Happy Endings - They're Not For Everyone

I recently read a blog post by Tim Sunderland about happy endings, or at least hopeful endings. He'd written what he thought was the perfect story. Although he knew it was the perfect story he wrote an alternate ending that wasn't as dark as the original. He read the story to the writing group that he is a part of and they loved the story. They didn't really like the ending, which was bleak. He read them the alternate ending and they loved it.

http://whatifyoucouldnotfail.typepad.com/blog/2012/12/giving-the-reader-a-ray-of-sunshine-even-if-your-ending-is-bleak.html



There is little doubt in my mind that Tim wrote a compelling drama, and I'm equally sure that it's a great story no matter which ending he decides to use. I disagree with Tim and the group that fueled the opinion that all stories must leave a ray of hope. I think I'd enjoy the darker version. Those are the kind of stories I write. Those are the kind of stories I enjoy reading and I am not alone.

When you read a book you escape to another world. The people who read stories where the endings are dark; those people want to know that someone has it as bad or worse than they do. People love conflict and conflict drives these kind of stories. The drug addicted, gambling addict, non child support paying father doesn't have to turn it around. The story could still be good.

People who read horror are rarely looking for a happy ending. It's not just horror fans that expect darker endings. The story that Tim wrote is about a couple trying to save their marriage while dealing with a drug addicted teenager. That does not have to end on the bright side, because 90% of the time it doesn't. The reader can only expect that situation to go one way...bad!

Have We Had Help? Researching a Story

Have We Had Help?: Researching a Story: To borrow a quote from a fellow writer and friend, David Toft – easy reading is damned hard writing. *** Do you love to read? Hav...

The Saw is Back: Texas Chainsaw in 3D

In 1974 Sally Hardesty survived the cannibalistic family from Texas. After a night of hell she was still alive. When her brother Franklin and three others were massacred, her demise seemed all but certain. Sally was tortured in ways that today's films could accurately portray.


That's where the new Chainsaw Massacre movie picks up. Not after part 2, or part three, or the next generation. It doesn't pick up where the newest movies took us in the 2000's. This is the part that excites me: It picks up right where the '74 movie left off.

I have been anxiously awaiting the remake of Carrie, which I hope follows its original storyline. The Chainsaw Massacre isn't a remake of the 74 movie like I originally thought. The fact that it is a continuation of the original movie sells it for me.


The odds are pretty good that I will like this film. I loved the original, and I thought both the remake and the prequel were awesome. The fact that the story seems like it could be real, and the characters seem as though they're people you might know. It drives this story and gets miles out of it too.



http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/170461-texas-chainsaw-3d-set-report-the-massacre-continues-over-three-decades-later

October is Here...Halloween and Horror

Since it's October, a month when we typically think of ghosts and goblins, monsters and demons. I figured that we'd discuss some of the best movies and books that scare us. I'm going to list a few that I find scary or creepy, and I want you to feel free to add your favorites in a comment below.

Movies 

1. The Last House on the Left
2.  Wolf Creek
3.  The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
4. The Devil's Rejects
5.  The Exorcist 
6. The Omen 
7.  Rosemary's Baby
8.  Psycho
9.  Halloween
10.   The Shining

My top 10 list of movies either scared me, or left me with a lasting memory. Some movies you'll watch but not long after you'll have forgotten them. None of these movies are like that to me.


Books

1.  The Shining
2. The Girl Next Door
3. The Haunting of Hill House

4. Off Season

5.   Pet Sematary
6.   Fever Dreams and Disturbing Visions
7.   Misery
8.  Salem's Lot
9.   Ghost Story
10.   Red Dragon (Hannibal Lecter #1)  

 These are all books that I have read and enjoyed. I found them to be either scary or creepy in some way. There are are four Stephen King books on the list, because he's pretty damn good. This is not a list of my favorite books, but these were some of the scarier reads.


Books II

1.  Teen Spirit
2.  The Keepers
3. Murder Machine

 These are my three books. There are two short stories and one novella. If you're looking for a scare, well then one of these books should take care of you.

Let's Take a Ride in the Murder Machine

The wait is over...


  I have finally completed my third book (Murder Machine). My previous two releases have been short fiction, but this time the story is longer and more intense. Based from actual events; this story will distort the lines between fiction and reality. Because sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. 


Sometimes a writer discovers an idea in the strangest places. A couple of different things come together and the next story is created. In this case I discovered a pair of serial killers who were too perfect of pass up. Generally I know if it scares me, then it will scare you. I know there are exceptions, but this isn't one of those times. This book is very real and even more scary. 



Based on a true story: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Bittaker_and_Roy_Norris


Some stories, books and movies, claim to be based on actual events, but in the end the true story is hard to find. In the Murder Machine you will be able to see pieces of the real story throughout my twisted tale of murder and torture. In this case the truth was stranger than fiction. This is not a story about Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris, but they were the grotesque inspiration for "Murder Machine"


                                     Available on 8/27/12

Synopsis: Two inmates meet while serving time in the Alabama State Prison System. One is a sociopath and the other a pedophile. In the loneliest time of their lives, the two of them devise a plan to rape, torture, and kill young girls. The plan might not have evolved, but upon Norton's release he finds himself alone with nothing. He had the number his old prison mate had given him. The number was good and it started one of the most twisted crime sprees in American history.



All my work is available at the Amazon link below.
http://www.amazon.com/John-Reeves/e/B0051JURJO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Response to "Creepy Thoughts: Is Horror Dead?"

   

       

There are reasons to believe that horror might be dying, but I assure you it isn't. There was a wave of remakes in the early 2000's. Some people say it was because Hollywood ran out of ideas. I tend to believe it was because they could do more with those good or great stories today.

B Jr said, "The horror genre is redefining itself." and "Hollywood is throwing things out there to see what sticks."

It sounds to me like they're running out of ideas, but again, I assure you the horror industry is not dying. People have a built in need to feel scared. It makes them feel like as bad as their life is, it could be worse. Horror is the escape from reality. If Hollywood is running out of ideas, then that will benefit writers like me. 

I predict a wave of horror adaptions from books to the big screen. I know a lot of writers who write in the genre. The ideas aren't exactly new, but it's my opinion that a story doesn't have to be original to be a great tale. Most writers strive to be original, but when that fails they just want to tell a good story. 

In the 1970's the horror movies were truly born. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Last House on the Left, The Exorcist, and Halloween all broke barriers that hadn't been crossed before. People were horrified in ways that only the print form of horror could do. The horror books began to get more scary in the 70's. Stephen King would get started in that decade, although he would become more recognized in the 1980's.

The 80's brought on icons of the Freddy and Jason, but it brought on a bunch of ridiculous horror too. The industry had exploded. People were buying it trying to find that next great scare. Carrie and The Shining had found box office success, and Stephen King's books became a well they continued to go to for the next best thing. Not every one of them worked out, but more did than didn't. 

The 90's found Jason and Freddy used up, just like many other 80's follow-up movies, Halloween H20, The Bride of Chucky, The Amityville Dollhouse. Stephen King adaptions were not making the big screen as much as they were made-for-tv-movies. In fact it was King's non-horror stories that had success in the 90's. The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. The original Scream saved the decade from being a total loss. 

The early 2000's were fueled by remakes, and pretty good ones in my opinion. Now though it seems the genre is headed for the next big thing. Whatever that might be, I can assure you horror isn't dead or dying. 

http://www.amazon.com/John-Reeves/e/B0051JURJO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

https://www.facebook.com/pages/John-Reeves/307335199322905 

https://twitter.com/war34eagle 

 http://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard

Rick's Indie Publishing & Free Contests Blog: Amazon Caught in Two Lies Over Review Removals

Rick's Indie Publishing & Free Contests Blog: Amazon Caught in Two Lies Over Review Removals: Amazon's integrity diminishes every day.  I received some very damning info today. First I discovered that Amazon has a hand-picked group ...