Board Thread:General Wiki Discussion/@comment-23872426-20131116041253/@comment-24162900-20131116065316

Writing 'scary' really comes with tapping into the writer's perspective. A comedian writes jokes that they think are funny. A fan writes scenarios and fanfics that they would like to see or that they think would be entertaining. Writing 'scary' is no different. It may seem like too simple of an answer, but you must ask yourself 'what scares you?' We all have fears outside the normal (spiders, death, losing a loved one, the unknown...) that would make for good scary stories that get people's attention. Sometimes we forget to pay attention to our own imaginations which are constantly active. Take a moment to notice it. Next time you get nervous in a dark room, consider why it is you feel that way. Is it just the thought of not knowing what is around you or are you actually invisioning a particular monster or entity or any external source for your fear within the dark. I even try to keep track of my nightmares. Some people keep a dream journal while I keep one for my nightmares and with most 'good ideas', they may seem good (scary) at the time and in the moment, but when reflected on later, they aren't, which is perfectly normal. It's the ideas that stay scary to your after time that are the ideas you should hold onto. Your nightmares, your feelings in a dark room, the thoughts that end up keeping you awake at night when you're trying to sleep, all of these things will help you not only make your story scary, but it will give your story and writing style the individuality that is so crucial to artists. Fear is all around you. You just have to know how to recognize it in a way that helps.

Write about what scares you in a way that scares you even more and others will fear it too.