The 10 Golden Rules of horror Writing
In the opening paragraph of my collection of short stories, I wrote in a style that sets the tone for the rest of the stories.
2. Take inspiration and make it your own
I created the character “The Man by The Fire” to connect my collection of horror short stories. This character is inspired from one of my favourite childhood TV shows, Are You Afraid of The Dark? This inspiration is evident in my writing, but I put my own spin on it.
3. Take Advantage of “flat” characters
In this story, the characters are described as average teens, and there is not a lot of character development. When writing horror, sometimes it is ok to use a flat character. This dehumanizes the character, which allows the audiences not to see them as a real person when they are brutally murdered.
4. Foreshadowing, Foreshadowing, Foreshadowing
In this story, Casey warns her friends that a killer is on the loose in the woods and that the killer hadn’t been caught. This is foreshadowing that the killer was still out roaming the forest. Foreshadowing is also used when Billy wakes up in the middle of the night and notices his curtains are moving in the wind, even though he shut the window before going to sleep. This is foreshadowing that The Waving Man broke into his room.
5. Allude to the horror genre within your writing
In this story, before Michael and Laurie are teleported to Slasher Camp after being struck by lightning, they talk about the film Sleepaway Camp, whose infamous twist ending and summer camp setting inspired this tale. For horror enthusiasts like myself, I love when iconic moments from the horror genre are referenced in writing or films, as it pays homage to the classics of the genre.
When writing horror fiction, it is important to reflect on why you made certain writing choices, as it is crucial that everything in your stories add up. Each choice when writing horror must be calculated in order to make the story flow. Likewise, it is important to reflect on your inspirations.
7. Avoid the stereotypical “Final Girl” trope
Final Girls are an important part of the horror genre, but the misogynistic “Final Girl” trope that was done to death in 70s and 80s horror literature and films is incredibly damaging. In modern day literature, you should strive to create a new “Final Girl”, one that doesn’t fit any preconceptions.
In order to write horror, you have to know horror. Extensive research and passion for horror will help you to expand on classic tropes, creating something truly unique.
9. Connect to the bigger cause
Within horror literature and film, social commentary is incredibly important. When writing in the horror genre, one should aim to embed social commentary into their work. In Rosemary’s Baby, there is social commentary about sexism and women’s rights, which makes the story feel more terrifyingly real.
The brilliant part about horror writing is that there is an opportunity to create a descriptive environment and develop plot that is sometimes overlooked in horror films. When writing horror, avoid the cheap scares that make the horror movie industry tacky, and focus on well developed scares.
