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I write. Scary stuff mostly. I blame Mommy. No, she didn't use my head to shovel the driveway, or lock me in dark attics with polished-eyed marionettes or the spiteful ghosts of everyone she'd killed. She was a lovely woman. She sung lullabies at night, cooked family dinners, made a big deal of Christmas. All the things good mothers do to nurture their 6 year olds. Oh, and she put horror films on the TV for me. Not Freddy, or Jason, or Pinhead, you understand, but they certainly weren't Postman Pat or Larry the Lamb either. They were the classics. Them, The Fly, Night of the Hunter. And I thank her for them. They made me fabulously fucked up.
I write horror, but not the stuff of wild abandon. Not blood on every page, with a hearty dollop of intestine for good measure. My stories are character driven, tender at times... what I like to describe as "horror with a heart". Its important to find the heart in things, I feel.
Before you rip it out and dollop it on page 362. |
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PAUL GREATRIX IS FOLLOWING |
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Paul Greatrix:
Grammar:
The difference between knowing your shit,
and knowing you're shit.
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 March 22, 2012 at 5:16PM
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Dean Kuch: 
Now THAT is funny, heh-heh...
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May 17, 2013 at 12:20PM
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| Leonardo Wild: Grammar ... the rules set to make your writing clear and understandable to readers. If you can make your writing clear and understandable and powerful without grammar, then to hell with grammar. It will only get in the way of what you want to say.
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May 4, 2014 at 11:31AM
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Paul Greatrix:
Read some wonderful advice recently I just wanted to share;
"Write from the heart. Rewrite with your head."
It reminds me to not crucify myself during a first draft - to stop trying to get it right first time. And above all else, to have lots of fun just telling a story.
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December 9, 2011 at 10:34AM
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| Torrence Winter: This is a quote that I found that fits the bill, "Writers don't make any money at all. We make about a dollar. It is terrible. But then again we don't work either. We sit around in our underwear until noon then go downstairs and make coffee, fry some eggs, read the paper, read part of a book, smell the book, wonder if perhaps we ourselves should work on our book, smell the book again, throw the book across the room because we are quite jealous that any other person wrote a book, feel terribly guilty about throwing the schmuck's book across the room because we secretly wonder if God in heaven noticed our evil jealousy, or worse, our laziness. We then lie across the couch facedown and mumble to God to forgive us because we are secretly afraid He is going to dry up all our words because we envied another man's stupid words. And for this, as I said, we are paid a dollar. We are worth so much more." --Donald Miller
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January 3, 2012 at 7:50PM
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| WrittenWonders03: I love this authors work and what is written is so true to me and funny.Glad you posted this piece. I'm going to have to go on the kindle and buy one of his books now.
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January 21, 2012 at 10:20PM
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Leonardo Wild: Torrence, sorry, but I must differ:
It isn't only writer who do not make any money. NOBODY except bankers make money.
Normal mortals exchange their time for money. In other words, they monetize their time. Writers do not monetize their time, they hope to exchange talent for money, without selling off their time.
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May 4, 2014 at 11:34AM
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Paul Greatrix:
Here are two books that improved my writing greatly. I recommend them to anybody:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Story-Book-development-principles-ebook/dp/B004G093BM/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1322550311&sr=8-10
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Write-Damn-Novel-Step---Step/dp/0312010443/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322550399&sr=8-1
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November 29, 2011 at 2:07AM
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| redrider6612: FYI--links are a no-no
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November 29, 2011 at 7:51AM
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| Celtic~Soul: Yeah, as Red said. Just give us the book titles, we can look them up!
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November 29, 2011 at 10:55AM
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Paul Greatrix: How to write a damn good novel (1 & 2), by James Frey.
These books really helped me get the basics of storytelling right. Wonderful advice on writing vibrant characters, how to make dialogue remarkable, and finding the most effective starting point in a story. His laid-back, uncomplicated writing style makes it all so very easy to digest.
The story book, by David Baboulene.
This features more advanced storytelling techniques. I recommend it for folks who have a couple of years writing experience under their belts. I found it's advice effective when I came to redrafting my novel. it focuses on the effectual execution of plot, and making sure your characters grow in a way that's satisfying for the reader. The biggest lesson here though is definitely the concept of 'subtext'. Knowing this vital technique has completely changed my approach to writing. Every serious writer should know it's mechanics.
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December 8, 2011 at 2:04AM
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Paul Greatrix:
can anyone tell me exactly how the book balloon certificate works?
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November 16, 2011 at 10:45AM
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shelley kaye: you put it on the prologue of your book and it gives out fs$ for each current chapter of the book.... but (imo) it is sooo not worth the money
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November 16, 2011 at 5:29PM
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| Paul Greatrix: i take it you dont get many reviews per chapter from it then?
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November 17, 2011 at 11:21AM
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| R. J. Stewart: Don't bother. Waste of money, not worth it.
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November 25, 2011 at 5:00PM
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Paul Greatrix:
It's a good idea to keep a few reminders pinned to the wall above your computer. They really help inspire and motivate you. Here are a few of the mantras I keep at hand:
SUCCESS IS DOING. NOT WISHING.
WRITE WITH AMBITION. BUT WITHOUT FEAR.
MY MIND IS ON A JOURNEY. SIMPLY STEP A SIDE AND LET IT PASS.
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November 25, 2009 at 7:53AM
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| Runnin: "Be one of those on whom nothing is lost." Henry James
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April 27, 2010 at 11:48AM
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| Cotillion Black: "It's a fez. I wear a fez now. Fezzes are cool." Doctor Who
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July 7, 2010 at 7:02AM
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| R. J. Stewart: A GOOD WRITER ALWAYS HAD THREE THINGS GOING FOR HIM: THIS, THAT, AND THE OTHER THING. (It covers everything).
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November 25, 2011 at 5:01PM
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| Review Stars |
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None yet. 
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No writing posted.
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 | Salvation reached "Recognized" status. | November 29 at 2:07AM
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Up For ReviewStand Out WritingAdditional Reading
