How to Tell a Convincing Scary Story
Create a basic story template., Add the element of horror., Add the element of surprise., Rewrite your story, but with your changed-up words., Remove anything unnecessary., Memorize your story (optional)., Get your audience's attention., Gather...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Create a basic story template.
Make a plot for a basic, super-peaceful story.
Make it as happy and peaceful as you possibly can. (You will have a scary story in the end.
This is preparation for steps two and three.) Here are some helpful articles if you're having trouble having inspiration:
Decide on Your Novel Writing Structure--this article is just basic plotting.
Plot a Story Write a Short Story--this one describes a little more. , You can do this by changing just about everything to its horrified opposite.
For example:
A pretty fairy princess turns into a zombie sprite.
A best friend turns into a certain hooded figure armed with a chainsaw.
Flowers turn into carnivorous, huge dark plants.
A lawn gnome turns into a tiny zombie/vampire.
A pony turns into a big, looming shadow horse with red/yellow eyes and a flaming mane...the list goes on and on. , Do the exact same thing as you did in step two, but with anything that isn't a noun.
Examples:
Bravely turns into carefully.
Happy turns to livid.
Peaceful turns into unspeakably/unspeakable evil.
Skipped turns into dragged/crawled, with joyful/longing singing/moaning. , It should be very scary.
This is the reason you wrote a super happy, peaceful story, so that when the words were flip-flopped, it turned spooky. , Your story has changed so much, there may be things you want to eliminate.
Look for words that are candidates for "shouldn't be there".
For example, "The serious thin man"-- (Horrified version of the silly chubby lady)
--serious doesn't have to be there.
It might be taking away from the essence of your story. (However, you may have it there if you think otherwise, it's your story.) , This will help add a "well known legend" effect. , Say something like "Hey, did you guys hear about the legend of...?" Most people enjoy hearing news they didn't know before.
Make it sound like a rumor or big news.
Humans are usually very curious. -
Step 2: Add the element of horror.
This is very important as you don't want your audience to wander off to the little shack next door.
It helps to motion your audience to come by using hand gestures.
You could even say something such as "Gather round, young ones, and listen here..."
It is very important to use hand gestures here.
This is optional, but it is recommended. , Repeat the last two steps as necessary. , Make a twist ending, like "But this is only a legend... or IS it...!" -
Step 3: Add the element of surprise.
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Step 4: Rewrite your story
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Step 5: but with your changed-up words.
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Step 6: Remove anything unnecessary.
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Step 7: Memorize your story (optional).
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Step 8: Get your audience's attention.
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Step 9: Gather everyone in one group.
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Step 10: Start telling your convincing scary story.
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Step 11: Continue to tell your scary story in this way.
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Step 12: Finish your scary story with a flourish.
Detailed Guide
Make a plot for a basic, super-peaceful story.
Make it as happy and peaceful as you possibly can. (You will have a scary story in the end.
This is preparation for steps two and three.) Here are some helpful articles if you're having trouble having inspiration:
Decide on Your Novel Writing Structure--this article is just basic plotting.
Plot a Story Write a Short Story--this one describes a little more. , You can do this by changing just about everything to its horrified opposite.
For example:
A pretty fairy princess turns into a zombie sprite.
A best friend turns into a certain hooded figure armed with a chainsaw.
Flowers turn into carnivorous, huge dark plants.
A lawn gnome turns into a tiny zombie/vampire.
A pony turns into a big, looming shadow horse with red/yellow eyes and a flaming mane...the list goes on and on. , Do the exact same thing as you did in step two, but with anything that isn't a noun.
Examples:
Bravely turns into carefully.
Happy turns to livid.
Peaceful turns into unspeakably/unspeakable evil.
Skipped turns into dragged/crawled, with joyful/longing singing/moaning. , It should be very scary.
This is the reason you wrote a super happy, peaceful story, so that when the words were flip-flopped, it turned spooky. , Your story has changed so much, there may be things you want to eliminate.
Look for words that are candidates for "shouldn't be there".
For example, "The serious thin man"-- (Horrified version of the silly chubby lady)
--serious doesn't have to be there.
It might be taking away from the essence of your story. (However, you may have it there if you think otherwise, it's your story.) , This will help add a "well known legend" effect. , Say something like "Hey, did you guys hear about the legend of...?" Most people enjoy hearing news they didn't know before.
Make it sound like a rumor or big news.
Humans are usually very curious.
This is very important as you don't want your audience to wander off to the little shack next door.
It helps to motion your audience to come by using hand gestures.
You could even say something such as "Gather round, young ones, and listen here..."
It is very important to use hand gestures here.
This is optional, but it is recommended. , Repeat the last two steps as necessary. , Make a twist ending, like "But this is only a legend... or IS it...!"
About the Author
Joshua Kim
Writer and educator with a focus on practical cooking knowledge.
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