As an example, he has you read excerpts by novelists and short story writers that are supposed to represent strong story endings; and, as you comply, you might nod perplexed, hoping he'd have commented more on what you were supposed to learn. (Specifically, he points out "shocking final lines," and I couldn't figure out what was shocking about them). It's not that Nolan doesn't know what he's talking about. He could have expounded in these areas, though.

Like on page 25, he supplies an exciting list of what he calls "supernatural belief systems" as an aid in generating horror ideas. By the time you reach the end of the list, you see he's starting a new topic of discussion. The list wasn't self-explanatory.

He also says something that bothered me: It's okay to let your characters run away from you: "Once you have created a realistic character . . . you may be surprised to find that he or she will take off on a tangent as you write, doing things you hadn't planned or expected this character to do. That's fine."

Well, not really. Maybe "that's fine" in the discovery stage of plot, but not during the true writing of it. What happens when you become enamored with a character, quite arrogantly considering her to have a life of her own, is she does go off in her own direction-completely trashing your plotline. Or worse, if you're a lazy writer who never plots, your character will take you to irrelevant places. You'll write rambling, senseless prose.

I believe Nolan would agree. He's too successful not to. I just wish, again, he hadn't switched off the topic so quickly. He could have warned against this outcome. Beginning writers could easily end up with some sloppy results.

DON'T LET YOUR CHARACTERS PLAY. YOU'RE THE WRITER. YOU MUST CREATE CHARACTERS THAT ARE GOING TO DO WHAT YOU NEED THEM TO DO.

The point is still, as Nolan was getting at, to create effective characters. But do create them with motivations that will promote the plot in the right direction.

Slim, yes. But this book is nevertheless pretty decent. Not fantastic. . .just "pretty decent," if I can somehow connote my meaning to you with a couple of vague words.

My feelings about this book were just as vague. At first I was hoping for a book full of gimmicks and tips and stuff that would practically write horror for me. I got something tamer. If you can already compose a piece of fiction, this book will help you slant it into, perhaps, a salable horror story. If you've not yet wrestled basic story structure, however, there's little in this book to make your writing work. This book is window dressing for the skills you should already possess.

And that's not bad, as long as you know what you're getting. Nolan initiates his guidebook with an overview of the field of horror. In the next few chapters he talks about creating monsters, finding horror ideas in your past, creating protagonists, building suspense, and writing enticing "hooks" to open your story.

In subsequent chapters he weighs the cons and pros of putting gory details in your story, gives you examples of how to end your story (see the beginning of this review), and tops off the book with contact information (possibly outdated) for publishers. And to top off the top-off, he gives mini-biographies of Stephen King, Anne Rice, James Herbert, Peter Straub, Dean R. Koontz, and Robert R. Mcammon, meant to inspire you with delineations of their struggles as writers. Oh, and there's also an Appendix of suggested stories and reference material. It's a nice top-off-top-off to the top-off contact information.

Up in that last paragraph should be indications of Chapter 10: "A Dip in The Pool." I've saved it for last, though, because just when I'd thought this book would be merely entertaining (and it was entertaining), Chapter 10 jumped out at me with a very useful set of fangs. I've personally never seen it done in a book of writing, to date, and I've always wanted it.

Nolan supplies one of his own short stories in its entirety. As you read it, he interjects paragraphs of explanation. He'll tell you why he included a sentence describing a character's smile. He'll tell you the importance of information in his dialogue. He'll tell you how he switched points of view at the end. Etceteras.

I wish this were a trend. What I'd really like to see is an author who takes us through the entire process, from generating an idea (right before our eyes), to developing it, to writing it, to revising it, to selling it, to showing us the finished product--so we can actually revel in a short story in our hands and know exactly how the author produced it. Too often, we see a finished product without gaining a full understanding of how it came to be.

Though not what I just described, Chapter 10 of Nolan's HOW TO WRITE HORROR FICTION was a mighty fine step in this direction. I benefited from it. I'd buy the book again just to have "The Pool" as a reference.

This book was nice. I'm not sorry I bought it through Americancivilwar, and I'll defer to it when I need a flavor injection before starting my next horror story. Just make sure you don't need any more instruction than that. You must have reasonably strong fiction skills to begin with. HOW TO WRITE HORROR FICTION is just the lovely paint on a picture; but, without the initial sketch, it's just useless splatter on canvas--and at best it will help you write abstract garbage.

So learn how to write elsewhere. THEN come to Dr. Nolan and be honed. He's a good writer. He'll give you a nudge in that direction.

Nolan even takes the reader by the hand and guides them through a breakdown of his own short story, "The Pool." He also provides small bios of Stephen King, Anne Rice, and other successful horror writers, proving the point that these icons also had to get their starts somewhere. Nolan's best advice to the aspiring horror writer? READ, and read often. And do not read just horror, broaden your horizons to other genres and poetry, so all of your output does not end up reading like the Dean R. Koontz novel you just finished.

Nolan also puts incredible appendices in here, listing suggested anthologies to seek out, and perhaps he should add his own book to the list. This is very inspiring, without treating the reader like a five year old who must be led from idea to manuscript layout. Nolan stresses individuality, and the reader will appreciate that. I highly recommend this guide, which is short and can be finished in one sitting.