Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

The Scary Story

The Scary Story

I tried my hand at writing a Horror Story, for a contest sponsored by the Determined Dyslexic’s Society. "Snagar, a Halloween Story"  [E] I like this group for a reason that should be obvious…it takes one to know one. I’m not sure my form of the affliction meets the classic definition but what I see tends to be distorted and at times appear almost incomprehensible. Spatial relationships, figures, negative logic and complex mathematical algorithms flow into my bio-processor only after being reduced to the most simplistic and lowest of common denominators. What I think I do is convert what I see into sounds. I take a vision and transform it into a noise. Then the noise into words and the words into sentences…. Before I try and feed it into my mind I have to understand what I’m talking about. “Monkey see Monkey do” drives me to distraction. Don’t ask me to blindly follow a process when I don’t know where it’s leading. (even if it all works out in the end)

Anyway the first question that comes to mind is what makes a horror story scary? First I have to reflect on what scares me and then go back to what scared me as a kid between the ages of 8 and 18. I know there is a science as well as an art to writing a horror story and that a writer needs to first apply some time tested principles. For example, the threat of something that is unknown is more frightening than the actual viewing. Not knowing what is out there is more frightening than what the apparition actually turns out looking like. So it seems to me you have to not graphically show the terror to begin with but rather have it appear indirectly and let the imagination of the reader or audience flesh out the unknown with their own fears and assumptions which are often many times more terrifying than reality will ever prove to be. So you tell of the noises the thing makes, or the smell that assails your nostrils and just about any kind of sensory stimulus that stops short of the visual.

Next I think you take the old standbys model. The Central Character (CC) is faced with a challenge, and there is a life chancing event and he resolves to do something about it and what follows is a string of crisis that begin to unfold. These should start out small and grow in intensity until they culminate in a climax where the visualization of the great fear is manifested. This would seem to me to be the model a scary story writer would follow. This is the science and writing the actual words is the art. No doubt there is still more, for example the tempo. To begin with the pace is slow as the CC gets drawn in and picks up as the drum beats louder and finally the symbols clash with the climax. Anyway it starts with the science and from there the authors artistic skills embellish on the framework.

The next step is to get the characters etched clearly in mind. If they are clear in the writer's mind they should be clear in the readers or audiences. Using character profiles are useful as is test driving characters in short stories or other forms of literary expression. The Snagar in my story come from creatures in my novella, Essence and the Stones. I am not yet satisfied with how they appear and am testing another look in this short story.

Then of course is the first draft. That is what I have just completed and intend to post initially as my contest entry. Then I 'll let it cook on the back burner and go back before the contest ends and clean it up. The reason I post it is to get feedback. Negative feedback is the best kind since I no longer need to be stroked for encouragement as a writer. For me a new set of eyes pointing out shortcomings is most useful. I don’t take it personally and indeed welcome it. When my reviewers have their say I’m ready for the massaging. I now have the story line, the characters, a rough draft, comments and am ready to embark on phase 2 of the model.

A horror story, it would seem to me is essentially like any other story but one that exploit’s the fearfs and anxities that people have. So phase 2 should deal with undercurrents, exploit the fear mechanism, keep the reader off balance and constantly assailed everyone with the unexpected. Do not allow the viewers to rise up into any semblance of a comfort zone. Maybe a respite to catch their breath but no comic relief or any opportunity to marshal any real fortitude. Rather to keep up the pressure until they are reduced to a neurotic hand wringing. Set the audience up for one event after the other saving the worst moment for last as the reader retreats down the ladder of confidence and self assurance. Give them no opportunity for transcending their fears before the story ends and when that time comes leave the CC and everybody else trembling in their boots.

This is what the writer needs to try and achieve and the questions they need to keep reminding themselves in crafting a Horror Story.