Release the Hyde: How to Write a Horror Story

Horror is something that everyone experiences and ranges in severity from person to person. One thing humanity can all create and understand is the realm of horror and the feeling and concept of fear. This relatable genre is something that people are both drawn to and reluctant to acknowledge, like one seeing a car crash; it's so horrible, yet you cannot look away. The realm of horror can creep into any modern or fantastical genre, making it one of the most creative genres due to the range yet relatability of its content. 

            In this Instructable, I will guide you (the reader of this article) on how to make a relatable horror story. Who knows! You may surprise yourself with how macabre and imaginative you can be concerning what freaks you out the most. This Instructable will guide you in both the psychological process and the literary analysis needed to produce a good horror story. Creating a horror concept can be hard, and deciding how you want to portray the horror you've created can be even harder, which will be covered in this Instructable. 

            To make sure you are successful in this Instructable, you will need whatever material you use to write with, whether that be paper and pencil or one's laptop. Either way, there will be some websites featured in this article, so internet access is recommended! 

Warning: Some of the content contained in this Instructable may be disturbing.

Viewer discretion is advised.

(Ha-ha, got you there! But seriously, some of the images or content is a bit mature/disturbing to the eye, so I would suggest older audiences read this Instructable. All of the images within this are either created by me or photos taken by me.

Supplies

In regards to supplies, you will need a writing tool, whether it is a pen and paper or your favorite writing service. This is crucial to writing down ideas and jotting down ideas and brainstorming. 

The only other supplies you will need are any supplies necessary for whatever medium you will be using to portray this horror story. This can be brought in later once you decide on your medium since it can change depending on what you write about. 

Brainstorming Mediums:

-A written story/novel

-A painting

-A collage

-A short film

-An animation

-A digital design

-A drawing

-A song

-Pottery

-Poetry

-Sculpture

-etc.

Step 1: Identify an Existing Genre (that Isn't Horror) & the Fear You Want to Focus On

First, establish what specific genre you are the most interested in. What worlds or concepts fascinate you the most?

Here is a website that identifies some genres and can give you some ideas! 

Fiction Genre Finder 

Once you figure out your genre, set that aside for a little bit and then focus on you as a person. What scares you the most? Let's use the fear of nyctophobia, the fear of the dark. What about that fear makes it so scary? Is it the fear of what is lurking in the darkness with you? The fear of the unknown or lack of sight? This fear can also include internal fears, such as the fear of commitment or disappointment. Dissect your fear until you find the root cause of why that specific fear is terrifying for you. Make a small list of all thoughts you may feel when you explore your fear. For example, here is what someone who has nyctophobia may write: 

• Unknown/monsters
• Lack of sight/blindness 
• Defenselessness 
• Hopelessness 
• Disorientation 

If you struggle to find out why this fear is scary, do not be afraid to look at Google or Pinterest for some inspiration!

Step 2: Generate a Setting That Matches the Genre and Generate a Place to for Threat to Thrive

Think about, not only the genre in which your story is taking place but if your antagonist/threat can thrive. For example, if we are sticking with the fear of the dark, perhaps there is something that happens at night or a world without a sun. Somehow incorporate that fear into the world you live in, whether it be hidden in plain sight or something that could be perceived as normal. There are several ways one could work around a setting.

Here are some ideas for our nyctophobia example: 

• A dream-like world where nightmares manifest 
• An office with a power outage 
• A world with no sun 
• An ["]escape room["] 
• Abandoned theme park with no electricity

Step 3: Identify the Threat/antagonist

Figure out a way to physically manifest this fear to a physical or supernatural shape. Decide whether or not you want this threat to manifest as a person, place, or thing. Is it supernatural? Is it psychological? Is there a physical being attributed to this fear? 

Let's continue with our "fear of the dark" example. Brainstorm some ways that you could physically manifest. 

• A shadowy figure 
• A "normal" person 
• Make something slightly off about them, contributing to the fear of the unknown, and the "distortion" this person portrays is only revealed in the darkness...or perhaps the light? 
• An entity that can cause disorientation and blindness
• A figure that cannot be defeated through physical means (i.e. cannot be shot or stabbed, physical illness, etc.) 

Blurt out any ideas that come to mind. How would you manifest your fear? If you are a visual person, feel free to draw it out! 

Personal Art Expression

In the art example shown, I chose to focus on my fear of people being fake towards me, wearing a mask or putting on a fake act of liking me. I am always scared that people are just nice to me because they feel bad for me or something like that!

Step 4: Generate a Protagonist That Struggles With This Fear

Think of ways that people who are confronted with this fear can combat it. Is there a way to confront this fear and defeat it? How could it get to you at first? What qualities are seen in people who fear the fears mentioned in step one? What types of people are most affected by this fear? Back to our nyctophobia example (I know you are probably sick of it), let's think about how you would react to this fear. The most vulnerable and stereotypical group of people affected by this fear are children. What are personal traits that you possess that may contribute to your fear? Think about things that could happen in the past that may affect this person and generate this fear. Here are some examples of protagonist ideas: 

• A small child with an intense fear of the dark 
• A person who got lost in the dark and lives on their own after getting lost from their parents
• Someone with a blunt and professional personality, but fears abandonment and the unknown nature of the future

Get creative. Do not be afraid to come up with some wacky concept. 

Step 5: Can the Protagonist Overcome This Fear?

Depending on the fear that you focus on, there may be a bit more of a fear factor in making the threat undefeatable. Think about the realistic terms and the fear you choose. Is it something that can be defeated? 

Let's use our fear of the dark example again. To defeat the darkness, you have to shine a light. You have to identify what that light would be. Is it a physical light or a metaphorical light? That is completely up to you! 

Step 6: Construct a Loose Plot. Identify Medium

Take your time now, looking over all your notes, to identify what medium you want to use. What medium are you the most comfortable with? How do you think you can personal skill and passion to create the best representation of your fear? What medium will make it most relatable? Answer these questions for yourself and plan it out! 

Encouragement

There is no wrong answer! Do whatever comes to mind!

Concerning constructing the plot, take into consideration the previous steps, including the genre, the setting, the antagonist and protagonist, and the resolution. Think about how the protagonist will struggle with this fear and perhaps if this threat can be conquered. 

Step 7: Have a Set of Eyes Look Over Your Draft

Get a friend who is comfortable with reading or viewing horror content to go over it. Ask them some of the following questions and have them provide constructive feedback. Explain to them after their interpretation what you were going for and how you could further demonstrate what you are trying to portray. 

Discussion Topics

• The title? Does it portray the fear well? 
• Ask for a summary 
• Discuss the pros and cons of the piece
• Describe the feelings and understanding of the image (from the point of view of the person viewing the media) 
• Discuss what possible outcomes could make it scarier 
• Is the tone correct? The style? The mood? 
• Was the choice of medium successful or not? What medium fits this concept best? 

Feel free to generate other questions as well that come around during the feedback session!

Step 8: Use Feedback for Edits and Finalize

Take time to understand the feedback that was given to you. It is completely up to you, as the artist and creator of this work, as to what you do with this feedback, but it is recommended to take the advice to reach more audiences. Take time to understand why the person feels the way they do about your piece and figure out how to exemplify the fear you are focusing on through different perspectives. Remember that you are trying to figure out how to freak out the audience and help portray how you feel about that fear, while also touching on how other people may feel through your eyes. Make them think about what makes this fear so frightening. Nothing is scarier than making people think (or overthink)!