Horror fiction is not about monsters. Anyone can dream up a gruesome creature and reduce it to words on a page just check out the discount rack at your local bookstore if you don't believe me. The secret to good horror fiction begins with the development of your protagonist. The reader must be able to slide into the character's skin in order for you to develop the tension level required to make him turn on an extra light or two while reading your work.

Always keep in mind that the primary job of a horror writer is to suspend the reader's disbelief. Consider creating your main character as an ordinary person and thrust him into extraordinary circumstances. This "everyman concept" is the foundation of most good fiction, but is especially important in horror as it reinforces the concept that what is happening to the protagonist could happen to anyone.

Carry this level of normalcy into your peripheral characters and keep their behavior consistent with what someone would expect. For example, cops shouldn't jump to believe in a supernatural/extraordinary explanation until it hits them in the face. They should waste time pursuing an angle of investigation that involves plodding along the well worn paths of police doctrine until circumstances force them to do otherwise. Doctors should assume lab errors or misreporting of symptoms, etc By doing this, you isolate the reader (as the character) from his normal, logical support group reinforcing the feeling that he is alone against evil. Being alone and afraid is the foundation of horror.

The plot should be fresh. Even if you make use of stereotypical antagonists like vampires, werewolves or serial killers, you should endeavor to inject them into unique circumstances so the reader doesn't say "oh, this is just like such-n-such"; because at that point they have wandered from the dark path down which you are leading them and are thinking about some other author's work.

Finally, be stingy with your scares. Once the antagonist is confronted, the impact of that scene is difficult to recapture. If it occurs too early the reader's anticipation will be met with something of a drawn out anti-climax they don't even recognize until the final page is turned - and they may never read your work again. As a horror writer you share some common threads with the mystery writers. You are, in effect, a word magician and should constantly seek to misdirect the reader in order to maintain the element of surprise throughout the text. If you are having difficulty, consider using minions in place of your antagonist. Learning that the creature/person you've been dealing with is simply a shadow of the real threat can be rather chilling if handled correctly.

Learn more about this author, Hugh McKelvy.
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