The Language of Horror

Interview with David Hoffman, co-publisher of THE QUIET ONES
By Anita Fitch Pazner

As favorite months go, October hovers pretty near the top of my list. The pumpkin spice lattes, the apples, the cider, the cool, breezy evenings filled with bone-chilling horror movies always remind me that I am, indeed, truly alive. To be totally honest, my idea of a horror movie is Hocus Pocus with Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker. I love the humor/horror more than the afraid-to-close-my-eyes and hide-under-the-covers type of horror. Psychological thrillers are another story all together. Especially when they come in the form of a fabulously written book. How do they build all that tension? Make me sit on the edge of my seat? And how can I apply that to my own work in progress?

I don’t have time to tear apart and reconstruct wildly successful horror novels. Lucky for me (and SCBWI-MI) we have the perfect remedy.

David Hoffman, founder and co-executive editor of the online Horror Magazine THE QUIET ONES, has agreed to present a one-hour webinar where he breaks down the bones (crunch, crunch) of writing horror from deliberate word choice to the subtle building of tension and expectations, while tightening scenes and creating complex characters.

David was nice enough to answer a few questions about his e-zine, submission opportunities, and what to expect from his upcoming webinar.

 

Q: Let’s start with the question on everyone’s mind. What takeaways are you hoping attendees will leave your presentation knowing?

A: First and foremost, the language of horror is a set of tools that writers of any genre (and for any age group) can--and should--use to enrich their work. How to use those tools will also be discussed. We're going to be talking about using the tools as much as the tools themselves.

Q: Who can benefit from studying short stories—specifically short horror stories?

A: Everyone, truly. Short fiction - be it short story, flash fiction, or narrative poetry and verse - is all about the economy of language. The more you restrict your word count, the more you are forced to realize how much each word matters. Short horror has the added stakes of having to frighten and unnerve while also telling a complete story. Word choice is of paramount importance as each word must do double duty. This isn't exclusive to horror by any means. Writing longer fiction shouldn't allow an author to get lazy with their word choice. Much like we crawl before we walk, and walk before we run, if we learn to write short before we write long, our storycraft can only benefit.

Q: Tell us about THE QUIET ONES.

A: THE QUIET ONES launched in late 2021. It is a literary e-zine focused on short-form quiet horror and intimate dystopian tales; small-scale, atmospheric fiction and poetry.

Q: Why did you and co-editor Emily Young decide to start the e-zine?

A: I recall three key motivations when we first discussed it back around the holidays of 2020. The pandemic was still fresh. We were both feeling isolated, scared, and looking for escapism. Most of all, we were looking for something to do. Something new. Something we could pour ourselves into to distract from the chaos of COVID lockdowns and social/political chaos.

The first question I think we asked while looking for this magical something to do was: what can we do? Around that same time, there was some heated discourse in the writing community - especially around speculative fiction - regarding gatekeeping. Rightfully so, more and more voices were rising up to challenge the stranglehold that straight, white, cis-gendered male authors held on genre fiction, awards and, most of all, ability to publish. We've come far these last few years in breaking down those gates. More and more, we're seeing people from underrepresented communities find traditional and self-published success and recognition. Just a few years ago, those numbers were much lower, and Emily and I hoped to contribute, in a way that we were able, to boosting writers who didn't have a platform. So, we created a platform. It was all born from our individual love of particular genre fiction, COVID isolation/social unrest, and a desire to be part of the solution when it comes to breaking down walls that prevent all voices from being heard.

The third motivator was our friendship. Emily and I have known each other for ten years. We went to grad school together. We've slugged it out together through the query trenches trying to find our own way into that big publishing world. When we finally started talking about carving our own way in, we immediately knew that we weren't going to keep that way in to ourselves. And we trusted each other to hold up the end that we each knew we couldn't carry alone.

THE QUIET ONES has led us to some great things these last three years. We've seen authors who published for the first time with us later publish traditionally with major book houses. We've seen others win notable awards like the Horror Writer's Association Bram Stoker Award. And while the zine itself hasn't earned any formal accolades, we have seen our submission pool and our readership grow from hundreds to thousands, and we know from our web statistics that we are reaching writers and readers all over the world. That's a great feeling.

The process also helped us reach major writing goals of our own. I've begun shopping around my (non-horror) picture books and have one on sub right now. Emily recently sold her debut YA novel, A (Dead) Thing Like Me, and is set to launch with Holiday House in the summer of 2026!

Q: Can anyone submit to THE QUIET ONES? If so, how do we submit?

A: Yes, anyone can, and we encourage everyone to do so! Our submission guidelines, as of 2024, are outlined in detail on our website: wearethequietones.com. We open in the summer every year for our annual October issue. Writers are encouraged to send us their work in the form of a Word Document to our submission box. Decisions are made within a month or two. Our most recent issue received over 400 submissions from writers in countries all over the world; The US, Canada, UK, India, China, Japan, and Zimbabwe just to name a few. We rely on a talented group of submission readers to help us narrow down the field as we look for the pieces that best suit the issue we're aiming to produce. I'd like to take a moment here to acknowledge those readers by name. They are: Neidy McHugh, Kyle McHugh, Alexis Powell, Harper Stuart Villani, Jay Whistler, Thomas Shimmield, Marianne Murphy, and Aileen Johnson.

And yes, we take submissions from anyone with a passion for writing. We do have guidelines regarding word count and content. For example, we prefer work that minimizes gore. We don't consider works that feature animal abuse, harmful representation, or hate speech. We also do not accept works in translation.

Q: Are you currently accepting submissions?

A: We are presently closed for submissions as we prepare our 2024 release for this October. We open again in the summer of 2025. Please check our website at wearethequietones.com for exact dates and mark your calendars! We look forward to having the opportunity to read your stories.

Q: Do you accept different types of horror stories? If so, what type of stories? (YA, Middle-grade, humor/horror)

A: We consider all age ranges and sub/fusion genres. Romance, science fiction, comedy - as long as it's also primarily either horror or dystopian.

Q: When will the next issue release?

A: Our annual issues come out on the last Thursday of October. So, as fate would have it, our upcoming issue launches Thursday, October 31st, 2024. Halloween Night!

Q: Do you have a favorite issue of THE QUIET ONES or a favorite author or story you would like people to read?

A: Every issue is packed with incredible fiction, poetry, and nonfiction features like Elizabeth Zarb's incredible essay on queer representation in Frankenstein (from our October 2021 debut issue), and interviews with trail-blazing authors like A.S. King and Nova Ren Suma. It's hard to pick a favorite issue, and just as difficult to pick pieces to highlight. Marianne Murphy's Puppet and Frederick (Oct '21), Taylor Jordan Pitts' Skin Grafts (Jun '22), and April Yates' Connection Lost (Oct '23) have each garnered notable praise from our online following at the times of their release. But I encourage you to download every back issue of THE QUIET ONES and find the pieces that speak to you. Our catalog is FREE to download in PDF format for easy reading on most devices.

 

Registration for the Language of Short Story Horror webinar opens October 7. 

Anita Pazner, Co-RA has been an active member of SCBWI for over two decades. She earned an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts and a Master Gardening degree from Michigan State University. Her debut picture book, The Topsy-Turvy Bus, released in March of 2023 and introduces kids to alternative energy sources like used veggie oil. Her second book tackles the topic of non-violent protests for an older audience as a novel in verse. It releases in 2025. Anita has presented at The Michigan Reading Association, The Association of Writers & Writing Programs, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and local SCBWI-MI Area Shop Talks. In a publishing world full of constant rejections, Anita is a testament to never giving up.