Women in Horror Writers in 2019 - Guest blog by Sèphera Girón

 Today's guest post comes to us from Sèphera Girón, who, in addition to being a horror writer, has also written non-fiction in a variety of areas,  done several erotica and paranormal erotica works, is a hororscope columnist and tarot reader, and a Reiki specialist. Seph was one of the first people I ever met when I attended my very first horror convention too many moons ago to count, and we've remained friends ever since. I'm happy to have her here today talking about Women in Horror!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Women Horror Writers in 2019

Sèphera Girón

 

 I’ve been the Ontario Chapter Head of the Horror Writers Association for over twenty years. I’ve held monthly meetings or at least quarterly meetings most years. The meetings are an opportunity for members in the Ontario/New York State area to network. Before the internet was big, and of course, before Facebook, these meetings were pretty much the only way to network in the field. They were like mini-conventions between major conventions. Almost every dark author in Toronto was an HWA member. Now most of them have left HWA, some of them still write horror, others do other things in their lives.

I miss the days when meetings would have thirty to fifty people coming out, sharing drinks and laughs and secret handshakes. But in 2019, every day is networking day online, you don’t need to be a member of HWA, and thanks to social media, no one wants to hang out in person anymore, especially if it means driving more than an hour (though I drive an hour and it used to be more!). As well, Toronto is overrun with reading series and writers’ groups; there’s a gathering almost every day.

Over the years, members from our chapter have come and gone. However, I would venture to say that at times there were more women members than men members and certainly more women than men come out to meetings. Currently, it’s about even.

When I organize panels for Fan Expo, Comicon, Niagara Falls Comicon, etc. there always seems to be a women heavy volunteer pool to choose from though I try to keep the panel members even with regard to newbies, seasoned, male, female so that all voices are heard. Most of the women were newbies, wanting to break out. Some were already well established. 

However, I’m not sure that there are more women being published than men here in Canada. But I always found it curious that writing courses are jam-packed with women, panel audiences, courses, and so on almost always have more women. Yet there are still more men publishing. It reminds me of the dance world where it’s very female-heavy as children. In fact, male dancers such as my son were mocked for being dancers as little kids while girls were encouraged, yet if you look around at media, schools, dance companies, musical theatre; adult male dancers work far more than female dancers. My son has worked steadily as a teacher, choreographer, and dancer as an adult. Most of his lady peers who trained as he did in school are not dancing anymore. So what gives with that?

With so many women interested in the field of horror writing, why is there still a perceived imbalance? I personally don’t think there is an issue getting published. If you are writing quality work, an editor will buy it when you are in the right place at the right time. All editors and publishers care about is a story that will make them money. So, write that story. 

I personally feel that the issue is still partly with marketing and partly with readers.

I’ve done my share of sitting in bookstores and giving readings and all of that and it’s the general public who need to be educated. Most people will come by the table and scoff about how women aren’t scary, can’t write scary. They will assume my books are paranormal romance and they’ve never been although I write erotic horror sometimes. I submitted dozens of manuscripts to romance houses in my younger years and none of them hit. Why? Because I don’t and can’t write romance! So, to be accused of writing paranormal romance just because I’m a girl is insulting and inaccurate.

How can we fix this “women can’t write scary horror stories” perception? 

First, women need to actually finish writing something good and then submit it to an editor. If it’s rejected, you look at the editorial notes, decide if they’re valid, revise or not and then do it again!

You may have to do this dozens of times whether it’s a book or a story. This is the hardest part. Don’t give up. However, you can’t complain about not being published if you don’t finish anything or only submit a manuscript less than ten times. Don’t add your voice to the “what about women horror writers?” noise unless you’re pulling your weight.

Remember that a rejection doesn’t mean you’re not good (unless they actually say so!) it just means the editor might already have a story like yours or the tone didn’t work with the others they’ve chosen and so on. Just keep going. At least you don’t have to retype it and a cover letter, write an envelope, buy stamps, buy stamps for the SASE, use paper clips or don’t use paper clips depending on the guidelines, put the manuscript, SASE, letter, resume, in the mail and wait a month to two years to hear if it’s going to be rejected again.

Don’t be so impatient. 

In these modern times, a few months is still not a long wait. Quality takes time. Why do you want to work with a slap-dash editor who skims work, barely edits and puts out a book in month or two? Wait and be patient. Keep writing other stuff in the meantime. 

If you don’t want people to pat you on the head and ask about your little paranormal romance hobby, you have to do the sweaty part, the endless submissions and research and writing new stuff. Grow that thick skin. Network with people who lift you up emotionally and professionally. Luckily, once something hits, you’ll have plenty of other somethings ready to go.

Don’t worry about what sex you are, just write your story and send it where you want. Shoot high. Be proud that you are a woman, don’t hide behind fake names and initials. If readers get used to seeing women names more than initials and pen names, than they won’t find women horror writers an unusual thing. They’ll realize women horror writers are the same as men and we’ve been here all along. It has to start somewhere. Why not with you?

In the meantime, yeah, you might have to work twice as hard because you might have a job, kids, a spouse, other responsibilities but you if you make a schedule and treat your writing like a real job, not that little hobby you do once every few weeks when you finally have a minute to yourself, you will find that you will have more success. Don’t feel guilty the dishes are dirty, they’ll still be there in an hour. Instead of going for coffee with the other moms, hide in your car and write your story while the kids are at their sports or arts classes. These days it’s called “sprint writing.” In my day, it was called, “I have a scheduled half an hour to write while he’s at music class!”

One page, 250 words a day, means that at the end of one year, you have the first draft of a book. You can do it!

Don’t get swallowed up by life. You deserve to live your dreams too!

As for why more women come to meetings and then evaporate into other careers and interests, I have no idea. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sèphera Girón is an author, actor, tarot card reader, and mom. She has over twenty published books. Watch for "Taurus" in the Witch Upon a Star series to be released this year from Riverdale Avenue Books. She has stories in Dark Rainbow, Dawn of the Monsters, Abandon, Group Hex 1 and Group Hex 2, Intersections: Six Tales of Ouija Horror and more. Sèphera is the astrologer for Romance Daily News. Be sure to watch for her monthly horoscopes at   https://www.romancedailynews.com/   Sèphera lives in Toronto.

Follow Sèphera on Social Media!

http://sepheragiron.ca

Check your free horoscope at http://www.romancedailynews.com

Here's a coupon for a discounted rate for my new course, So You Want to Be a Horror Writer? https://www.udemy.com/so-you-want-to-be-a-horror-writer/?couponCode=HORROREMAIL

http://www.twitter.com/sephera

http://www.youtube.com/sephera

http://www.instagram.com/sepheragiron

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sepheragiron/

http://tarotpaths.blogspot.ca

Do you need a freelance editor for your book, story, or website?
http://scarlettediting.blogspot.ca

Check out Sèphera on Patreon!
http://www.patreon.com/sephera

Ontario Chapter Head of Horror Writers Association
http://www.horror-writers.ca/