As a genre, psychological horror is designed to frighten you, without the typical blood and gore you might find in classic horror stories.The inner conflict of your main character is the focus of psychological horror.If you come up with a compelling story idea and focus on creating a mood of terror and foreboding, you can create your own psychological horror story.If you take the time to polish your psychological horror story, it will be as frightening as possible.
Step 1: There are ideas for a story.
To write a good psychological horror story, you need to dig deep and write about something that scares you.What scares me the most?Is there a moment in my life that made you feel disturbed?You might end up using your scariest thoughts as inspiration for your story.It is possible that you have an intense fear of hurting someone close to you.You can use this fear as an inspiration for your story about a character who loses their sense of reality and spirals out of control.
Step 2: The main character should be compelling.
If you have a main character that is unique and compelling, your horror story will be much stronger.Your main character should be flawed and have a distinct personality.A compelling main character will keep your reader interested.A struggle with self-esteem or jealousy may be the internal flaw of your main character.The character may have difficulty with an external flaw that they find unattractive.A young girl who is struggling with puberty is your main character.She may not be able to relate to other girls her age because she is seen as a freak.She may like disturbing stories of the insane.
Step 3: Determine the psychological part of your story.
Gory or bloody should not be the focus of your story.There can still be blood in a horror story.You can include psychological elements like madness, mania, mental illness, or a personal life crisis that leads to a psychic break.You can give your main character one of these psychological elements and write about their experiences dealing with a disturbed psyche.It is possible that your main character is triggered by a bully at school.She might lose her sense of reality.If she were not in a disturbed state of mind, she wouldn't make choices.
Step 4: See examples of psychological horror.
You can read popular examples of psychological horror to get a better sense of the genre.You can find these texts at your local library.Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves is an example.We have always lived in the castle.It was written by Stephen King.Charlotte Perkins Gilman had a yellow wallpaper.Rebecca was written by Daphne du Maurier.
Step 5: The mood of terror and foreboding can be created.
The inner workings of your main character are the focus of psychological horror.If you want to keep your story interesting, you should create an uneasy atmosphere.A sense of foreboding is created by adding elements to your story that make the reader feel like something bad is about to happen.It is possible to create a terrifying atmosphere by including details that feel off to the reader.Take what seems normal and make it weird.It is possible to add a dash of horror to everyday experiences.Adding a strange twist to your main character's day at high school can make her experiences seem a little off.She might look out the window in class to see a girl who looks just like her, or she might open her locker to find a pile of someone else's hair.
Step 6: It's a good idea to let bad things happen to your characters.
Bad things happen to good people a lot in horror stories.You should be willing to let bad things happen to your main character in your story.The reader will sympathize with your main character because of this.It's possible to set up your character to experience terror or horror in their life, starting with a small thing that goes bad.A general sense of drama may be created by other characters around your main character.A main character may make poor decisions due to her disturbed state of mind.Bad things may happen to those closest to her if she becomes violent.
Step 7: There should be sensory details.
It is important to come up with unique details and descriptions in your writing.One way to do this is to focus on the five senses in every scene or moment of your story, describing how something feels, sounds, tastes, smells, and looks to your characters.The more disturbing moments of your psychological horror story can come alive and feel real if you use sensory details in your writing.It is possible to describe a character's experience of a manic episode as "feeling like the world was split in two and I was on the side of darkness and confusion."
Step 8: Common horror cliches should not be used.
When you are writing horror, try not to fall into common cliches.There are common cliches or situations that have become so familiar they lose all meaning in psychological horror.A house that is alive, a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown or a family with a deep, dark secret in the attic are all familiar story lines that have been done before.If you want a story that feels specific and unique to your point of view, you should try to avoid cliche scenarios and descriptions.One way to avoid cliches is to take a situation that is familiar to you and your perspective as a writer.Adding a twist to a cliche story line, such as a family with a deep, dark secret that is revealed at the beginning of the story, leaves the characters to deal with the aftermath in the present.The story feels more specific and nuanced if you make your woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown specific to your experience of anxiety or trauma.
Step 9: Prepare for an unnerving ending.
The ending of your horror story should be off.A twist in your ending may leave the reader confused.A strong, disturbing ending is an ideal landing point for a horror story.If you make a plot outline for your story, you can build up to a disturbing ending.The plot outline can be created using a plot diagram or the snowflake method.A main character may not realize she had a psychic break until the end of the story.The big twist may be that your main character finally realized that all of her visions were made up.
Step 10: Out loud, read your first draft.
If you have a first draft, you should polish it to make it stronger.From the beginning to the end, read your first draft loud.Listen to the flow of each sentence.There are certain passages that are confusing.If the story feels disturbing to you, pay attention to it.You can mark any sections that need to be reworked.You can highlight any sentences that seem to work for you, as you can try to figure out how other areas can work as well.
Step 11: Share your first draft with others.
The first draft should be looked over by one or two sympathetic readers.You can give them a copy of the story that they can read on their own.Readers may be asked for feedback on your story.You should be willing to accept constructive feedback.It is possible to make your story stronger by getting it critiqued.
Step 12: Take your draft and make it better.
You should revise your story after receiving feedback.You can work sentence by sentence, followed by passages that need a medium or minimal amount of revising.If you show your revised story to your readers again, you may be closer to a finished draft.