tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701894736280253278.post6854236303631112668..comments2024-02-17T09:53:06.168+00:00Comments on Notes from the Slushpile: Inspired by ... GhostsCandy Gourlayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802791643303335762noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701894736280253278.post-29773735322871045372011-06-08T21:00:42.576+01:002011-06-08T21:00:42.576+01:00Spooky stuff! I'd second lots of the suggestio...Spooky stuff! I'd second lots of the suggestions here, especially the MR James' films. Inspired by your inspirations, I've posted my own dark influences on my blog too - http://mcrogerson.blogspot.com/2011/06/inspired-bypagan-mysteries.htmlMC Rogersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13735238884673302488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701894736280253278.post-10315472005804435672011-06-08T17:55:35.447+01:002011-06-08T17:55:35.447+01:00Addy and Nicky: yes, Hill, James, Collins, Poe...a...Addy and Nicky: yes, Hill, James, Collins, Poe...all good. None had any part in influencing what I've done here: very different territory. I must read The Dead of Winter...Oh, all the books I have still to catch up on! And yes, The Others is brilliant too – again, in a very different way. Even Tim Burton is, actually: I'm a fan, but I don't think he really influences me at all.fionadunbarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14774780945853573692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701894736280253278.post-76034616167403241682011-06-08T15:48:33.716+01:002011-06-08T15:48:33.716+01:00Great post, Fiona! I love the Canterville Ghost a...Great post, Fiona! I love the Canterville Ghost and his thoroughly unreasonable reasonableness! For me, the all time favourite ghostly inspiration must be Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White - and I have to say, Chris Priestley picks up on that beautifully in his book the Dead of Winter. And of course, one can't omit Edgar Allan Poe when considering things gha(o)stly, or Tim Burton when considering equally ghostly and ghastly things - think Beetlejuice and the Corpse Bride.<br />Kitty is now going on my book order list!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04871239587214383387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701894736280253278.post-77972542514101406452011-06-08T15:07:04.460+01:002011-06-08T15:07:04.460+01:00Great post! Ghost stories are my - total favourit...Great post! Ghost stories are my - total favourite thing. I've recently been on a supernatural binge and have picked up a few inspirational favs:<br />Dark Matters - Michele Paver<br />The Woman in Black - Susan Hill<br />M.R. James - short stories<br />The Others - film<br /><br />All brilliantly conceived!Addy Farmerhttp://www.addyfarmer.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701894736280253278.post-11741790033061120982011-06-08T15:06:47.903+01:002011-06-08T15:06:47.903+01:00What a great post. Inspiration is everywhere isn&#...What a great post. Inspiration is everywhere isn't it? (i'm hoping there's lots on the internet, anyway as that's where i've spent most of today!)<br /><br />But the inspiration for my current historical WiP (Pest Maiden: Against the horrific backdrop of pestilence and war a young girl has to fight against her reputation as the plague bearing pest maiden.) came from reading The Time Traveller's guide to Medieval England as i sat around a pool in Crete last summer. I've become completely obsessed with the middle ages as a consequence and am having to fight hard not to include every fascinating detail i've learned in what i'm writing! <br /><br />@caroline Sarah Waters' Little Stranger has had an influence on it too...M Louise Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13165271083632185438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701894736280253278.post-85617031355309397952011-06-08T14:56:31.214+01:002011-06-08T14:56:31.214+01:00Helen: ooh, thank you! I'm chuffed. And yes, t...Helen: ooh, thank you! I'm chuffed. And yes, time and again, it isn't until I'm well under way with something that I'll think 'Ah, I know where that came from'. <br /><br />Caroline, I still haven't read The Little Stranger, but I should! Intrigued by A Certain Slant of Light too, Teri: thanks both!<br /><br />And Gillian, am absolutely going to read Dark Matter...coincidentally, Kath just recommended it to me only yesterday. I hope Lulu enjoys Kitty Slade!<br /><br />Kath, I am indeed VERY happy for you to describe Kitty Slade in those terms! The difference with Kitty is that the stories are told in the first person. But otherwise...yup, spot on. Thank you :-)fionadunbarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14774780945853573692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701894736280253278.post-50579627862161375112011-06-08T14:15:57.106+01:002011-06-08T14:15:57.106+01:00Dark Matter by Michelle Paver is the scariest ghos...Dark Matter by Michelle Paver is the scariest ghost story ever! I'd already started my current wip when I read it, but I think it influenced me to lean more heavily towards the supernatural side of the story. Or is it supernatural...? I've realised that some of my favourite ghost stories are the ones where you're never quite sure if it's all your (or the protagonist's) imagination. Whistle And I'll Come To You, My Lad is a classic. <br /><br />And yes, I LOVE American Werewolf in London! Haven't watched it for ages, and must do again. And I must buy the Kitty Slades for my own Lulu, who loves to be scared, but isn't quite as ready as she think she is for the really dreadful monster story she picked off my shelf the other day...!Gillian Philiphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01143802491301982960noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701894736280253278.post-79426493335360576832011-06-08T14:13:54.838+01:002011-06-08T14:13:54.838+01:00Well, I just read the first Kitty Slade and loved ...Well, I just read the first Kitty Slade and loved it - it's extremely creepy and very entertaining. Fiona, I was wondering whether to tell you this (didn't know if you'd be pleased or not!) but after reading your post here, I think I can - I actually did find myself thinking 'Nancy Drew meets Scooby-Doo' as I was reading it - which is a compliment as I loved them both: wonderful fast storytelling,and 'plucky girl takes on ghosts'!Katherine Langrishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12529700103932422873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701894736280253278.post-58566985008653629472011-06-08T14:13:00.151+01:002011-06-08T14:13:00.151+01:00@Teri you're right, that's a KILLER killer...@Teri you're right, that's a KILLER killer first line!Candy Gourlayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07802791643303335762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701894736280253278.post-11883501764077861262011-06-08T14:09:37.108+01:002011-06-08T14:09:37.108+01:00Ah, loved reading this so much. Am with you on Ame...Ah, loved reading this so much. Am with you on American Werewolf and Scooby and others. I am a great quivering jessie about ghost stories but can't resist them at the same time. I managed to scare myself so badly with Sarah Waters' The Little Stranger that I lay with my eyes bolted open for about three hours one night.Caroline Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04708248040141519582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701894736280253278.post-26500075113724200982011-06-07T21:07:10.853+01:002011-06-07T21:07:10.853+01:00Just picked up a ghost story: 'A Certain Slant...Just picked up a ghost story: 'A Certain Slant of Light' by Laura Whitcomb. I haven't read it yet so can't comment, beyond that the first line had me: <br /><br />'Someone was looking at me, a disturbing sensation if you're dead.'<br /><br />What a killer first line. I wish I wrote it.<br /><br />TeriTeri Terryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13641477543947472370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701894736280253278.post-85686199074975540572011-06-07T16:56:04.043+01:002011-06-07T16:56:04.043+01:00Thanks for the post, Fiona. i got the idea for my ...Thanks for the post, Fiona. i got the idea for my novel on extreme face pulling from Tony Ross and his picture book Don't Do That! It's about a girl who gets her finger stuck up her nose and I started wondering what else children are told not to do and what else can get stuck. <br />MaureenMaureen Lynashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16855138050232488108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701894736280253278.post-25178828673776625092011-06-07T14:09:01.190+01:002011-06-07T14:09:01.190+01:00My current work-in-painful-progress is a thriller ...My current work-in-painful-progress is a thriller - or so my editor tells me. i was struggling with my strange story until i re-read one of my favourite short stories by Ray Bradbury - All Summer in A Day - about children living on Venus who have only known rain, experiencing sunshine for five minutes. Totally changed my approach to my story! Expect lots of rain.Candy Gourlayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07802791643303335762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701894736280253278.post-35152203956500168952011-06-07T10:30:17.693+01:002011-06-07T10:30:17.693+01:00Great post, Fiona - like Kathy, I'm now going ...Great post, Fiona - like Kathy, I'm now going to put Kitty Slade at the top of my reading pile. The Famous Five with ghosts - genius idea. Wish I'd thought of that one first!<br /><br />I'm writing a timeslip story at the moment, where the main character goes back 200 years. I've realised during the writing that Tom's Midnight Garden was a big inspiration - I love the idea that both children, who lived in the same house at different times, are completely convinced that they are real and the other child is a ghost.Helen Petersnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701894736280253278.post-41220182772870407042011-06-06T15:46:18.989+01:002011-06-06T15:46:18.989+01:00SHAUN of the Dead: thanks of reminding me of the c...SHAUN of the Dead: thanks of reminding me of the correct spelling! Agree, Nick.fionadunbarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14774780945853573692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701894736280253278.post-78313998677167515752011-06-06T15:05:30.350+01:002011-06-06T15:05:30.350+01:00Fiona, I had exactly the same problem with Shaun o...Fiona, I had exactly the same problem with Shaun of the Dead. In fact you could say it inspired me because I wanted to not fall into the same zombie cliches that it so gleefully included. I think it's actually more disappointing when a story starts brilliantly and then goes off, rather than something that's mediocre all of the way through.Nick Crosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02571077124165351007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701894736280253278.post-25926545327094483212011-06-06T13:55:59.163+01:002011-06-06T13:55:59.163+01:00Kathy: Sean of the Dead does do scary/funny succes...Kathy: Sean of the Dead does do scary/funny successfully, you're right: favourite moments are hungover visit to the corner shop, oblivious to zombies all around, and that sublime slip on the blood on the floor; scene in garden, throwing old LP's at zombies. HOWEVER: it goes massively downhill in the last third, imo. Not as good as Werewolf, with its genuinely heart-rending finale. Also, the zombies are just...zombies.<br /><br />Nick: ah, music! And music videos. I could also have mentioned Gorillaz and 'Dare', which is a little piece of genius.fionadunbarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14774780945853573692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701894736280253278.post-54246781736097178712011-06-06T13:42:32.675+01:002011-06-06T13:42:32.675+01:00The inspiration question is a good one - I tend to...The inspiration question is a good one - I tend to start writing a book convinced that I'm doing something completely original and without precedent, then once I've finished it I realise all of the stuff I've been influenced by on the way. So for a book that I've finished (Back from the Dead/Zomboy):<br /><br />* Evil Dead 2<br />* Terrible Goth music<br />* I am Legend (and not in a good way)<br />* District 9<br />* Artemis FowlNick Crosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02571077124165351007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701894736280253278.post-41557010420416368512011-06-06T13:34:58.202+01:002011-06-06T13:34:58.202+01:00Sean of the Dead?!!!!Kitty is jostling for positio...Sean of the Dead?!!!!Kitty is jostling for position on my reading pile with The Room - think it just nudged ahead - I am such a scooby fan ( Graveyard book's not bad either ;O)Kathryn Evanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16439670363289229014noreply@blogger.com