Writing horror

One might say that the true subject of the horror genre is the struggle for recognition of all that our civilization represses and oppresses. -  Robin Wood


Robin Wood captures the theme of this article very well in his comment.

In this article, I would like to discuss the various elements of writing a horror story.

1. The idea - Horror requires the reader to experience fear and terror, biting his nails as he reads on, completely engulfed in the nightmare that you have created for him.

But how does one arrive at the idea for the story? There are many places where one can look, but the best place is the writer's own subconscious. Now delving into the subconscious is not an easy task, many would say, but there is one way to look.

Horror lurks in our everyday lives, right at the edges of its normalcy, waiting for us to let our guard down. Through the day, there are many times when we suppress or ‘pooh-pooh’ away twinges of paranoia what we may feel. It could be the odd look the pizza delivery boy gave you or the glint in your friend’s eye as she held the knife in her hand. It could be your nameless concern about the nice sales boy at the counter of your grocery store who knows your name and your address from your card.

A good horror writer knows how to give life to his paranoia and expresses his own fear and terror by answering the question to every fearful “what if”.


2. Expressing it - The second important thing when writing about horror is to convey it so that the reader can feel the terror and panic in your story.  This is the part that will really sell your story. Most readers of horror will tell you that it was the nail biting suspense and the visual description of the events unfolding around the protagonist what really held them to the story. What really brings on the horror is important, but more important is how the protagonist responds to it.

When conveying horror, a writer should be careful to avoid the many clichéd ways of expressing fear that have been done ad nausem. It’s the use of phrases like “sweat running down her spine” or “biting her nails in nervousness”. While these are also ways of conveying fear, the writer should look for better ways and newer ways to do so.

Reading the work of some accomplished horror writers will help you in the right direction.

"There seemed to be something in the air, something almost like pollen - it made the hairs inside his nose tingle, made the backs of his hands itch" - Stephen King in Hearts in Atlantis


3. Object of horror - The object of horror is another important element in horror stories. Most people assume that only some fantastical, nameless monster lurking under the bed or in the closet would truly horrify. This is not true.

While the presence of such a monster in our everyday lives is a horrifying thought, what is more terrorizing is the thought of someone or something that looks just as normal as everything else, but is not really so.

For e.g. what if your pet cat decided to hunt you or what if your babysitter actually is a serial killer and your child is the next. 

Writing about horror is writing about the feeling at the back of your head when you leave a dark room, your back exposed to the nameless dark within. I hope this article kindles your subconscious and helps you create horror stories.