Horror 1: The Cult - ChuckPalahniuk.net - the online work of Chuck Palahniuk.

And now for something completely different.

With Hallowene nearly upon us I thought it was an opportunity to throw in a little 'Horror' for a change - or at least a few features on Horror writing.

Chuck Palahniuk is a prolific American Author - most famously of 'Fight Club' which was made as a film in 1999 starring Edward Norton.

Wether Horror is the right pidgeon hole to put Chuck Palahniuk in is a moot point. His work is certainly shocking and frightening. But it also inhabits a universe that is all to familiar - the underbelly of society - I guess you could describe it as a kind of extreem literary fiction.

Im mentioning him here as he has a very interesting website called The Cult - ChuckPalahniuk.net. As well as the usuall material you would expect on a Author's own site - photo's, reviews, items for sale and recomendations - things really are taken to a whole new level - there is a book club - forums - and even his own writing school; and this is the main thing Id like to bring to your attention - he has what he calls his writers workshop which contains a whole plethora of material.

Now a couple of qualifiers here. Firstly this would be considered by some just a little over confident in its tone - and frankly it is just slightly - but hey you must make allowances - he is a succesful American. Secondly some parts of the site you have to subscribe to join - they ask $20 a year approximately for the lowest level of membership - and wether thats fair or just a little wierd and embarassing is another question - there is even an article Why we went pay. Incedentaly I havent paid - I might in the future - but I think Ill finish felixstowescribblers.com first before comiting to any new projects.

Anyway some of the free Material is worth a look and there is really plenty to keep you going. Here are 12 Essays from 2004 - frustrating you can read only the Summaries without paying here are the Essays from 2005. Here is an example of the synopsies ....

'Brief Summary: Chuck teaches how to establish your authority from the opening lines of a book using two very important methods. The first method taught is "Heart Authority," in which you make the reader feel emotionally involved in your character by revealing something about them which makes them vulnerable... the fool, perhaps, instead of the hero. The second method is the "Head Authority," by which you establish authority through knowledge, proving to your reader that you've done your research and that the narrarator is the most qualified person to be telling this story.'

So - an interesting approach to a Author's personal website - really using technology to bring the Author closer to their audience - and establishing a whole new level of interaction. I wasnt really sure what to make of it really - and that I guess is as good a reason as any for popping it up here for you all to see .

As a little ps .... any other author site you'd care to share mail me and Ill pop them up. :-)