Things That Go Bump: Ideas for Horror Writers
- tkswriter
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
An irregular series spotlighting 13 useful and inspirational online reads and resources for horror writers everywhere
Feel free to share your thoughts here or go to the Discord and discuss.
1.
šGeorge R.R. Martin on His Unpublished Horror Thriller Book: āIt was a great eraā¦ā FandomWire || 6.27.25
"Itās a shame this mysterious horror novel never saw the light of day because, after that revelation, many of Martinās fans were certainly curious about it. Ever since he wrote A Song of Ice and Fire, his name has become synonymous with fantasy writing, and people have eventually forgotten he was originally a horror writer."
https://fandomwire.com/george-r-r-martin-on-his-unpublished-horror-thriller-book-it-was-a-great-era/
2.
šTop 10 Halloween writing prompts to get your blood flowing
The Writer ||Ā 8.17.24
"Theyāre creepy and theyāre kooky, mysterious and spooky, and theyāll have you back to penning spine-chilling tales in no time."
3.
šClay McLeod Chapman || The Horror of Now: Writing Timely Stories Without Losing Timeless Dread
HorrorTree ||Ā 8.12.25
"Storytelling is in of itself a communal act, so, in a sense, I reckon, telling horror stories is the shared experience of bonding over our fears."
4.
šEditorialĀ || Think of the Children: Why āWeaponsā Is the Perfect Horror Movie for Today
Bloody Disgusting ||Ā 9.22.25
"For far too many, thinking about the children is a Trojan horse for homogeneity or whatever battle in an exhausting culture war they feel like fighting when the sun comes up. ... The tykes are merely tools in warfare, making Creggerās film perfect for this moment. ... The filmās brutality is shocking but appropriate for todayās landscape."
5.
šWriting Fear: How to Build Unease Without the Jump Scare
What Sleeps Beneath ||Ā 8.4.25
"Jump scares? They're the cinematic version of shouting 'boo' with a cymbal crash. Effective, sure, but fleeting. A startle, not a scar. When writing horrorāor thrillers, or unsettling fiction of any kindāthe most haunting elements often whisper instead of scream. The art lies in suggestion, in drawing a shape and letting the reader fill it in with their own darkness."
6.
šWhy We Need Horror Authors in the Fight For the Freedom to Read
RA For All: Horror ||Ā 6.16.25
HWA Secretary Becky Siegel Spratford's keynote address at the 2025 Bram Stoker Awardsā delivered June 14 in Stamford, CT.
7.
šThe H Word: The Waking Nightmares of Philip K. Dick
Nightmare Magazine ||Ā 8.13.25
"Early in PKDās career when he was focused mostly on short stories, he had pieces that could be considered straight horror like 'The Cookie Lady' and 'The Father-Thing,' and others that were considered science fiction like 'Second Variety' and 'Pay the Printer' were as horrific as anything HP Lovecraft wrote in the pages of Weird Tales."
8.
š6 Dark and Disturbing Books with Disability Representation
The Lineup ||Ā 9.22.25
"When it comes to disability representation, fiction often falls short. Frequently, disabled folks are framed as powerless, as inspirational figures for able-bodied people, or as horrible monsters whose internal evil is being displayed through their disability. ...These depictions often leave real disabled people feeling undervalued and support preexisting stereotypes about disability. ...This is a real shame, not only for societal progress, but also for the stories themselves."
9.
šNaming the Nightmare: The Urban Legends of the J-Horror Label
NightTide Magazine ||Ā 9.3.25
"By the summer of 2004, the 'J-Horror' phenomenon had reached critical mass. ...And yet, when asked about the termās origin in an interview, [director Taka] Ichise shrugged: 'Maybe I saw it written somewhere and took to saying it because itās handy... it was somebody elseās creation. I have no idea whose, though.' ...Ichiseās candor exposes the genreās strangest paradox: how could a movement so internationally visible and successful lack an origin story for its own name?"
10.
šTeaching Daughters to Bite BackāFemale Violence as Power in Horror
CrimeReads ||Ā 8.8.25
"I want my daughters, my readers, to dive headfirst into the question: How do we process the violence of womanhood? ...And this is the beauty of horror in 2025. I think all women should watch The Babadook and Strange Darling and The Substance, to name just a few, because women (cis or trans) are not just beautiful victims. We are terrified mothers and self-loathing actors. We are the perpetratorsāthe ones to fear. Modern-day horror gives women dimension in a way that weāve been denied."
11.
šWhat Defines Literary Horror in Todayās Evolving Landscape?
Writer's Digest ||Ā 7.12.25
"...if youāve browsed a bookstore lately, youāve seen it. Horror is back. Blood is everywhere, but this time the authors are wearing new masks. Writers like Stephen Graham Jones (The Only Good Indians) and Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Silver Nitrate) are redefining the genre. Their work isnāt driven solely by gore or shock, the way post-Vietnam horror often wasāwith Stephen Kingās Carrie setting the tone for decades. Instead, todayās leading horror voices combine cultural insight with literary experimentation, using fear as a lens through which to explore identity. And I mean fear in all its psychologically agonizing forms, the kind of horror that Edgar Allan Poe was an early master of."
12.
šFive Atmospheric Books That Feel Like Dark Fairy Tales
Reactor ||Ā 7.24.25
"...if youāve browsed a bookstore lately, youāve seen it. Horror is back. Blood is everywhere, but this time the authors are wearing new masks. Writers like Stephen Graham Jones (The Only Good Indians) and Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Silver Nitrate) are redefining the genre. Their work isnāt driven solely by gore or shock, the way post-Vietnam horror often wasāwith Stephen Kingās Carrie setting the tone for decades. Instead, todayās leading horror voices combine cultural insight with literary experimentation, using fear as a lens through which to explore identity. And I mean fear in all its psychologically agonizing forms, the kind of horror that Edgar Allan Poe was an early master of."
13.
šNichelle Seely: Find Your Ideal Readers by Attending a Genre Convention
Jane Friedman||Ā 8.6.25
"I discovered that a genre convention is my audience on steroids, readers who are spending time and treasure, crossing the country to hang with their peeps. Fans who are actively looking for their next binge read, who are looking, in fact, for me. For you. For us."
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