Can an atheist be a decent horror writer?

Enricko · Post by **Enricko** » 2003-01-29 09:38pm

I say an overzealous religion oriented author could make the biggest pile of shit when it come to writing an horror story. If the author doesn't understand human nature, his assumptions could spoil a good horror idea. Take the movie Signs...
...
...
I rest my case!

For an author to be really honest, he must stick to biographies and never ventures into fiction.

XPViking · Post by **XPViking** » 2003-01-30 12:27am

So what you're saying Enriko is that people should just write textbooks? You do realize that even a biography can be skewed, right?

XPViking

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2003-01-30 12:35am

Don't mind him - he's from Quebec.

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2003-01-30 12:45am

It is possible to write excellent fiction in any genre without any religious beliefs, HOWEVER, all authors must have at least some knowledge of basic Biblical stories in order to be literate. They help authors make allusions to different texts, and frankly, Biblical imagery is a quick, easy, and very effective manner in which to make a work have a greater emotional impact on a large portion of the population.

The fact that most horror writers are religious is likely caused by the comparative lack of horror writers, and by the fact that because horror writing almost invariably involves the supernatural, it is rare for atheists or agnostic people to dabble in it. They are more drawn to dramas and sci-fi/fantasy fields, in which religious allusions tend to be less effective.

Post by **Edi** » 2003-01-30 02:04am

I might actually read more horror stuff if most of it wasn't so wrapped around the Christianity thing. Demons and possession etc get tired after a while. I've read a couple of horror stories based on Native American and African myths, and they were a very refreshing change from the usual run of the mill stuff. Not that I read much horror, mind, so I'm not an expert, but what little I've seen seems to be pretty repetitive. There are more cultures than just the Western Christian tradition to draw on, something which is too rarely utilised.

As for writing, I don't see why any sort of religious convictions would be necessary for honest writing. If anything, I'd see such convictions as more of a hindrance. They can blind you if you're not careful. Better to have an open mind and a basic understanding of how people of a certain persuasion think and then write the characters to be convincing as people (even if you disagree with their religious beliefs), that'll do the trick well enough. Imagination and practice in using it, coupled with some research (even light research) go a long way.

Edi

Boba Fett · Post by **Boba Fett** » 2003-01-30 03:08am

If you want to write about something you don't have to believe in it!

It's enough if you study the theme.

Ps: Lovecraft was atheist, as far as I remember.

Edit: ...as Spanky already said it!

Patrick Degan · Post by **Patrick Degan** » 2003-01-30 04:46am

All that is really required for horror writing is to know what terrifies human beings at the most basic level. That is the key.

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2003-01-30 09:06am

Darth Wong wrote:It is easier to write about things you've experienced. Having said that, going to church on Sundays does not give you experience in dealing with armies of undead zombies

Erm... I thought that being in a fundamentalist church on a Sunday would be a lot like being surrounded by an army of zombies.

Enricko · Post by **Enricko** » 2003-01-30 04:18pm

XPViking: What I should have said is that to be honest, an author shouldn't show his bias and research his subject. And yes, even autobiographie can be skewed.

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:Don't mind him - he's from Quebec.

aaarrrggghhh!
Release a whole pack of genetically-engineered rabbits on Spanky!

Utsanomiko · Post by **Utsanomiko** » 2003-01-30 04:21pm

Enricko wrote:XPViking: What I should have said is that to be honest, an author shouldn't show his bias and research his subject. And yes, even autobiographie can be skewed.

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:Don't mind him - he's from Quebec.

aaarrrggghhh!
Release a whole pack of genetically-engineered rabbits on Spanky!

He's revealed his true colors!! Run for your lives!!

*Puts up "English only; that means YOU, Quebec" signs and sets automated turrets to flak-burst*

Post by **NecronLord** » 2003-01-30 04:29pm

Darth Wong wrote:It is easier to write about things you've experienced. Having said that, going to church on Sundays does not give you experience in dealing with armies of undead zombies, accursed mummies that rise from the dead, demon invaders from a parallel dimension, etc. So I don't see why a Christian would have an advantage over an atheist when writing about such things.

I would say that a Christian (or an atheist who has studied the Bible) would have a leg up if he's writing a story about Christianity, but not horror stories.

Yes it does. All those people lined up chanting about their master. Haven't you seen The Mummy (recent version) Just replace Im-ho-tep with Je-e-sus...

If they Jesus they beleive in isn't an accursed mummy...

The avrage 'revival' meeting is possibly as close as you can get to a vergence in which evil deamons from alternate dimensions of eternal torment arise. These Deamons are known as "Ministers."

Raoul Duke, Jr. · Post by **Raoul Duke, Jr.** » 2003-01-30 04:32pm

Okay, Cyber, let me see if I can take a stab at this one:

Stephen King is, in fact, one of my stronger writing influences. I can tell you from what I recall of his bio that he was raised, IIRC, Protestant. His use of religious motifs is actually quite deft and even believable. He portrays God in Desperation in much the same way that The Force is portrayed in SW. His portrayal of God in The Stand is closer to the traditional biblical portrayal, with Mother Abigail serving as a Moses figure.

In my own work, where I have dealt with God (or Gods, in my case) I portray them more in keeping with the Viking concept of Gods as just smarter, stronger, better-looking immortal humans (perhaps the original humans on which we Homo Sapiens Sapiens were patterned.)

While any of these portrayals make for excellent conflict dynamics and character motivators, I (and I presume to speak for other writers as well) do not believe in them fully. If I did, I wouldn't be able to use them in a story -- it would be bad for "my" faith; and worse, it would be bad for the story.

Lord_Xerxes · Post by **Lord_Xerxes** » 2003-01-30 04:46pm

CyberMacGyver wrote:I am wondering if someone lacking basic religious beliefs could write a decent horror tale/novel/book... and by decent I mean honest... let's face the facts:

Gotta love the fact that this kid is suggesting that preference choices/beliefs or lack their of, has anything to do with one's skill as a writer.

"Id-iot"

Enricko · Post by **Enricko** » 2003-01-30 06:49pm

Darth Utsanomiko wrote:
Enricko wrote:
Spanky The Dolphin wrote:Don't mind him - he's from Quebec.

aaarrrggghhh!
Release a whole pack of genetically-engineered rabbits on Spanky!
He's revealed his true colors!! Run for your lives!!
*Puts up "English only; that means YOU, Quebec" signs and sets automated turrets to flak-burst*

You cannot defeat Québec! We combine the most annoying features from the Frenchs, the Brits and the Americans!!!

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2003-01-30 07:04pm

Wouldn't that mean you run away very rudely?

Enricko · Post by **Enricko** » 2003-01-30 07:29pm

Ghost Rider wrote:Wouldn't that mean you run away very rudely?

At last, somebody who understands us! As a reward, I'll give you the adress of PAUL JACQUES Jr. and a Molotov Cocktail, but only if you promise you'll be a good boy...

XPViking · Post by **XPViking** » 2003-01-31 07:50am

XPViking : What I should have said is that to be honest, an author shouldn't show his bias and research his subject. And yes, even autobiographie can be skewed. - Enricko

Fair enough. One should strive to be objective. But I believe there's a difference between writing for a newspaper and writing a novel, in that with the latter a writer may intend to portray a message which reveals a bias. I'd think that a writer's bias can be understood after enough sifting.

XPViking

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2003-01-31 09:01am

What ever Barker is he has to be pretty lapsed.

Peter Stroud <Actually ghost story and Koko are some of the scariest most believable horror I have read>again I have no idea what his beliefs are.

Colin Wilson (father of parapsychic detective story, psych profiler, and really spooky vampire story writer, and Cthutlu writer), is Agnostic. Also Ritual in the Dark, and The Glass Cage, are both very scary as it presents the ripper as a follower of the Golden Dawn, attempting to gain inmortality, while the latter is about a serial killer trying to create the "End times" through an obsession with William Blake.

Paul F. Wilson: Very well written tense and introspective, shows lots of understanding for Jewish, Orthodox, Hindu, and other cultures scary stuff.

I don't think this

StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Can an atheist be a decent horror writer?

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