| TIM CURRAN |
| LB: What author would you say has been the biggest influence on your work? TC: Probably H.P. Lovecraft. Not stylistically, because I don’t write like him. But I admire what it was he accomplished. His characters are generally uninteresting and flat, but the guy could write better atmospheric horror than just about anyone. He could mix historical fact with folklore and dark fantasy and make you think it was all true, that he was just repeating little-known facts. I mean serial killers and vampires are scary when done right, but those are localized horrors. Lovecraft’s view of cosmic horror, of things that could destroy our world without working up a sweat are truly disturbing. The idea that mankind is utterly insignificant, nothing but ants on a sidewalk, dwarves just about any other concept in supernatural horror. LB: What advice would you give to horror authors just starting out in the industry? TC: Well, I would advise them to get into good working habits right off. Make sure you write every day. For a lot us--myself included--that means no social life, but that’s the price you pay. You have to do it all the time if you want to get good at it, like anything else. And read, of course. Not just horror, but other genres and even literary fiction, non-fiction. Broaden yourself as much as you can. You’ll learn some of your best moves in genres outside of your own. And if you’re only reading modern horror writers, you’re missing out. There’s nothing wrong with liking Richard Laymon or Doug Clegg and being influenced by them, nothing wrong at all…just so long as you read the people they were influenced by, too. Horror has a long history and you need to study it and understand it. And be careful of being influenced by movies, most of them will teach you nothing about your craft except how to make another dumb zombie movie. |
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