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Ghost stories have been written for centuries all over the world, and people keep coming back for more. A great ghost story keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, wanting to soak in more of the atmosphere and read more. Some of the best ghost stories I have ever read leave me wondering about the true ending of the story. These are the stories that stick in my mind and have me sharing with friends and family. Anyone can write a ghost story, but it takes a truly gifted writer to encompass all the aspects of a great ghost story. If you are looking to write ghost stories I have listed some features that make the story great to me.

*Keep the reader on their toes

Don't let the ending be obvious, keep the reader wondering what next, who, what, where and how. It is this temptation that keeps the readers reading and that sells your name as a great writer in this genre of book.

*Setting

The setting needs to be perfect and exquisitely described. Help the reader get lost in the story, and be able to close their eyes and picture the setting. Making the backdrop to a story as real as possible and as detailed as possible leaves the reader with not only narrative, but pictures as if the story were presented to them on a movie screen and makes it more memorable.

*Realism

For many this may sound strange. If it's a ghost story, how realistic can it be? If the story has real life people, places and events it becomes all the more creepy. All of a sudden a ghost story has gone from fantasy to possibility and that's where you capture your audience.

*Explosive events

Throw in exciting, explosive events at unexpected times. Just when the reader is getting the idea of the story, thinking they have it figured out, throw in a twist. Twists and turns take the reader through limitless possibilities and works their mind, making them become part of the story they are reading.

*An ending that doesn't end

This to me is the most important key to any good ghost story. When the story ends, it doesn't end. The reader will walk away from the story wondering what truly happened though the picture you will have painted will be sufficient as fuel for the active imagination of the reader.

So when the campfire is burning low, and the last embers of light are going out your audience is left wondering who, what, where, when and why. Slowly they will make their way to their nightly resting places, making sure to check their bedding for anything out of the ordinary. Late at night they will lie with questions burning in their minds. Job well done, you have left them to their own imaginings.

Learn more about this author, Dominique Storm.
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