Frightening your reader

I am currently teaching a course on targeting your reader – writing to illicit a particular reaction and that includes inducing fear in them, particularly for ghost stories. Here are some thoughts:

Everyone fears the unknown. People don’t know what’s making that noise in the other room, so they call it a ghost and get scared. If that is the information needed to create scary scenes then use it, fluttering curtains, scraping chair legs, footsteps etc

Withhold information. Don’t bog stories down with long visual descriptions of a ghost, be more subtle, use glimpses, hints

Don’t keep mention ghosts, let the reader guess what is happening here. It keeps them intrigued

Build up fear gradually

       Describe the setting. This builds up atmosphere

       Keep it real – ghosts may not exist but it’s more believable if a story is something that could happen to anyone

Emotion is vital in any form of literature. Make the reader feel what the protagonist is feeling so explain the character’s reactions, clammy hands, pounding heart etc.

John Dean