I will be the first to tell you, I am not a fan of horror.

When I was little, even a scary episode of the X-Files would make me have nightmares for a week. I have an overactive imagination.

Even movies like Gravity I would consider horror because after the movie is over, I'm not going to be thinking about the graphics, or how great the acting was, or the emotional journey of the characters. I'm going to be thinking - for weeks - about how freaking scary space is.

Which I already knew, by the way. Thanks, though.

But now I find myself in the position of having a work in progress that I want to add an element of horror to, but I have no idea how to do it.

So I started off slow.

I'm a big fan of Welcome to Night Vale, which employs Lovecraftian ideals of horror around every turn, but treats it with such eye-rolling and shoulder shrugs as to make it mundane.

Lovecraft was known as the writer of gaps and he wrote around and between things but never at them. I honestly appreciate his style and the way the Night Vale uses it.

Stephen King is another horror writer who I've been meaning to read. Though I've seen a lot of criticism of his recent books, I know him to be a fantastic writer. I've read several essays of his that were just amazing. So I'd love to read more of his short stories and get more into his style.

I was also directed to Richard Matheson, who wrote I am Legend and was a frequent writer for the Twilight Zone. Every time I looked for classic horror stories, Matheson's name came up over and over again. I loved the movie I am Legend, even though I hate zombie stories, and I would love to read the actual story.

I want to reach out to you, dear reader, who is likely more of an aficionado of horror than I. Do you have any recommendations for great horror short stories? Any favorite authors whose techniques in the field you admire?

TELL ME YOUR WAYS