Recently, I've become interested in writing horror stories. I've written 3, and was wondering if anyone would care to offer me some advice on them and in writing Horror in general. Here they are...

Schizophrenia
It Came by Night
The Blood Stalker

I'm a horror writer. I'm trying to get my three-part Monster story published.

I read 2 of them (first and second one). They're pretty good. Although, they're not scary.

The thing about scary stories is that you have to add a LOT of detail. You have detail, but not enough to make it scary.

For the first one, I noticed that you put it in the view of that kid, but he seems to know that he has schizophrenia the entire time, even when he's little. It should just revolve on how he feels, and not what's really happening. Your story was like "So there's this guy that's not really there but I see him all the time" but it should REALLY be like "oh my god this creepy guy is following me and I don't know who he is".

And when someone is there for help, the kid should be like "what's wrong with you people?! How can you not see him?!" and they should be like... "wtf??"

So it would kinda give you the illusion that this there's a spirit that only the kid could see, when he really has a mental disorder.

As for the second one, it didn't seem to be like a horror to me. I dunno, it sorta reminded me of this short story I read in the 5th grade about 3 farmers that kept getting their crops eaten by a freakishly large animal every night, so 2 farmers looked out for it every night and couldn't find it because they kept falling asleep. Then, one farmer put spikes behind him so he wouldn't sleep, and he realized that a unicorn was eating the crops and he asked it to go away and then it went away.

You have the right idea. And don't worry, you know far more than the 'basic concept' of horror writing. You have the idea. It's just getting it more scarier!!! Good job and keep writing!! :)

Thanks. I'll try to keep that in mind next time I write one. I'm interested to know you're opinions on the third one, as I wrote it in a slightly different style than the other two.

Also, I just wrote a fourth story, and I'm interested to know about this one. When I read over it after finishing, I kind of had mixed opinions about it.

Black Jack

I find that horror stories are best when you, as the reader, understands that something's definitely wrong but not really what exactly. Just something vague if that makes any sense. Being afraid of something is plenty scary, not knowing what you're afraid of is terrifying.
I also think it helps when nobody else apart from the protagonist and the reader understands that something is wrong at all, sort of like how nobody could see the demon in "Schizophrenia," that's what made it seem disturbing to me.
Take what I say with a grain of salt just because these are more my opinions on what makes a horror story scary, not neccecarily sound advice. Good luck with your writing!

1)create lotsa characters.
2)create monster/s.
3)kill all, if not most, of your characters in the bloodiest way possible.

Red Slayer
1)create lotsa characters.
2)create monster/s.
3)kill all, if not most, of your characters in the bloodiest way possible.

I don't think that's horror as much as it is thriller...

Horror is like patrickdevine said. The reader (and usually characters) feels a sense of something terribly wrong but it is vague and mysterious. Because the unknown is terrifying. Big gorey monsters really aren't. Monsters are cool, but only when you don't see them or know what they are or where they are. The longer you can keep your reader in the dark about the nature of the threat, the better. Reveal things slowly but in great detail. (For example, maybe one of the characters has caught a glimpse of an eye. Describe the color, texture, shape, size, shape of the pupil, what is reflected in it, the sound it makes when it closes...)

usedbooks

Red Slayer
1)create lotsa characters.
2)create monster/s.
3)kill all, if not most, of your characters in the bloodiest way possible.

I don't think that's horror as much as it is thriller...

Or slasher-horror.

I'm planning to start a comic (I think comic...might experiment with formats...but yeah, it'll have drawings XD) of horror stories. So yeah...we'll be seeing if I'm any good at horror soon....though it's way hard to do as a comic.

I only got around to reading your "Schizophrenia" story though, and I agree with DancingChaos. Psychological horror should be one of the most terrifying types of horror. Really play with it! What do you think would be utterly freak-a-fying to see? XD Consider both the boy's points of view and the people around him.

if you want to write horror the best thing is to think of what scares you most. Find a way to make a normal, happy life, and have that thing that scares you most, take that life away.

horror is relative.
most of these people are talking about gore.
All gore is horror, but not all horror is gore. Horror can be psychological. Horror can be physical.
I'd put part my cannibalism story up to show, but I nearly vomited writing it and I don't know where it is right now. But that would be gore.
Realistic horror is the scariest horror for the conscious mind.
Unrealistic horror attacks dreams.

my english teacher used to say gory stories were horror but the more artful stories were really terror, since thats being frightened without having to resort to gruesome description ...although that probably helps.

alan moore says for writing horror you need to get right to the heart of what it is about your idea that you're frightened of and then emphasise those aspects. Like in schizophrenia one of the key fears is the kid being totally alone in his unique situation, knowing that no-one can understand what he himself is so scared of and so there is no way anyone can help. Theoretically you emphasise those primal fears and the reader will respond since the more basic concepts are also the most universal.

Reading schizophrenia i think you need to work on just involving the reader as much as possible, drawing them in and not letting go. This wont happen if your writing doesnt flow properly. The most important thing is the idea but a reader will be jolted out of the narrative if your sentences dont flow or you noticeably re-use words too often.


well that's the theory anyway. I'm not an accomplished writer by any means but giving advice has always been easier than acting upon it.

wow, I am gonna have nightmares about that doll from Black Jack

Schizo
It would be more scary if the bad man had a common name, like Barry, rather than some AD&D name like Baal. If you name a character and the reader immediately thinks about a Blizzard video game, you just killed the immersion.

Stalker
That wasn't horror. That was a Hellsing pseudo-fanfic that doesn't make sense. Alucard is a vampire too how can he use garlic?

Black Jak
When the doll started talking like Stan Lee (in the beginning), all immersion was lost.
Now, why didn't the girl run out of her house dialing 911 on her cell???

Um... Alucard is Dracula spelled backward. It isn't a Hellsing fic. The name "Alucard Hell-Singer" is a reference to Dracula. -_- He's human, dude.

And Baal is the name of a demon in Jewish Tradition.

LIZARD_B1TE
Um... Alucard is Dracula spelled backward. It isn't a Hellsing fic. The name "Alucard Hell-Singer" is a reference to Dracula. -_- He's human, dude.

And Baal is the name of a demon in Jewish Tradition.

My main point on all counts is that Horror cannot make the reader think about something from popular media. Avoid at all costs. The second that happens, the reader is no longer scared/immersed.

How is Dracula human? And also, the words Alucard or Hellsing immediately makes ppl think of the Nintendo/PS game, or the manga/anime. It's overused.

I know what Baal is, Blizzard knows what Baal is, every teenager knows what Baal is. Why? Diablo II. It's overused.

mlai

LIZARD_B1TE
Um... Alucard is Dracula spelled backward. It isn't a Hellsing fic. The name "Alucard Hell-Singer" is a reference to Dracula. -_- He's human, dude.

And Baal is the name of a demon in Jewish Tradition.

My main point on all counts is that Horror cannot make the reader think about something from popular media. Avoid at all costs. The second that happens, the reader is no longer scared/immersed.

How is Dracula human? And also, the words Alucard or Hellsing immediately makes ppl think of the Nintendo/PS game, or the manga/anime. It's overused.

I know what Baal is, Blizzard knows what Baal is, every teenager knows what Baal is. Why? Diablo II. It's overused.

I've never heard of those games. He meant the character was human not dracula. Also dracula was human.

Read the historian.

i agree that the names are :-/ but referencing other artistic creations is good fun if you do it subtley, even in horror. For instance, instead of having a character say, (this is from my own imagination not a story posted) "Tim looks like dracula!" you could reference dracula in many other ways. In The Sandman book WORLDS END, neil gaiman named a ship after the ship in dracula, and the name of the ship was never said. Only written on its side like normal ship names. Those who saw it probably weren't "taken out of the story", those who didnt get the reference (I've never read bram strokers dracula) didn't think it sounded lame.

I agree with mlai though, having a bit more regular name for the schizo phantom would be more creepy than something so...obvious sounding as Baal....but it really depends on what kind of horror you're going for here.

Baal or some other referenced spooky name would be more on the campy side I think.

Someone
I've never heard of those games.

Never heard of Castlevania... Diablo II... never watched the summer movie Hellsing starring Hugh Jackman... I don't really know what I should say to you.

But dollars to donuts he's heard of them, and is subconsciously targeting a readership that has heard of them.

Someone
He meant the character was human not dracula. Also dracula was human. Read the historian.

Why would anyone name a human character Dracula, but never specify that this character is human or is writing a story about Prince Vlad's living days?
I know perfectly well who the historical man is. But are you saying that when you evoke the name of Dracula, you should automatically assume the reader's first thought is Prince Vlad of Wallachia, not Vampire? For every 1 that knows Dracula is a Christian hero, 99 thinks he's the prince of darkness.

Someone
i agree that the names are :-/ but referencing other artistic creations is good fun if you do it subtley, even in horror.

Key word boldfaced.

mlai
Why would anyone name a human character Dracula, but never specify that this character is human or is writing a story about Prince Vlad's living days?

Alucard
Dracula

Backwards. I chose that name to denote the opposite of Dracula. In opposition to the vampires. The "Hell-Singer" portion of his name is a reference to Abraham Helsing, also from Bram Stoker's novel. His name is meant to demonstrate that he hunts vampires. And why do you think that the character in the story is a vampire?

As for Baal, well, that's just due to my own laziness. I originally intended to make it so the kid really wasn't crazy, but being haunted by demons. Then I got lazy while I was writing it. Sorry.

LIZARD_B1TE
Alucard
Dracula

Backwards. I chose that name to denote the opposite of Dracula. In opposition to the vampires. The "Hell-Singer" portion of his name is a reference to Abraham Helsing, also from Bram Stoker's novel. His name is meant to demonstrate that he hunts vampires. And why do you think that the character in the story is a vampire?

As for Baal, well, that's just due to my own laziness. I originally intended to make it so the kid really wasn't crazy, but being haunted by demons. Then I got lazy while I was writing it. Sorry.

Alucard:
The name is overused in popular fiction. Every single "good vampire who hunts bad vampires" under the, um, sun is named Alucard. In the classic movie, Dracula names himself Alucard when going around in disguise. Basically Alucard = I'm a vampire.

Helsing:
You're out of luck. Everyone who has ever stepped into the manga section of Barnes & Noble, will think of the protagonist vampire Alucard in the very-popular manga/anime Hellsing.

Baal:
By changing the name to a normal name, you make the reader unsure whether the kid is crazy or not, which actually makes a better story.

I agree about the names. I was just trying to clear up what the guys intentions were. It wasnt that hard. I have seen vanhelsing, but I've never played any of those games. I don't really games though. I don't own any game systems and I think people who play dungeons and dragons is weird.

I think, and this is just one persons opinion, that the names need work but that you shouldnt write off the power of using subtle references to classical work.

I don't know that I'd call Vlad a christian hero. He was a merciless killer. Although it is true that he is the only european of his age who defeated the muslims who had been trying to expand into europe, he was hardly a hero.

Someone
that the names need work but that you shouldnt write off the power of using subtle references to classical work.

The more subtle the better!

Someone
people who play dungeons and dragons is weird.

I couldn't understand it either. But I'm guessing it's like a dollhouse tea party, for boys.

Someone
I don't know that I'd call Vlad a christian hero. He was a merciless killer. Although it is true that he is the only european of his age who defeated the muslims who had been trying to expand into europe, he was hardly a hero.

He's allied with the Pope, he defended his country, and he fought off a Muslim superpower. Therefore Christian hero.

I guess you can say he's a hero the same way Hassan Nasrallah (of Hezbollah) can be defined as a hero, except Vlad is Christian. They were both considered terrorists in their time, but if the winds of history blow right, they will both be considered heroes in posterity.