I will be presenting “What Makes a Good Scary Story?” at the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Virtual Fall Conference, Sept. 18.
This fun and interactive workshop will provide tools so writers of horror and other scary tales can ramp up their stories. There will be discussions on what scares people psychologically and how those fears can be used in writing. Other topics include studying haunted settings and objects and why they are perfect (or not)for such stories. We will discuss the structure of frightening tales and how to use words and phrases that will add more emotion. Also, we will discuss spooky creatures from zombies to Hannibal Lector, and what makes them so fascinating and frightening. Empathized will be the use of originality to break the usual scare mold and avoid the pitfalls of bad scares. Participants will learn how to come up with creative creatures and villains, how to look outside of traditional settings to create something new, and learn a better understanding of what makes good scares so effective.
For more about this great five-day conference, check out their website at: