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John Millen

This week  A horror story that will send a shiver down  your spine
Gripping horror story
Horror is a perfect subject for the short-story writer. If you want to give a reader a good scare with nothing to stand in the way, then writing a short story is a very good way to do it.
Remember, a reader should read a short story in one go with no interruptions. A short story should be so gripping from the start that the reader will not want to put it down once he has started.
There is no better form of story to grip a reader than a thrilling horror story that will send shivers down his spine and make his hands sweat with fear.
1. What is an 'interruption'?
a) something that helps you understand something difficult
b) something that stops you doing what you are doing
2. What is the meaning of the verb 'to grip'?
a) to drop
b) to hold tightly
The Master of the Macabre
Edgar Allan Poe was born in 1809 in Boston in the United States. His parents died when he was only two years old and he was adopted by a Mr and Mrs Allan who were rich business people.
When he was six, the Allans moved to England and Poe was sent to a series of good schools.
He returned to America to attend university and military academy, but he didn't complete his studies at either. Poe wanted to be a writer.
He worked for several magazines in North America, and in 1845, he published his first poem, a spooky story called The Raven. Poe then went on to publish collections of short horror tales and detective stories which were all great successes.
But Poe had developed a problem with alcohol and this contributed to his early death  in 1849.
1. At a military academy, young men train to become .................
a) priests
b) soldiers
2. The adjective 'macabre' means
a) very funny
b) very gruesome and horrible
Beware of the Cat
One of Poe's spookiest tales is  The Black Cat.
You can download the  story from the internet (www.teachervision.fen.com/reading/activity/3148.html) or read it in Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Madness (published by Simon and Schuster / ISBN 068986115x) where the story has been edited for modern readers.
First published in the Philadelphia Saturday Evening Post in 1843, The Black Cat is about a terrifying animal that drives a man to murder.
The story is told by the murderer himself as he waits to be executed for killing his wife.
He begins his story by describing his happy childhood in a family where there were lots of pets. The boy's favourite was Pluto, a large and magnificent black cat.
As the boy grows up, the cat remains his companion, but things become very nasty when a wife arrives on the scene.
Structure
1. How does Poe grab the reader's attention at the start of the story?
2. Is the story told in the first or the third person? Is this a good idea?
3. How many main human characters are there in The Black Cat?
4. Do you think the second black cat is a reincarnation of the first?
5. What causes the story-teller to change his personality?
6. The Black Cat is divided into how many time sections? What are they?
7. Does Poe stay focused on the main part of the story from beginning to end?
8. What causes the evil in The Black Cat?
9. What do you think of the ending of the story? Is it effective? Is it shocking?
10. In mythology, who was Pluto?
And finally
1. Summarise the story of The Black Cat in one short paragraph.
2. Write a plot outline for your own story called The Black Cat.
3. Can you design a cover for a new edition of The Black Cat?
4. The Black Cat first appeared in a newspaper. Do you think it is a good idea to have stories in newspapers?
Answers
1. b, 2. b The Master of the Macabre:  1. b, 2. b



Prepare for a scare