  Horror/Scary
This week: Edited by: kelly1202
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What constitutes a good horror story?
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Writing horror is not that much different from writing in any other genre. The only difference is the emotions we target. I ask some of the well known horror writer’s on WDC to share their opinions of what they think constitues a good horror story. What leaves them squirming in their chair? And what they incorporate in their writing to bring forth that chilling affect.
jrolandsays: I think what makes a good horror story is a good dose of 'interesting' realism,
and then a dash or two of something that stretches the imagation into the realm of horror. It's a fine line to walk--from the real to the unreal--but if it's done correctly, the transition should appear seemless ('The Shining' is a good example: Jack Torrance, from man seeking to improve himself through his writing, to desperate man torn between his duty as caretaker of a hotel and that of a loving father, to man who loses himself and his sanity to the hotel; Danny Torrance, from boy with 'imaginary' friend, to boy with a true gift for
seeing into people's thoughts).
billwilcox says: Good horror occurs to ordinary people: me, you, the neighbor kid. The more
ordinary your characters are, the more people will relate to them, and then once they associate themselves with the main character you go ahead and scare the bejeebers out of 'em.
-Bill
MadMan at Large  says: To me, the most important (and often the hardest) part of writing good horror is coming up with an original and creative idea. So much has been done and overdone in our genre that it's easy to write a story that's cliche before it's even finished. The most obvious example of this is vampires and werewolves (which I avoid like the plague), but many other themes suffer from this as well. A good way to avoid this trap is to focus not only on the story theme itself, but also on how your story ends. In most stories the good guy wins, but there is no rule that says he has to. Don't be afraid to experiment with different ways to close the piece. Sometimes, having your main character lose can be a big impact with the readers, and leave them thinking about your story long after they finish reading.
Ghost of Stereotomy says: My favorite horror stories are not only horrific, but also have a sense of
wonder about them, which is probably why I prefer supernatural horror to real-life horror. I guess what appeals to me is that combination of awe and
horror. When I'm reading horror, I want to be taken somewhere I hadn't envisioned prior to reading the story. I want to be not only scared or chilled or horrified by where I've ended up. I want to be fascinated, too.
I think anticipation and apprehension is another important aspect of horror. Whether I'm writing or reading, I love the sensation of building tension, that feeling that something is going to happen, and not knowing what. Honestly though, I don't normally set out to write horror, exactly. I rarely set out to write in a particular genre, actually. I tend to write without a roadmap, and I just like to follow the road where it leads me. I do, however, tend to start writing a story with a particular atmosphere or mood in mind, which often leads toward the darker genres. From there, I try to make it as sensory-oriented as possible. I want the reader to actually be there in the story as much as possible. I want them to be on that solitary strip of shoreline or on that rotting porch, their breath frosting in the night air.
Holly Abidi says: What constitutes a good horror story for you? I’d have to say that for me I
approach writing horror in a way that it should be full of suspense, great description, and logic. I want a logical reason for this person to go after you and I want to know how he or she become a killer and other such questions which, I think are very important to reveal. Moreover, I believe that good horror comes from an idea that shocks others. It should be something that isn’t about camera tricks or animation such as a large number of Zombie movies and some Serial Killer type shows. They focus only on the gore of the killing and the hype of a killer chasing the characters. Don’t get me wrong if handled well it’s thrilling, but sometimes it’s just not.
used movie examples because you have the imagery, but you could also reference to the books as well. So all in all horror should evoke fear, it should be full of suspense, and keep you on the edge of your seat. But at the end it should also seem like it wasn’t just a work of fiction that it could be reality. That’s the worst fear of all. Knowing that hey maybe Jeepers Creepers is a show, but the next time you’re out on a long drive and alone on a highway out in the middle of nowhere you’ll think about it being out there. That’s chilling, purely horrifying, and that’s GOOD! Isn’t that why we love reading horror, going to horror flicks, it’s because we enjoy the scare of it. But at the same time apart from the scare if it’s really believable, tangled with truth, then you’ll end up taking that unsettling tale with you wherever you go.
Thank you to everyone who helped participate with this issue. I greatly appreciate the time you all took to submit your inquiries.
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kelly1202
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Horror/Scary: January 24, 2007 Issue [#1501]
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