  Horror/Scary
This week: What was that noise? Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon  
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Quote for the week:
"Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence." ~Simon and Garfunkel |
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Many scary scenes in horror stories or movies begin with a strange noise. The noise is often the first sign that something isn't right. Whether it is a branch scratching on a window pane, a thump from a darkened hallway, or maybe something unrecognizable, the noise is often a prelude to a scare.
Unexplained sounds are frightening, because they are...well, unexplained. Is that scratching sound really just a branch rubbing on a window pane, or is it the claw of a demon? If you set the scene correctly, all sorts of frightening possibilities can run through the reader's mind before you reveal what is really happening.
Have you ever noticed that you hear more strange noises in your house at night than you do in the daytime? Normal sounds such as the furnace fan, the refrigerator, or just the creaks and groans that older buildings make are less noticeable during the day because of the television, music, or people talking.
Sometimes are really spooky sound can have an innocent explanation. When I was a kid, I spent the night with friends, and woke up in the middle of the night to what sounded like someone playing three creepy notes on a flute. In the morning, I found out that was the sound their heater made when it turned off.
Going out to investigate a strange noise is a familiar trope in mystery and horror stories. If you use it, try and use it in a new way. At least, make sure your characters don't do anything foolish while investigating the noise. When characters do stupid things just to advance the plot, it brings the reader out of the story. For example, characters in horror stories often go out in the dark to investigate a strange sound without taking a flashlight or other light source. Another familiar foolish act involves going out to investigate the noise and leaving the door wide open so the monster can get in.
Another horror story trope is a strange noise that turns out to have an innocent source (for example, a cat), followed by something truly scary. Try to vary the way you do this, because readers have come to expect it.
Something to try: Write a horror story that begins with a strange noise.
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Horror/Scary: December 13, 2017 Issue [#8648]
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