Okay, brace yourselves, get comfortable, and dim the lights. I’m peering into my crystal ball to offer advice on how to write horror stories. The truth is, it’s pretty much the same as writing any fictional story: sharp dialogue, realistic characters, and intriguing narratives. All elements of good writing must be present, but there’s an additional component which makes horror writing even more challenging: the story must be scary.
For horror stories to give readers a suitable amount of gooseflesh, the author has to establish the sense of fear. There are many types of fear. I have a fear of heights but not everyone identifies with acrophobia. The horror writer must generate a universal fear. The majority of people have a fear of being isolated in a dark, strange place, which can be delightfully effective. Most importantly, just about everyone identifies with the fear of dying, which happens to be the crème de la crème in horror writing. And, of course, snakes, rats, spiders, and other creepy-crawlers can give just about anyone a case of the shivers.
For horror stories to give readers a suitable amount of gooseflesh, the author has to establish the sense of fear. There are many types of fear. I have a fear of heights but not everyone identifies with acrophobia. The horror writer must generate a universal fear. The majority of people have a fear of being isolated in a dark, strange place, which can be delightfully effective. Most importantly, just about everyone identifies with the fear of dying, which happens to be the crème de la crème in horror writing. And, of course, snakes, rats, spiders, and other creepy-crawlers can give just about anyone a case of the shivers.
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