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Printed from https://shop.writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/7976-Short-sweet-and-terrifying.html
Horror/Scary: November 16, 2016 Issue [#7976]

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Horror/Scary


 This week: Short, sweet, and terrifying
  Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon Author IconMail Icon
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Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

Quote for the week: "Where there is no imagination there is no horror."
~Sir Arthur Conan Doyle


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Letter from the editor

Like any short story writer, a writer of short horror fiction needs to create a seamless plot with believable characters in very few words. The horror writer has the extra challenge of scaring the daylights out of the reader as well. How do you create fear in 6000 words or less? Here are some suggestions:

Keep it simple: Limit your story to one main plot with few, if any subplots.

Start or finish in the middle: Short stories often start in the middle of the action or end before everything is resolved. You might have to imply what has already happened (or is about to happen) through the dialogue and actions of the characters. The story still needs to feel like a complete story, but the reader will imagine some parts of it instead of witnessing them first hand.

No unnecessary characters: A great story doesn't need a cast of thousands. Take out any characters who are not absolutely essential to the story. If you have invented a great character you hate to give up, you can always use him or her in another story.

Short, vivid description: Now is not the time for long detailed description. A sentence or two can be just as effective (or even better) than several pages of narrative. In order to figure out which details to include, imagine yourself in a frightening situation. If a werewolf was chasing you through a house, would you care about the color of the drapes or the style of the architecture?

Dialogue: Verbal exchanges between characters can show their personalities and relationships at the same time they reveal important information (or keep it from each other.) One tense line of dialogue can be far more effective than several paragraphs explaining why two people hate each other.

If you have a hard time staying under the word limit for a short horror story contest, don't give up on your story. Some stories are just too complex to be abbreviated. Consider expanding it into a longer story or even a novel. Or write long and short versions, and see which one you like best.

Something to try: Write the scariest story you can in 50 words or less.









Editor's Picks

BENT Open in new Window. (13+)
Something is wrong at the Caldwell's Farm this Halloween, something very, very wrong...
#2100252 by Angus Author IconMail Icon


The Red Festival Open in new Window. (18+)
My dark fantasy story. Heavily inspired by the works of Kentaro Miura.
#2061386 by Mista Winstrom Author IconMail Icon


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#2101467 by Not Available.


 
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Understanding Cain Open in new Window. (18+)
He's known the truth since he was a boy, but still, wants more. A character study.
#2088425 by Starr Phenix Author IconMail Icon


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#2034160 by Not Available.

 
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Ask & Answer

Question for next time: Where do you get ideas for horror stories?

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