Control: Writing a Slasher Story…

I, Dalton Lewis, am towards the end of writing a slasher story. I learned a bunch about the craft of creating a work of art in a genre which is considered pure pulp. This is a numbered list of life lessons.

1. Watch slasher movies. Halloween movies are much, much better than Friday the 13th movies. The Friday the 13th movies are examples of bad movies done poorly. You, as a writer, can learn a lot from watching good and bad examples of the genre. A good example is the most recent Halloween movie — Halloween Ends. It focuses on the corruption of a young man who learns to emulate Michael Myers — creating a sympathetic character and then watching him be corrupted. It also has victims that aren’t perfect and have flaws. It’s an interesting and intelligent slasher story. Friday the 13th movies, however, are stupid, banal, and have no redeeming value. They have murders and breasts and don’t do anything else. Watch lots of both to learn to appreciate the difference.
2. Character, character, character. I tried to create a group of unforgettable characters about whom the reader will feel strong emotions. That will make them care about them when someone tries to hurt them. Losing some of these characters will devastate the reader. That’s the goal — to make the audience feel something. Killing some wonderful people is a must in this genre.
3. Read something great and emulate it. I’m reading Hamlet and I watched Romeo and Juliet for inspiration for this story. I know that I can’t write that level of story, but I know that I can do something in which there are layers and deeper characters because I study Shakespeare and listen to the way he develops plots and stories.
4. Include elements of your own life for inspiration. A roleplaying group shows up for a scene because I run a roleplaying game in real life. Some of the characters share my love of strategy gaming. Base your stories on real-life elements as much as possible.
5. Daydream the story and write what you daydream. It’s fun to do this. This will make for a fun and enlightening experience. I highly recommend it. Dream the story and use those dreams. That will create something that you will really care about.
6. Rewrite. Don’t just write a vomit draft. Rewrite a lot.
7. Show your work to people you trust to get comments. They can help you to understand what works and what doesn’t.
8. Have characters who are flawed. Have them have sex and kill people and make mistakes and disagree with each other.
9. Write something every day.
10. Enjoy the process of writing, and be proud when you finish something — even if the world doesn’t fully appreciate it.

That’s all for now.

Thanks, and take care, friends.