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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

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 44 ratings

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USA TODAY bestselling author Jackson Dean Chase gives you the tools and inspiration to instantly write better horror!Arranged for quick, easy reference, the Horror Writers' Phrase Book contains over 3,000 ways to describe death, gore, hauntings, monsters, weapons, and more—plus writing exercises and a full range of dark emotions. Before using this book: "The chainsaw cut her neck."After using this book: "The buzzing blade savaged her soft, white throat."See the difference? You can also use it to spice up your next paranormal romance.For example, take this boring sentence: "She made out with the vampire."And turn it into: "Their hungry mouths fed on each other in the darkness."Whatever your style of weird fiction, the Horror Writers' Phrase Book is the perfect tool to bring your creativity to life!

Product description

Review

"A book of chilling inspiration [and] a soon to be indispensable reference guide for dark scribes everywhere. If you finish this book with at least one sharpened tool in your writing arsenal, it's worth your investment."
--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

WHY I WROTE THIS BOOK
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.
This is a book of ideas and inspiration for authors at every level. If you think you know everything about how to write, no book can help you. But the truth is, nobody knows everything. Not me, not you. We can all improve our writing. This book is one way to do it, and I hope it helps you as much as it helped me.

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.

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
  • Customer reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 44 ratings

About the author

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Jackson Dean Chase
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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

4.5 out of 5 stars
44 global ratings

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Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 February 2016
    I 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.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 June 2018
    A 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 2015
    I 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.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 March 2015
    This 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.
    11 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Melissa AKA LoneCreatureTM
    5.0 out of 5 stars In a writer's bog? This book can help get you out.
    Reviewed in the United States on 22 June 2015
    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
  • JZ
    5.0 out of 5 stars You'll still have to sell your own books...
    Reviewed in the United States on 6 November 2015
    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 Aas
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great
    Reviewed in the United States on 5 December 2015
    A real "down to the bones" book I was looking for. Really liked it.
  • Vanessa
    5.0 out of 5 stars Essential to a Writer's Success
    Reviewed in the United States on 30 March 2020
    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 Erishkigal
    5.0 out of 5 stars Chainsaws? Death by cannibals? Strangulation? It's all here...
    Reviewed in the United States on 28 September 2015
    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.