I'm always on the lookout for a good horror novel. What can I say? I love that tingle up my spine, that freaked out, walking down a dark hall and something's behind me feeling. A few months ago I stumbled on a new horror novelist and I was so excited. I checked out all of her books and read them one right after another bam, bam, bam.
I liked the books. I was entertained and suitably freaked out by them, but I felt like there was something lacking. I couldn't figure it out. They had all the makings of a good book, a sympathetic and relatable protagonist, quirky or interesting supporting characters, great setting, high stakes, a no holds barred climax and a good ending. Somehow, though, they still left me feeling flat.
Recently, I came across this horror author's blog. After reading some of her posts I realized what it was that was missing from her writing. Technically, her books are near perfect, written to an exact formula (literally, she has the formula on her blog) to give her readers the most bang for their buck. I could tell this woman had spent a great deal of time studying the science of crafting a good story. However, I think in her search for writing glory she left the guts of her books by the side of the road. By corseting her writing into this formula for literary success, there was no spontaneity in her plot, no room for the characters to become their own person and take the story to new and interesting places, no place where she allowed her creativity to take her and the reader off the beaten path. Doing those things takes guts because it's scary not to know precisely where your book is going to go, whether it's going to come out right or if you're going to have to go back and delete 75 pages (and waste countless hours of writing effort) because you allowed a secondary character to rip the plot out of your hands and run with it. It takes courage and a touch of insanity to allow that to happen, but I think those moments are the ones that have the potential to make a book shine.
This was my take on the whole situation, but I'd be interested to know what you guys think. Have any of you had a similar experience? Or do you think following a formula is the best way to write a book?
