by Tracey Harvie

Created on: October 31, 2007

We all understand that reading provides a magic carpet ride through the world of another's imagining. Why then do we choose to visit the asylum instead of the beautiful garden. For the same reason people ride roller coasters and jump out of air planes; it is fun to be scared. Goosebumps make the hair on my arms stand up when I am physically moved by an exquisite piece of music an achingly beautiful harmony. The same physical reaction can happen with perfect horror. This is why we try to write horrifying pieces to provide that adrenaline rush of fright to others in a completely safe environment.

One way to achieve great horror is to take a completely safe environment and make it horrifying. The more ordinary the surroundings you use, the more likely it is that your reader will be able to relate to your story and your characters. To picture themselves in the seat of that car, in the den watching television with their spouse. After all what is truly horrifying is not what you have to make yourself believe, but rather that which you try desperately to convince yourself is not real. Waking up in the middle of the night to see someone leaning over the bed you try desperately to scream while your mind races trying to convince your panicked body that this is not real, it is a dream, only a dream,..."you're not really awake, you only think you're awake, this is a dream, wake up, wake up,..", but what if it isn't a dream, what if there is someone leaning over the bed?

Is that where the story ends? Or is this only the beginning, perhaps even a false start? Tension builds when we expect something to happen and it is delayed. However, too much of a good thing can create an anticlimax and your reader may become disenchanted if you delay too long. Obviously the challenge here is to achieve a subtle increase of tension rather than an obvious misdirection of the reader's attention.

Your reader also has an imagination so make use of it. We can frighten ourselves quite handily given the proper tools. You may find in the end that you need not describe every ghastly drop of blood, nor yet describe the grisly murder. If you have properly set the table your readers should be able to finish serving the feast themselves. In the end that which scares us the most is often something subtle. Not the shrill screams that split the night but rather the whisper in the middle of the day, when no one is near.

Learn more about this author, Tracey Harvie.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.