"Write What You Know"

A common piece of advice in the writing world is "write what you know," which helps with authenticity and prevents embarrassing mishaps that might yank readers from the story. (The latter of which, admittedly, I've made plenty...onward and upward though.)

With horror, a genre that revels in the unknown, this can be tricky. Given the general subject matter, hopefully a person isn't writing from firsthand knowledge. (If you are, however, write a tell-all...you'll make more money lol.) However, the author can still draw from the well of experience to create something unique in a genre usually mocked for its dependence on tropes.

The best horror layers the personal over the terror-of-it-all; grounding the story despite the fact the floorboards are creaking and the walls are shaking and reality is shifting.

I tried to capture that sentiment in an article I wrote last year, published on writing ie (included below), which followed up on the publication of my second book, "The Lady in White: A Tale set in Rochester, New York." As I'm working on what will hopefully become my third novel, the importance of this has really resonated: write what you know, but don't be afraid to take it to strange places with flickering lights and howling winds...you'll probably learn something in the process.

https://www.writing.ie/interviews/the-lady-in-white-a-tale-set-in-rochester-new-york-by-zachary-finn/