5 Tips For Writing A Spine-Chilling Horror Short Story

Fear is one of the most powerful emotions to feel. It’s visceral and primal, a kind of bone deep feeling that spreads throughout the entire body and instilling fear on the page is what horror authors strive for. 

If you’re a writer who wants to break into the horror genre, then short stories are an excellent medium for cutting your teeth. They are fertile ground for tapping into feelings of dread and unease, hooking readers into a spine-chilling narrative from the first sentence.

With that in mind, here are five tips for writing a short story that falls into the horror genre.

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Suicide Club Review: A Cautionary Tale Of Immortality And Parenthood

Everyone wishes they had more time, whether to pursue their dream career or travel across the world. Imagine if you could extend your life and set out to accomplish everything you’d ever wanted. Imagine being able to maintain your youth for decades. What would you do if you had more time? Would you make the most of it? These questions form the basis of Rachel Heng’s Suicide Club, a novel that combines technology with the prospect of living forever. But there’s a dark side to immortality and Heng takes the reader on a journey through themes of loss, parenthood and what it means to be alive.

Son Of Hitler Review: A Rip-Roaring Thriller That Defies Expectations

For many people, World War II doesn’t seem that long ago. Countless lives were lost and plenty of stories have been told that cover Hitler’s evil and Nazi tyranny. You’d think there wouldn’t be any new ways to tell a story revolving around Nazis. Anthony Del Col and Geoff Moore’s Son Of Hitler will prove you wrong. The graphic novel is set in an alternate reality where the British secret service look to stop Hitler by sending his own son to kill him. Violent, entertaining and creative, Son Of Hitler goes off like a firecracker from the very first page. Del Col sent a copy of the graphic novel to The Comic Vault in exchange for an honest review.

The Shining Girls Review

The serial killer genre is known to make use of specific tropes. The killer usually suffered trauma in their childhood to make them into the murder machine they are today. The victims are normally helpless to prevent their deaths and the killer is always brilliant and meticulous. These stories can be entertaining up to a point. But when every character becomes saddled with cliches then it’s time for something new. So, what about a novel that breaks away from the traditional journey of the serial killer genre? South African novelist Lauren Beukes’ The Shining Girls takes something we’ve seen before and offers a new slant.