Posted inArnzen News

Horror 101 – New Book for Writers

Horror 101: The Way Forward has just been released by Crystal Lake Publishing, and if you're a writer on the dark side, I highly recommend it. As Mort Castle wisely notes in the book's introduction, this book is a successor, of sorts, to JN Williamson's classic writer's guide, How to Write Tales of Horror, Fantasy and Science Fiction, and enters the canon of "essential reference" for the dark fiction author, alongside the HWA's On Writing Horror and Michael Knost's Writer's Workshop of Horror. It's a great collection of "advice from seasoned professionals" on how to sustain a career in the…
April 29, 2014Posted inArnzen News
Posted inData+Errata

Dexter Notes

I've been a longtime fan of the Dexter series on Showtime, and a new season (#7) is going to begin in about a month. I unfortunately don't subscribe to Showtime, having caught it through Netflix and Amazon Video on Demand in the past. But last month I picked up the entire run of the whole series (when I spotted it as a blu ray deal of the week on Amazon) and have begun watching it all over again, deliberately, studying this serial killer series for whatever new observations I can make the second time around and to uncover any lessons…
September 2, 2012Posted inData+Errata3 Comments
Posted inArnzen News

To Write Well…

The following is an excerpt from the front page of my Fiction Writing syllabus at SHU, which I posted to scribd and soundcloud as part of the course. I was surprised to find out tonight that it was highlighted as a "Featured Document" by scribd.com! Neat. To Write Well Here's the audio version, recorded for the students in the class to respond to. Teaching does take time away from my writing, but it's just as rewarding to me, and it's fun to share in the students' creative spirits. Our class is going to be doing a lot of experiments with…
August 22, 2012Posted inArnzen News
Posted inArnzen News

Many Genres Book Signing Friday 6/23 7-9pm at Seton Hill U.

The new instructional guide for writers that I co-edited, Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction will have a massive book signing at Seton Hill University -- a great opportunity for people in the area to not only buy the book, but get it signed by the many contributors in attendance. The launch will be part of a wine reception and book signing by Writing Popular Fiction alumni at the college. The event runs this Friday (6/23) from 7-9pm in the McKenna Center (look for the gymnasium) on the Seton Hill University campus on the hilltop in Greensburg,…
June 23, 2011Posted inArnzen News7 Comments
Posted inArnzen News Weblog Exclusive

“Scary Things”: An Address to the Class of 2011

[Here's a video of the speech cited below, posted by my friend, photographer/designer Bruce Siskawicz] "Scary Things" Professor of the Year Acceptance Speech by Michael A. Arnzen Seton Hill University Honor's Convocation Friday, May 13, 2011 President Boyle, Provost Gawelek, distinguished members of the stage, cherished faculty colleagues, dear staff, close friends and -- most importantly -- future alumnae of Seton Hill University…I thank you all for this dubious honor. I also want to thank two other major figures in my life, without whom I would not be here today: first, my wife, Renate, who chose to move from Germany…
May 13, 2011Posted inArnzen News, Weblog Exclusive5 Comments