{{Horror}} evokes many emotions; dread, fear, [[ParanoiaFuel paranoia]], suspense and terror. So why not try your hand at some NightmareFuel evoking stories?

Note that not even this can make you become the next [[Creator/EdgarAllanPoe Poe]], [[Creator/HPLovecraft Lovecraft]] or [[Creator/StephenKing King]]. Try to learn a bit about writing stories first. SoYouWantTo/WriteAStory is a good place to start, and perhaps reading some horror stories would probably help.

! To Start Off
Before and during writing, thinking these questions is a good idea.

!! Who are you trying to scare?
Despite horror being a well-known genre today, that doesn't mean all types of horror will scare everyone. If you want to scare kids, don't make it as blood-curdling as you can. If you want to scare adults, don't make it as tame as you can. Try to find a balance.

!! Is this diving into a genre, or is this trying to be realistic?
Again, not every horror work will scare the hell out of the reader and make them [[BringMyBrownPants call for their brown pants]]. Some people may laugh at a zombie apocalypse story that tries to be scary. Do you want to fool people into thinking this was real, or stick with [[OddlyNamedSequel2ElectricBoogaloo Zombies Everywhere Issue #14528: Electric Boogaloo]]? Keep in mind that both kinds can be scary, but that once you take a deep dive into genre, it's hard to make your readers accept heavy realism again.

!! How are you trying to scare them?
This one is very important. There are many ways to [[NightmareFuel disturb someone to the point of frequent nightmares]]. These are some tools that writers use.
* [[{{Gorn}} Graphic violence/Blood and gore]]: If you've ever read {{Creepypasta}}, you'll see blood and gore everywhere like it's a Halloween party. But most professional writers would recommend avoiding graphic violence. To the reader, it starts becoming less effective the more they read it. You could have thick gooey blood all over the floor described in a very graphic way, but people will not start squealing like girls over it. Remember that pure horror is able to not have anyone die graphically and still make people quiver in fear.
* [[MindScrew Pure mind-bending]]: Can be effective at times, but other times it can just get confusing. Especially if the reader starts losing track of what's happening. If you can pull it off, great, but for the basic writer, try not to do this.
* [[NothingIsScarier Creepy atmosphere]]: Arguably the most effective of all the tools in horror writer's arsenal. ''Something'' is out of place. ''Something'' is wrong. ItsQuietTooQuiet. Did we just see something, or was it just wind playing with the leaves? NothingIsScarier, because it preys on our fear of the unknown. This kind of horror leaves a lot to reader's imagination, and the reader will fill in the blanks with what scares him the most.
* Warping the Familiar: This is the source of scares in tropes like IronicNurseryTune (a song meant to be comforting turns creepy) and AbandonedHospital (a place dedicated to healing turned evil). It is also the source of the UncannyValley effect. A lot of common horror monsters look suspiciously like humans with only a few features that are slightly ... off. A GlasgowGrin, CreepilyLongArms, UndeathlyPallor, you name it (it is incidentally also why [[MonsterClown so many people fear clowns]]; their corpse-like faces and UncannyValleyMakeup make people's subconscious flinch away from them). Of course, a lot of these tropes are heavily overused and can play into ableist UnfortunateImplications if the author isn't careful. However, if a horror author understands this effect and how it works, it can be leveraged to great advantage.

! Ideas
!! [[DarknessEqualsDeath Turn the lights off]]
* If you've ever seen a horror film, you'll notice that a lot of the scenes that are intended to scare people use less light than scenes that intend to establish the setting. That's because in the dark, there's more chance for the monsters to hide, and there's more chance for the intensity to ramp up. Even in scenes without any threat, the darkness can still instill fear into the reader because [[NothingIsScarier they aren't even sure if there's anything in the darkness.]] But don't let this allow you to plunge every scene in darkness. It's not as if scenes can't be creepy if they're shot in daylight.

!! Engage the Senses
* As noted above, what you ''can't'' see is often scarier than what you ''can.'' But why stop with sight? Don't forget sound (fingernails on a blackboard, wind in the trees, voices just low enough to be indistinguishable), touch ([[EvilIsDeathlyCold cold winds in a closed room,]] ''something'' brushing by unseen), smell (an odor of decay, or a [[MedicalHorror chemical, medicinal stench]]), even taste if you can manage it.

!! Timing is Everything
When the characters go down to the basement to investigate that noise, it shouldn't be over and done with quickly. Draw out the scary experiences to maximize impact -- the unsteady tread down the stairs, fumbling for the light switch, looking around, and the ''slow'' reach for the sheet-covered object... You get the idea.

Humor can be a great tool to relieve tension, such as when [[CatScare that scary noise turns out to be something not scary at all]]. But be careful: One laugh line in the wrong place tells the audience that their fear means nothing.

!! Things That Go Bump in the Night
Pick your monster. Will it be [[DemonicPossession demons]], creatures from the black lagoon, ghosts with UnfinishedBusiness, vampires? What monsters scare you the most? [[StockMonsterSymbolism Most monsters have some kind of metaphorical meaning]], and touching on that can lend more depth to your story -- zombies, for instance, connote apathetic consumption. Of course, one can always go for the scariest hunter of them all... [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters human beings.]]

! Writer's Lounge

!! Suggested Themes

!! Potential Motifs

!! Suggested Plots

! Departments

!! Setting/Location Scout

!! Costume Designer

!! Casting

!! Stunt Department

! Extra Credits

!! The Greats

!! The Epic Fails

!! Supplemental Reading

''[[http://permutedpress.com/blogs/immersion-and-horror-by-charles-phipps Immersion and Horror]]'' by C.T. Phipps at Blog/TheUnitedFederationOfCharles discusses how to get your audience prepared to be scared.
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