 Horror/Scary: August 21, 2019 Issue [#9716] |
This week: The five senses of horror Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon  
More Newsletters By This Editor 
 
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
Quote for the week: "We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light."
~Plato
|
| ASIN: B07YXBT9JT |
Product Type: Kindle Store
|
Amazon's Price: $ 4.99
|
|
Involving the five senses in your description is a great way of drawing a reader into any story. It is especially important in horror because fear is an emotional reaction that is often triggered by things we can sense. We learn to associate situations, people, and places with items we can see, hear, smell, taste, or touch.
While a scream or the sight of blood might evoke fear in many people, your characters don't have to sense something commonly thought of as "bad" or "evil" to become afraid. Depending on your experience, something you sense might evoke a pleasant memory or a more sinister one. For example, the smell of lilac perfume might remind one person of a kindly grandmother while another might remember someone who wore that perfume when beating or mistreating them.
Depending on your story, any one of the following might evoke some kind of reaction in your readers. Try and think of ways that each of them might evoke fear.
Sight
Familiar face
Skull or skeleton
Falling leaves
Snow
Ripe fruit
Total darkness
Blinding light
Blood
Maggots
A snake
Sound
Music
Children laughing
Someone crying or shouting
A crow cawing
A scream
Footsteps
Rushing or dripping water
Smell
Perfume or cologne
Baking bread
Mold
Freshly turned soil
Flowers
Dead fish
Rotting meat
Taste
Sugar
Salt
Rotten food
Dirt
Blood
Birthday cake
Ice cream
Touch
Tree bark
Silk
Hair
Skin
Rock
Fabric
Sight and sound are the most common senses described by many writers, but other senses often precede them in real life. For example, you may smell smoke before you see a fire or feel the breath of the killer on the back of your neck before you see his face.
If you have a scene or situation in your story that seems to be lacking something, read it over and see if you might add information about one or more of the five senses. Imagine yourself as the character, and think of how you would experience it in real life. What sense would come first? Which would be the strongest?
In some stories, lack of input from the senses might be effective as well. If your characters are inside a cave they will be in total darkness. It might be really frightening to place a character in a sensory deprivation chamber where they get no input at all from their senses.
Something to try: Write a scene from a horror story involving input from all five senses.
|
| |  | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#2197040 by Not Available. |
|  | Flight 657 (18+)
Two Strangers Survive A Plane Crash, But Their Troubles Are Just Beginning
#2159765 by Angus  |
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#2192183 by Not Available. |
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#2196283 by Not Available. |
|
Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
Don't forget to support our sponsor!
| ASIN: B000FC0SIM |
Product Type: Kindle Store
|
Amazon's Price: $ 12.99
|
|
| Question for next time: What subjects would you like to see in future horror newsletters? |
| ASIN: B004PICKDS |
Product Type: Toys & Games
|
Amazon's Price: Price N/A
|
|
To stop receiving this newsletter, click here for your newsletter subscription list. Simply uncheck the box next to any newsletter(s) you wish to cancel and then click to "Submit Changes". You can edit your subscriptions at any time.
|
This printed copy is for your personal use only. Reproduction
of this work in any other form is not allowed and does violate its copyright. |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
