HOW THE HWA HELPED ME GET MY NOVEL PUBLISHED—AND WHY
YOU SHOULD JOIN THE ORGANIZATION

By Greg Lamberson

Growing up, my passion was pretty evenly divided between horror/science fiction literature and films. I decided on a career as a filmmaker, but after writing and directing three low budget horror features—SLIME CITY, UNDYING LOVE (released on video as NEW YORK VAMPIRE), and NAKED FEAR—I decided to write a novel, Personal Demons, based on an unproduced screenplay I'd written, THE FOREVER MAN.

I'd studied filmmaking at the School of Visual Arts, and had no formal training writing prose fiction; I'd never even taken a literature course. So I relied on two hardcover books for guidance: How to Write Horror Fiction and Writing Horror. The first book was written by legendary fantasist William F. Nolan (with whom I'd corresponded as a teenager) for Writer's Digest Books. The second book was edited by master author Mort Castle, and features numerous articles by the likes of Joyce Carol Oates, Robert Weinberg, David Morrell, and many others, on a wide variety of aspects of writing, selling, and marketing horror fiction. Writing Horror was also published by Writer's Digest, but bore the imprint of the Horror Writers Association.

Once I'd whittled my 600—page manuscript (double spaced) down to about 430 pages, I submitted it to the Writer's Digest Criticism Service—with a check for $684.00. Writer's Digest promised an evaluation by a published author in my genre, and since I knew no one in publishing, it seemed like a necessary step before submitting Personal Demons to agents.

While waiting for my evaluation, I researched the Horror Writers Association. Founded by Robert McCammon, Joe Lansdale, and others, and originally coined HOWL (Horror/Occult Writers League), the HWA is a professional writers organization, not a fan club. It boasts over 1,000 members, divided into three groups: Active members, who have been professionally published; Affiliate members, who are striving to achieve Active status; and Associate members, who are involved in aspects of publishing other than writing, (i.e. editors, booksellers, etc.).

When I initially toured the HWA Web site, I was unable to access its message board, which is restricted to enrolled membership. But I did read some articles and info available to the general public, including a series of essays by Scott Nicholson covering step-by-step the publishing process as he experienced it with his first novel, The Red Church. I devoured these articles in a single sitting, and learned more than I had after renewing my Writer's Digest subscription twice. I had to join this organization!

In 2002, the HWA only required its Affiliates to show a lifelong interest in and commitment to horror; I qualified because of my film work. Today, in an effort to strengthen its profile as a professional writers' group, applicants are required to prove that they have met minimal sales criteria.

John DeChancie, a science fiction author who dabbled in horror fiction like the Witchblade tie-in novels, critiqued Personal Demons for Writer's Digest. His evaluation ran nine single spaced pages—better than what some criticism services offer. The critique was positive, and DeChancie offered me some constructive criticism and formatting suggestions, which I took into account when I wrote my next draft. But was it worth almost $700.00? Some might say yes, but in retrospect, I have to say no. And this is no criticism of DeChancie; Writer's Digest sets the rates.

The HWA has a Mentorship program, but the waiting list is long. When I mentioned my frustration with the wait on a bb thread, a well-respected writer (who shall go nameless here, to prevent him from being deluged by requests from aspiring writers desperate for guidance) offered to be my Mentor. He read and criticized my entire ms, showed me how I was "telling, not showing," and how I used passive verbs instead of active verbs. In short, he taught me to write better. Now this is a guy with a job and a family, working on his own career, who took a considerable amount of time to point me in the right direction. Think about that.

Two other HWA members (who shall go nameless here, to prevent them from being deluged by requests from aspiring writers desperate for guidance) read Personal Demons and offered me feedback. Not only are they both published novelists, but they make their living as writers, and took time out of their busy schedules to offer me their advice. Each of the three writers who helped me pinpointed different weaknesses in my writing and made me a better storyteller.

I don't want to suggest that every professional HWA member is willing to help out every aspiring writer who joins the organization; a certain degree of networking is involved, and I'd built relationships with all three of these individuals. But the opportunities are there for every new member to take advantage of.

When I was convinced that my ms. for Personal Demons was as good as I could make it, I entered it into a contest, the Inaugural Anubis Award for Horror, sponsored by Broken Umbrella Press and judged by T.M. Wright, whose novels Strange Seed and A Manhattan Ghost Story inspired me in the 80s. I won the Grand Prize: $500.00, and publication as a limited edition, signed and numbered hardcover, with a trade paperback to follow. I know for certain that I wouldn't have won without the help of my HWA friends, and I'd still be throwing money at Writer's Digest.

The HWA provides its members with a monthly newsletter (for which I write a film column, The Cutting Room), an Internet Mailer, contract advice, a list of agents, membership discounts, an annual conference (the Stokers Banquet), local Chapters (I belong to both the NYC and Hudson Valley Chapters), and a bb on which professional and aspiring writers discuss everything: markets, sales, sports, politics, films, etc. Any query posted in the "Ask the Expert" board will yield several useful responses. There are arguments, of course, but the overriding sensibility is one of unity and support. Bob Weinberg, author of many novels, nonfiction books, and comic books, recently taught an online workshop on novel writing, with his novel, The Black Lodge, as the course study. You get a helluva lot for your annual $65.00 dues.

Of course, not everyone loves the HWA as much as I do. Some feel they've outgrown it and leave, others throw online temper tantrums or criticize it in other forums. But I recommend the Horror Writers Association for anyone interested in writing horror fiction. A lot of good and talented people will help you make the right choices and avoid sandtraps. If you haven't already done so, check them out today at www.horror.org.

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Greg Lamberson is the author of Personal Demons, his first novel, available from www.brokenumbrellapress.com and www.shocklines.com. He wrote and directed the horror films SLIME CITY, NEW YORK VAMPIRE, and NAKED FEAR, and writes a film column, The Cutting Room, for the HWA newsletter. He has sold reviews and articles to Hellnotes and H.P. Lovecraft's Magazine of Horror. You can contact him through his Web site, www.slimeguy.com.

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