Recommendation: Writing in the Dark by Tim Waggoner
Good news, everyone. I finished my first book of 2022. I don’t always write about or discuss all of the books I read because a lot of them don’t really fit the format of this site. Non-fiction, pedagogy texts, reference guides, etc. don’t exactly fit the review format in a site dedicated to media criticism.
That’s why I’m recommending rather than reviewing Writing in the Dark by Tim Waggoner. This is non-fiction book about the craft of writing horror. This covers everything you could want to know about horror, from genre to structure to marketing.
Tim Waggoner is excellent at presenting this information. The book combines his two careers into one project. He’s a professional dark fantasy and horror author with countless short story publications, dozens of novels, and even a trio of Bram Stoker Awards for his non-fiction and fiction. That includes winning the Non-Fiction award for Writing in the Dark. He’s also an award-winning creative writing professor. This is the perfect intersection of skills and professional experience to write a modern textbook on writing horror.
The information is clear and well organized. This book would be a great resource for new and more experienced horror writers. Writing in the Dark especially does a great job exploring some of the horror-specific business that isn’t always covered in creative writing books. The breakdown of genre, audience, and marketing throughout the book really reflects where the industry is now and constantly suggests additional resources to explore for more information.
Waggoner invited authors, editors, and publishers to answer questions about the art , craft, and business of horror for each chapter of the book. This is invaluable information. These horror professionals have their own lived experience working in the genre and provide different tips and perspectives on the same concepts.
Each chapter also includes exercises to help you explore the big ideas in a topic. You obviously don’t have to follow through on these if you’re reading on your own, but I always find it helpful to at least think about the exercises in writing books. You never know where they’ll take you. Waggoner takes this idea further in his appendices, offering a deep analysis of one of his own stories and a variety of writing prompts and tools to help you brainstorm.
For me, part of the process of improving as a writer is to read. Read within your genre. Read outside your genre. Read about your genre. Read just to read. Writing in the Dark is a great resource to push you to new areas of exploration. My annotations in a book like this are highlighted sections of really well-written explanations and a running list in a separate document of books, articles, and authors to follow up on. That part is why I don’t always write or discuss books as much as I would like. One book like this can be my next year of reading on top of the bottomless TBR pile I’ve been accumulating for decades.
Writing in the Dark is available in eBook, paperback, and hardcover where books are sold.
#31Days: A Collection of Horror Essays, vol. 2 is available to purchase at Ko-fi, Smashwords, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, Kobo, and Amazon.
Read my serialized novel Extra Intent on Kindle Vella for free.
You can also buy Haunted: A Collection of Weird Fiction at my Ko-fi or where eBooks are sold.
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