That nagging 'What If?' factor

 

“A strong emotion, especially if experienced for the first time, leaves a vivid memory of the scene where it occurred.” – Algernon Blackwood

  

Born in England on this date in 1869, Blackwood was a short story writer and novelist and one of the most prolific writers of ghost stories in the history of the genre. He was also a journalist and narrator in both radio and the early years of television.   

 

A gifted storyteller, even in childhood, he said he always amazed friends and neighbors with his ability to spin yarns about the supernatural and so thought it was his calling to continue doing so as an adult.   Ultimately, he wrote some 3 dozen original short story collections, 14 novels, several children's books, and a number of plays before his death in 1951.

 

Most of Blackwood’s stories were written to elicit a sense of “awe” or carry through the  “What if?”  factor, which made them perfect for such broadcast shows as “Suspense” and “Night Gallery.”  

 

He said his secret to success in the genre was to leave a sort-of nagging sense in the reader that something was yet to happen.  “Those little things that pierce and burn and prick for years to come.”