Storytelling is an ancient art. Since earlier days of humanity, stories have attracted a lot of attention. Ancient emperors and explorers used the art of storytelling to attract audiences and portray themselves as great human beings.
Storytellers have great importance throughout the course of history. From the caveman to modern human beings, these people are the source of transferring information from generation to generation. The reason for storytelling is also to amaze and entertain the audience. There are several types of stories, but the primary two types include fiction and non-fiction. In this article, we will discuss fictional story writing.
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If you are an aspiring young writer and fixated on the horror genre, you are at the right place to seek inspiration for story writing. Writing fiction requires a lot of imagination. Imagination is necessary to compose a good scene and captivate the imagination of the reader. At the end of this article, we will also cover the aspects of a great horror story.
As a fiction writer, follow these five steps to write a great horror story.
- Read a lot of stories to develop a mindset for horror.
- Develop a storyline.
- Portray your characters aesthetically.
- Set the scene and create a plot.
- Tell your story.
Read a lot of stories to develop a mindset for horror.
Fiction writing is a lot different from academic writing. If you are looking for how to write a literature review, then consult your professor. However, writing a fantastic story requires a lot of reading.
The first thing that you should do as an author is to analyse other leading authors’ storytelling in the genre. It will help you understand the writing process of the storyteller. Once you have read a lot of stories, you will have a fair idea of how things work in the horror genre. The genre of horror is all about gripping the attention of the audience.
A good writer is able to compose his words in such a manner that they can send chills down the spines of the readers. It will also help you understand how to set the plot, develop characters, and convey the message. Once you have all these ideas, you are all set for the next step.
Develop a storyline.
It is essential to have a fair idea of how you can progress your story and develop it to keep the audience hooked. This step is the actual start of your writing process. Start with coming up with a title or theme of your story. Make a decision about what you are going to base your account on; for example, are you going to write about Halloween, traveling alone at night, or home alone in a deserted town.
The development of the base storyline will set the mood for the future events of the story. Then you can decide the topic of the story, for example, set the storyline of Halloween or a vacant home in a creepy old town and finally determine the name of the story.
To sum it up, we can sum up the storyline development in three steps.
- Decide the topic
- Decide the events
- Decide the title
Once you have sketched the topic and essential outlines of the story, conduct a thematic analysis of the story. You will be able to understand if there are grey areas in your storyline that you need to eradicate.
Portray your characters aesthetically.
What distinguishes a good horror story from a great horror story is how its characters are developed and how they suffer through the story’s events. Character development is an essential part of any fiction. Please describe in detail who your character is, how they arrived at the scene, the background of the character, and how he or she relates to the other characters in the story. So, consider the following elements while writing the characters.
- Give your characters their names.
- Define their physical and intellectual attribute.
- Describe their relationship with other characters.
- Introduce them naturally.
- Explain their persona and clearly mention their preferences, qualities, and abilities.
Set the scene and create a plot
Once you have established your characters, described the scenes, and mentioned their roles, it’s time to reach the crux of the story. The climax of your story is all about how you set the scene. You can efficiently set the stage and develop the plot by following these quick steps.
- Define how the characters meet
- Describe the details of the scene. It would include the place they are, how the surroundings look, what kind of people they see and meet on their way if the characters were traveling. Is it day or night?
- You can add spice by defining vocal themes and weather scenarios of the place where the scene is being plotted.
- Make sure that you choose words that can grab the attention of the readers.
- Make sure that your plot is natural and fits right into the theme of the story.
- Make your characters suffer through the events of the story, and make sure that you define their feelings in the best possible way
By following these guidelines, you can easily create an exceptional plot and set the scene that will force your readers to imagine what the characters in the story and experiencing.
Tell your story
The foundations described above will set the mood and tone of the story. The next step is writing the events and experiences, writing the climax, and writing about the achievements, heroics, and sufferings of character. In the end, you can leave your readers hanging or end on a positive note.
By following these steps, you will be able to craft a great horror story that can captivate your audience.
About the author:
Natasha Fletcher is a member of the writer’s Team on Essays uk. She has a bachelor’s in Law, Masters in Literature, and a PhD in Economics. Natasha role in the team is to solve students’ problems through content. Natasha is a gold medallist in essay writing. She is a fitness freak and love to play football, ice hockey and basketball.
