Chapter 2 of a horror novel

batesey96 · Jul 27, 2014

Hey guys. It's me again.

So today, I managed to complete my plan for the post-apocalyptic horror novel I'm currently writing and I'm unsure of how to proceed.

Briefly, chapter 1 tells of the story of the main character (Michael) struggling to contain the reactor from melting down and scorching her earth. Throughout the chapter, there is direct speech from Michael via a voicemail left for his wife and daughter. The chapter ends with him blacking out as radiation erupts through the roof and spreads over the country.

Now... With chapter 2, I don't know whether to have a series of flashbacks leading up to the disaster or whether to carry on in a linear structure and sprinkle in bits about Michael's past throughout?

What is your advice?

Thanks!

T J Deen · Jul 27, 2014

time to introduce the villain.

batesey96 · Jul 27, 2014

T J Deen said:
time to introduce the villain.

What do you mean? There is no real antagonist in this, it's all a series of mutated beasts and hazards

Marlys · Jul 27, 2014

I think you need to learn to trust your instincts. Which seems more compelling to you as a writer? Which would you rather read if someone else had written it? Figure out what you want to do, then do it. You can always go back and try it the other way if it doesn't work.

But I'd like to gently discourage you from getting group opinion on every aspect of your novel. It's your story. You need to figure out the best way to write it. By all means, come here for help when you need it--but try to build up some confidence in your own decision-making process along the way.

Best of luck with it!

batesey96 · Jul 27, 2014

Marlys said:
I think you need to learn to trust your instincts. Which seems more compelling to you as a writer? Which would you rather read if someone else had written it? Figure out what you want to do, then do it. You can always go back and try it the other way if it doesn't work.

But I'd like to gently discourage you from getting group opinion on every aspect of your novel. It's your story. You need to figure out the best way to write it. By all means, come here for help when you need it--but try to build up some confidence in your own decision-making process along the way.

Best of luck with it!

Thank you for the advice

I'll be well on my way after chapter 2 I think. So after that I'll be able to work independently and get on with it.

T J Deen · Jul 27, 2014

batesey96 said:
What do you mean? There is no real antagonist in this, it's all a series of mutated beasts and hazards

oh, okay. sorry, that was my fault for not understanding the premise.

Galumph_Triumph · Oct 2, 2014

My book was difficult. I introduced the protagonist and antagonist within the first 3 pages. So Chapter 2 had to be interesting somehow. What I ended up doing was using tension relief - ch. 1 was super tense, so ch. 2 was much more relaxed. Like squeezing someone's throat and then letting them breathe a bit. Manipulate your audience.

Poet of Gore · Oct 3, 2014

batesey96 said:
Hey guys. It's me again.

So today, I managed to complete my plan for the post-apocalyptic horror novel I'm currently writing and I'm unsure of how to proceed.

Briefly, chapter 1 tells of the story of the main character (Michael) struggling to contain the reactor from melting down and scorching her earth. Throughout the chapter, there is direct speech from Michael via a voicemail left for his wife and daughter. The chapter ends with him blacking out as radiation erupts through the roof and spreads over the country.

Now... With chapter 2, I don't know whether to have a series of flashbacks leading up to the disaster or whether to carry on in a linear structure and sprinkle in bits about Michael's past throughout?

What is your advice?

Thanks!

do the latter. does it even matter why it happened?
sometimes less is better than more.
check out The Road to see what i mean

Chapter 2 of a horror novel

batesey96

T J Deen

A Necessary Evil

batesey96

Marlys

Resist. Love. Go outside.

batesey96

T J Deen

A Necessary Evil

Galumph_Triumph

Poet of Gore