It’s #MayhemMonday! I supply the mayhem, you try to survive.
Tag: writers
Otherworldly Words: Banshee
I’m going to get personal for a moment. I have an ambivalent relationship with the word banshee. My partner’s younger brother, Matt, and I always watched horror movies together. I often introduced him to movies such as The Evil Dead. As he got older, he introduced me to many movies, too. One of our favorites…
Otherworldly Words: Baleful
Baleful derives from a word meaning pain. Interestingly, most cultures and languages, including English, are dominated by words to express feelings and thoughts like baleful, or negative emotions over positive ones. You know how they say, it takes 20 compliments to make up for an insult. Unfortunately, the compliments can start sounding rather identical while the…
Otherworldly Words: Amaranthine
I’ll admit it: I’m a word snob. I like some words just because I like the way they sound. Amaranthine is one of those words, because I think its sound matches its meaning. Just say it….Amaranthine…Does it make you feel like you’re floating in an endless sea or cloud? Have a favorite word you just love to…
Otherworldly Words: Abhorrence
What leads us to abhor something? I think our fears inform the things we hate and detest. And, I think some of the things we fear the most are the traits we abhor in ourselves. No one likes to see himself in a dark reflection. We know all too well what Nietzsche so succinctly said:…
What is Horror?
People tend to argue about horror a bit. I suppose many definitions are floating around. For instance, I’ve had some readers say that my horror novel The Wolf at His Door is more of a mystery in their opinion. That’s fine by me; I love a good mystery. For me, however, horror is a fairly…
Otherworldly Words: Aberration
For October I unveil a daily dose of the unusual, the dark, the bizarre on a linguistic journey through words befitting the season. Join me as we explore Otherworldly Words − words that help us express the frightening matters that often are hard to explain. I start…
Seasonal Inspiration
Enjoy the splendors of this new season while it’s still fresh.
Describing home decor
Not all readers enjoy the time spent on describing home decor, but, as a writer, I think that the home can be a showcase for characters’ emotions. You can learn whether someone is wealthy or impoverished, self-entitled or self-loathing, admired or hated. Consider these two examples: The intricate Louis XV desk dominated the room. Martha…