JD Adamsson
asked
Mark White:
Hi Mark I also write about the supernatural and I am constantly thinking of blog articles to write. I am currently mulling what it is about supernatural/horror written by British writers that sets them apart from other writers in the genre? Any thoughts? And do you mind me quoting? I'd be happy to provide a link to a website if you have one. Regards, JD Richardson
Mark White
Hi JD,
It's a very interesting question that you ask. My two favourite horror authors when I was growing up were Stephen King and James Herbert, which as you know come from different sides of the Atlantic. Whilst it's difficult to describe how their work differs, it's fair to say that their writing is very different in many ways, and I think the main reasons are the setting and the language.
British horror authors (for example Adam Nevill, Susan Hill and Kate Mosse) tend in my experience to be slightly more descriptive in setting the scene and have a more literary style to their writing, whereas non-British authors are better at cutting to the chase and using a 'thriller' style of writing (shorter sentences etc). There are of course numerous exceptions to this, and I wouldn't want to overly stereotype.
I like both styles, but I think it's fair to say that British authors are less likely to be accepted by US readers than US authors by us British. Maybe that's why Stephen King, Dean Koontz and others are very popular in the UK, but writers like James Herbert never really took off in the US despite being hugely popular at home.
Hope that helps!
Mark
It's a very interesting question that you ask. My two favourite horror authors when I was growing up were Stephen King and James Herbert, which as you know come from different sides of the Atlantic. Whilst it's difficult to describe how their work differs, it's fair to say that their writing is very different in many ways, and I think the main reasons are the setting and the language.
British horror authors (for example Adam Nevill, Susan Hill and Kate Mosse) tend in my experience to be slightly more descriptive in setting the scene and have a more literary style to their writing, whereas non-British authors are better at cutting to the chase and using a 'thriller' style of writing (shorter sentences etc). There are of course numerous exceptions to this, and I wouldn't want to overly stereotype.
I like both styles, but I think it's fair to say that British authors are less likely to be accepted by US readers than US authors by us British. Maybe that's why Stephen King, Dean Koontz and others are very popular in the UK, but writers like James Herbert never really took off in the US despite being hugely popular at home.
Hope that helps!
Mark
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May 07, 2015 08:09AM · flag