Horror Writing: My Tips Sheet
I've been writing for most of my life, and I've been writting horror for a few years now, off and on. SteemIt has been a new era of horror for me.
I'm no Stephen King, but there are a few themes I try to weave into my stories for the best effect. Here's a quick guide to a few key ones:
So in most stories, plot holes can be a distraction to the more observant reader. The horror genre has a bit of an exception though. Often the most terrifying element of story is the unknown. Some unexplainable power, an unknown murderer in the house or being kidnapped by a group you never meet. Often what you don't know is far more terrifying than what you do.
This is no excuse for lazy writing though. Though the reader may not know what's going on, YOU as the writer should. The world you create should still have rules and consistency. Even if the reader doesn't know aliens abducted the protagonist, you should so that you can frame the story around that fact. It doesn't matter if the reader is never told about the aliens, they may still factor into how the setting is portrayed as opposed to someone kidnapped by a drug cartel.
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Another twist that comes with the horror genre is detail. It's largely a matter of opinion in most genres, but being particularly detailed when describing a scene can distract from the story. J.R.R. Tolken often gets criticized for this. Perhaps he should have been a horror author (as an aside, I would kill for a Tolken horror novel) as the horror genre thrives in the gritty details. While sometimes being vague is key, that vagueness should be surrounded by detail to make it pop.
Here's a trick I use to get the most out of our two rules so far. I imagine the scene, let's say it's a brutal murder, and I consider the details around it. I pick one key feature that can be implicit, and I avoid mentioning it in any detail. I then proceed to describe everything else in as much detail as possible. This contrast makes the missing information that much more potent and allows the reader's mind to fill in the blanks with whatever is most disturbing to them.
I'm kind of in the middle of this one myself. There are many types of horror stories. Realistic thrillers, monsters, demons, cults and so much more! Though it's not particularly important to find a specific sub-genre, it behoves an author to at least choose a theme that ties their works together. This helps create consistency in your work and builds a following that knows what to expect from you.
Perhaps the best way to do this is just experiment until you find something that works, figure out why it works and then incorporate that theme into the rest of your writing.
Don't narrowly define Horror
Different people find different situations scary. If you're brainstorming an idea don't limit yourself to a specific type of horror. The intent should be to scare the reader in any way possible, so even if it may lean towards an action based story, it may still be unsettling if there is still the distinct atmosphere of uncertainty that horror delivers.
Write What You Enjoy
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This is a general rule for any writing, but write something that you feel you'd enjoy reading. Horror is supposed to be fun, so even if your attempt wouldn't necessarily scare you, it's find as long as you enjoy the read. Overall the horror genre can be pretty campy, so don't stress if your end product is more hilarious than horrifying.
Have fun with it!
Some really good tips here, thanks! I would love to be able to write horror, but I would probably scare myself to death 😂😂 I prefer to read other peoples fiction as I am always surprised by the twists and turns and I have to say your syle of writing is awesome! You have surprised me with every story so far!
Upvoted. I'm going to resteem this now :)
Thanks, really appreciate it!
Great tips, I'll have to borrow this.
I started writing a horror story a while back and got stuck...Don't ask.
Got about 5,000 words in then kinda put it on the back burner.
I might post it on here sometime?
I will give it another go after I digest these ideas.
5000 word is a pretty good start. I've only ever completed short stories myself. Heck, the 5 part Monkey's Paw series I just wrote is 5000 words combined :P I say post what you got so far! Perhaps after a round of editing. Maybe it'll help motivate you.
Would love if you reviewed my recent post here:
https://steemit.com/fiction/@garethnelsonuk/from-within-the-sleep-a-short-cosmic-horror
This is a great post and well desrving of an upvote! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks! I do enjoy writing these tips and tricks articles. Hardest part is coming up with a subject :P