Thursday, April 6, 2017

#Horror Best Believable WJ Howard #B2BCyCon2017

Welcome to another view of horror during the B2BCyCon! 




Today author W.J. Howard shares some of her views on horror....   * Check out her books at the  B2BCyCon Book ExpoAuthor ShowcaseBlog Hop and Character Tournaments!
  **See all the Horror Genre links  & info HERE.
          Brain to Books Cyber Convention Site Link: http://b2bcycon.com/
Hashtag: #B2BCyCon2017
* I'm also at WJ Howar's blog talking about #Zombies and Real Life Crime (and Lizzie Borden!)

* Stalk the Monsters Horror Scavenger Hunt: Go to my website and look for the mini horror badge. Find what the miniature Mr. Skellie likes to read. Submit your answer HERE ONLY on the Horror blog hop page.


Horror Best Believable with a Daub of Blood



What is it about the horror genre that makes us want to transform the questionable into the believable?

Man has been telling scary stories for thousands of years, and scaring each other around the campfire continues to be a tradition. Today, technology has advanced our means of spreading fear. Google ‘real’ or ‘believable’ horror stories, and the results could traumatize you for the rest of your life. Search using a plethora of horrific hashtags on social media for an endless feed of the macabre.

Horror is based on a society's collective fears. We fixate on the things that horrify us and let it haunt our thoughts for hours or days. As long as a story touches on our base fears, and we can relate to the victims and villains, our fear of the unknown allows us to twist the unbelievable into the believable.

Horrific stories become more believable as they’re repeated. Urban legends have survived the test of time through word of mouth, while more recently Creepypasta has spread across the Internet. It’s like brainwashing. Despite the most bizarre circumstances, we cling to the believable aspects and perpetuate the myths.


  There are no limits to the outrageous things we’re willing to do to validate a horrific tale. Consider the Bloody Mary legend recited at slumber parties. Say her name -  (I believe in Mary Worth...)  - three times and she’ll appear in the mirror. How many times has this story been told among giddy teenage girls? And how many girls have been willing to go into the bathroom alone to recite her name, only to exit with self-inflicted scratch marks?

Our fears have evolved throughout history, especially as our understanding of the universe has come to light. Those things we now understand through scientific discoveries have eased our minds, but man’s creativity has led us into a new age of fears about things like weaponry and artificial intelligence. Fear of an unknown future has us believing the worst scenarios like the possibility of a zombie apocalypse.

We are forever remaking horror, man’s inhumanity to man and the bad things that happen to good people being among of our greatest influences. Each fantastic character, be it a vampire, zombie, or the next ghastly creation, must have a level of the believable for it to have the lasting dread we desire.


What horrific realities haunt you? 
Where do you see our fears taking our beliefs in the future?


W. J. Howard writes dark stories mixed with comedy for all ages. Her main focus is creating action-packed stories for young people who are looking for books as fast paces as video games. She is also appearing this weekend in the B2BCyCon Book Expo, Author Showcase, Blog Hop and Character Tournaments

3 comments:

  1. This was a fun one to write! Thanks for hosting me. Good luck to everyone on the scavenger hunt!

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  2. Nice post, Wendy. We have been scaring each other for millennia and I'm glad, because I love it, LOL!!

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    Replies
    1. It is SOOOO fun!! My favorite hobby. I can call it a hobby, right? LOL!

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