Let Me Tell You a Story, the next volume in Tim Waggoner’s Writing in the Dark series from Raw Dog Screaming Press, will be released Oct. 5th, 2023.
In Let Me Tell You a Story Waggoner presents stories from his own publishing career and uses them to illustrate techniques and point out ways to improve. “In both Writing in the Dark and Writing in the Dark: The Workbook, I included a short story of mine and critiqued it based on the principles outlined in those books. Readers responded well to this feature, so I decided to focus a new book on critiquing stories drawn from throughout my career, discussing what worked, what didn’t, and what I might do differently if I had the chance to rewrite the stories. I hope readers will find Let Me Tell You a Story to be as interesting – and most importantly as useful – as its predecessors.”
Reviews:
“Tim’s writing voice is like that of a teacher who really cares about his students and their writing journey—however far along you may be.” —Sadie Hartmann, Mother Horror, 101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered
“Offering sensible, actionable, and invaluable tips for developing craft, Tim Waggoner’s Writing in the Dark guides feature on my list of must-read texts for all students and teachers of writing. Scarily good advice from a master of horror practice.” —Lee Murray, five-time Bram Stoker Award winner, co-author of the Path of Ra series
“You can trust Tim to teach you not so much how to write, per se, but how to think like a horror writer. This basically means that you’ll instinctively know how to chill someone with a disturbing idea, outsmart them with an outrageous twist ending, or caution them with a clever moral lesson, and it will all come naturally to you. He’s a masterful educator on the dark side.”—Michael A. Arnzen, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Play Dead
Writing in the Dark: The Workbook Wins the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Nonfiction
Tim Waggoner received a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Nonfiction for his work on Writing in the Dark: The Workbook. The award was presented during the Annual Bram Stoker Awards® Banquet at StokerCon™ 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on June 17, 2023.
The Bram Stoker Awards recognizes superior achievement in horror literature. It is given by the Horror Writers Association, a nonprofit international organization of writers and publishing professionals dedicated to promoting dark literature and the interests of those who write it. The full 2022 awards list can be read here.
About Writing in the Dark: The Workbook
Like Tim Waggoner's Bram Stoker Award-winning Writing in the Dark, a manual for how to write horror fiction, this workbook covers a wide variety of topics, ranging from monster, idea, and plotline creation to avoiding clichés and developing the art of suspense. The workbook, however, foregrounds practice over discussion to help writers master these concepts. Both texts stand on their own while working together to provide you with the direction and tools you need to maximize your own authorship.
The wealth of examples, exercises, and tutorials in Writing in the Dark: The Workbook are designed to inspire and stretch the imagination. Waggoner draws from his own experiences in addition to other professional writers, among them Laird Barron, Maurice Broaddus, Nadia Bulkin, Ramsey Campbell, Mort Castle, Tananarive Due, Christopher Golden, Grady Hendrix, Daniel Kraus, Joe R. Lansdale, Elizabeth Massie, Graham Masterton, Seanan McGuire, John Shirley, and many others.
Featuring an introduction by Michael A. Arnzen, Writing in the Dark: The Workbook will resonate with young authors who are just getting started on their careers as well as veterans of the horror genre and craft.
Praise for Writing in the Dark:
“I had a chance to read through Tim Waggoner’s Writing in the Dark this week, and it is excellent! Comprehensive, accessible, no-frills, and packed with the advice that writers like Tim and myself wish we had been given when we started.” —Brian Keene
“One of the best non-fiction texts on the art and business of writing horror-suspense since King's On Writing.” —Lee Murray, multi-award-winning writer and editor
“I felt more as if I were sitting in a dive bar, discussing secrets of the universe with my feet up. He can take the toughest topic — from theme to voice to motivation and conflict—and talk someone through it as if reviewing his favorite new movie. —Dave Simms, Cemetery Dance
“Tim Waggoner’s Writing in the Dark is an instant classic in the small canon of ‘how to books’ specifically directed at that special breed of authors known as horror writers . . .” —Michael A. Arnzen
Twenty years ago, a cult attempted to create their own god: The Lord of the Feast. The god was a horrible, misbegotten thing, however, and the cultists killed the creature before it could come into its full power. The cultists trapped the pieces of their god inside mystic nightstones then went their separate ways. Now Kate, one of the cultists’ children, seeks out her long-lost relatives, hoping to learn the truth of what really happened on that fateful night. Unknown to Kate, her cousin Ethan is following her, hoping she’ll lead him to the nightstones so that he might resurrect the Lord of the Feast – and this time, Ethan plans to do the job right.
In this comprehensive textbook devoted to the craft of writing horror fiction, award-winning author Tim Waggoner draws on thirty years' experience as a writer and teacher. Writing in the Dark offers advice, guidance, and insights on how to compose horror stories and novels that are original, frightening, entertaining, and well-written.
Waggoner covers a wide range of topics, among them why horror matters, building viable monsters, generating ideas and plotlines, how to stylize narratives in compelling ways, the physiology of fear, the art of suspense, avoiding clichés, marketing your horror writing, and much more. Each chapter includes tips from some of the best horror professionals working today, such as Joe Hill, Ellen Datlow, Joe R. Lansdale, Maurice Broaddus, Yvette Tan, Thomas Ligotti, Jonathan Maberry, Edward Lee, and John Shirley. There are also appendices with critical reflections, pointers on the writing process, ideas for characters and story arcs, and material for further research.
Writing in the Dark derives from Waggoner's longtime blog of the same name. Suitable for classroom use, intensive study, and bedside reading, this essential manual will appeal to new authors at the beginning of their career as well as veterans of the horror genre who want to brush up on their technique.
Reviews:
"I was part of one of Tim's writing workshops more years ago than I care to acknowledge. Soon after completing it, I began to sell professionally. Coincidence? I think not!" —Dave Creek, author of 40 science fiction and mystery short stories and 14 books
"I still refer to handwritten notes I scribbled down as fast as I could during one of Tim's horror-writing classes. Absolutely incisive insights and practical know-how." —Tom Leveen, Bram Stoker finalist and author of Hellworld
"As soon as I heard Waggoner was creating a book on writing craft, I knew I was buying it. His insights are gold." —Jay Wilburn, author of the Maidens of Zombie Kingdom trilogy
"For some years now, Tim Waggoner's Writing in the Dark has been my go-to blog for sensible, actionable, sustainable tips for writers. Scarily good advice." —Lee Murray, author of The Path of Ra series
A sinister being called Night and her panther-like Harriers stalk their quarry, a man known only as Arron. Arron seeks refuge within an office building, a place Night cannot go, for it’s part of the civilized world, and she’s a creature of the Wild. To flush Arron out, she creates Blight, a reality-warping field that slowly transforms the building and its occupants in horrible and deadly ways. But unknown to Night, while she waits for the Blight to do its work, a group of survivors from a previous attempt to capture Arron are coming for her. The hunter is now the hunted.
In Echo Hill, Ohio, the dead begin to reappear, manifesting in various forms, from classic ghosts and poltergeists, to physical undead and bizarre apparitions for which there is no name. These malign spirits attack the living, tormenting and ultimately killing them in order to add more recruits to their spectral ranks.
A group of survivors come together after the initial attack, all plagued by different ghostly apparitions of their own. Can they make it out of Echo Hill alive? And if so, will they still be sane? Or will they die and join the ranks of the vengeful dead?
Blurbs:
“Tim Waggoner excels in building up a surreal sense of dread, blurring the boundaries between otherworldly horror and everyday tragedy with unnerving finesse.” —City Nomads
“Tim Waggoner manages to meld surreal imagery and events with strong character work and an immersive point of view, resulting in work that shocks you on the surface and unsettles you right down to your bones.” — FEARnet
Scoundrels and soldiers band together to survive the onslaught of alien-zombies spreading across the galaxy in this riotous adventure.
A deserted R&D facility tempts the hungry new Guild, Leviathan, into sending a team to plunder its valuable research. The base was abandoned after a neighboring planet was devastated by an outbreak of Xenos – alien zombies – but that was a whole planet away... When the Guild ship is attacked by a quarantine patrol, both ships crash onto the deserted world. Only it isn’t as deserted as they hope: a murderous new Xeno threat awakens, desperate to escape the planet. Can the crews cooperate to destroy this new foe? Or will they be forced to sacrifice their ships and lives to protect the galaxy?
“Planet Havoc is the best of all worlds –space adventure, military SF, snarky humor, and zombies! Tim Waggoner brings the pain and all the jolts in this rollicking action horror thriller!” — Jonathan Maberry, NY Times bestselling author of the Joe Ledger thrillers and Kagen the Damned
