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Share your Fear
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Whatever scares you most could form the basis of your story. The novel "Carrie" is about a girl with telekinesis, but it also explores growing up and trying to fit in (a recognizable theme). Root your horror in something as identifiable. Your life experiences, given the proper dramatic flair and attention to detail, can leap off the page and into the imagination of the reader. Find the chilling in the every day. If you have an aversion to clowns, Ferris wheels or hospital waiting rooms, your audience might feel that fear, too. Take an unusual turn. Take the path less taken. Write what you know.
Use Strong Characters
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In horror, it's easy to fall into the trap of sending your main character off to be maimed or incapacitated. These plot traps are often unconvincing, and the reader simply won't care enough to become emotionally invested. Worse yet, they may abandon your story entirely. Create a compelling protagonist. Consider what hurts him the most and use it to raise the stakes of the narrative. Your characters should be relatable, not just pieces on a chessboard to be pushed around in service of your plot. Keep the parts of your well-oiled narrative machine rolling from one scene to the next. Make your audience feel what your protagonist feels.
Build Suspense Convincingly
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Now that your audience cares about your protagonist, you can begin to build terror around him. H.P. Lovecraft's fiction is scary for what it doesn't show: the build up -- the terror on the outskirts. Withhold information -- or the monster -- as long as you can for the maximum effect. But don't cheat the readers at the end. Give them a logical and satisfying conclusion. Explicit imagery may pad your story, but you want to affect your readers emotionally.
Read More
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Read for inspiration, and more importantly, re-read those scary stories that still entertain you. Study what devices the writer used to effectively convey fear. A steady diet of words from a variety of sources will arm you with the tools you'll need as a writer. Reading will help you to avoid embarrassing clichés, such as "it was all just a dream," or ill-planned twist endings. Though popular, vampires, werewolves, ghosts and goblins should be avoided. If you have a new spin on the mythos, try that instead.
Take the Mundane and Make it Scary
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Many memorable horror stories stay with us because they are to some degree about the supernatural intruding upon the mundane world. They elicit a reaction in the reader because it feels as if it could happen. Find a middle ground; one which avoids the overtly quirky and unbelievably outlandish. Horror doesn't have to be large, lumbering monsters and discordantly creaky doors. Scary can be quiet, restless, shadowy and strangely unassuming. Small is sometimes better.
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Tips on How to Write a Scary Story
You've seen the scariest flicks, read the most haunting novels and
delved into psychological thrillers that kept you turning pages well
into the night. These stories have sparked your imagination, and now
you're ready to pen your own spine-chilling narrative. An effective tale
of terror can be shared with friends, family or even a fictional market
for publication.
Vocabulary Words for Writing Scary Stories
Description is one of the four main forms of discourse, according to
David Grambs’ “The Describer’s Dictionary.” When writing scary stories,
use a thesaurus or other vocabulary reference book to enhance your
description of events, places and characters. The more interesting your
vocabulary, the better your readers will be able to imagine themselves
in the story.
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Words That Set the Mood
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A truly horrifying story establishes an eerie atmosphere right from the beginning. An effective writer will send signals to the reader that the story will be scary and depressing using such vocabulary as “gloomy,” “somber,” “dreary,” “forbidding” and “creepy.” You can also ascribe scary characteristics to inanimate objects to heighten the mood. Buildings can appear “intimidating,” and a forest can look “menacing.”
Words That Evoke the Five Senses
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A tale is even scarier when readers can see, hear, touch, taste and smell things in the story. A place can exude an “acrid,” “pungent” or “choking” stench. The protagonist can hear strange “clanking” sounds, or a scary character can speak in a “dark,” “steely,” “sepulchral,” “sibilant” or “guttural” voice. Use hues such as “pitch black” and “ebony” to describe things that are dark. A drink or item of food can taste “sour,” “fetid,” “foul” or “rancid.” Objects can feel “slimy” or “grimy.”
Words That Heighten Suspense
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H. P. Lovecraft, a famous American horror novelist, wrote that “the strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” A writer can increase fear in a reader by not giving away every detail of a monster, ghost or place. Establishing something as mysterious builds suspense, as the reader fills in the blanks with his own imagination and desires to continue reading to find out more. Ambiguous descriptions, such “an amorphous creature,” “hazy air,” “opaque waters,” “tenebrous valley” or “unintelligible sound” create a disturbingly unfamiliar atmosphere for the reader.
Words That Show Fear
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A scary story needs a protagonist frightened out of her wits. Words like “horrified,” “horror-struck,” “petrified,” “panic-stricken,” “appalled,” “witless” and “aghast” will do; however, representing the signs of a protagonist's fears are even better. Perhaps she has “droplets of sweat” on her forehead, her knees are “knocking,” or she is “trembling,” “quivering,” “shuddering,” “quailing” or “quaking.” You can describe her as “transfixed” or “paralyzed” in place.
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How to Download Movies for Free on a Mac
Many people have heard of movie downloading, a term often associated with illicit activities and copyright infringement. Fortunately, there are a number of free, legal options available for film fans who want to view movies on their Mac. The Internet Media Archive contains thousands of public domain feature films in every genre imaginable, while Apple's iTunes digital music store offers a number of video podcasts, including "Cult of UHF" (sci-fi/horror films) and "Cult of Kung Fu" (martial arts movies), bringing free cinematic entertainment right to your Apple machine.
Downloading from the Internet Media Archive
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Launch Apple's Safari web browser for the Macintosh and navigate to the Internet Media Archive webpage.
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Click "Moving Images."
Scroll through the categories and select "Movies." Note that many other categories are also available to suit your interests, including "Animation & Cartoons," "News & Public Affairs" and "Sports Videos."
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Click "Feature Films."
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Browse through the resulting categories, which include "Comedy Films," "Film Noir," "Sci-Fi/Horror," and many more. Click the one that most closely matches your current film-watching mood.
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Choose a letter from A to Z under "Browse By Title." A list appears, containing all the available movies that begin with this letter. (For instance, to locate the classic horror movie "Carnival of Souls," choose "C" under the "Sci-Fi/Horror" category.)
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Locate the film you want to watch, then click on its title. On the film's information page, you will see options to stream the film (i.e., watch it in your web browser) or download it to your computer. Generally a standard .MP4 version will be available (viewable with Apple's QuickTime player, which is most likely preinstalled on your system. If not, it can be downloaded from Apple's website). Alternately, Apple's iTunes media player software (also preinstalled on most Macs) will play .MP4 files as well. Depending on the film, other media formats may be available too, including versions for the iPod/iPhone.
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Stream the movie. To start, click on the "Play Video" link. To download the movie, press the CTRL button on your keyboard while clicking on the desired video link, then click "Download Linked File" on the resulting pop-up menu.
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Locate the file on your hard drive once the download has completed. Double-click it and enjoy the show.
Downloading from the "Cult of UHF" or "Cult of Kung Fu" Video Podcasts
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Launch iTunes and click "iTunes Store" on the left side of the screen.
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Type "cult of uhf" or "cult of kung fu" (without the quotes) in the "Search Store" box at the top of the screen. Click the name of the desired podcast in the resulting list of matches.
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Scroll through the list of available movies and locate the film you wish to download. Click the "Free!" link on the right side of the screen, beside the name of the film in question.
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Double-click on the name of the movie to watch it after the film downloads. It will be found in the "Podcasts" section of your iTunes. The film can also be copied to your iPod or iPhone for on-the-go viewing.
How to Get a Horror Novel Published
“It was a dark and stormy night …” So what’s next? Now that you have
written the great American horror novel, how can you share your
brilliance with your soon-to-be adoring fans? Getting a horror novel
published, especially if it is your very first work, can be difficult
and time-consuming, but the satisfaction you get from that one
acceptance letter will make it all worth it. Ready to take the next
step to literary greatness? Here’s how.
Instructions
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Have more than an idea. Some writers don’t want to put in the time without having some kind of commitment, and even though publishers want you to be open to the idea of altering your manuscript, they do want you to have a word count and storyline well established before you submit a query. Only the very best, most well-established writers can pitch an idea, so if you aren’t Stephen King, have your novel 99 percent done before submitting your queries.
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Get some credits to your name. Publishers want to know that you have an audience, and have had some quality writing already acknowledged. You don’t have to have a full-fledged novel completed and already published to get your new deal cemented, but be sure to submit some short stories or other articles to other publishers and get your self some “tear sheets” before pitching your novel. Having your work already in print tells an editor that you are a quality writer who can fulfill the requirements of a novel manuscript.
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Be flexible. If this is your first novel, consider publishing it (and maintaining copyrights) in an online or traditional horror magazine. Submit it to contests or even publish it yourself. Getting some credentials is important, and creating relationships in the industry by submitting to smaller venues will help you in the future.
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Write a great query letter. Much like a resume, your query letter is your introduction to an agent or publisher, and you want to make sure it’s a great start. I suggest beginning your query letter with a riveting excerpt (about one paragraph) from your novel before going into all the nitty-gritty details a publisher needs.
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Find the right publisher. You don’t want to create a bad reputation for yourself by following the “shotgun” method of submissions. Try to send your material to the right publishers so you don't waste the time of editors who aren't relevant to your style of writing. Go to a bookstore, find books that are similar to yours and make note of their publisher. Pick up The Writer’s Guide to Book Editors, Publishers, and Literary Agents and look up the horror-book genre for other publishers who may be interested in seeing your work.
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Once you have done your homework, send your query letters (with the requested chapters) to the relevant publishers or agents. Keep track of who you are sending to, and be sure to tell publishers whether you are making multiple submissions or sending the manuscript solely to them. Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope and be sure to follow publishers' submission policies--to the letter!
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How to Write a Horror Story
Horror stories have interested people from the beginning of time, which
is also about how long they've been around. Writing horror stories can
be fun and takes some work, but it's worth it once you have let your
imagination run wild. Some writers have to begin with a title, but it
isn't necessary. Here are some steps for writing your horror story.
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Prepare to Write Your Horror Story
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Decide on the plot of the story. Read a variety of horror stories by a wide variety of writers to get ideas on more common horror plots, then decide if you want to go the more traditional route or come up with something completely new. You can also use the plot of a nightmare you've had.
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Decide on the location of the story. A key tip in writing is to write what you know. Use a location that is familiar to you. If you have stayed in one and have vivid memories of it, set your story there. You could also set the story in an office like the one where you work. Being familiar with your setting will make the story more real and believable to the reader.
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Decide on the number and types of characters that will be in the story. It's fun to base characters on people you know or have known. Be creative and make characters who have similar expressions or appearance to people in your life or combine two or three people's characteristics into a character in your story.
Develop Plot for Your Horror Story
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Determine the main action of the story. Will there be an accident, a murder, a suicide or some other tragedy? Will there be a run-in with zombies, ghosts, a deranged killer, a possessed animal or a demonic child? Or will you come up with something completely unique, an idea no one has ever tried?
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5
Decide if the story takes place in the city, country or some other location. Popular horror settings are abandoned warehouses, lake cabins, parking garages, dark houses when a storm has knocked out power, or even on an old farm. The setting is usually dark to allow for plenty of things to "go bump in the night."
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Resolve your story with a strong ending. Will the main character be a hero and save a few other characters from death? Will the whole thing be a nightmare that goes away in the morning? Will the horror revolve around a spell that once broken in the end also ends the horror? While you should be creative with the ending, it still needs to make sense to be satisfying to the reader.
How to Develop Characters for a Horror Story
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Determine the gender of your characters, giving first and last names to each character. Try not to name characters after people you know or other real people. Make a list of first names and another list of last names, then match them up to see what names sound good and are easy or fun to say and read.
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Decide on where each character lives. All the characters don't have to be from the same area where the story takes place. Make them seem real to the reader by placing characters in logical settings. Or put a twist to your character's surroundings. For instance, you would normally think of an old woman with lots of cats living in a little old run-down house; put her into a high-rise luxury apartment in the middle of a bustling city instead to add mystery and intrigue to your story.
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Develop a background of each character. Have a variety of occupations to make the story more interesting. Again, use something familiar to you so you can write in detail about the kinds of things they do. Call on your own background or do casual interviews with friends in researching interesting backgrounds you can use.
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Draw out a relationship map for the characters, determining whether they are single, married or divorced and how their relationships tie them together. This is most easily done by mapping it out on a poster board or a white board much like you would draw a family tree or organizational chart for a company. Doing this will help you keep it straight, too. The last thing you want to do is confuse the reader by getting the relationships mixed up. A white board allows you to make changes; just make sure your story reflects those changes if you make them mid-writing.
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