What classes are ideal for the amatuer fantasy/horror authors?

Question

I'm in college right now and I'm really getting into the written life. I've wanted to write alot of horror books in the fantasy kind of world but would occasionally include some non-fiction horror books. But for the fantasy/horror, what kind of education or classes are really great for me? I'm going for English major, is that wise? Some say I should go for art. I don't see why. there's one class called Major English Writers. I might look at that one. As far as a transfer, what university really has alot of classes for writers? Something that can really focus me into the world of writing. It makes it easier on the editors so they don't have to correct my potential manuscripts.
Oh, I would also like to ask. What books should I read to really see how fantasy/horror books are? I heard HP lovecraft is a good one but i haven't read anything from the author.

Answer 1

One thing I would recommend is to take some history classes, especially classes that focus on how people lived in societies similar to the sort of thing you want to write about. This might involve a few classes in related disciplines like Anthropology or Archeology. That will help give your books better grounding.

To find out about fantasy/horror type books, you should read them. I wouldn't much recommend Lovecraft. I'm not a fan, and find his stories and especially his style repetitious. But it may work for you, and you should probably read a few of his stories just to get a feel for them.

You should read classics like Poe, Tolkien, and Mary Shelley of course, but also read more contemporary authors, to get an idea of how current fantasy is written and what sort of thing publishers look for. I read very little horror, but some current fantasy writers I like include C. S. Friedman, John Crowley, Klasky, Hughart, jacqueline Carey, and Robin Hobbs.

Answer 2

Basically, you need to take a trip to your school's job placement/career counseling office and take the measure yourself.

The "starving artist" stereotype didn't just pop out of nowhere...it's hard to make a living in that area, and usually it's in teaching to pay the bills, while you practice your own art on the side. And not everyone is cut out to be a teacher.

Go to the English department office and see if you can get some time with an advisor or a prof and ask them who teaches courses in the areas you like. Be prepared to read a lot of stuff you may not care for on the way to the stuff you do.

Oh yeah, some professors will allow you to do something called "independent study" which is basically a class just for you about a subject you pick, if you're game. Be sure to check with your college to see if this applies towards graduation, and if so, how many credits.

There are MFA (Master of Fine Arts) programs at various institutions which are well known like the Iowa Writers Workshop -- but they're difficult to get into, and then they can turn you off writing as well. One person in the IWW got his degree, and went off and became a bricklayer, or something similiar, because the joy was gone for him, and he was tired of having his work savaged by his peers in the workshop setting.

And it still doesn't mean you'll make it as a writer while you're alive.

Here's a short list of authors for SF/Horror:

Horror -- Stephen King, Poe, Lovecraft, Clive Barker (esp. Books of Blood), Ira Levin, Robert Bloch

SF: Heinlein, Asimov, Bradbury (the trinity), Fred Pohl, Spider Robinson (_Callahan Chronicals_),

Answer 3

History of the Genre:
Supernatural Horror in Literature by Howard Phillips Lovecraft Full-text online

Horror of the 20th Century : An Illustrated History by Robert E. Weinberg
This is a good book to pick up where the Lovecraft book leaves off, and students love the pictures.

Stephen King's Danse Macabre by Stephen King
A good overview of the genre, with an eye for the popular.

The Thrill of Fear: 250 Years of Scary Entertainment by Walter M. Kendrick
A good overview of the genre, with an eye for the more academic. This makes a great companion to Danse Macabre.

The Penguin Encyclopedia of Horror and the Supernatural by Jack Sullivan


Writing Horror:
Writing Horror by Edo Van Belkom
This might be a good one for middle and high school students, as it is written for the neophyte.

The following books go a little more in depth into the craft and the genre:
Writing Horror by Mort Castle and the Horror Writers Association

On Writing Horror: A Handbook by the Horror Writers Association edited by Mort Castle
The second edition, with tons of new content.

How to Write Tales of Horror, Fantasy and Science Fiction edited by J. N. Williamson


Anthologies:
Masterpieces of Terror and the Supernatural: A Treasury of Spellbinding Tales Old and New edited Marvin Kaye
If you are only going to get one anthology, this should be the one. An excellent sampling of great horror.

Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural by Phyllis Cerf Wagner
A good source for the classics of the genre.

The Dark Descent edited by David G. Hartwell
Collects the classic short stories in the genre. This and the following book are excellent introductions into the history of the genre.

Foundations of Fear edited by David Hartwell
Collects the longer classics in the genre (long short stories, novellas, and novelettes).


There are also new Year's Best anthologies that come out every year. If you want to show your students current trends in the genre, this would be a good way.

The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror edited by Ellen Datlow, Gavin J. Grant, and Kelly Link

The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror edited by Stephen Jones

Horror: The Best of the Year edited by John Betancourt

Critical Analysis of the Genre:
The Philosophy of Horror: Or, Paradoxes of the Heart by Noel Carroll

Horror edited by Steffen Hantke

The Horror Reader edited by Ken Gelder

Writing Horror and the Body: The Fiction of Stephen King, Clive Barker, and Anne Rice by Linda Badley

I'd also pick up:
On Writing by Stephen King
Zen & the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
A Writer's Life by Richard Laymon

For general books on writing:
Idiot's Guide to Writing a Novel by Thomas Monteleone (do not confuse with the Short Story one, the Novel one is one of the best books out there, and is written by a top Horror editor)

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King

Strunk & White's Elements of Style

After you finish your Bachelor's degree, if you are looking for a Master's program, check out Seton Hill University's Writing of Popular Fiction program. It's really the ONLY place for horror writers.
http://www.setonhill.edu/o/index.cfm?PID=13