Tag: horror

Writer’s Workshop Wednesday: Dean Koontz

Posted on by Ian Dawson

While I’ve heard his name before, I read my first Dean Koontz novel earlier this year, Strangers (1986).  Strangers is a mix of suspense and sci-fi.  It was definitely an engaging book with interesting characters and an intriguing twist.

Koontz is a prolific suspense author whose first novel, Star Quest, was published in 1968.  Since then, Koontz has written well over 100 books, including the Odd Thomas series, Frankenstein series, and Jane Hawk series.  While known mainly for suspense, Koontz writes in many genres, including thriller, horror, and satire.

Koontz wrote several novels under pseudonyms, including John Hill, Deanna Dwyer, K.R. Dwyer, and David Axton.  He used the names “after several editors convinced him that authors who switched back and forth between different genres invariably fell victim to ‘negative crossover,’” which could affect readership from established and new readers.  The last novel he wrote under a pseudonym was 1987’s Shadow Fires under the pen name Leigh Nichols. 

I definitely want to read more of his books, and my interest is piqued by the Frankenstein series.  

To check out his Official Website, click HERE.

Check out the interviews below where Koontz talks about his career, writing, and his varied works.

Enjoy!

Back in two weeks with another great author!

Quotation Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Koontz

Writing Tip #3: Genre Experimentation

Posted on by Ian Dawson

When I was a student at UC Davis, I wrote a very wacky, very goofy play called The Amazing Inspector Pleaseleeve.  We had auditions in September and the show didn’t open until February, which meant we had about five months of rehearsal.  With a joke-heavy show like this and with lots of rehearsal time at our disposal, the cast and I would pitch new jokes, try new comedy bits, and re-write sections of the script all in the interest of making the show funnier.

But at some point over the course of that five months, I got kinda burned out on jokes, puns, one-liners, and sexual innuendos.  I needed a break from comedy writing in some capacity for my own creative health.

So, while we were working on the show, I started to write a drama-based play, something I had never done before, but felt was a needed antidote to the other project I was currently working on.  And I enjoyed working on it.  It wasn’t about punchlines or zingers, it was about real people and real emotions. 

When we write, we often pigeonhole ourselves into a specific genre.  “I’m a comedy writer;” “I’m a sci-fi writer;” “I’m really good at writing fantasy stories.”  This is what we do because once we find a genre that we are skilled in and can write with ease, why would you deviate from that?  After all, the ideas and stories flow out of you, so why change?

Sometimes, even if just for one story, consider writing in a different genre.  You can still utilize your skills as a storyteller over there, but the challenge may give you a new perspective on your own writing that will only enhance it going forward.

For me, writing a drama was a refreshing change of pace.  I had always been a comedy writer, but a change in genre helped me discover new ways of telling a story.  I couldn’t rely on a punchline to get me out of a scene, I had to find another way for the characters to communicate and grow.  It was an effective exercise that showed me that I could do more as a writer than I had allowed myself to do in the past.

Don’t let yourself typecast yourself as a writer of just one genre.  Experiment.  Consider this: think of a basic premise for a short story.  Now, write that premise as a Western tale, a fantasy story, a horror story, a mystery, or a comedy.  Allow yourself to try new genres and you may be surprised with the results.