On Writing

HWA Scholarships Applications Due October 1st

• September 23, 2024
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Just a quick reminder: the Horror Writers Association scholarship applications are due October 1st. The following scholarships are available.

Celebrating National Haiku Writing Month: The Thrills of Horror Haiku

• February 1, 2023
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As February marks National Haiku Writing Month, it’s time to explore the dark and eerie side of poetry. Horror haiku presents a unique opportunity to craft spine-tingling tales in just… Read more

Featured Poets Spotlight – HWA Poetry Showcase Featured Poets

• August 6, 2020
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… Read more

The Form’s The Thing– An Interview with Weird Poet Frank Coffman

• June 15, 2020
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… Read more

Raw Dog Screaming Press Talks Poetry

• November 10, 2019
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… Read more

YA Writing Prompt: Cabin Fever

• December 19, 2018
• 1 Comment

Young Horror brings you writing prompts to energize your week with spooky writing idea inspiration. Are you writing picture books, chapter books, middle grade, or YA? Your next great idea… Read more

Murder Most Fowl and Other Holiday Horrors

• November 15, 2018
• 1 Comment

Somewhere in the United States this moment, a large turkey—with glorious plumage, I would like to imagine—doesn’t know that he’s already been selected for presidential pardon for the American Thanksgiving… Read more

Scary Out There with Dawn Kurtagich

• October 18, 2018
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Scary Out There recently interviewed Dawn Kurtagich, author of And the Trees Crept In and The Dead House. In this episode of the podcast, Dawn discusses the importance of horror… Read more

Evil Teachers and Beyond: 5 School Scare Sources

• September 20, 2018
• 3 Comments

The days are getting shorter and cooler, and ravaged store displays are picked-over, having only straggling survivors among the pencils, notebooks, and backpacks. Children and teens have mysteriously vanished from… Read more

Writing Prompt: A Family Fear

• August 13, 2018
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Young Horror brings you writing prompts to energize your week with spooky idea inspiration. Are you writing picture books, chapter books, middle grade, or YA? Your next great idea could… Read more

Writing Prompt: Wicked Watermelon

• August 6, 2018
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Young Horror brings you writing prompts to energize your week with spooky idea inspiration. Are you writing picture books, chapter books, middle grade, or YA? Your next great idea could… Read more

The CreEpy Catalog: Frozen Charlotte

• August 2, 2018
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In order to write great children’s horror, you must READ great children’s horror. To help you out with this, we’ve invited our very own middle school librarian to take you… Read more

Writing Prompt: Ice Cream Truck

• July 30, 2018
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Young Horror brings you writing prompts to energize your week with spooky idea inspiration. Are you writing picture books, chapter books, middle grade, or YA? Your next great idea could… Read more

Writing Prompt: Dog Days of Summer

• July 23, 2018
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Young Horror brings you writing prompts to energize your week with spooky idea inspiration. Are you writing picture books, chapter books, middle grade, or YA? Your next great idea could… Read more

A Flash of Fear: Why Write Short-form Horror

• July 19, 2018
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For many (if not most), the first introduction to horror doesn’t come from a book or movie, but from a brief scary story told to them, perhaps around a smoky… Read more

Writing Prompt: Knock on Wood

• July 16, 2018
• 1 Comment

Young Horror brings you writing prompts to energize your week with spooky idea inspiration. Are you writing picture books, chapter books, middle grade, or YA? Your next great idea could… Read more

Q&A for The Frightful Ride of Michael McMichael

• July 13, 2018
• 2 Comments

It’s Friday the 13th–the perfect day to reach down into the grave dirt and resurrect the Young Horror (formerly YA Horror) blog and to talk about NEW BOOKS. Hop aboard… Read more

“So, Who Wants to be a Horror Writer?” by Edo van Belkom

• November 14, 2017
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© 2000 by Edo van Belkom
(From the book WRITING HORROR) Whenever I give a talk on the craft of writing (whether the talk is on horror writing, fantasy writing,… Read more

“The Horror of It All” by Tim Waggoner

• November 7, 2017
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© 2000 by Tim Waggoner Want to write horror? A lot of folks do. The mainstream publishing industry
may have momentarily turned its collective back on the genre, but the… Read more

In March: “Found Poetry” with Terrie Leigh Relf & HWA Poetry Showcase Announcement

• March 6, 2014
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Poet Terrie Leigh Relf talks about “Found Poetry” and shares a little bit of herself and her own work this month. Personally, before reading this article, I’d never heard of… Read more