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How to Start a Horror Story

February 19, 2024 by admin Category: How To

You are viewing the article How to Start a Horror Story  at Tnhelearning.edu.vn you can quickly access the necessary information in the table of contents of the article below.

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This article was co-written by Lucy V. Hay. Lucy V. Hay is an author, script editor and blogger who helps other authors through seminars, writing courses and her blog Bang2Write. Lucy is a producer on two horror movies and her debut crime novel, The Other Twin, is being adapted for the screen by Sky’s Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Agatha Raisin (Free@Last TV).

There are 9 references cited in this article that you can view at the bottom of the page.

This article has been viewed 5,504 times.

You can write horror stories as a class assignment or a fun project of your own. Perhaps one of the most challenging of horror stories is the opening, or opening paragraph. You can start a horror story by coming up with story ideas and crafting an impressive opening paragraph. After that, you should edit the first pages to match the rest of the story and be as engaging as possible.

Table of Contents

  • Steps
    • Find ideas for stories
    • Outline a persuasive opening
    • Edit the opening paragraph

Steps

Find ideas for stories

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Image titled 1292502 1

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Describe something that makes you afraid or shudder. Think about your worst fear, such as fear of losing a friend, fear of heights, fear of clowns, even fear of thorny tape. You can then tap into this fear and exploit it as a story idea.

  • Use your fear as material for a story telling about something scary or gruesome. Think about how you would react if you were a character pushed into a situation where you faced those fears.
  • Another option is to ask a loved one or friend what scares or disgusts them the most and borrows their fears as story ideas.
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Image titled Start a Horror Story Step 2

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Turn an ordinary situation into something terrifying. You can also use an everyday situation, such as a walk in the park, a cookout, or a visit with friends, and add an element of fear to the situation. Use your imagination to bring the horror into an ordinary action or scene. [1] X Research Source

  • For example, maybe you came across a severed ear on a morning walk in the park, or the vegetable you were cutting for dinner suddenly turned into a finger or a tentacle. Get creative and think about how to distort or transform a seemingly ordinary situation into a horror.
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Image titled Start a Horror Story Step 3

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Confine your characters in a terrifying situation. You can also confine or surround the protagonist in a horrible or macabre situation. The method of restricting the movement of the character will allow you to create a tense and creepy atmosphere in the story. [2] X Research Source

  • Thinking about a tight space makes you panic or panic. Ask yourself where you would be most afraid of being locked up.
  • You can place the main character in a narrow space such as a coffin, a cold and wet cellar, an abandoned police station, an island or an uninhabited town. The scene where the character is confined in a terrible space will bring fear into the story and create an atmosphere of tension and suspense from the very beginning.
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Build distinct protagonists. You can also start a horror story by focusing on character development. Try to create one or several main characters that are distinct and detailed. You can sketch out a personality profile of each character to get a feel for their lifestyle, understand how they think, and how they might react in a conflict. While not every detail in your sketch will appear in the story, they can still impact how you build your character and how your reader perceives the character. A well-rounded character will be recognizable and memorable to the reader. Begin the sketch by asking questions about aspects such as: [3] X Research Sources

  • Character’s age and occupation
  • Character’s marital status or romantic relationship
  • The character’s way of seeing the world (skepticism, pessimism, anxiety, optimism, satisfaction, composure)
  • Any characteristic or unique detail about a character’s appearance, such as a certain hairstyle, scar, or style of clothing.
  • How to speak, dialect or language of the character
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Image titled Start a Horror Story Step 5

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Create extreme emotions for the character. The horror element revolves around the character’s reaction to the details in the story. You can push the reader’s emotions to the extreme by giving the character an extreme emotion they struggle with throughout the story. Shock, paranoia, and terror are all intense emotions that can motivate a character to act or have violent inner thoughts. [4] X Research Sources

  • Having a character go through a terrible shock, such as the death of a loved one or the loss of a job, is also a way to create conflict for the character. It can lead a character to a decision they wouldn’t normally make without experiencing a shock or aftershock after a terrible event.
  • You can also instill in the character a paranoia or a feeling that something is wrong. It will make the character always suspicious and see things through a distorted lens. This is also an easy way to establish the protagonist’s relationship with other characters. Paranoia also evokes a sense of bewilderment in the reader and causes them to begin to doubt the events happening in the story.
  • Another option is to give the protagonist a fear or premonition of an impending bad omen. The feeling of terror also helps to create tension in the story and a sense of suspense for the reader.
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Image titled Start a Horror Story Step 6

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Create an outline for the plot. Once you’ve come up with a story idea, you should build a plot framework to get an overarching idea of the characters’ direction. Outlining the structure of your story in advance will make your story more convincing in the long run. The framework of the plot can act as a map or guide in the story, although you can deviate from that framework when inspiration strikes while writing the story.

  • You can use a plot diagram to make an outline. The plot map will consist of six distinct sections, forming a triangle with the vertex at the top of the triangle. These six sections include: introduction of context, motivating events, climax, climax, decline and end.
  • You can also use the snowflake method to outline. Write a plot summary sentence, followed by a plot summary, and finally a storyboard.

Outline a persuasive opening

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Image titled Start a Horror Story Step 7

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Write an engaging and informative opening sentence. The opening sentence should arouse curiosity in the reader but also keep the reader focused on the story. A good opening sentence tells the reader what the story is about, creates a distinct style or perspective, or leaves a clue about a character’s personality. [5] X Research Sources

  • For example, if you’re telling a story about the fear of thorns, set in a dark world, you could write an opening sentence like, “Sara tries to sit still as the men tighten the bandages. around her wrists, closing her eyes so she wouldn’t hear the horrible sounds.”
  • This opening sentence introduces the main character Sara, placing her in a terrible and miserable situation. It also raises questions in the reader’s mind, such as who are these “men”, and why was Sara arrested? These questions will engage the reader and make them ready to turn to the next page.
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Begin the story with a setting. Try to start the story in a setting, where the character or characters move, interact, or do something. An action that takes place in a setting at the beginning of the story will immediately captivate the reader and arouse curiosity so that they are interested in continuing to read. It also helps the reader to focus and follow the details in the story. [6] X Research Sources

  • Try to put the main character in a miserable or dangerous situation in some way to create a horror element from the beginning of the story.
  • For example, you could start a story with a scene where the protagonist is trapped in a device, followed by describing how the character feels when she is trapped and her thoughts when trying to get out of the device. , while the trappers were trying to hold her back.
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Introduce creepy or suspenseful episodes from the start. You’re writing a horror story anyway, so don’t be afraid to include scary or suspenseful details in the opening paragraph. By the end of the prologue, the reader needs to know about the story’s setting and conflict. Your readers must have a feeling of horror or fear when they get to the end of the first page of your story, because your aim is to evoke intense emotion in the reader. [7] X Research Sources

  • For example, you can include gruesome scenes such as gore, organs, mucus, brain fragments or saliva in the first paragraph of the story. Try to use only gore images one at a time so the story doesn’t sound cliché or too familiar. As such, when you add some gruesome scenes, it will have a stronger impact on the reader.
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Image titled Start a Horror Story Step 10

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Describe the main conflict. Horror stories must also have a major contradiction that in some way motivates the protagonist to act. The main conflict of the horror story should appear in the first few paragraphs or in the first page or two of the story. Conflict that occurs early will attract readers and build drama in the story. [8] X Research Sources

  • For example, you might have the main character trying to get rid of a ghost in the house. This could be the main contradiction that you put right into the story. The rest of the story will be about the main character’s attempt to expel the ghost without harming anyone in the house.
  • Another common overarching conflict is the theme of survival, in which your characters face a life-threatening situation if they fail to get out.
  • If you decide not to disclose the conflict in the first place, you must have a good reason to do so. Confidentiality must be done intentionally and in favor of the story, as the reader may be confused or confused by the lack of information.
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Image titled Start a Horror Story Step 11

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Use active sentences. You should also try to use active rather than passive sentences in the beginning of the story and throughout the story. Passive sentences often feel boring or dry. You need to write sentences that are engaging and lively for the reader with lots of action and motivation. [9] X Research Source

  • For example, instead of opening the story with “The bandages were cold on Sara’s skin when the men tied her to the chair”, which sounded passive and confusing, you could write: “Sara felt the bands. The bandages were cold on her skin as the men pinned her to the chair.” The second sentence is active and puts the subject of the sentence, “Sara” next to the verb “to feel”.
  • Using active sentences does not mean that you are limited to the first person and present tense for your point of view. You can still use active sentences in the past tense and in the third or second person.
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Image titled Start a Horror Story Step 12

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Read the opening examples. You can get more ideas on how to start a good horror story by reading the openings of popular horror stories. Use these openings as templates or cues for your story. You can see the following examples:

  • Opening of Edgar Allen Poe’s “Confessed Heart”: “Yes – I am extremely nervous – I am still extremely stressed until now; But how can you say I’m crazy?” [10] X Research Sources The opening sentence tells the reader right away that the narrator is nervous, frightened, or even distraught. It’s a great opening because it gives the reader a sense of dread and prepares them for an uneasy story.
  • The beginning of the story “Where are you going, where have you been?” by Joyce Carp Oates: “Her name is Connie. She’s fifteen years old and has a habit of giggling and craning her neck with quick glances in the mirror or examining other people’s faces to make sure she looks okay.” [11] X Research Source The opening sentence seems simple, but it fulfills the task of introducing the main character, indicating the age, gender and portraying the frivolous and innocent personality of the main character. This prologue prepares the reader for a story about a weak and vulnerable character.
  • Beginning of George Orwell’s 1984 : “It was a brilliant cold April day, and the clock struck thirteen.” [12] X Source of Research This famous opening sentence is impressive because it encapsulates all the elements of the story in one sentence. It puts the reader in context with a bewildering visual, a day that is both brilliant and cold. Thirteen times the ticking of a clock also causes a bad omen and is a harbinger of an impending disaster.
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Edit the opening paragraph

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Image titled Start a Horror Story Step 13

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Read the opening paragraph aloud. After you’ve written the beginning of your story, you should read it out loud to hear it sound. Notice if the opening paragraph feels nervous or confused. Check that the opening paragraph includes the plot, character description, setting, and tone of the story.

  • You can also read the opening paragraph aloud to a trusted friend for advice. Ask them if they feel shivery, nervous, or scared. Be open to criticism and feedback on your opening, as a different perspective can help make your opening more persuasive.
Image titled Start a Horror Story Step 14

Image titled Start a Horror Story Step 14

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Review the opening paragraph when you have finished writing the entire story. Usually, once you get past the opening, the rest is easier. Once you have completed a satisfactory ending, you should review and edit the opening. This helps to keep the opening of the story in line with the ending.

  • You should check to see if the opening of the story is in harmony with the rest of the story. You should also adjust the prologue to describe any character or setting changes later in the story. Your opening should feel like a natural start to the rest of the story.
  • Image titled Start a Horror Story Step 15

    Image titled Start a Horror Story Step 15

    {“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/4/4c/Start-a-Horror-Story-Step-15.jpg/v4-728px-Start-a-Horror-Story- Step-15.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/4/4c/Start-a-Horror-Story-Step-15.jpg/v4-728px-Start- a-Horror-Story-Step-15.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser -output”></div>”}
    Edit the opening to ensure the right clarity, tone, and style. The opening should be easy to follow and not confusing. There is nothing worse than an opening that the reader feels is unreasonable because they may get frustrated and not want to read any more.

    • Make sure the character’s tone of voice in the opening and the rest of the story is the same. You need to keep the tone of the character consistent from beginning to end to keep the story coherent.
  • X

    This article was co-written by Lucy V. Hay. Lucy V. Hay is an author, script editor and blogger who helps other authors through seminars, writing courses and her blog Bang2Write. Lucy is a producer on two horror movies and her debut crime novel, The Other Twin, is being adapted for the screen by Sky’s Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Agatha Raisin (Free@Last TV).

    There are 9 references cited in this article that you can view at the bottom of the page.

    This article has been viewed 5,504 times.

    You can write horror stories as a class assignment or a fun project of your own. Perhaps one of the most challenging of horror stories is the opening, or opening paragraph. You can start a horror story by coming up with story ideas and crafting a great opening paragraph. After that, you should edit the first pages to match the rest of the story and be as engaging as possible.

    Thank you for reading this post How to Start a Horror Story at Tnhelearning.edu.vn You can comment, see more related articles below and hope to help you with interesting information.

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