Watching horror stories is one thing. With the emotions and tension surging and dropping, horrors are among the best movies to keep you on the edge of your seats. But writing a horror story is an entirely different task. You must feel the plot, be cold-blooded and meticulous when creating a creepy and great horror story. If you have to write an essay and include a unique horror story, there is no better article than this one. It reveals the most effective tips on how to write a horror story and make it a spooky page-turner.
Horror: Definition and Distinctive Features
The English Language has borrowed myriads of words from Latin. Horror is not an exception. Derived from the Latin horrere, it means an intense feeling of shock, fear, panic, and fright. Overall, everything that makes a person scared can be considered horror.
When it comes to the features, horrors commonly share five elements that define their success. This genre:
- Increases the feeling of shock: horrors provide a high level of mystery and fear.
- Comprises fearful plot twists and stories: horrors portray authentic characters.
- Focuses on detailed stories: they display dark and evil deeds and phenomena.
- Raises intense: stories always keep viewers under pressure.
- Involves death-related scenarios: movies always have victims and dead bodies.
Tips How To Compose a Successful Horror Story
Now, if you have read books by Stephen King, you know what a horror masterpiece should look like. If you pursue the same goal - glowing reviews, consider using the following writing tips:
Use The Environment
An excellent story must go around some vividly described surroundings. If you don’t portray your environment well, you are doomed to fail. Make sure your story, as well as the background, fully immerse your readers into it. For instance, if your story is in the open, described in detail what it is. Is it a forest? A camp? Or a park?
Add more specifics so that the readers can feel themselves there. If it is a closed space, focus on every bit of detail so that your story evokes feelings of claustrophobia and tension. A dark house, coupled with smoky passages, light wind, and sudden creak of a floorboard or door, will do the right job. In other words, make sure to enhance the feelings by adding relevant details and garnishing the setting.
Employ Your Fears
Usually, when we read, we feel similar emotions and feelings the protagonist feels. It helps us to wear their shoes, which raises our adrenaline level. Let your own fears boost the story. Write what makes you scared. If you are afraid of heights, you will be able to better express the feelings of being a character who is at the top of a skyscraper.
Likewise, if you are scared of a forest, you will better depict your feelings when something creaks and you hear the voices of somebody walking right out there. Write about anything that makes you feel terrified. This way, you will tell a compelling, cruel, and even disgusting story that will get unheard-of success. Avoid jumping on the bandwagon and writing about clowns, ghosts, and other supernatural creatures. If that’s not your cup of coffee, you won’t scare your audience, regardless of how hard you try.
Write Extensive Sentences
Unlike academic writing, horror writing is not restrictive in terms of sentence length. In fact, the longer the sentences are, the better your story is perceived. You can augment the audience’s fear by writing sections with longer sentences. This is specifically effective when describing places, feelings, and actions.
Long sentences don’t necessarily have to be scary and full of action. You can use them to better portray the environment, to give readers some hints they should remember to connect a story into one piece. It is a great strategy to make the audience delve into the story and relax before something terrible happens.
Strike With Short Sentences
Short sentences and paragraphs increase tension and force readers to experience quick breath. Once you make your audience relaxed, thrust with a series of short sentences and paragraphs. This will make them stressed and anxious. The feeling will be doubled if you keep the intrigue of whether the protagonist is safe till the end of the paragraph. In other words, let the person take a short breath after a story and then proceed to short sentences to heighten their fears. Make your story dynamic and breathtaking, and it makes their heartbeat twice faster.
Avoid Hackneyed Scenarios
A predictable setting is one of the worst mistakes you can make. If readers can predict a horror scene, they will be rather bored to death. A terrifying story is always unpredictable. Include fear of the unknown and make sure everyone can relate to it. You can add some dangerous animals, darkness, other people (but don’t exaggerate and add things you can’t describe adequately). It doesn’t mean you can’t use familiar horror tropes. If you decide to follow such paths, analyze what people wouldn’t expect.
Practice Makes Perfect
Rome wasn’t built in a day. If you find it difficult writing a horror story, the best thing is to keep working. You can’t produce a terrific horror without practice. Simply make sure you write consistently and, most importantly, read relevant literature. This will expand your thinking and imagination and will open new avenues to include in your story.
This article sheds light on the most efficient tips you can use when writing a horror story. You can learn more about the genre, its history, and peculiarities by exploring our web page.
