The fear of the unknown is one of the most powerful devices for a good scary story. People fear what they don’t know.
For example, if you fear being trapped in an elevator, ask yourself, “What if I was stuck in an elevator with a dead person?” Or, “What if the elevator mirror was a door into an evil world?”
Make sure to keep the climax of your story in mind as you develop the setting.
Or, add a twist to a familiar horror trope, like a vampire who enjoys cake instead of blood, or a man trapped in a dumpster rather than a coffin.
Another way to generate story ideas is to use writing prompts. These could be as simple as writing a suspenseful story about staying at a haunted hotel. You might use a prompt about an important party gone wrong or an envious friend who begins to act strangely towards you. Use the prompts to generate a story idea you connect with.
Villain Other supporting characters (family member, best friend, love interest, etc. ) Minor characters (postal worker, gas station attendant, etc. )
Name, age, physical description (include height, weight, eye color, hair color, etc. ) Personality traits Likes and dislikes Family history Best friend and worst enemy Five things the character would never leave home without
Be clear about what will happen if the character does not get what they want. The stakes of the story, or the consequences if the character does not achieve their desires, is what drives the story forward. The stakes also build tension and suspense for your reader.
Try giving your villain a distinguishing gesture that they use often, such as clenching their fists or twitching their nose. Give your villain a deep booming voice, a soft raspy voice, a creaky nasally voice, or a very mad voice.
The tension between what the reader wants for the character and what could happen or go wrong for the character will fuel the story. It will also propel your readers through the story.
However, don’t go overboard with these mistakes or bad decisions. They should be believable and not merely stupid or inane. For example, don’t have your character, a young babysitter, respond to a masked killer by running outside into the deep, dark woods.
Exposition: Set the scene and introduce the characters. Inciting incident: Have something happen in the story to start the action. Rising action: Continue the story, building excitement and suspense. Climax: Include a moment that holds the most tension in the story. Falling action: These are events that occur after the climax. Resolution: Here, the character solves the main problem. Denouement: This is the ending in which the characters resolve any remaining questions.
For example, consider these two ways of describing a scene: ”I was too scared to open my eyes, even though I heard footsteps coming closer. ” “I wrapped the blankets tighter around me and let out a sick whimper. My chest was tight, my stomach rotten. I would not look. No matter how close those shuffling footsteps came, I would not look. I would not, I would…not…” The second example gives the reader more of an insight into the character’s physical feelings.
Hint at the story’s direction and possible climax by providing small clues or details. You might briefly mention a label on a bottle that will later come in handy for the main character. There might be a sound or voice in a room that will later become a sign of an unnatural presence. Another effective way to build tension is to alternate from tense or bizarre moments to quiet moments. Allow your character to take a breath, calm down, and feel safe again. Then, amp up the tension by re-engaging the character in the conflict. This time, make the conflict feel even more serious or threatening.
Keep in mind that foreshadowing is most effective when the reader and characters are unaware of the significance of the clues until the end of the story.
Scared, scary Terrified, terrifying Horrified, horror Afraid Frightened
In Poe’s short story, the climax of the story occurs at the very end. Poe applies more and more pressure to the narrator by having the police visit him. He uses the narrator’s internal struggle to keep his cool and achieve his desire of getting away with murder to create a climax. But by the end of the story, the narrator’s guilt pushes him over the edge and he reveals the body under the floorboards.
While you want to create a satisfying ending for the reader, you also do not want to make it too closed and settled. The reader should walk away from the story with a lingering feeling of uncertainty. Consider if the ending feels like a surprise or an obvious answer. The key to suspense if not to answer the dramatic question too soon. Poe’s short story ends on a high note because the outcome of the narrator’s dilemma is revealed in the last line of the story. The suspense in the story is sustained until the very end.
Sometimes, readers may be aware of the answer or ending to the dramatic question upfront. But they may be willing to read the story until the end because the lead up to the ending is engaging and suspenseful. They care enough about the characters and the story to read about the events that lead to the climactic event.
Print out your story and comb through it carefully.
Characters: Are the characters believable? Do they engage in action that is realistic? Continuity: Does the story make sense? Does it follow a logical order? Grammar and mechanics: Is the language readable? Are there run-on sentences, misused words, etc. ? Dialogue: Are conversations between characters realistic? Was there enough (or too much) dialogue? Pacing: Does the story move along at a good pace? Do you get bored in certain areas? Do you think too much happens too quickly in other areas? Plot: Does the plot make sense? Does the character’s objective make sense?
You might find it helpful to take some time away from your story before you try to revise it. Put it aside for a few days or more and then come back to it with fresh eyes.
