Appeal of fear factor in novels demystified at 'Emirates LitFest 2022' in Dubai

Dubai: The emotion of fear was discussed by a panel of top authors specialising in the horror, psychological thriller genre at the ongoing Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in Dubai.

During a special session titled ‘Fear Factory’, sponsored by Gulf News on ‘Friday Fright Night’, best-selling author David Eagleman, who is also a neuroscientist at Stanford University; Polly Phillips, winner of the 2019 LitFest Writing Prize; and New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones examined how fear is deeply rooted in human psyche and how it plays a “complex role in art and culture”.

They talked about the purpose of fear in their writing and how it can be used to keep a reader turning the pages rather than scaring them away. They said “people seek out scary books and movies or extreme experiences for a wide variety of reasons. And the things that we are afraid of, sometimes change as we age and develop our personalities.”

Increased empathy

Eagleman, internationally bestselling author of Livewired, The Brain, Wednesday is Indigo Blue, and The Runaway Species, among others, talked about the concept of death and the afterlife.

He said human understanding of themselves is limited and this is reflected in arts and literature. Readers identify themselves with the characters and the feelings of regret, relief or what could have been, can be explained with the books they read.

He added: “By getting to live these vicarious lives, we increase our empathy… We like to step into other’s shoes and have different kinds of experiences. The general story of literature is that it allows us to live different lives, which in turn could lead to increased empathy.”

Engage with the characters

Jones, a Blackfoot Native American and New York Times bestselling author of Mongrels, The Only Good Indians, and My Heart is a Chainsaw, said he spends a lot of time in his writing to let the readers know and identify with the characters in his books. He noted: “All my characters are like me but with different haircuts.”

Explaining about his writing regimen, Jones said: “I invest completely on the emotional level because there is a thin line between fiction and real world, and I expect my characters to be there.”

Jones said his characters like Jade (My Heart is a Chainsaw) find a way how to make sense of the world. His books, which noted and applauded for their “dark playfulness, narrative inventiveness, and genre mixture” also talk about “neglect and abuse, gentrification, racism, and loneliness.”

People find a coping mechanism to help them get through life and, as a writer, Jones share with his readers not only different aspects of personality but also how to keep the world at arm’s length.

Fright Night

Other sessions with authors during Fright Night gave the audience “a frisson of excitement”. Bestselling author Sam Copeland delighted audiences young and old as he shared stories of his ghost story, Greta and the Ghost Hunters; while comic artist Mohammad “Momo” Yousuf Alshaibani led an electric workshop on the fundamentals of comic book storytelling.

Spoken word poet Elizabeth Acevedo talked about the influences that went into her award-winning (and soon to be adapted) novel Clap When You Land, and read excerpts to an enraptured audience. The tale of how a plane crash leads to a deceased man’s two families finding out about each other, offers darkness and light.

House of Gucci author and journalist Sarah Gay Forden, meanwhile, discussed the perils of unregulated tech companies on the Internet and what must be done to rein them in, as well as how technology can used a a tool for good.

There was also a debate between bestselling crime writers Lucy Foley and Mark Billingham on whether or not criminals can also be heroes.