Is George Orwell either a “horror” or “science fiction” writer in light of his two most famous works, 1984and Animal Farm? Is Robert Louis Stevenson a “horror” writer because he wrote The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? How about Cormac McCarthy? No one would ever deem him a “horror” writer, but then how does one categorize The Road? And yet I’ve never heard Anthony Burgess referred to as a “horror” writer or a “science fiction” writer. The genre in which the story falls is not nearly as important as the story itself.Īfter all, how would one categorize A Clockwork Orange? Is it horror? Yes. The motivation for this, of course, lies in commerce, as well as questionable (and outdated) notions about the consumer mind.īut this can be an unfair burden, as writers are far less compartmentalized in their thinking. They want a writer’s work to fit neatly into a specific genre. Publishers love categories, as do bookstores.

Let me stop you before you give it too much thought because, in truth, there is no such thing.Ī writer is simply. Perhaps even more importantly, if I were to ask you to name your favorite “horror” writers, what names would be included on the list? We can all agree that clowns are terrifying, but the specific reasons why we find them horrifying are individual to each of us. No two people look at it from exactly the same vantage point, and no two people fear the same thing in exactly the same way. And this is the reality one must immediately confront when editing a horror/suspense anthology.Īs an emotional facet of a story, horror is startlingly subjective. The truth of the matter is this: Everyone’s idea of what constitutes “horror” is different. If I were to ask you the question, “What is horror?,” how would you respond?

The Burning Maiden by Greg Kishbaugh