• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Reading
    • Blog
    • On Writing
    • Interviews
    • Famous Authors
    • Stories
    • Poetry
  • Writing
    • Writing Tips
    • Writing Inspiration
    • Playground
    • Writing Prompts
  • Publishing
    • Publishing Tips
    • Literary Magazines
    • Book Publishers
  • Promotions
    • Book Promotions
    • Promoting Tips
    • Classifieds
    • Newsletter
  • Submit
    • Submit
    • Privacy Policy

EveryWriter

A New Community of Writers

Writing Horror

December 1, 2019 by AMANDA THOMPSON Leave a Comment

We all love to be afraid from time to time. That is why we listen to ghost stories with rapt attention from a very young age. It thrills us, makes us look over our shoulders, but we always come
back for more.

Hook your reader with conflict and tension right in your first sentence. Have a good setting for your story; an reader on edge. The more on edge your reader is, the quicker he will turn the pages to see what is coming next.Any good horror story is based on anticipation. You have to find the things that scare you, then surprise and scare your readers. Plot twists are good ways to do that. Never let your readers or characters see what is coming. As the king of horror writing says;

“I’ll try to terrify you first, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll horrify you, and if I can’t make it there, I’ll try to gross you out. I’m not proud.”- Stephen King

Know what your character fears,then put him into the worst possible situation. Any kind of fear can have a powerful reaction if you set the scenario well. Why does the character have that particular fear? How does he react to that situation? Up the stakes all the time. That will increase the tension.

“Thinking will not overcome fear, but action will.” — W. Clement Stone

Ask yourself the following questions. What will happen if your character fails? What is the worst that can happen in a bad situation? How can I make the situation worse? Don’t help your character out of the situation, create it, sit back, and see what he does to survive it. The best way to scare others is to be intimate with that fear. Write about your dark place, your fear. Create odd, unknown and unreal situations. Take the readers out of their safe, comfortable lives. Ask “What if?” Revisit the dark places in your life. It can be uncomfortable, but it helps you to remember what the real feelings were at the time. Then reflect those feelings in your writing.

“I lost my mother when I was 14. My daughter died at the age of 6. I lost my faith as a Catholic. When I’m writing, the darkness is always there. I go where the
pain is.” -Anne Rice

Readers expect to be afraid. Make it impossible for them to put down your story, let it haunt them after it is done. Make them uncomfortable, create their nightmares. I love it when I have written a story and someone says; “I battled to sleep after reading it.” That is the kind of reaction you want to elicit from your reader.

“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” – H.P. Lovecraft

Show don’t tell. Make them feel the character’s fear. Make them experience the pounding heart, the perspiring hands. Show them the negative consequences of failure. Show them the worst case scenario if your character fails. Make them care whether your character will survive or not. Now go and scare your readers, and have fun doing
it.

[wp-post-author]

Filed Under: Horror Articles, Writing Lab 101, Writing Tips

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Buy Our Print Magazine


Buy the issue!

Sign up and get a FREE digital copy of our magazines!

Ad




Contest Winners!

We apologize for the long wait on our print magazine. We’ve had numerous issues with publishing and our site over the last few month. We are canceling our Halloween issue this year, sadly. Our science fiction June issue is still in the works.

Get ready to unleash your inner horror maestro in the spine-tingling 2023 Eat Your Soul 50 Word Halloween Contest!  Share your most blood-curdling, hair-raising 50-word horror stories below, and brace yourself for the terror-fueled showdown of the year. 

Search

Writing Prompt

science fiction writing prompt

50 Fantastic Science Fiction Writing Prompts Here are 50 fantastic writing prompts that will get you writing sci-fi. If you use one of prompts to write a story, we’d love to read it! Send it to us.  In a future society where humans have achieved immortality, a rebel group arises seeking the right to die. […]

Contests

Winners of our Q2 2023 Contests!

Here are the winners of our Q2 2023 contests! Congratulations to all of you. We have picked places 1,2,3, and some other entries. We’ve marked our top 3 winners, but anyone listed here will be in our upcoming print magazine.

 2023 50-Word Science Fiction Story Contest

Join our 2023 50-Word Science Fiction Story Get in Our Issues Contest!

2023 50 Word Horror Story We Miss Halloween Contest

  Welcome to our 2023 50 Word Horror Story We Miss Halloween Contest. Everyone wishes they had 2 Halloweens, but no one will listen. Being that I’m missing Halloween, I need horror stories and lots of them. So post your 50-word horror stories in the comments below. The winner gets free promos on our site, […]

Menu

  • Home
  • Publishing
    • Indy Book Publishers
    • Literary Magazines
  • Writing Lab
    • Articles On Writing
    • Writing Prompts
  • About Us
    • About Us
  • Submissions
  • Social
    • Activity
    • Profile
    • Notifications
    • Messages
    • Forums
    • Settings
    • Log Out
    • Log In
    • Register

Playground

Winners of our Q2 2023 Contests!

July 3, 2023 By admin 6 Comments

Here are the winners of our Q2 2023 contests! Congratulations to all of you. We have picked places 1,2,3, and some other entries. We’ve marked our top 3 winners, but anyone listed here will be in our upcoming print magazine.

 2023 50-Word Science Fiction Story Contest

March 17, 2023 By admin 31 Comments

Join our 2023 50-Word Science Fiction Story Get in Our Issues Contest!

2023 50 Word Horror Story We Miss Halloween Contest

January 15, 2023 By admin 36 Comments

  Welcome to our 2023 50 Word Horror Story We Miss Halloween Contest. Everyone wishes they had 2 Halloweens, but no one will listen. Being that I’m missing Halloween, I need horror stories and lots of them. So post your 50-word horror stories in the comments below. The winner gets free promos on our site, […]

Betcha’ Can’t Haiku 2023 Contest

January 14, 2023 By admin 137 Comments

Welcome to our Betcha’ Can’t Haiku 2023 Contest. We are looking for the best Haiku we have ever read! It can be on any topic or written in any style. We want to read your haikus. We are double-dog daring you to write a haiku, even write 5 haiku and leave them in the comments […]

More Posts from this Category

Our Blog

2023 Souls of Darkness 50 Word Halloween Story Contest!

September 13, 2023 By admin 8 Comments

Get ready to unleash your inner horror maestro in the spine-tingling 2023 Eat Your Soul 50 Word Halloween Contest!  Share your most blood-curdling, hair-raising 50-word horror stories below, and brace yourself for the terror-fueled showdown of the year. 

Winners of our Q2 2023 Contests!

July 3, 2023 By admin 6 Comments

Here are the winners of our Q2 2023 contests! Congratulations to all of you. We have picked places 1,2,3, and some other entries. We’ve marked our top 3 winners, but anyone listed here will be in our upcoming print magazine.

Top 11 Science Fiction Short Stories Everyone Should Read

April 27, 2023 By admin 2 Comments

Below are the top 11 science fiction short stories everyone should read, but here are a few things to remember about this list before I get hate mail. First,

Top 10 Science Fiction Movies (by Script)

Top 10 Science Fiction Movies (by Script)

April 16, 2023 By admin 2 Comments

So here is my list of the Top 10 Science Fiction Movies by Script. There are a lot of amazing Science Fiction movies out there.

Should You Self-publish Your Book

Should I Self Publish My Book?

April 8, 2023 By admin 3 Comments

Should I Self Publish My Book? If you are thinking about self-publishing vs. traditional publishing, we have another article

Nine Ways to Cure Writer’s Book for Novelist

Nine Ways to Cure Writer’s Book for Novelists

April 7, 2023 By admin 3 Comments

when I’m facing a severe spell of writer’s block. Here are Nine Ways to Cure Writer’s Book for Novelists

how to publish a book

How to Publish a Book: A complete guide

April 7, 2023 By admin 9 Comments

How to Publish a book: In today’s world, choice is everything. If a publisher’s door closes, a publishing window will open, but there are vast differences in publishing options in the 21st century.

10 Words Editors Hate

10 Words Editors Hate: Do not use!

April 7, 2023 By admin 14 Comments

Yes some overused loaded words turn editors off, and I think these are 10 Words Editors Hate. We are talking about literary writing here. Generally,

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
SAVE & ACCEPT