by Susan Dennard
~~
~~~
Susan Dennard is a writer, reader, lover of animals, and eater of cookies. Her debut, SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY, is now available from HarperTeen. You can learn more about her on her blog or twitter.
[…] How to Write a Scary Scene […]
[…] Susan Dennard gives scarily good advice on How to Write a Scary Scene. […]
[…] ways you can use reader expectations in your favor–for example, when you’re writing a scary scene. The reader KNOWS something horrible is in that black room where the creepy scratching sounds are, […]
[…] How to Write a Scary Scene […]
[…] How to Write a Scary Scene […]
You can now find us on Pub(lishing) Crawl!
LTWF Facebook
LTWF Twitter
I’ve never written a scary scene before, but I definitely want to give it a try eventually, even though I’ll probably just freak myself out.
By the way, just how scary is SS&D? I’d guess that a book about ghosts and corpses would be pretty creepy, but is it the kind of thing that cowards like me should give a miss? It sounds awesome but I’m a baby when it comes to horror.
Hahaha–it’s not *that* scary. No straight horror scenes–just some ghouls and zombies. Plus, Eleanor (the MC) is tough. She can take a little fright. 😉
As someone writing a fantasy novel with horror elements, this is pretty relevant to my interests. :3 I think scary scenes are somewhat harder to pull off in books than in films, though, since you don’t have the benefit of that visual ‘jump scare.’ But there’s one rule that applies to both, and that’s to let the reader’s imagination do the work for them. As much as I like creepy things, I can’t stand horror movies because I /always/ think the monster/psycho killer/whatever is worse than it really is. 😛
Also, semi-off topic but…your book has ghosts in it omg omg – *prances around in excitement*
You’re right: having the “jump scare” is not so easy in a book. We may not jolt in our seats, but our hearts still pound when the Big Scare happens. 🙂
And YAY! I love hearing my book makes people prance. 😉
(side note: I can’t watch any horror with psycho killers. My overactive imagination just cannot survive day-to-day life otherwise. I worry crazed men with thirst for my blood and strange basement-dungeons are around every corner. UGH. My heartbeat is racing just writing that!)
Excellent breakdown. I know I’m terrible at the whole suspense thing and it is so important. This will definitely help!
Also, the tiny hint at Something Strange and Deadly makes me want to read it even more than I already do!!!
Mer 🙂
❤
Ha! That was my intention, of course–to entice you to read. 😉
As a horror nerd, I have to say…this is good advice!
Nice post, Susan.
Thanks, Jo! That means a lot coming from you. 😀
Brilliant, article Sooz, really. Brilliant 🙂 I love your advice, and will utilize it when I have to write a scary scene. I especially like the part about slowing time down because you’re absolutely right.
Awww, thanks. ::blushes:: What a great comment, Sav!! ❤ ❤
It awesome..
Coolest n most brilliant advice ever..i wish you could giv some more tips and help me write my story.. 😀 *THUMPS UP!!*
Wow– “Something Strange and Deadly” sounds like a really awesome book! I’m definitely going to read it.
I searched this because I’m writing a fantasy/ sci-fi sort of novel with my friends, and I wanted to make it scarier, more dramatic, and more suspenseful. This really helped! Thank you so much!!!!
I do trust all of the concepts you have offered on your post.
They’re really convincing and will definitely work. Nonetheless, the posts are too brief for novices. May you please lengthen them a bit from next time? Thanks for the post.Revenge Season 2 Episode 6 Free Stream
I would like to save this particular blog post, “How
to Write a Scary Scene Let The Words Flow” on my own internet site.
Do you really mind if perhaps I actuallydo it? Thx ,Trinidad
Many thanks for spending some time in order to post “How
to Write a Scary Scene | Let The Words Flow” http://marykayschildcare.
com . Thank you yet again -Manie
kl