Short stories and flash fiction from writer Simon John Cox.
Every writer knows about the dreaded writer's block. Whether you're working on flash fiction, a short story or a novel, there are times when you just hit a wall. Those words just. Will. Not. Come. Well, that's not a problem for me. Not any more, anyway. Because I've come up with a way to beat it that has been 100% effective for me. But don't worry, there's no need to hate me - I'm going to share it with you.
I was reading a book at the weekend that described someone as wearing "a nondescript hat", and it reminded me of how the word "nondescript" should have no place in fiction writing.
I write horror fiction from time to time, and one thing I've learned is that there are only really three possible horror book endings...
Often what stays with me from a novel is less the plot and more the characters who move within it. I find that I remember who they are and how they act long after the major plot points have faded from my sieve-like memory, and that I think of them almost in the same way… Continue reading How to write a great character name
I'm not a huge reader of horror, and I think that's largely because I generally don't find conventional horror fiction scary. I'm not sure why. I find horror films scary, in a way; not in the sense that I'm genuinely scared, but in the sense that I experience the cheap shocks and I appreciate the… Continue reading Dracula is only scary if you are scared by sex
Simon John Cox 