Category: Advice For Writers

THE DEATH OF A HORROR WRITER

Posted on by Ty Schwamberger

THE DEATH OF A HORROR WRITER_cover

THE DEATH OF A HORROR WRITER
Ty Schwamberger

Available now for pre-order
(Published end of 2014)
Cover art © by Vincent Sammy

Within this tome you will find the ramblings of horror writer, Ty Schwamberger. From his troubled soul, he spent years unleashing macabre tales filled with monsters and killers upon the world. Then, one day, those thoughts got the best of him. The anger in which he fed to write these nasty stories came bubbling up from deep inside and he could no longer keep the demons at bay.

That’s when the light went out.

Fortunately, for us, he left behind a handful of blood-soaked pages: A cautionary tale of what it takes to be part of his beloved horror genre. Among those dark, drenched pages you will find his only unpublished novella House Call, which will never be seen again.

Those pages have been printed here and tell us the tale of . . .

The Death of a Horror Writer.

The End is the New Beginning.

Foreword by Paul Fry
Introduction by Ann Laymon

Title Details:
Publisher: Short, Scary Tales Publications
Subject: Nonfiction
Release Date: end of 2014

ISBN: 978-1-909640-16-0, 6.14 x 9.21 inches, 330 pages (estimated), £20.95

Here are the details of our limited hardcover edition:

Limited to only 125 copies worldwide
Signed & hand-numbered by the author
Cloth bound with a four-colour gloss laminated dust jacket
Gold foil stamping on the spine
Printed on acid-free paper
SST Publications have the worldwide exclusive rights so you will never see this book published by anyone else. And, we will never do a second printing or release a paperback, eBook or any other edition

Available from SST Publications.

Guidance from the Dark Scribe – January 2011

Posted on by Ty Schwamberger

You can read the article, ‘The Other Side(s) of Writing’, in Issue #11 by clicking here.  The article starts on Page 4.

This may be just the kick in the ass that you need to get off your duff in 2011 and start writing like a loon that’s just broke outta the bin.

New Column for Morpheus Tales Magazine

Posted on by Ty Schwamberger

Morpheus Tales is a leading horror, science fiction and fantasy print magazine based in the United Kingdom.  They publish their magazine quarterly in January, April, July and October of each year.  They have included interviews and fiction from leading authors; Joe R. Lansdale, Michael Laimo, Christopher Golden, Ray Garton, among others.  Along side their quarterly print edition, they have a free pdf download on their website each month of the Reviews Supplement, which is a mini-magazine, featuring non-fiction, interviews, columns, articles and book reviews.

It’s in the Reviews Supplement that beginning in October you’ll find my new column, ‘Guidance from the Dark Scribe’.  In each column I’ll talk about practical writing advice, infused with my own personal experience and knowledge of the horror genre.  I will provide links here and add them under the Published Works page as the articles become available in October 2010 and January, April and July of 2011.

Stay tuned!

So You Want To Be A Fiction Writer

Posted on by Ty Schwamberger

‘So You Want To Be A Fiction Writer’ – is the next class I am teaching at the University of Akron (Ohio) come this Fall.  You can now visit UA’s site and read the class description, class topics, location, dates and times and cost by clicking here.  The ‘textbook’ I will be using for the class will again be Writers Workshop of Horror edited by Michael Knost.  You can then go to the top of the page and use their Online Registration to sign up and pay for the class.  

For those of you that are seriously interested in the class below is the Class Objective & Outline what will be covered during the 5 class meetings.

Learning Objectives –

Some of the skills that will be taught during these sessions include:

  • Turning your idea into a book or short story
  • Developing characters, plot, pace, and more
  • How to stay focused and avoid distractions
  • Finding time to write with a busy schedule
  • How to find a Publisher
  • How to promote your work after it has been accepted and released by a Publisher

 

Topical Outline –

  •  Turning your idea into a book or short story
    • How to come up with ideas that a general audience or a particular niche would enjoy
    • How to expand on a general story idea and be able to compose an effective novel or short story from it.
    • How to organize your thoughts so they are coherent throughout the entire story
    •  Developing characters, plot, pace, and more
      • How to write believable but fascinating characters
      • How to format your plot so that readers will stay focused on the story
      • How to space out character descriptions, action, sub-plots and general scenes while not making it boring for the reader
    •  How to stay focused and avoid distractions
      • How to find your own time to write without the worry of outside distractions of a busy life
      • How to keep your eye ‘on the prize’
    •  Finding time to write with a busy schedule
      • How to find time each and every day to write if it is your passion
    •  How to find a Publisher
      • Where to look for a publisher of books and magazines that accept short stories
      • To self-publish or not
    •  How to promote your work after it has been accepted and released by a Publisher
      • How to use all the media outlets; magazines, the internet, radio, newspapers, etc, to market and promote yourself and your work

 

So, if you live in the Greater Cleveland/Akron area and are truly interested in being a horror writer or just an overall better writer in whatever your chosen genre might be, this class may be just right for you!

Free Online Class with Michael Knost

Posted on by Ty Schwamberger

On Friday, July 16th at 9:00pm eastern time, Michael Knost will host a Free online class on manuscript formatting.  If you’re serious about becoming a complete writer this is definitely a class you should attend.

More information on the class can be found here.

The Michael Knost Commandments for Fiction Writing

Posted on by Ty Schwamberger

Per Michael’s permission to post it here…

The Michael Knost Commandments for Fiction Writing

1. Thou shalt have something to say.

2. Thou shalt populate thy story with living individuals, not
characters.

3. Thou shalt give thy protagonist a want.

4. Thou shalt allow an antagonist to (at least temporarily) keep thy
protagonist from obtaining that want.

5. Thou shalt avoid temptations of clichés, puns, info-dumps, and
dream endings.

6. Thou shalt slay adverbs and adjectives with the jawbone of an ass.

7. Thou shalt research everything.

8. Thou shalt ensure thy words perform double and/or triple duties
when possible.

9. Thou shalt circumcise excess.

10. Thou shalt never remind the reader she is reading.