I finished the first draft of Dreams Awake. It's come in at just over 13,000 words. And after struggling with several days with what genre it fits into, I've decided to go with horror. Yes, I said horror. Hear me out.
The Horror Writers' Association, whose first president was Dean Koontz, says that horror is not a genre. The publishing and movie industry have misled us into thinking that horror is about blood and gore, when in fact, it must simply "elicit an emotional reaction that includes some aspect of fear or dread." I loved this bit regarding the Bible as horror: where else can you find fallen angels, demonic possessions, and an apocalypse absolutely terrifying in its majesty all in one volume?
So...Dreams Awake, a psychological suspense story, is horror. Almost....
It's in first draft stage. I think the experience is clearly terrifying for the protagonist. But...I'm not sure that the reader is quite drawn into the terror. There are some scenes that need to be tweaked, some key moments that need to be worked...some character development to work out.
January Black news: Nothing new at the moment, which is a good thing. It means I wasn't instantly rejected.
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