10 Ways To Start A Horror Story

Need a scary story idea for Halloween? Try these 10 spooky writing prompts and 10 tips to create suspense, fear, and unforgettable horror.

Halloween is the perfect time to find inspiration for a horror story. Whether you’re writing a new story or adding a scary scene to an existing one, these 10 tips and 10 Halloween writing prompts will help you get started.

10 Tips To Write A Horror Story

1. A good horror story is all about what you put your character through.
2. The terror usually lies in the fear of the unknown and the anticipation. As Alfred Hitchcock said: ‘There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.’ Always use foreshadowing as much as you can.
3. You do not need a scary location (although it doesn’t hurt to have one). You need to isolate your character, create suspense, and craft an intensity in the mood that seems overwhelming. An ordinary place can become terrifying when a character feels isolated or unsafe.
4. Use a ticking clock to build the tension. Deadlines are great for anybody writing in the thriller or horror genre. For example, a character has until midnight to escape.
5. Create a worthy antagonist. The threat can be human, supernatural, or something the character cannot explain. You can write about monsters – real or made-up. Real people who are monsters are often the scariest.
6. If you want to terrify your character (and your audience), slowly remove everything that makes them feel secure.
7. Make sure your character’s actions are believable. Even though horror requires the suspension of belief, their actions and choices should make sense to them given what they know and fear.
8. Cross your genres. Use this list to choose one. You can write horror mixed with romance, mystery, or science fiction.
9. You don’t have to set a crazy pace. Sometimes, the slower the pace, the more horrifying the story. Think of zombies and their relentless, slow progress.
10. End with a horrifying plot twist. Aim for an ending that unsettles, surprises, or stays with the reader. Something unexpected must happen. This something can be revealing, shocking, or clever. It can even be all three.

10 Ways To Start A Horror Story This Halloween

Here are 10 Halloween-themed prompts to get you started:

1. Write a story about going home for Halloween. When you arrive, your family doesn’t recognise you.
2. You decide to stay home alone for Halloween. You want a bit of peace and quiet. You wash the dishes, lock the doors, and head upstairs to bed. As you switch off the light, you hear footsteps in the kitchen.
3. Create a monster. Name it. Sketch it. Where does it live? What does it do? What does it eat? Why is it scary to humans? What does it want?
4. Write a story about a haunted house from the point of view of the house.
5. Write a Halloween haiku or a Halloween sonnet or a Halloween villanelle.
6. Write a story about children left in the care of someone who keeps forgetting the most important rules. Especially the one about what happens after midnight.
7. The lady in white always appears on the stairs at midnight on Halloween. Nobody believed you, until today.
8. A child knocks on your door on Halloween. They look exactly like you did as a child and whisper, ‘Don’t turn around.’
9. They offer you $1 000 to spend the night in the graveyard.
10. Write a free verse Acrostic poem using the word HALLOWEEN:

H
A
L
L
O
W
E
E
N

The Last Word

Halloween is the perfect time to have some fun with your writing. Take one of these prompts, let your imagination run wild, and see where it takes you. Remember, the scariest stories aren’t always about monsters. Sometimes, the things we fear most are the things we can’t explain. Happy Halloween, and happy writing!

Image by I Setiawan from Pixabay

More Horror Posts:

1. The Essential Guide To Writing Horror Stories
2. Why Writers Should Know About Monsters Before They Write a Word
3. 101 Horror Tropes For Writers
4. Horror Masters: 3 Spooky Tips To Write Like Lovecraft, Poe, & King
5. The 3 Pillars Of Horror
6. 7 Spine-Chilling Tips For Writing An Unforgettable Horror Story
7. On Ghosts & How To Write About Them
8. Scaring Your Readers 101

© Amanda Patterson

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