What Are Some Good Words to Use in a Scary Story?

A horror story is the most interesting and tragic domain. It gives a wholesome experience of horror and entertainment. It gives a trail of experience to the readers.

Horror is a genre of speculative fiction designed specially to scare or frighten readers. Famous historians define horror stories as a type of fiction that gives a feeling of loathing or repulsion. It presents supernatural elements like vampires, witches, and ghosts in a realistic manner which generates a feeling of creepy feeling within the readers’ minds.

If you take on the challenge of writing your own horror story, you will need to arm yourself with the right words and concepts. Here are a few to include as well as some tips on writing your next story.

What Are Some Good Words to Use in a Horror Story?

In horror writing, vocabulary plays a significant role. The arrangement of perfect words in a horror story makes it more realistic and engaging. Without good words, stories sound pale and dull. The art of playing with vocabulary is an important aspect of a writer. So, to help you in the process of creating a perfect horror story, some good words are listed below:

Ghastly: It creates a terrifying or horrifying sense to the noun.

Ghoulish: It describes perverse or grotesque characteristics that give a scary feeling to the beholder.

Macabre: This word was derived from an old French phrase that means “dance of death”. The meaning of this word is death in a gory or grisly manner.

Phantasm: It conjures a haunting scenario of an apparition that is not natural. Phantasm depicts a momentary thing that makes the reader question their surrounding reality.

Spine-tingling: It gives a thrilling experience along with the suspense of an unknown circumstance. It describes a heart-thumping or chilling fright. Referring to human anatomy in HORROR WRITING adds a fear sensation.

Blood-curdling: It means fear and terror from the senses. The world refers to the medieval idea that too much fear can turn our blood cold, hence curdle it.

Creaky: Adding adjectives to any sound effects makes your writing spookier. It is the sound that is developed when any broken wooden object moves.

Lurking: It refers to posing a sinister threat that symbolized any attacking moment.

Many other words like howl, shadowy, crypt, cackle, disquieting, and shivery are also good scary words that can be implemented in horror stories.

What Are The Different Elements of Horror Stories?

Horror writing has mainly five elements that develop an atmosphere of fear. The elements are fear, gore, violence, suspense, and mystery. Herein, suspense plays a significant role. It creates tension in the reader’s mind and keeps them going to the end of the story. Horror elements, if properly incorporated within the horror writer, can keep the readers on the edge of their space throughout the story.

Fear is the main element of horror writing. The real strategy of the construction of a horror story is to ensure you can frighten the readers with fears that they may not have even thought of. The greatest example of this is the Endless Night written by Richard Laymon.

Surprise elements hold the capability of retaining the readers till the end. One may not get scared by the small things but if we assign constant surprise with fear, the readers may get scared with every small aspect. In the book Heart- shaped box by Joe hill, there are enormous surprise elements that keep the reader engaged throughout.

Building suspense is the toughest part I feel. Many horror movies are of great suspense namely American Psycho, Drag me to Hell, Old Thomas, The Devil’s labyrinth, The sixth sense, and many more.

Without mystery, horror stories are nothing. The excitement of a mystery getting unfolded in the upcoming page retains the readers till the last page of the book. Invisible Monster is a good example of a horror mystery.

Tips for Writing Horror Stories

There are a few tips that you should keep in mind while writing any horror story:

• At first start by introducing the characters a little bit.
• Then add an unknown fear factor, which triggers the readers.
• Use your time to pick a perfect horror story subgenre, it may be thriller horror, classic horror, or anything.
• Create suspense in between your written, it works well in generating fear
• Add a plot twist to surprise your readers.

Final Thoughts

Writing a horror story is fun and you never know what is going to inspire you. Hopefully, this article will help you produce your next spine-tingler.