In Laymon's Terms

The sound was so soft that at first he thought she was mumbling in her sleep, then it came again, a low rumble like something very heavy being dragged. Kent looked at the corner by the stairs as the sound came again, a sound that had in it an eternity of cruelty, a sound of rocks grinding ponderously together. He stared in the dim light and saw something very large with far too many limbs slowly raise up to its full height, its massive antlers scraping the ceiling as it did so.

Kent’s last thought before the iron pincers encircled him and began to squeeze was that maybe there was something to that sex-magic stuff...

Robert Freese

AVE YOU EVER been inspired by a book? It is a power certain books have. The words within, seemingly chosen by the author especially for you, strike a chord and really talk to you. As you read further, your juices begin to flow and you suddenly find yourself challenged and the words stick with you, swirl around in your head a while until you too are creating. You are setting goals and striving to achieve them.

For me, Dick Laymon’s A Writer’s Tale was an incredible inspiration and a significant guidebook in my development as a writer.

Part autobiography, part writer’s guide, A Writer’s Tale was no self-indulgent memoirs collection, or stuffy, condescending “Writing for Dummies” how-to guide cranked out to prey upon the dollars of fans and aspiring writers. For the Laymon fan it offered everything you could possibly ever want to know about Richard Laymon, man and author, and for the aspiring writer it offered a plethora of useful info and a straight-faced look at the rigorous road all writers eventually travel.

A Writer’s Tale offered some of the most useful chapters on writing I had ever read. For example, I used to think rejection letters were just a way editors tried to break the spirits of hopeful writers. It was Dick who explained why rejection letters were so essential, calling them the “receipts you get in the mail each time you paid your dues.” That is brilliant and incredibly uplifting to a writer who has kept his dues paid-in-full for some time.

Dick related the wisdom he had accumulated over his career with a humorous candor and sly wink. It was less a reading experience and more of a sit down with a friend to listen to a tale or two. The chapters dedicated to writing were the chapters that most made an impression on me, and I gleaned a little more knowledge each time I read them.

After a while, I found myself going to the book from time to time, just to find a couple encouraging words to serve as the inspiration needed to help me through whatever project I was working.

After referring back to A Writer’s Tale enough times, I suddenly realized the profound effect that book had on me. It dawned on me that if its words had such an influence on me, there was a good chance other people could also benefit from them. I got the idea that I needed to help spread the word about A Writer’s Tale, to let other writers know about it. I was excited, and I became wildly determined to get the word out.

I had been writing video movie reviews for various publications for some time so I figured the best way to help generate some attention to A Writer’s Tale was to try my hand at a book review.

I looked around at all the magazines that focused on horror entertainment (flicks, TV, and books) to find a suitable pulpit to do my lauding. Of all the magazines I considered, trying to find one in which Dick’s name would be familiar to the readership only made sense. Only one had a huge, worldwide readership that would reach tens of thousands of readers. Hundreds of fans who had turned horror pros had grown up reading the magazine, so I knew the review would get to the people I intended it to reach. Unfortunately, there was a bucket of bad blood between the magazine I chose and Dick Laymon.

I felt that a positive review for A Writer’s Tale in Fangoria magazine would definitely bring the book the attention it deserved. I thought those who would benefit the most from the book would read the review, then decide for themselves whether or not they wanted to pick up a copy. I felt that if I could just do that, make these good people aware of this wonderful book, then my job would be done.

All I could think of was the effect A Writer’s Tale might have. When I was a kid, Fangoria had touted makeup effects wizard Tom Savini’s similar autobiography/splatter effects “how-to” book Grande Illusions. Within months of Fangoria’s praise of Savini’s book, dozens of little gory independent horror flicks with spectacular splatter effects were popping up all over the place, and the filmmakers were all citing Savini’s book as their inspiration to finally make a splatter movie of their own.