 Horror/Scary: August 09, 2023 Issue [#12111] |
This week: How to Create Fear/Horror in Writing Edited by: Schnujo's NOT Doing NaNoWriMo  
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As a guest Newsletter editor, I don't have an overall purpose for the Newsletters I write. I write as I find the time and motivation. This time, I wanted to ensure everyone knew about some free learning opportunities, plus a few ways to amp up the fear in your stories.
Horror fiction shows us that the control we believe we have is purely illusory, and that every moment we teeter on chaos and oblivion. ~ Clive Barker
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Horror movies have an abundance of special effects to create feelings of fear and horror--lighting, sound, actors, camera work, etc. Writers only have themselves, their imagination, and the page.
To create an effective horror story, as with any great story, we begin with the basics of good writing. Show us their fear; don't simply tell us they're afraid. Describe things without cliches. And to quote Stephen King, "The road to hell is paved with adverbs." You know the drill, but if you need a refresher on writing basics, you can google "free writing classes" for online opportunities. There's also a lot of great information on YouTube...though also a good bit of junk. 
   You can also email our very own Vivian  for a free upcoming online class she's hosting off-site through her publishing company, 4RV Publishing.   
But once we have the basics down, there's a lot more to horror, as with any genre, than just writing the words to the story. Each genre has their own style and expectations used to create the feelings and emotions a reader anticipates.
Some things to create more fear in your stories include:
 Create context: A swarm of bees, to a beekeeper looking for additional bees for their hives, is an exciting find. But to a person who is allergic, it can be terrifying. "The monster was the best friend I ever had." ~ Boris Karloff
Be aware of your pace and tone: These are important in all stories, but they are especially important in horror stories. Poor pacing or incorrect tone can spoil the scare. "I think that true horror is accomplished by slowly getting into your brain. The old way is much more scary." ~ Sergio Aragones
Build anticipation: What generally creates the most fear is the build-up to the scare. Tease your audience. String them along without giving too much away until the moment the scare is revealed. "There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it." ~ Alfred Hitchcock
Add plot twists: Fear naturally comes from the unknown so ensure your audience doesn't know what's going to happen next. Of course, make sure it makes sense to the story. "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
Pervert/subvert the norm: Horror often takes something innocent and turns it against us. Think of Cujo, an friendly dog turned rabid or Chucky, an innocent doll turned murderer. "The basis of all true cosmic horror is violation of the order of nature, and the profoundest violations are always the least concrete and describable." ~ H. P. Lovecraft
Use personal experiences: Think back to moments of personal fear or terror. Consider thoughts, body sensations, reflexive responses, etc. to add realism to your stories. "Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality." ~ Edgar Allan Poe
If you want to further hone your scare skills, you can contact our traditionally published horror author Santeven Quokklaus  for his self-paced horror writing class here on WdC available for only 250 GPs for all 8 lessons. See his "Note: How To Write Horror!
Have you ever wante..." or email him for more information.
You can also practice by entering and/or reviewing entries from one of several horror contests on WdC such as
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As you read and review items written in 2023, as well as Newsletters, Activities, Contests, etc., don't forget to make Quill Nominations for any item you deem worthy, regardless of where you find them on the site!
Fun items:
Stories:
Poetry:
Interactives:
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1. For me, spiritual/ghostly/occult things really scare me. Partly, because I don't know what's real and what's not. And partly because I can't see what's scaring me if it chooses not to reveal itself. Of course, if it does choose to reveal itself, that's probably more terrifying. And there's not much that can be done to fight against it except prayer. What scares you the most?
2. To be honest, I don't read much horror these days because I tend to either not be scared by it or have trouble sleeping afterward, neither of which is fun. But I do enjoy Dean Koontz books. They can keep me on edge without keeping me up when it's lights out. Who is your favorite horror/scary author?
3. When I watched the movie, The Omen, I was scared for weeks afterward. And I didn't even get through the movie, Pet Sematary. Did I mention that spiritual/ghostly/occult things really scare me?  What's a book or movie that truly scared you?
4. Because such things scare me, the story I listed first, "Shadow Man" , really creeped me out.  What WdC story has scared you? You can link to it with {item:#######} using the 7-digit number below the title, using curly braces, and not putting a space after the colon. 
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