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Horror Writers' Phrase Book: Essential Reference for All Authors of Horror, Dark Fantasy, Paranormal, Thrillers, and Urban Fantasy: Volume 1 (Writers' Phrase Books) Paperback – 20 Feb. 2015
Purchase options and add-ons
- Print length168 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication date20 Feb. 2015
- Dimensions15.24 x 0.97 x 22.86 cm
- ISBN-101507744927
- ISBN-13978-1507744925
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Product description
Review
--The Writing Lair
"Good stuff! [Jackson Dean Chase has created] a guide to help inspire a writer or someone who wants to get into this field."
--Kevin Hale, host of InHale Exhale on Live Paranormal Talk Radio
From the Author
The Horror Writers' Phrase Book is a project that was born out of frustration while I was writing my first horror story. I would often get stuck and have to dig through thousands of pages in dozens of novels hoping to find the inspiration to write similar scenes.
The problem with that approach was the amount of time it took, and how impossible it was trying to locate a few half-remembered sentences among oceans of text. Sure, I'd find a few, but never all of what I was looking for, so I thought to myself, "Wouldn't it be great to have all the inspiration I needed in just one book?"
I searched far and wide, but aside from a few written for the romance genre, there was nothing like what I wanted for horror. That's when I knew I had to write the Horror Writers' Phrase Book. Not becauseI claim to be the best writer in the world, but because I'm the only one who had the idea (and the guts) to do it.
HOW DO I USE THIS BOOK?
This book isn't designed to replace your creativity, it's intended to enhance it:
- You can use the descriptions in this book as writing prompts.
- You can use them "as is" or you can mix-and-match to create new ones.
- Maybe reading this book jars something loose to get you past the writers' block that's holding you back.
- Or maybe you think you can write these descriptions better than me. Good! Go for it, and let that competitive drive fuel your path to success.
MY PROMISE TO YOU
I have dedicated my life to championing my fellow authors. If you buy the Horror Writers' Phrase Book and need additional guidance regarding how to use it, my contact information is in the back of the book. Feel free to get in touch. I am happy to give advice and want nothing better than to see you succeed!
MORE WRITERS' PHRASE BOOKS ARE ON THE WAY
I've recently expanded the series to include the Post-Apocalypse Writers' Phrase Book and will be adding more books covering different genres soon.
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1st edition (20 Feb. 2015)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 168 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1507744927
- ISBN-13 : 978-1507744925
- Dimensions : 15.24 x 0.97 x 22.86 cm
- Best Sellers Rank: 1,307,489 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 251 in Thesauri
- 799 in Slang & Jargon Reference
- Customer reviews:
About the author
Jackson Dean Chase is a USA TODAY bestselling author and award-winning poet. His fiction has been praised as "irresistible" in Buzzfeed and "diligently crafted" in The Huffington Post.
VISIT HIS WEBSITE: www.JacksonDeanChase.com
Chase's books on writing have helped thousands of authors overcome writer's block and craft dynamite story hooks. As a ghostwriter and coauthor, his celebrity clients include actors, rock stars, and YouTube influencers.
With Daniel Mignault, Chase has coauthored the epic urban fantasy series, The Gods War. The four book series includes Titan, Titan: Kingdom of the Dead, Titan: Gift of Death, and Titan: Resurrection. As of March 2020, both the long awaited Book 4 and the Titan Quadrilogy (complete series bundle) are available exclusively direct from the author.
In November 2017, Chase collaborated with a team of 25 other writers to market Marked by Fate, the first-ever multi-author Young Adult SFF box set. It reached #58 on the USA TODAY bestseller list, selling over 10,000 units in a week and becoming the #1 bestselling Teen & Young Adult Dystopian book on Amazon.com.
VISIT HIS WEBSITE: www.JacksonDeanChase.com
REVIEWS
"[Jackson Dean Chase is] a fresh and powerful new voice."
-- Terry Trueman, Printz Honor author of Stuck in Neutral
"[Chase] grabs readers from page one."
― Nate Philbrick, author of The Little One
"[Jackson Dean Chase] succeeds in taking fiction to a whole new level."
-- TheBaynet.com
"Irresistible... [Jackson knows how to write] a heart-pounding story full of suspense, romance, and action!"
-- Buzzfeed
A MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR:
I've always loved science fiction, fantasy, and horror, but it wasn't until I combined them with pulp thrillers and noir that I found my voice as an author. I want to leave my readers breathless, want them to feel the desperate longing, the hope and fear my heroes experience as they struggle not just to survive, but to become something more.
Join me as I take you on a journey you'll never forget!
— Jackson Dean Chase
www.JacksonDeanChase.com
_____________________
ABOUT OUT-OF-PRINT BOOKS
All the crazy prices on my out-of-print books are set by third party sellers, not me. I don't make any money on them, and there's no reason you should buy them. That's because all my out-of-print writing guides have been revised, retitled, and expanded as brand-new editions.
How to Write Realistic Characters (2015), How to Write Realistic Men (2015), and How to Write Realistic Women (2017) are now all in one book as Writing Heroes and Villains.
How to Write Monsters, Aliens, and Fantasy Creatures (2016) is now Writing Monsters and Maniacs.
How to Write Zombies and Post-Apocalyptic Fiction (2016) is now Writing Apocalypse & Survival, with more focus given to natural disasters and non-zombie apocalypses, including two new plot templates.
How to Start Your Novel (2016) is now Writing Dynamite Story Hooks. It's been greatly expanded but is missing the case studies from How to Start Your Novel, so that would be the only reason to pick up a copy of the old version.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings, help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyses reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonTop reviews from United Kingdom
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- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 February 2016I immediately homed in on this book as I had found books like 'Sybrina's phrase thesaurus' and 'The Emotional Thesaurus' very usefulness in my writing pursuits. So, to have one specifically focused on horror was a no brainier for me. I wasn't disappointed. Jackson Dean Chase has produced an easily navigable e-book, thoughtfully laid out and full of rich phrases that you can either use out of the box, or (in my case) as mental stimulation to come up with new, original descriptions. The big advantage of these type of books is that they allow a writer to plough on with a first draft while still writing satisfying prose. I can't recommend this book more highly for all horror and dark fantasy writers. Keep a look out for his other genre phrase books too.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 June 2018A great product for a great price It has helped me a lot as I’ve just started writing
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 June 2015I enjoyed this book because even though this writer is passionate about his work, as a horror writer, he isn't pretentious, unlike other how-to books I have read.
I would also like to point out, that constructive critism is good, and very welcome to writers who are truly serious about their craft, but a hatchet job is another thing entirely, and is to be deplored. Life's too short to be that bitter and as fellow human beings and writers we should learn to support each other.
I originally gave this book 4 stars but added an extra star purely because of the over the top vitriol it received from others. Lighten up people; though this book is hardly Shakespeare, it held my attention.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 March 2015This has to be the funniest book I've read in months - unintentionally, of course. A book that lauds itself as an essential reference for all authors of horror (according to the blurb on the front cover) and with no fewer than 3,000 ways to describe death, gore, maniacs and monsters, it is in fact hilariously funny from start to finish. Cheesier than a Big Mac, more stilted than a slice of Stilton (get settled in for the cheese reference, folks), and with more clunky cliches than a tabloid newspaper report, it should at no point be used by anyone who writes horror as a tool for 'inspiration'. None of these suggestions should appear in your writing. EVER. (And I'm a published horror writer, so I know of what I speak, believe me.) Run any of these colossally cheesy examples of dire durge past your editor/publisher and they'll disown you instantly.
But what it lacks in relevance to horror writers as any kind of a resource it more than makes up in entertainment value. Open at random, pick an example and I'll guarantee you'll be laughing before you get to the end of the sentence. This book included examples of writing that were so cheesy I Camembert to bring myself to describe them (see what I did there? With the cheesy reference again?).
Marvelously funny, wonderfully entertaining but utterly, utterly useless as a reference guide of any sort.
Top reviews from other countries
- Melissa AKA LoneCreatureTMReviewed in the United States on 22 June 2015
5.0 out of 5 stars In a writer's bog? This book can help get you out.
Quick update to my review:
After several discussions yesterday afternoon comments I wanted to share: 1. it's hard to write outside of one's own experiences so a tool like this may help step outside that, particularly if you don't have time to join a writing community 2. any tools are helpful to a writer just be aware of cliche but know that all stories, lyrics, and scripts for movies have repeated phrases 3. this tool may help to stop all your characters sounding the same - it may spear you off into another direction to develop a new voice 4. any tool adds to the body of knowledge that's out in the community today, so be selective and decide if this tool is for you. Finally, I feel it is good to use many tools and discuss how to manipulate phrases to make them unique to your story. Writing a book is hard work and most of us will get stuck at some time.
Old review:
When you get stuck as a writer it can be frustrating and Jackson's phrase books are useful tools as prompts. In fact, Jackson makes this clear that the books are 'writing prompts', and in no way are they shortcuts.
Don't think this book is going to tell you how to write or that it offers the lazy way out, what it will do is nudge the writer's brain when you are stuck. My opinion is grab a pen and the phrase book and manipulate the phrases to come up with something unique to your story.
Every writer needs help, and it's hard work. This book will help you get out of a bog, but I use it anyway when watching TV to 'design' new phrases unique to my story.
Thanks J
- JZReviewed in the United States on 6 November 2015
5.0 out of 5 stars You'll still have to sell your own books...
Is this book going to make you write a full length novel in a few short weeks? Is it going to give you a Shakespearean vocabulary? Is it going to make your work stand out from the rest, and literally sell books for you?
No. Of course not, no phrase book, self-help book, or guide is going to do any of those things for you. This phrase book, if properly used, has the potential to offer some creative ideas you may not have considered. I'm a technically-minded person, and I often write the bulk of my content at once, just to go back later and refine phrasing as I edit.
This book, as well as the other writers' phrase books Jackson D. Chase has published, can be used as a tool to assist creatively. I look at everything I read as a chance to learn something. Certain things teach more than others, but there is inherent value in everything. If there is even one idea I like in a publishing book, guide, or phrase book, I consider it to be help that I wouldn't have had otherwise. This book provides a handful of creative ideas for me, and I really appreciate that.
You'll still have to sell your own books, and by that I mean "this book isn't the answer to becoming a great author". It's just another handy tool that may provide some ideas on your writing.
- Dan Raymond AasReviewed in the United States on 5 December 2015
4.0 out of 5 stars Great
A real "down to the bones" book I was looking for. Really liked it.
- VanessaReviewed in the United States on 30 March 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Essential to a Writer's Success
Most writers crave immortality. We want to write something memorable, whether the story is horrific, morbid, action-packed, or historical. So, how do we get there? What can I do to transform a forgettable sentence, one with no flair, into one that elicits an emotional or physical response?
The man was mad. OR Spittle rained over the man’s desk as his savage temper reigned over him.
I needed to get out of my own head. My sentences were short, monotone, and forgettable. We can’t have that, now can we?
Chase’s books are vital to all writers who want to submerge their thoughts and writing into a hellfire pit of glorious immortality.
- Anna ErishkigalReviewed in the United States on 28 September 2015
5.0 out of 5 stars Chainsaws? Death by cannibals? Strangulation? It's all here...
It's been a long time since I giggled while reading a boring old author 'how to' book, but chainsaws? Death by cannibals? Strangulation? And all the ways you can describe a body reacting to poison? It SHOULDN'T be funny because, taken out of context, all of these little descriptive tags might seem cliche. But boy do they get the creative juices flowing! Especially for a writer like me, whose professed genre isn't horror, but the story demands a bit of gruesomeness when dealing with the bad guy. Rearrange these little tags. Mix them up with words unique to your story. Put them in a sentence and, like Cinderella appearing at the ball, your prose will become more horror-able.