While the fústar/Tuppenceworth crossover FIZZOO!¹ slowly gathers momentum (quietly bubbling and fizzing away) I thought I'd fill an idle hour by launching another partially baked project.

Though I have, as regular visitors may be aware, a great affection for horror in all its many forms and guises (literary, cinematic, comic-booky, video-gamey etc) I only rarely find myself experiencing that delicious frisson of dreadful pleasure that the best horror can elicit.

That's not to say that I don't enjoy the "Boo!" factor of much mainstream (cinematic) horror. Sudden, unexpected jolts of shock and surprise are always fun…at least in this context. What the exact psychological mechanics of this "enjoyment" actually are is a (much-discussed) issue that need not detain us here. I've my own thoughts about why people part with their hard-earned mula to be terrified or (in the case of torture/body horror) disgusted but have no real desire to submit this phenomenon to prosaic (banal) analysis.

A feature of such (entertaining) "Boo!" horror is that feelings of fear/anxiety tend to fade quickly from memory when the credits roll (or with the break of day). While this is (on one level) comforting, I often find the speedy return to "normality" disappointing! I want to be freaked out, unnerved, shaken up, challenged (etc) and I want those feelings to last.

Lingering feelings of dread (and that's a key word in terms of the project) might not, on the face of it, seem all that desirable but they can be liberating and intoxicating (at least for me). Dread can, after all, bypass the rational mind and punch you where it hurts – in deeply-buried and (dodgy word this) "primal" fear centres. Being thus penetrated (ooer) can temporarily banish the burdens of the quotidian and give us glimpses of the sublime (with the end product possibly being the kind of "taken out of oneself" sensation people often associate with "feeling alive").

I could ramble on like this for hours but I'll cut to the chase. The simple aim of this little project (provisionally called "Dreadful Thoughts") is to get "us" reading and writing horror (since written horror is what's most capable of giving me the heebie-jeebies). This will work as follows…

1) Dreadful Thoughts Story Club: Once a week/fortnight (or whenever takes my fancy) a short horror story will be chosen (by me or a reader) for the club. Anyone who feels the urge can then go off and read it before returning here for friendly discussion, debate and dissection (preferably with the assistance of a glass of wine or two). I'll be putting up separate posts for this purpose and this is where all comments can go.

The one restriction (other than the focus being exclusively on short stories) is that the chosen tale must be available to read online in its entirety (ensuring that everyone can access it). Links to a few useful story archives can be found at the bottom of this post.²

2) The second part of the Dreadful Thoughts project is more demanding (and may over-burden those already struggling with FIZZOO! scripts). Given that horror benefits (in my opinion) from the limited space and tight restrictions of the short story form I thought it'd be fun to try and write our own. To make this doable and easily readable (for people with limited time on their hands) I suggest a 500 word limit on each story.

This might seem to limit the tales to mere vignettes or snapshots of horror but such severe restrictions can be advantageous – focusing the mind and forcing the narrative to be peeled back to its essentials. I'll (hopefully) kick this off next week with my own offering about a stain! That may, for good or ill, set the tone and kick-start some contributions from you dear readers. Go ahead. Scare me shitless.

As for the Dreadful Thoughts Story Club the first choice is (unsurprisingly) mine. My pick comes from the Poe-like pen of Munster's own Fitz-James O'Brien (1828-1862). Here it be:

1) "What Was it?" (pdf) (html) (Google Books)³

Off ye go now and do yer homework. We'll reconvene in a few days to pour over the story's bones.

Links:

Classic Horror Short Stories

Horror Masters

Update 04/02/08 – The Story Club shall meet around 8-ish this coming Wednesday to discuss "What Was it?". Hope that suits everyone.

P.S: The blog has received several nominations in the Irish Blog Awards long lists: Best Blog, Best Blog Post (x2), Most Humorous Post, Best Designed Blog, Best Arts & Culture Blog & Best Pop-Culture Blog. Greetings Earthlings got a couple of nods too. Many thanks to all who voted.

1. A girl's comic by boys…and maybe some girls. [back]
2. If anyone knows of other interesting sources then please pop them in the comments section and I'll add them in as we go along. [back]
3. From H. P. Lovecraft's Book of the Supernatural: 20 Classics of the Macabre [back]

Update 23/01/08 – I've emailed a few people who've shown (or casually expressed) interest in FIZZOO! to discuss format, structure, page & word count etc. If anyone else fancies getting involved please email me (or leave a comment below) and I'll forward details on to you. Remember, it's very much an amateur exercise. So come one, come alll.

A new year. A new project.

After sampling anew the girls' comic delights that have been on show here o'er the last few months, Tuppenceworth's luverly Simon McGarr (a recent McDaddy) mailed me with a proposal.

Like me he grew up supplementing his regular comics intake with surreptitious dips into the wonderful worlds of Bunty, Misty, Mandy et al. These dips have left lasting impressions – ensuring that he and I remain committed fans of the "girl comic" and all its conventions.

And so…after some thought (about 10 minutes' worth) we've decided to create FIZZOO! A Girls' Comic…by Boys (and maybe some girls).¹

Fizoo! will (when/if it gets going) be hosted online here, feature 1-2 page collaborations between interested writers and artists, and attempt to offer askew (or even twisted) takes on such girls' comic staples as…gothic horror, schoolgirl misery, orphans, ponies, supernatural companions etc., etc.

Such a venture does, of course, run the risk of wandering into territory covered ad nauseam by Viz. A concerted-ish effort needs, then, to be made to avoid Viz's tried and tested goofy scatologica. In other words, don't expect to see something like…em…"Mavis McGog and her vomiting Dog". Actually, that's pretty funny…so ignore all previous remarks.

The first two stories will be tackled by Simon and myself – with art likely to be supplied by the fabulous "Q". To keep it going we're going to need fresh blood and fresher imaginations. If any of you regular (or irregular) readers fancy having a go at either d'writing or d'illustrating of a story then please leave a message below (or email me…see sidebar).

The aim is to be fairly slavishly faithful to the feel of Bunty, Mandy (et al) but with (as I said) a dirty twist or two.

Let us know what ye think.

P.S: I wrote the above after 2 pints of Guinness, 2 glasses of red wine, a brandy and a hot port…so if I gobble my gook please forgive me.

P. P. S: In other news – Greetings Earthlings has finally been updated.

1. Name subject to the whims of change. [back]