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Let´s write our own 

 tale of mystery and imagination 

"

The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.    

H.P. Lovecraft

 

"

In order to keep the reader on the edge of his or her seat you need a victim (a protagonist who finds himself/herself in a situation of uncertainty, helplessness and is paralyzed by fear). Fear is the driving force of any horror story.

The cause of the fear may include spirits, goblins, ghosts, paranormal phenomena, werewolves, vampires, witches, creatures from beyond the grave, haunted houses ...

 

To create the right atmosphere you must think about using the foreshadowing technique, which implies preparing the reader for the impact of the climax by slipping apparently minor details here and there.

 

Suspense is what keeps the reader interested in the story. It consists in maintaining the fear with expectation of what will happen next.

 

Mystery implies that something surprising will happen. This "something" can be rational or irrational, that is, inexplicable (after all, that is the essence of mystery).

 

Last, but not least, imagination. You must use your imagination, which combined with the other elements, will help you write a good and memorable terror story.

After reading and analysing two examples of terror texts (a poem and a tale), and after watching the thriller which fictionalizes what may have happened to Poe in the last days of his life, you are ready to plan and write your own tale of mystery and imagination building tension towards a horror ending.

 

However, before you start, let´s consider the core elements which must be present in any terror tale.

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HOW TO WRITE A HORROR STORY

So, what

Think of :​

 - A protagonist (afraid of what?) 

- Other characters

- A scenario (a horrific atmosphere)

- Put your protagonist in dire straits

- Use a twist ending

 

Remember that stories must have a beginning, middle and end.

 

 

         

 

 

Follow the plot diagram to plan your story

Source: https://wikis.engrade.com/partsofastory1

Need Inspiration?

In case you may need inspiration to spark off your imagination, here I leave you some prompts:

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