 Horror/Scary: November 16, 2016 Issue [#7976] |
  Horror/Scary
This week: Short, sweet, and terrifying Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon  
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Quote for the week: "Where there is no imagination there is no horror."
~Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
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| ASIN: B07P4NVL51 |
Product Type: Toys & Games
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Amazon's Price: Price N/A
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Like any short story writer, a writer of short horror fiction needs to create a seamless plot with believable characters in very few words. The horror writer has the extra challenge of scaring the daylights out of the reader as well. How do you create fear in 6000 words or less? Here are some suggestions:
Keep it simple: Limit your story to one main plot with few, if any subplots.
Start or finish in the middle: Short stories often start in the middle of the action or end before everything is resolved. You might have to imply what has already happened (or is about to happen) through the dialogue and actions of the characters. The story still needs to feel like a complete story, but the reader will imagine some parts of it instead of witnessing them first hand.
No unnecessary characters: A great story doesn't need a cast of thousands. Take out any characters who are not absolutely essential to the story. If you have invented a great character you hate to give up, you can always use him or her in another story.
Short, vivid description: Now is not the time for long detailed description. A sentence or two can be just as effective (or even better) than several pages of narrative. In order to figure out which details to include, imagine yourself in a frightening situation. If a werewolf was chasing you through a house, would you care about the color of the drapes or the style of the architecture?
Dialogue: Verbal exchanges between characters can show their personalities and relationships at the same time they reveal important information (or keep it from each other.) One tense line of dialogue can be far more effective than several paragraphs explaining why two people hate each other.
If you have a hard time staying under the word limit for a short horror story contest, don't give up on your story. Some stories are just too complex to be abbreviated. Consider expanding it into a longer story or even a novel. Or write long and short versions, and see which one you like best.
Something to try: Write the scariest story you can in 50 words or less.
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|  | BENT (13+)
Something is wrong at the Caldwell's Farm this Halloween, something very, very wrong...
#2100252 by Angus  |
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#2101467 by Not Available. |
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#2034160 by Not Available. |
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| Question for next time: Where do you get ideas for horror stories? |
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