Sunday, August 30, 2026

TELL THE DAMN STORY, ep 430: From Flash Fiction to Full Novels_ Crafting Effective Horror

What happens when a lifelong horror fan stops worrying about getting published—and starts writing what he actually wants to write? Welcome to Part One of our special two-part conversation with horror author John “The King” Collins, author of The Leeds Point Horror and the short-story collection Altars and Abandoned Houses. John joins Alex Simmons and Chris Ryan to talk about growing up as a “monster kid,” discovering horror fiction, learning the craft the hard way, finding the right mentors and critique groups, and eventually receiving one deceptively simple piece of advice: Take a year and just write. No chasing submission calls. No worrying about publication. No trying to impress everybody. John did it—and wrote 22 stories. We also explore what makes horror fun, why humanizing the monster matters, the difference between frightening an audience and simply showing them something gruesome, and why honest criticism is far more valuable to a writer than empty praise. And that's only Part One. Because sometimes before you can find the audience for your stories, you have to find the writer inside yourself. Then join us for Part Two: Writing From the Wound, as we dig into the very personal experiences behind John's stories. Have questions or comments for us? Post in the comments section below or ... Write: TTDSOnAir@gmail.com And follow us on ... @Tell The Damn Story www.Facebook.com/Tell The Damn Story 00:00 Show Kickoff 00:32 Meet John Collins 01:28 Leeds Point Horror 02:25 Influences: Bradbury, Bloch 03:48 New Collection Spotlight 05:01 John Collins Bio 06:32 Writing Origins and Reading 11:01 Mentors and Writing Group 13:27 Monster Kid to Horror 15:49 Write a Year Advice 19:01 Ass in Chair Motivation 20:52 Blurb Talk and Honesty 22:27 Critique Groups and Feedback 23:40 Finding the Right Writers Group 24:36 Writing for Yourself Stats