Tips for Writing Horror!

I'm going to say it again, you don't know me particularly for writing in this genre, especially if you've been following my blog for some time.



However, like I said in the Tips for Writing Romance, I have planned a few pieces in this genre  as well. In fact the collection that I'm writing, Over My Spilled Blood is actually part horror and part para-super-fantasy.



Now that I've got that out of the way, how freaking scary is that picture! Well I'm getting used to the look of it now, but at first when I was searching for 'horror' pictures on Google there was a lot of clowns and freaky little girls dragging teddy bears through pools of blood...so this picture is the least scary, but then again, that's what horror is all about, the scare.



A lot of the time horror is mixed in with the para-super-fantasy genre, just like the creation in the picture up there...it keeps on giving me the heebeejeebee's. I do get scared quite easily, in fact I was hoovering the other day and I turned around and saw my reflection, I thought there was someone behind me just glaring, but it was just the mirror. Yeah, frightened by my own reflection.




Top tip! Don't be afraid of fear! Fear should be afraid of you! You are after all going to use it.



So depending on the type of horror you're interested in writing will depend on the characters you're going to want to have and the character profiles that you create. Are you writing a psychological horror/thriller? Are you going to be including possessed children? Houses? Inanimate objects? If you do, keep them away from me....I'm already too scarred by such fiction!





What's your fear?




Now use it! If you're scared of heights why not stage your piece of writing on the top of a 30-storey building? If you're scared of spiders why not put you character in a room with a spiders nest? If you're scared of children, dolls, clowns, then like I said before, keep it away from me. Hehe.










Blood and gore is naturally associated within horror but you can't have it on every page (disclaimer: this is no step-by-step guide and my word is not the final word on the subject) because it will start to lose value and there will be nothing to it by the time you're wanting to shock your reader.



Shock your reader...be imaginative! Think up creative ways of killing people and by what means...maybe even who. As research I might suggest watching Child's Play and even reading some Stephen King. However, you only get better at writing by writing and feedback!



Go on, what you waiting for!



My favourite horror author is and will always be, hands down, Stephen King. I'm also a fan of Jeff Lindsay's Dexter series, although I think that is more of a thriller than it is a horror, but there is still blood and horror qualities.



The last instalment is Monday's Drama tips.

So there's been Fantasy! & Romance!



-Joseph




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