7 helpful tips to writing good horror stories
I have recently published a short horror story known as “Black Bird Forest”, a story inspired by Linkin Park. (Listen to “Blackbirds”.)
I have gathered some experience with regards to writing horror, and I have a dosage of tips for all budding Stephen King writers.
1. Live it. And relive it.
I did not just decide to write the story off my head in the moment. That idea that came into my head actually took a few days of constantly replaying the song and reliving every scene that I had in my head as though it were real. I visualise, in high definition, the moment the two characters meet. It’s these little details that you see with your mind’s eye that ultimately help you in writing a good horror story.
2. Take the pacing slow.
Even if it might be a short story, timing here is still essential. Think about it. What if you are watching a horror movie, and then the first thing you see is the climax happening before the rest of the story? That would not be a very good movie, would it? It’s the same for the story. Take your time with the build-up. When you have ensured that all factors leading up to the main climax have been put in place, you can safely plunge your readers into the moment of fear.
3. Manipulation is good.
In my story, “Black Bird Forest”, a girl by the name of Carine enters the forest of that name. At the same time, another girl in a long, flowing dress treads in timidly. The story then progresses into what went on in the girls’ minds, how Carine wonders about her problems in her life, how the other girl ran around in endless fear… and when the two meet I revealed to my readers.. the nameless girl in the story is Carine’s doppelganger, an embodiment of Carine’s bottled up feelings. She proves to be evil when her union with Carine drove her past the brink of insanity, and ultimately to her death when the ravens of the forest attacked her.
I portrayed the doppelganger as a normal character initially, intending to give the readers some room to explore the connections between the two girls. The most common possibility would be that the two will help each other out. However… I gave the girl a sinister twist, and actually made her a being who lived in the forest, and was made Carine’s doppelganger from numerous bodies of live ravens, making the being a deceptive one from the very beginning. As seen, the deception not only applied to Carine in the story- it applied to the readers too.
Think about how your readers will view the characters in your story.. then give them a twist into something completely unexpected.
4. Read the best of horror and learn from the professionals.
I read Stephen King’s “Pet Sematary”. It’s one of my top favourite books, perhaps because of the vivid, but not over-the-top descriptions of the phenomenon. That crazed look in Gage’s eyes when he murdered his own mother with a scalpel. Watching the scene unfold in my mind’s eye gives me the chills already.
Look at the masters of horror and observe the way that they unveil their story. Learn a little from them and you’ll get better.
5. Too much gore spoils it all.
Now, some blood here and there is not too bad. Simply mentioning that blood started to stream out of your female heroine’s arm is not too bad- people can imagine it. But do it too much here and there and it’s basically the Final Destination film series in print. And frankly speaking, it wasn’t scary to me.
Some blood here and there for effect is good. Too much just desensitises your readers to it.
6. Out of ideas? Think of something perfectly ordinary.
The only thing about Final Destination that makes it quite suspenseful is the ability to change some small, minor errors that ANYONE can overlook into the cause of someone’s death. Similarly, think of the most ordinary situations in your world around you. That park near your house. Watching television. Wearing a certain red dress. Using a certain knife to cut fruits. Anything ordinary can be spun into a horror story with great imagination. The best thing is that it’s something that your readers relate to everyday, so scare them with ordinary things, and you’ve got them.
7. Try to make the effects lasting on the mind, not the pictorial memories you create.
Usually, we remember the horrific images from those movies we watch. But in writing, pictorial memories are often hard to remain on a person’s mind (unless its impact is very huge). Aim not for your reader’s imagination, but your reader’s state of mind. Do something that potentially drives both your character and readers to the point of insanity. When they look back at the frenzied feeling that scene gave them, they will remember the story.
