Creep-tastic Ingredients for Spooky Stories From A Queen of Horror: Miracle Austin

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Hello everyone! Today, the talented Miracle Austin is here with me, discussing creepy writing! Enjoy, and learn from a master! Be sure to check out her books and other writings. They're absolutely fantastic and deliciously creepy.



Creepy Writing Tips

Salutations, readers, I want to take this time to thank Miss Julia Benally for inviting me to her blog. Before I dive into the topic above, I wish to introduce myself.

My name is Miracle Austin, and I’ve been writing off and on, since junior high. A few years ago, I rediscovered my love for writing. I must confess that I never thought I would become an author. Well, four books later, it is my reality.

As you may have guessed, my favorite genres to write include the horror and supernatural realms. I was introduced to both when I was a pre-teen and teen in the late 70s and 80s, via listening to a spooky AM radio series on Friday nights with my mom. Watching scary movies and later reading books by Stephen King, Edgar Allan Poe, R.L. Stine, and other authors sealed my passion for horror.

Now, let’s move on to a few tips I’ve used when I create my creepy tales…

FEAR:

You first need to ask yourself, what do I fear? Define your fears and how they make you feel, then use them in your writing. Also, explore what others fear, directly and indirectly.

IMAGINATION:

This is vital to any genre of writing. Don’t be afraid to tap into this magical world. Return to your childhood and early teen years—recall what lived under your bed or in your closet. Think about the things that scared you the most (maybe made-up monsters or real ones) and capture those things in your writing.

IDEAS:

The beauty of ideas is that they can sprout from anywhere—a memory, song lyric, personal conversations, book, magazine, social media post, movie—even a commercial or a reality TV show. Think on this: Stephen King read an article years ago about telekinesis in LIFE magazine. He took two unrelated ideas—teen bullying and telekinesis—and Carrie was born.

Furthermore, he didn’t like the first few pages of Carrie and tossed them in the trash. Thank goodness that his wonderful wife dug them out and encouraged him to continue, because she wanted to know how the story would end. Well, Carrie went on to sell millions of copies. The book along with the original movie and several remakes continues to sell today. I’m sure the movie will be remade again in the future, though the original will always be my fave!

Side note~ I would love to see a series based on Carrie, especially exploring Mr. White’s special abilities and Carrie’s early milestones, and possibly featuring her step-siblings. If Carrie had never been written, then Stranger Things may not exist today or may have gone in a totally different direction.

In other words, don’t be afraid to write about what moves you or mashing eccentric ideas together, because it could turn out to be a smash hit! It’s okay to think under, over, and beyond the box.

READ:

Of course, read what you enjoy. For me it’s horror, the supernatural, and poetry. However, I’ve learned to branch out, and I also read mysteries, romance, biographies, and westerns. You’ll be surprised, my friend, where those ideas, along with your brilliant imagination, end up taking you on your writing journey. So, read everything you can. Even newspaper articles can lead to creep~tastic stories.

~BIO~

Miracle Austin is a social worker by day and a writer by night. She’s a YA/NA cross-genre hybrid author.

Doll, her debut YA/Paranormal novel, won 2nd place in the YA category in the 2016 Purple Dragonfly Awards.

She’s a Marvel/DC/Horror/Stranger Things Fan~Girl who loves attending teen book events, comic cons, and diverse book festivals.

Miracle lives in Texas with her family, and she enjoys hearing from readers.



Twitter/InstaGram: @MiracleAustin7

Facebook: Miracle Austin Author

Website: www.miracleaustin.com




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