane parts of life in your fantasy world.

In Across The Universe, by Beth Revis, she concentrates on her protagonist eating bland stew served through a metal portal, jogging in a tunic instead of her sports bra and shorts, and how there isn't a real sun, but only lights high above. It is effective because it grounds the reader in that world by comparing the familiar with the fantasy.

2. Ease your reader into the world.

A good way to do this is by using a transitional scene, or down the rabbit hole, named for the beginning of Alice's adventure. It should involve your protagonist, be grounded in the familiar, and have a logical sequence.

We're all willing to board the Hogwarts Express, but if Harry looked at platform nine and three quarters, and then just waltzed through the brick wall, we'd all cry 'shame'. The charming appeal of that scene is that Harry is abandoned at the station, embarrassed to be pushing an owl around, clueless and pathetic looking. When Mrs. Wesley takes him aside and gently explains how it works, we all breathe a sigh of relief because at that point in the story, we're right beside him, feeling clueless and pathetic as well.

3. Make the rules consistent.

If your teenage superhero can only fly at night, then he can only fly at night—even if the girl he secretly loves is dangling from a runaway hot air balloon at high noon. Don't change his abilities near the end of the story to make the plot work.

Give suspension of disbelief a try. Let your characters experience something extraordinary, and see what happens.

What's your favorite writing example of suspension of disbelief?

Next Monday I'll be blogging the latest episode of Once Upon A Time.

Cheers!