Horror fiction allows writers to explore the twisted, sinister side of humanity. Stories that tap into readers’ primal fears have the power to thrill, scare, and haunt. There are several key tips to keep in mind. In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn the elements of an effective horror story and how to craft a tale full of dread. Follow these 7 steps to write horror that will haunt your readers long after they finish the last page.
Contents: How to start writing a Horror Story
Key Takeaways: How to Write Horror that Sells and scares
Ready to try your hand at horror writing? Here are some final tips:
- Tap into primal human fears we can all relate to
- Immerse readers in a creepy, unsettling atmosphere from the start
- Structure the plot to gradually build suspense to a terrifying climax
- Create relatable characters that draw readers into the horror
- Scare readers with vividly described disturbing scenes
- Use classic horror conventions and tropes as touchstones
- Revise to refine pacing, drama, tension, and vivid details
How to start writing a Horror Story
Horror fiction aims to create a sense of dread, fear, and unease in readers. The genre has been popular for centuries – from 19th century gothic novels to modern films and stories. Writers exploit common human fears about death, darkness, evil, pain, and the unknown. Master horror storytellers understand how to craft nail-biting tension leading to spine-tingling climaxes.
While horror plots and characters vary widely, some key elements appear in the most blood-curdling tales:
- Relatable yet flawed characters
- Foreboding mood and atmosphere
- Rising tension and suspense
- Shocking or disturbing events
- A terrifying, dramatic climax
This guide will walk you through the process of outlining, writing, and polishing a horror story that will haunt readers long after they’ve put it down.
Preparing for Story Writing
Before you start writing, you need a killer premise to build tension and fear around. Here are some tips:
Find Inspiration
Draw ideas from nightmares or personal fears. Or read/watch horror stories and make notes on frightening plot lines, scenes, and characters. Horror writing prompts can also spark ideas.
Know Your Audience
Determine who your readers are and what makes them afraid so you can tailor the horror. For example, a story for adults might be very different than one for teens.
Study the Horror Genre
Research popular horror tropes and conventions so you can put a fresh spin on them or subvert expectations.
How to start a horror story: Essential Tips
The horror genre has been scaring readers for centuries. Classic horror tales like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and Stephen King’s works demonstrate how compelling the genre can be. Horror fiction hinges on creating a sense of fear and dread in the reader. While plots and characters vary widely, all of them contain some key elements that make them frightening.
When thinking on how to start a horror story or writing horror, keep these essential tips in mind:
- Tap into universal human fears. The most effective horror writers know how to exploit readers’ deepest fears. Common fears you can tap into include death, pain, darkness, claustrophobia, beings that lurk at night like vampires or werewolves, evil forces beyond our control, losing loved ones, and more. Dig deep to find out what truly terrifies you, then translate that to the page.
- Create an atmosphere of tension and suspense. Horror thrives on a sense of unease. Develop an atmosphere thick with tension that puts readers on edge. Leave them guessing about when the next scare will come.
- Use disturbing imagery and description. Don’t shy away from vivid, unsettling details that evoke a visceral reaction in readers. Describe disturbing sights, sounds, and smells that immerse the audience in the horror.
- Build to a terrifying climax. The best horror stories start slowly and build in intensity until reaching a heart-stopping climax. Structure your story so the horror increases bit by bit, saving the most terrifying events for the conclusion.
Now let’s explore the process how to start a good horror story in 7 simple steps.
1. Find Inspiration for Your Horror Story Idea
Before you can write horror, you need a killer story idea to build your plot around. Here are some strategies for finding inspiration:
- Draw from your own fears. Think about what scares you most, then imagine a story bringing those fears to life. For example, if you have a fear of heights, you could write about characters trapped high up in a building with no way down.
- Read/watch horror stories. Immerse yourself in the horror genre to get inspiration. Make note of plot lines, scenes, and frightening characters that could spark ideas.
- Use writing prompts. Horror prompts like “A girl hears voices at night coming from the attic” or “During a power outage, the characters discover they are not alone” can get your creative juices flowing.
Once you have a premise, you can start developing the plot and characters to build off it. Outlining the major story points will give your horror tale shape and direction.
2. Establish the Right Horrific Mood
The atmosphere you create is crucial for crafting effective horror. As the writer, you need to establish an unsettling mood right from the start through:
- Setting. Choose a dark, creepy setting like a secluded old house, abandoned asylum, or deep forest to set the stage for terror. Describe the setting vividly using chilling details.
- Tone. Adopt a sinister, ominous tone in your writing. Long sentences, vivid vocabulary, and a slow pace can help build tension.
- Characters. Introduce characters who find themselves in peril, afraid, or under threat early on to evoke unease in readers.
- Foreshadowing. Drop hints about frightening events to come so the audience braces themselves for terror around every corner.
3. Structure the Story to Build Suspense
Horror stories follow a plot structure designed to create suspense and a growing sense of dread in the reader. Here’s how to shape your story:
- Hook. Open with an attention-grabbing scene, question, startling image, or revelation to immediately pull the reader in.
- Exposition. Introduce the characters, setting, and backstory. Hints of something being “off” will start to build tension.
- Rising action. The story builds to a terrifying climax. Drop clues, foreshadow, and slowly escalate the horror as the story progresses.
- Climax. All the mounting horror culminates in the most terrifying, shocking event of the story. This is the peak moment that everything has been building towards.
- Falling action. After the terror of the climax, show the aftermath and how the characters are irrevocably changed by what they endured.
4. Create Compelling Horror Characters
The characters are the lens through which readers experience the horror. For maximum impact, readers need to care what happens and relate to the fear the characters feel.
- Flawed everyday characters. Readers connect more with relatable, imperfect characters than one-dimensional heroes. Give them flaws, quirks, and background details.
- Emphasis on emotions. Show your characters’ fear, dread, desperation, grief, and trauma through their thoughts, dialogue, and body language. Readers need to feel what they feel.
- Character arcs. Characters should change or transform over the course of the story as a result of what they experience. Surviving a harrowing ordeal often leaves characters irreparably changed.
5. Scare Readers with Impactful Horror Scenes
It’s time to bring your most horrifying ideas to life. Turn your biggest fears into tense, vividly described scenes that will scare the daylights out of readers.
- Tap into primal fears. Exploit universal fears like injury, death, darkness, enclosed spaces, insects, ghosts, monsters, gore, and the supernatural for maximum impact.
- Use creepy details. Vivid descriptions of disturbing sights, sounds, smells, and textures make scenes feel real. Mention grotesque details just enough to unsettle readers’ imaginations.
- Build tension. Draw out scenes slowly. Use foreshadowing and clues to hint at something terrifying about to happen. Keep readers on the edge of their seats.
- Leave some mystery. The unknown is scariest of all. Don’t overexplain the threat or reveal too much. Allow readers’ imaginations to fill in the blanks.
6. Use Horror Tropes and Elements
While there are infinite directions to take a horror story, established tropes and conventions of the genre can help generate ideas. Consider including some classic horror elements like:
- A creepy setting like a haunted mansion, abandoned asylum, or ghost town
- Supernatural beings like vampires, zombies, ghosts, demons
- Gore, disturbing imagery, and graphic violence
- Ominous symbols and recurring images
- Sinister background noises like creaking doors, howling wind
- Character being chased by unknown evil force or killer
- Protagonist slowly losing grip on reality
7. Revise to Fine-Tune the Horror
After completing a draft, read through your horror story and look for opportunities to refine the terror. During revision:
- Evaluate pacing. Ensure the horror slowly builds scene by scene. Add or trim scenes to improve flow.
- Punch up slower parts by adding creepy details and tension. Identify any parts that feel slow or dull. Inject creepy details, foreshadowing, and suspense to keep the tension high.
- Add stronger details. Take vivid descriptions even further to viscerally unsettle readers.
- Smooth Out and Fix flaws. Look for any plot holes, inconsistencies, vague spots, or confusing parts to smooth out.
- Make descriptions vividly disturbing to amplify the horror
Keep polishing until you have a seamless, pulse-pounding horror story that will scare readers senseless.
The horror genre offers endless opportunities to explore the twisted, dark side of humanity and the human psyche. Approach your story with a spirit of experimentation. Break rules, push boundaries, and make readers scream for more!
Horror Writing Story Structure
Shape your tale to gradually build suspense toward a shocking, terrifying climax.
Hook
Open with an attention-grabbing scene or question to establish the creepy tone fast.
Exposition
Introduce characters and backstory hints. Slowly reveal details to build a sense of mystery and foreboding.
Rising Action
Have events become increasingly ominous. Drop clues and foreshadow later events to ratchet up the tension.
Climax
All the horror culminates in a terrifying, unforgettable crescendo, usually revealing the full threat.
Resolution
Show the aftermath and how characters are forever changed by the chilling ordeal.
Crafting Compelling Characters
Well-drawn characters ground the horror and make it emotionally resonant. Give each key player:
- Believable motivations, behavior, backstory, and personality quirks.
- Intense emotional reactions to events – have them exhibit escalating fear, panic, trauma, paranoia, grief, etc.
- Character arcs showing how they are transformed by their harrowing experience. The ordeal changes them permanently.
Writing Blood-Curdling Horror Scenes
Vividly described disturbing scenes are the hallmarks of great horror. To terrify readers, put characters in situations exploiting common fears like:
- Injury, death
- Darkness, claustrophobic spaces
- Loss of control or sanity
- Gore or violence
Use creepy sights, sounds, smells. Leave some details to readers’ imagination. Draw scenes out using foreshadowing to keep readers tense about what might happen next.
Common Horror Fiction Elements
While horror stories vary wildly in content and style, some classic conventions can help generate ideas:
- An ominous isolated setting like a haunted house, abandoned town, remote forest
- Supernatural beings like vampires, zombies, ghosts or demonic entities
- Sinister background noises like creaking floorboards or howling wind
- Gore and graphic violence
- A character slowly losing their grip on reality
- Ominous symbols or recurring images
Video How to start writing and horror story
Conclusion
Horror stories have the power to thrill us, scare us, and stick with us long after we’ve finished reading. To create an incredibly haunting story that will truly send shivers down readers’ spines, one must deftly exploit deep-rooted human fears, fully immerse them in an unsettling ambiance, craft a plot that intensifies suspense, mold relatable yet flawed characters, paint vividly disturbing scenes, and skillfully employ classic horror conventions.
Remember to start slow and gradually build the tension throughout the story until you reach a dramatic, spine-tingling climax. Descriptive details, foreshadowing, and exploring the unknown are key for creating suspense and fear. Spend time refining your horror story during the editing process to smooth out any flaws and amplify the terror on each page.
If you follow these tips, your horror story is sure to succeed in sending shivers down readers’ spines. Horror offers endless possibilities for exploring the strange, sinister side of humanity. So tap into your fears, and let your most terrifying ideas loose on the page. Just beware – you may have trouble falling asleep after imagining the disturbing scenes and creepy characters that populate the world of horror fiction. When it comes to horror writing, the only limit is your own nightmarish imagination.
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if you want to learn how to write short horror stories then check this article
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FAQ How to start writing and horror story
Q: How do I start writing a horror story?
A: To start writing a horror story, you can follow these 7 steps:
Q: What are some tips for writing horror?
A: Here are some tips for writing horror:
Q: Should I write from my own fears when writing horror?
A: Yes, it can be helpful to write from your own fears when writing horror. Drawing from personal experiences and emotions can make your story more authentic and relatable.
Q: Is it necessary to like all fiction to write horror stories?
A: No, it is not necessary to like all fiction in order to write horror stories. However, being familiar with the genre and enjoying reading horror can be beneficial in understanding the conventions and tropes of the genre.
Q: Can anyone write horror stories?
A: Yes, anyone can write horror stories. Writing horror is a creative endeavor that anyone with a passion for storytelling and imagination can pursue.
Q: Is Stephen King a master of horror?
A: Yes, Stephen King is widely regarded as a master of horror. His works have greatly influenced the genre and his storytelling expertise is often praised by both readers and fellow writers.
Q: How important is a plot twist in a horror story?
A: A plot twist can be an effective tool in a horror story to surprise and engage the reader. However, it is not necessary for every horror story to have a plot twist. The effectiveness of a plot twist depends on the overall storytelling and the specific story being told.
Q: How can story prompts help in starting a horror story?
A: Story prompts can provide inspiration and help jumpstart your imagination when starting a horror story. They can give you ideas or themes to explore and serve as a starting point for your creativity.
Q: Should I watch horror movies to get ideas for writing?
A: Watching horror movies can be a great way to get ideas and inspiration for your writing. It can help you understand different types of horror and explore various storytelling techniques used in the genre.
Q: How can I use my imagination to write a great horror story?
A: To write a great horror story, you need to use your imagination to create a compelling plot, develop interesting characters, and build a suspenseful atmosphere. Let your imagination run wild and experiment with different ideas to make your story truly unique.
