How to Begin a Horror Story

You can approach writing a horror story as a class assignment or as a personal creative project. One of the most challenging aspects of horror writing is the opening, the very first few lines. To start, brainstorm ideas for your story and draft an intriguing introduction. Afterward, refine the opening pages to align with the rest of the story and make them as engaging as possible.

Describe something that terrifies or unsettles you. Think about your greatest fears, such as losing a loved one, heights, clowns, or even sticky tape. Then, you can tap into these fears and develop them into a story idea.

• Use your fear as material for crafting a narrative about something disturbing or frightening. Consider how you would react if you were a character forced to face such fears.
• Alternatively, ask your family or friends what scares or disgusts them the most and use their fears as inspiration for your story.

Transform an ordinary situation into something terrifying. You can take an everyday scenario, such as a walk in the park, cooking a meal, or visiting a friend, and add a chilling element to it. Use your imagination to inject a spooky twist into an otherwise normal activity or scene.

• For example, imagine stumbling upon a severed ear during a morning stroll in the park, or the vegetable you're chopping for dinner morphing into a finger or a tentacle. Get creative and think about how you can distort or twist an ordinary situation into something horrifying.

Trap your characters in a horrifying situation. Another technique is to trap or surround your protagonist in a terrifying, unnerving environment. Restricting the character’s movement will allow you to build tension and suspense throughout the story.

• Think about a small, confined space that would make you feel claustrophobic or panicked. Ask yourself, where would you be most terrified to be trapped?
• You could place the character in a cramped space like a coffin, a cold, damp wine cellar, an abandoned police station, a deserted island, or an eerie town with no one around. Such a scene will create fear and generate tension from the very start.

Create unique main characters. You can start your horror story by focusing on character development. Try to craft one or more distinctive characters with unique traits and details. Sketch out the personality of each character to get a sense of their lifestyle, thoughts, and how they might react to conflict. Even if not every detail appears in the story, it will influence how you shape the character and how the readers perceive them. A well-rounded character will stand out and be memorable to the reader. Begin by asking questions about aspects such as:

• The character’s age and occupation
• The character’s marital status or romantic relationships
• How the character views the world (e.g., skeptical, pessimistic, anxious, optimistic, content, calm)
• Any unique physical features such as a particular hairstyle, a scar, or a distinct fashion sense
• How the character speaks, their dialect or language

Amplify the emotions of your characters. Horror often revolves around a character’s reaction to the events of the story. You can push the reader’s emotions to the extreme by giving your character an intense emotional struggle that they must deal with throughout the story. Shock, paranoia, and terror are powerful emotions that can drive a character to take actions or have internal conflicts.

• For instance, have your character go through a devastating shock, such as the death of a loved one or the loss of a job. This could lead the character to make decisions they wouldn’t otherwise consider, triggered by the aftermath of a traumatic event.
• You could also introduce paranoia or a feeling that something is off. This would make the character constantly suspicious and view the world through a distorted lens. Paranoia can also create confusion for the reader, making them start to question the events in the story.
• Alternatively, you could give your protagonist a premonition or a deep sense of dread about an impending disaster. This sense of fear will help establish a tense atmosphere in the story and keep the reader on edge.

Outline your plot. Once you’ve developed an idea for your story, it’s important to establish a plot structure to give you a clear direction for your characters. Outlining the framework of your story will help make it more convincing in the long run. The plot outline acts as a map or guide through the story, though you can always diverge from it when inspiration strikes while writing.

• You could use a plot diagram to outline your story. The plot diagram includes six distinct sections that form a triangle, with the climax at the top. These sections include: introduction, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
• Alternatively, you can use the snowflake method to outline your story. Begin by writing a single sentence summary of your plot, then expand it into a paragraph, and finally break it down into detailed scenes.

Write an engaging opening sentence and provide key details. The opening line should spark curiosity while focusing the reader on the story. A great opening gives the reader an idea of the story's theme, introduces a unique perspective, or hints at the character's traits.

• For instance, if you're telling a story about the fear of barbed tape in a dark world, your opening could be: “Sara struggled to remain still as the men tightened the barbed tape around her wrists, her eyes squeezed shut to block out the horrific sounds.”
• This opening introduces Sara as the protagonist, placing her in a dreadful and uncomfortable situation. It also raises questions in the reader’s mind, like “Who are these men?” and “Why is Sara being captured?” These questions will draw the reader in and compel them to turn the page.

Start the story with a specific setting. Try opening your story within a particular setting where characters are interacting or doing something. An action unfolding in a defined space will instantly engage the reader and pique their curiosity to read on. It also helps the reader stay grounded in the unfolding events.

• Consider placing the protagonist in a perilous or vulnerable situation right from the start to introduce the horror element immediately.
• For example, you could open with the protagonist trapped inside a device, followed by a description of her feelings and thoughts as she attempts to escape, while the ones who set the trap try to keep her in place.

Introduce chilling or suspenseful elements right from the beginning. After all, you're writing a horror story, so don't hesitate to include spine-chilling or suspenseful details early on. By the end of the opening, the reader should understand the setting and conflict of the story. Your goal is to evoke a sense of dread or fear by the time the reader finishes the first page.

• For example, you might introduce grotesque scenes with blood, organs, mucus, brain matter, or saliva in the opening. Use these disturbing images sparingly at first to avoid clichés, so when they appear again, they hit harder and make a stronger impact on the reader.

Present the central conflict early on. A horror story needs a major conflict that drives the protagonist’s actions. This central conflict should appear within the first few paragraphs or pages to grab the reader’s attention and build suspense early in the story.

• For instance, you could introduce a character trying to banish a ghost from a house. This conflict would immediately set the stage for the rest of the story, where the character's efforts to remove the ghost while keeping the household safe are the primary focus.
• Another common overarching conflict is survival, where the character faces a life-threatening situation that forces them to fight for their life.
• If you choose to withhold the conflict at the start, there must be a good reason for doing so. Keeping the conflict a secret should be intentional and serve the story, as the reader might feel confused or disoriented without enough information.

Opt for active voice. You should aim to use active voice rather than passive voice in your story’s introduction and throughout the entire narrative. Passive sentences often sound monotonous or dry. Instead, write in a way that captivates the reader with dynamic actions and motivating forces.

• For example, rather than starting your story with the passive sentence “The cold bandages clung to Sara’s skin as the men tied her to the chair,” which sounds confusing and lifeless, try something like: “Sara felt the cold bandages press against her skin as the men forced her into the chair.” The second sentence is active, placing “Sara” right next to the verb “felt,” giving the sentence a sense of immediacy.
• Using active voice doesn’t mean you’re limited to first-person or present tense. You can still use active voice in past tense or third or second-person perspectives.

Study examples of story openings. You can gain more insight into crafting an impactful horror story beginning by reading the opening passages of well-known horror tales. Use these examples as models or inspiration for your own work. Here are some examples to explore:

• The opening of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart”: “True – nervous – very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?” This opening immediately establishes the narrator’s anxious, fearful, and even desperate state. It’s a fantastic start because it creates an immediate sense of tension, preparing the reader for a disturbing and intense story.
• The opening of Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”: “Her name was Connie. She was fifteen and had the habit of looking at herself in the mirror or glancing at others’ faces to reassure herself that she looked okay.” While simple, this introduction effectively introduces the protagonist’s age, gender, and captures her superficial, naive nature, setting the stage for a story about vulnerability and external influence.
• The opening of George Orwell’s 1984: “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” This iconic opening leaves a strong impression by combining contradictory imagery—bright yet cold—and foreshadowing doom with the unsettling detail of a clock striking thirteen, hinting at an ominous event to come.

Read the opening aloud. After writing the opening to your story, you should read it aloud to hear its rhythm and tone. Pay attention to whether it evokes feelings of tension or confusion. Ensure the opening includes the main plot, character descriptions, setting, and the overall tone of the story.

• You might also read the opening to a trusted friend to get their feedback. Ask if they felt a sense of dread, suspense, or fear. Be open to criticism, as their perspective can help refine your introduction and make it even more compelling.

Review the opening after completing the entire story. Typically, once you've passed the opening, the rest of the story flows more smoothly. Once you’ve written a satisfying conclusion, go back and revise the opening. This ensures that the opening matches the rest of the narrative.

• Check whether the opening aligns with the rest of the story. You may need to tweak it to reflect any character or setting changes that occur later on. Your opening should feel like a natural lead-in to the rest of the narrative.

Revise the opening to ensure clarity, tone, and style consistency. The opening should be easy to follow and not confusing. There’s nothing worse than a story beginning that feels illogical to the reader, as it may frustrate them and make them lose interest.

• Make sure the character’s tone in the opening aligns with the tone throughout the rest of the story. Consistency is key in maintaining a coherent narrative, so you’ll want to keep the character’s voice steady from beginning to end.