  Horror/Scary
This week: The last minute scare Edited by: Gaby  
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“Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.”
Edgar Allan Poe quote |
| ASIN: 0995498113 |
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Amazon's Price: $ 19.95
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Scared. Afraid. Frightened. Fearful. Terrified. Petrified. Nervous. Startled. Alarmed. Worried. Anxious. Timid. Timorous.
All great words to use, but none of them bring forth the horror required to make the heart race. Why? They are simply words; nothing more, nothing less. Does that mean that using those words in your writing wouldn't scare me? That's exactly what it means. Nevertheless, the power lies within those words. Let's examine all this a bit further:
"I'm afraid my next door neighbor might be the axe murderer I saw on television last week."
The sentence above tells you something a person might be afraid of, but would a sentence like that scare you? No, unless you live next door to that axe murderer yourself.
'He brought home a tarantula, knowing she'd be petrified. When she saw it, the fear on her face was unmistakable.'
Once again, the sentence tells you something, which you might be even able to see through your own eyes, but it does not do what it should.
Even though the sentences are only examples and it requires necessary elaboration on the writer's part to instill the right amount of horror, you can see what I mean. Showing the body language of your character is very important. It creates the visual aspect to the reader. But you need more than that. You need to know your character well. Their strengths and weaknesses are more important than the item which scares them. Emotional distress isn't the easiest to describe in order to make your reader experience the same, but it's necessary.
If I'm afraid of a spider, which I truly am, and you're supposed to write about this unfortunate encounter, how do you go about it? Do you just show the reader what is happening using your words? Or, do you dig deeper into the characters psyche? If you just write:
She screamed, then jumped onto the couch, hopping from one foot to the other,...
It would sound more comical than scary. It wouldn't be the first time I've had people laugh at my reaction when seeing a spider or a bug crawling next to me. So how do you twist it around? How would you make the reader sympathize with me? You have to make them feel the same emotions I feel at that particular moment. Heart pounding, chest heaving, shortness of breath, a lump in the throat, sweaty palms, dizziness, about to faint. You have to dig beyond the exterior.
When writing, you have the ability to stop time with your words or speed it up. However, to connect your reader with your character, you have to think slow motion. The reader may not be afraid of an axe or a tiny spider, but the greater the emotional effect, the better the connection. The five senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste) are very important to any story, but the writing doesn't stop there. Always think outside the box to make your writing better. Slow motion gives you the chance to describe the inner emotional turmoil a person goes through in vivid detail.
Don't rush through your sentences just because you think the reader will understand the point you're trying to make. It's not about understanding, it's about making their breath catch in their throat (and then some) while reading what you wrote.
'til next time!
~ Gaby 
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BIG BAD WOLF is Merry  has a horror contest "Invalid Item" which is just sitting there, collecting dust. I wanted to know if he'd consider reopening it again. His reply, 'only if people showed enough interest in sharing their nightmares'. I consider that as a challenge. Wouldn't you? And what are you going to do about it? |
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Horror/Scary: January 15, 2014 Issue [#6108]
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