Process Notes:
A lot of the stories I write develop on the page depending on what kind of mood I am in and what type of settings or scenarios I want to explore. In this story’s case, I was kind of in a campy, middle of the woods mood and wanted to experiment with an anthropology student’s perspective on an undiscovered semi-conscious zombie tribe.
In the end, regardless of the type of story I am writing, the process is always the same; try to raise interesting questions, make the reader curious, and keep them turning the pages. Oh! And most important of all, have fun!
Why do you write horror?
I don’t necessarily write stories with the intention to write in the horror genre. Genre generally comes about naturally during the story planning stage for me.
However, what I really enjoy about the horror genre is the slow building tension and sense that something very bad is going to happen, but it is not totally clear what that thing is, or when it’s going to occur. It’s a great feeling when you think you know what’s going to happen but are totally wrong in the end! (And the ending still works!)
BENJAMIN DEHAAN is a speculative fiction writer, road runner, and circular economy promoter. He was born and raised in southern Wisconsin and now lives and works in Japan.