Rating: 
Summary: A Realistic Introduction to Working in the Genre
Review: Overall, "Writing Horror" is a great starting place for aspiring-fiction writers seeking an honest introduction to the terrors of the profession.Author Edo Van Belkom exudes a healthy pessimism when portraying the trials and tribulations of writing for a living and working in the horror market. Throughout the book, Van Belkom encourages would-be writers to 'thrive on rejection', be persistent, and to realize thick-skinned staying power separates the aspiring-writer from the writer: "After all, starting a book is easy. Finishing it is hard. And getting it published is damn near impossible." Beginning writers MUST read this book to avoid the many pitfalls of the trade! Van Belkom clearly outlines vital information such as proper manuscript format, how to seek publication for short stories and novels, and creative but practical ways to break into the genre. The career advice Van Belkom offers those just cutting their teeth in the genre, and the market and trade resource lists he provides makes the book indispensable for beginning horror writers. The author teaches solid techniques for fiction writing from start to finish, but is less rigorous applying these skills directly to the horror genre. Van Belkom expertly teaches story structure, plotting, character development, and writing from your character's POV; but the chapters where he talks about conventions within the genre are more introductory summations than serious explorations of horror writing. For this reason, experienced writers seeking a detailed "how to write horror" guide specific to subtleties within the genre may be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: A Realistic Introduction to Working in the Genre
Review: Overall, "Writing Horror" is a great starting place for aspiring-fiction writers seeking an honest introduction to the terrors of the profession. Author Edo Van Belkom exudes a healthy pessimism when portraying the trials and tribulations of writing for a living and working in the horror market. Throughout the book, Van Belkom encourages would-be writers to 'thrive on rejection', be persistent, and to realize thick-skinned staying power separates the aspiring-writer from the writer: "After all, starting a book is easy. Finishing it is hard. And getting it published is damn near impossible." Beginning writers MUST read this book to avoid the many pitfalls of the trade! Van Belkom clearly outlines vital information such as proper manuscript format, how to seek publication for short stories and novels, and creative but practical ways to break into the genre. The career advice Van Belkom offers those just cutting their teeth in the genre, and the market and trade resource lists he provides makes the book indispensable for beginning horror writers. The author teaches solid techniques for fiction writing from start to finish, but is less rigorous applying these skills directly to the horror genre. Van Belkom expertly teaches story structure, plotting, character development, and writing from your character's POV; but the chapters where he talks about conventions within the genre are more introductory summations than serious explorations of horror writing. For this reason, experienced writers seeking a detailed "how to write horror" guide specific to subtleties within the genre may be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: an okay book for beginners
Review: simplistic and to the point. not necessarily a bad thing in a book about writing, but Writing Horror seemed specifically geared towards people who are *considering* writing horror, rather than those who are actually doing it.
also, the book itself is pretty cheaply made. i dropped it (at a distance of about 2 feet) and the binding split.
Rating: 
Summary: A Must!
Review: Writing horror is a must for any horror fan and aspiring writer. It asnwers EVERY question one might have about the craft of writing and about the process of selling and publishing a story/novel. Van Belkom, who has written more than 150 published short stories and some very amazing novels, takes the genre apart to teach his readers the bare bones of horror writing. Everything is touched upon; from the provenance of ideas, to the actual writing (grammar, techniques, and dos and don'ts), selling, publishing, revising, finding an agent... You get it all in this book. This wonderful book answered all the questions I had about the process of writing horror, and I'm sure it will do the same for any aspiring writer. It is a great reference book that any writer should keep close to his/her writing desk, as you'll keep coming back to it whenever you have a question that needs answering.
Rating:
Summary: Horrifically Good
Review: You know you're in good hands when you open this book. But it takes more than just an incredible set of credentials (Bram Stoker Award, several novels and over 15 anthology appearances) to be an effective teacher. It takes a broad understanding of the writing craft and business, and an organized approach--all of which Van Belkom has with this book. It's a fast (216 pages), informative primer for new horror writers, and perhaps a nice refresher for the pros. Covering all the topics a book like this should, such as composition, marketing, and the current state of the genre, Van Belkom is at his best when he dissects his own stories and experiences for the reader's benefit; I'm just disappointed he didn't give us more--more meat, as they say. If you're still in the I'm-embarrassed-I-love-horror stage, Writing Horror has a flexible, paper cover that's perfect for folding over when you're on a crowded subway.
Rating:
Summary: Horrifically Good
Review: You know you're in good hands when you open this book. But it takes more than just an incredible set of credentials (Bram Stoker Award, several novels and over 15 anthology appearances) to be an effective teacher. It takes a broad understanding of the writing craft and business, and an organized approach--all of which Van Belkom has with this book. It's a fast (216 pages), informative primer for new horror writers, and perhaps a nice refresher for the pros. Covering all the topics a book like this should, such as composition, marketing, and the current state of the genre, Van Belkom is at his best when he dissects his own stories and experiences for the reader's benefit; I'm just disappointed he didn't give us more--more meat, as they say. If you're still in the I'm-embarrassed-I-love-horror stage, Writing Horror has a flexible, paper cover that's perfect for folding over when you're on a crowded subway.
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