Interview: For the Craft · 10:21pm May 23rd, 2013
I was one of the EqD pre-readers for For the Craft, a short horror story by Compendium of Steve. In this interview, he has some valuable things to say about how to write horror.
Amacita: What do you think makes a good horror story?
Compendium of Steve: Tension, a sense of creepiness, a bit of the unknown and at times the supernatural. I grew up reading Stephen King and have played games like Silent Hill, and those evoke a psychological factor as well. Recently I learned that a twist is also needed if you want to keep things fresh, though the bloody note for a title image kinda spoils things.
Ama: If you're interested in getting some different cover art, there are groups on FimFiction for that sort of thing, such as Art For Fanfiction. Anyway, speaking of twists, how do you execute a dark/fatal twist at the end of a story without it seeming to come out of nowhere?
CoS: A mastery of misdirection. For a good twist to work, you have to make it seem like things are going a certain way, but leave hints that something like this would happen so it's not complete malarky. Something like that is hard to do, and admittedly the horror genre isn't my forte. This one story was a brief spark of inspiration, and really, the only real twist was that it's a piano doing the killing, and maybe that other well-known musicians were doing this. I know there are authors out there far better at this than I who'd probably know how to do a proper twist.
Ama: What did you do to try to establish/maintain the creepy tone?
CoS: Well, thanks to some feedback from a number of editors on Ponychan's /fic/ board, I included the beginning that hinted at Frederic's dark intentions, and later on I added a bit more to the scene leading up to the bloody climax, where we learn of his first victim. It's at that point that his sophisticated image is steadily, agonizingly torn away and a creepier, more sinister individual is revealed. That steady transition from normal to disturbing is key to building the creep factor and keeping people glued to the words, wanting to see what will happen.
Ama: It seemed odd to me at first that your story was tagged as both slice of life and dark, but I was quite happy with how you managed the transition. Once I read it, the tags made perfect sense.
CoS: Yeah, that was my approach: make this seem as ordinary as possible, and then pull out the rug and say “whoops, it's a horror tale!” But the opener may have ruined that surprise.
Ama: I liked it. I knew something dark was projecting words into his mind, but I had no idea what it was, and later on, I started to wonder if I had just imagined it.
CoS: Oh really? Kinda hard to imagine words on a page :P
Ama: What was the hardest part to get right?
CoS: I'd say getting the opener and revelation right. The opener has to set the tone, and the reveal is the lead up to the payoff, so it's important to get them down pat. Also there was the character of Capriccio. Initial reader responses said she was dull and not realistic, so I had to tweak her a bit so she had a personality befitting someone who doesn't take things too seriously and is pretty lax.
Ama: How does a horror writer use gore effectively?
CoS: Unless they're going for comedy, it should be used in moderation. By my reckoning, gore serves to enhance to creep factor rather than be the star of the show. Or a brief moment of it could set the tone, or serve as a psychological obstacle to the hero, like if they're afraid of blood or something. The movie Alien had a small amount of gore, but it was to establish the freaky and dangerous nature of the central horror element, and to show the danger among the crew (the android). In short, gore should be a modest tool rather than a crutch in the long run.
Ama: That is a very well thought out response. What inspired you to write “For the Craft”?
CoS: Well, about a year or so ago, I was listening to a bit of Chopin's “Revolutionary Etude” and thought how menacing it can be, since it was also used as the final boss theme in the game “Catherine.” So I thought up a way I could use it in a story, and in short order it evolved into “For the Craft.” So classical music was the core inspiration.
Ama: What writing projects are you working on now?
CoS: Currently I'm doing a silly piece called “Death by Dragon.” A very different kind of story from “For the Craft,” in that it's more about action and teenage brooding with a love toward Suda51 games and storylines. There's several chapters done and is still ongoing, which is rare considering I mostly write oneshots. Like anything pony, it can be found on FiMFiction
