7/8/2023 0 Comments Alexis henderson booksThey had learned to prevail as champions over fear while in turn, I floundered, consumed by it. In comparison to the masters of the genre-the Shirley Jacksons and the Stephen Kings-I felt like a pitiful farce. I began to question whether or not I have the mental stamina required to excel in my trade of choice. While writing my own dark stories, I often ached for some reprieve or escapism. On the bad days, it can be painful and even triggering. On the good days, writing about the things that I fear most is an exhilarating, and yes triumphant experience. But I’ve come to realize that’s not entirely true. I would like to say that writing horror was some triumphant attempt to prevail over the anxieties that plagued me. As a person to whom fear is a kind of chronic condition, I didn’t understand why I repeatedly chose to engage the things that frightened me most. So it seemed strange that as I grew older, I chose to devote the bulk of my creative endeavors to the exploration of the horrific. Since the very beginning of my memories, fear has been a constant companion. As a child, friends and acquaintances often described me as timid or “high-strung.” I often remember being moved to tears-or worse yet terrified into a state of total detachment-by sudden fits of terror. I often describe myself as a deeply anxious person. Writing Dark Fiction: An Exercise In Self-Acceptance
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