Horror/Scary: December 13, 2017 Issue [#8648]
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Horror/Scary


 This week: What was that noise?
  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:

"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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Letter from the editor

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.





Editor's Picks

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The Uninvited Hat Open in new Window. (13+)
A lonely old man receives a late night guest
#1108923 by W.D.Wilcox Author IconMail Icon


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Beware of The Tree of Crows Open in new Window. (13+)
Was Michael feeling guilty, making his dreams turn into nightmares?
#1914800 by Jeannie's Jingle Bells☃️ Author IconMail Icon


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A Winter Vacation Open in new Window. (18+)
Joanie needed to get away to relax... a 2017 Quill Award Nominee
#2109955 by Jim Hall Author IconMail Icon


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#2057042 by Not Available.


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The December House Open in new Window. (13+)
Horror Story
#2138526 by ♥Ho Ho HOOves♥ Author IconMail Icon

 
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Ask & Answer

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