Help me write a scary story

The old writer’s mantra states ‘write about what you know’. While it’s most unlikely that your students know any killer clowns or lunatic killers who haunt campsites frequented by teenage couples, they can still write about the things that scare them.

In fact, this is the best place to start. A student has little hope of frightening the reader unless they choose to write about something they find disturbing themselves.

The more specific the subject, the more personal the writing can become. Horror is filled with tropes and cliches. The world doesn’t need another ax murder chasing teens through the woods or another foolhardy ouija board misadventure - unless of course there’s a new spin put on things.

Avoiding tired clichés like those mentioned above will help maintain the element of surprise in the writing which, as we shall see more of later, is essential to keep readers engaged.

Putting It All Into Practice

Ask the students to write down a list of the top 3 things that scare them. They needn’t be things that other people are scared of, in fact, the more personal and idiosyncratic they are, the more original the story is likely to be. These could be anything from a fear of heights or open spaces to a fear of the doorbell ringing at night.

Now, ask the students to choose one of these fears and to make a list of reasons why they are scared of it. They should also write about how their fear makes them feel. The more detailed they can write about this, the better.  

Encourage the students to use their full 5 senses to describe the feelings and emotions they would experience. The more convincingly they can convey the experience, the more successful they’ll be in striking fear into the hearts of their readers later on.

Explanation: