The Craft of Writing Horror (with Carson Faust)
In this episode of “Writer’s Digest Presents,” author Carson Faust discusses the craft of writing horror.
If blood and violence aren't your thing, but you love a palpable atmosphere and aren't afraid of a few ghosts, gothic fiction is right for you. The gothic and southern gothic horror sub-genres exemplify the notion that no matter what kind of reader you are, you can always find a great book in any genre.
In this episode of "Writer's Digest Presents," we're chatting with author Carson Faust about writing southern gothic fiction, his debut novel If the Dead Belong Here, how to perfect styles of writing you admire as a reader, and more.
About Carson Faust
Carson Faust is two-spirit and an enrolled member of the Edisto Natchez-Kusso Tribe of South Carolina. He is the recipient of fellowships from the McKnight Foundation and the Jerome Foundation. His fiction has appeared in Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology. He lives in Minnesota. Learn more at CarsonFaust.com, and follow him on Instagram.
From The Episode
"Horror is a way to bring the past directly to the page. "
"I'm interested in survival as a collective action more than the hyper individualistic, 'one person will survive' aspect. I think the characters that are most successful in getting closer to what they want are the ones who find one another, support one another, and build on each other's knowledge. None of them [the characters] agree, which is actually their strength. None of them are exactly the same in how they think of the world, but it's all of those perspectives coming together that allow for some version of—as close to success as one can get in this incredibly flawed world that we have."
"Craft is not something that happens when you shut the word out and you emerge from your chrysalis a savant. It happens when you engage meaningfully with the world in whatever way feels more correct to you."