3 Tips For Writers In The Horror Genre

By Katie Arden


I believe that, in the back of everyone's mind, there's a certain desire for fear. In some way or another, we enjoy being scared and it's fortunate that there are various types of media designed for this purpose. However, it's easy to say that not a single one of them would have been able to come into fruition without creative writing. To say that this is a worthwhile venture would be an understatement and here are 3 tips designed to help writers along.

In order to effective write horror, the first point to consider is the cast of characters. For example, if you'd like to construct protagonists in the best of ways, it is important to understand how, exactly, they can be portrayed so that they are as likable as possible. For me, it's difficult to get attached a story when I feel as though the main protagonist is interchangeable, as if he or she has no true motives to speak of. When these are addressed, through creative writing, their stories are made that much more engaging.

Descriptions must be set in place, in creative writing, when talking about locations. Some of the best creations in horror include locations you would typically associate with tension and dread. Those which are more enclosed or seem to possess little life are those which you must be able to figuratively paint with your words. This can be done through creative writing and it's a skill which can be developed over the course of time, provided experience is brought into effect.

If you're going to write with horror in mind, I believe that it is important to focus on how moments are carried out. Specifically, in horror, you want to make sure that key point have enough room to breathe. I believe that horror stories are best when certain moments linger, since this allows tension to build over the course of time. When this is done - and you'll see this in any well-constructed story meant for scares - those moments matter so much more.

Horror is, to say the least, one of the most popular genres in media today. It's a type of media designed to scare us, whether it's through tension, sudden scares, or what have you. For those who would like to write with this genre in mind, the methods mentioned before should be able to help others in the long term. Along with the right amount of research, I do not think that anyone can argue with the fact that one's skill in writing horror can expand.




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