  Horror/Scary
This week: Edited by: W.D.Wilcox  
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Fear is the key to a good horror tale, but fear of a monster goes only so far. For a really good story the fear has to scare us to our core. A horror story can’t simply rely on pointless violence and shock value to digust its readers--it must work hard to instill genuine chills.
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Quite often I hear people say that they can’t write horror. To me, horror is just intense drama, and there is drama all around us. Say, for example, that you’re a loving, caring parent, happily married, a couple of kids. And then let’s say that your teenager wants to borrow the car for the night to go to the movies with some friends--pretty common stuff so far, right? Well, I don’t know about you, but if my teenager is off someplace in my car, I worry. I worry until they get back home because that’s what parents do. What do we worry about? What’s out worse fear?
It’s late--much later than when your child promised to be home. Then you get a phone call. You run to the phone, clutching it like a lifeline. “Hello? Hello?”
“Is this Mr. Wilcox?”
“Yes. Who’s this?”
“This is the police department. There’s been an accident.”
What happens next is nothing but pure horror for any parent.
Writing horror isn’t necessarily about vampires, witches, and ghosts. It’s about what really scares you. And believe me, we’re all afraid of something. The key to writing horror is to tap into those fears; to not only let your characters think of the unthinkable, but to make it happen--make them experience it first hand.
Being a dad, I’ve had all kinds of terrible dreams about things happening to my kids that are beyond my control. If you’re a parent, then I know you’ve had them too. Don’t just push them to the back of your mind--experience them. Find out why they scare you so much. You are now on your way to writing horror. If it scares you to think about it, it probably scares somebody else too.
Stephen King consistently preys upon the fears of parents. In ‘Pet Cemetery’ a little boy is plowed down by a semi-truck while crossing the street in front of his house. It doesn’t get any scarier than that folks.
When writing horror stories, make them plausible. Make your readers believe in your tale with vivid scenarios, strong characters, realistic dialogue, and terror so real they won't question it. They know the story is fiction, but they'll accept that it could happen. That's what storytelling is all about. Make them beg for more.
If you want to write horror, think about the things that really scare you. Think about all the stuff that makes your mouth go dry and your insides shake uncontrollably. Go deep inside, so deep it scares you. Go to that place you refuse to bring to light because it makes you ill to think about such things. When you get there, grab onto those unspeakable fears and talk about them. Those are the stories horror writers need to tell.
Until next time,
billwilcox
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Horror/Scary: July 27, 2005 Issue [#516]
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