Month: October 2025

Five Ways to Write a Scary Good Story

~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment
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The following post originally appeared on The Regal Writer in 2020. It’s been edited and reposted here, just in time for Halloween.

Author Carmen Maria Machado once said, “How do you tell interesting stories? You puncture through reality and you let magic and weird stuff and ghosts bleed back through.”

I thought about this statement while pondering what to write about scary stories. All I could think about was the following vignette I saw on TV (Night Gallery, I think) many years ago. 

In this vignette, a man is at the kitchen sink washing dishes one night. As he finishes, he notices a tiny spider crawl out of the drain. He turns on the faucet to drown the creature or force it back down the drain. Seconds later, the spider returns, this time a little larger than before. The man turns on the faucet again to shove it back down the drain. This happens several more times, each time the spider grows a little bigger. Panic and fear sets in. The man’s eyes grow large and he begins to sweat. At the end, you see a close up of the man’s face as he stares up at the spider off screen. Then the screen goes black as the man screams.

The audience is left to wonder: Did the spider kill the man? Or did his fear of the spider kill him?

There was no blood or gore in this scene, but it was still scary (to me, at least) because it fed on my imagination – and the man’s fear. Logically, we know it’s not physically possible for a spider to grow so quickly under the rush of running water. Yet we saw it happen on the TV screen over and over. The man may have been afraid of spiders, but it was our imaginations that filled in the blanks.  
I believe that is the appeal – and the power –  of a truly scary story. It’s usually not the blood and gore that scares people; it’s the hint that something awful is about to happen.

Writing scary stories – whether about oversized spiders, brain-eating zombies or ghostly hauntings – can be a challenge for some writers, who may find it easier to conjure a creepy creature than follow the elements of good storytelling. How do you scare the bejesus out of readers when you have to pay attention to mundane things like plot structure, character and dialogue? Fortunately, there are ways to write spine-tingling scenes that readers will rave about.

1. Tap into your own fears. Horror author Shirley Jackson believed tapping into your deepest fears made the best scary stories. Think about all the things that scared you as a child, and what makes you afraid now. Most people admit to being afraid of snakes or spiders. Others fear drowning, being buried alive, thunderstorms, enclosed spaces, and suffocation. Any of these things can be the basis for a scary story. Tap into your fears and see what comes out from them.

2. Get inside the narrator’s head. Author R.L. Stine liked writing his teen horror stories from the first person POV so readers could view the action through the protagonist’s eyes. When the protagonist and her friends explore an abandoned warehouse late at night, readers see what they see, what they hear and what they feel, just as they do.

3. Create a good hidden monster. Sometimes the best monsters aren’t creepy-looking at all, but look like normal people like you and me. It can be the boy next door, a teacher at school or even the family pet. On the surface, they seem innocent, but maybe they possess a strange, magic power or worse, a diabolical, evil streak that no one else sees. Even more compelling is the evil being that never dies. It keeps coming back to life no matter how many times a protagonist tries to kill it – like the poor homeowner who couldn’t drown the ever-growing spider. One of the creepiest ways to end a story is by hinting that the monster is alive and well, and is prepared to kill again.

4. Write about your own obsessions. Is there an experience you can’t quite forget? A relationship you can’t get over? A friend who betrayed you? We all have our obsessions, things we can’t let go of. We all have those dark places within us where anger, jealousy and greed reside. Use those obsessive dark places to create your scary stories.

5. Make the story relevant to your reader. Think about the setting of your story. Sometimes seeing the story take place in a familiar place can be unsettling for readers. Instead of the overused haunted house, set the story in a library, school, a public park or the local coffee shop. Add modern elements too, such as cell phones and social media. There’s nothing more terrifying than getting a threatening text message from an evil adversary or someone who supposedly died long ago.

6. Take your ghostly and weird creations seriously. Not everyone will appreciate the scary beings born out of your imagination. That’s okay, as long as you do. Sci-fi author Ray Bradbury says the strangest, weirdest beings you create represent fear in some form. Furthermore, writers should be selective about whose criticisms they believe.

“I have never listened to anyone who criticized my taste in space travel, sideshows or gorillas,” Bradbury once said. “When this occurs, I pack up my dinosaurs and leave the room.”

The scariest stories aren’t necessarily about blood and gore, although for some people, that’s enough. Sometimes the mere hint of something mysterious or creepy can scare readers. Anything that draws on their personal fears and overactive imaginations may be enough to scare the heck out of them.

Honor Your Inner Writer During November National Writing Challenge

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Whether you’ve been a writer for some time or you’re just starting out on your writing journey, you likely have heard about National Novel Writing Month, which takes place every November. While the organization that started this event has shut down, the mission still holds true: to encourage writers of all levels of experience to amp up their productivity. The aim is to write 50,000 words during the month, or approximately 1,666 words per day.

That’s a hefty load for any writer. It’s much like aiming to walk 10,000 steps that doctors recommend (or about five miles). Who has time to do that? Both activities require more time than most people have available to them. 

The way I see it, the November Writing Challenge can be about any goal you want to achieve. It doesn’t have to be about 50,000 words if that goal is too steep. The Challenge is about finding new ways to fit writing into your life, whether that’s writing for one hour per day or writing only 500 words per week. It’s about stretching yourself beyond what you’re used to doing in your writing life. Plus it just feels better knowing other people are going through the challenge too. There’s power in numbers, and it’s empowering when you know you’ve got other writers beside you. Remember, the November Writing Challenge is whatever you want it to be.

Several writing communities offer their own writing challenges and support systems for writers. For example, Story Forge’s challenge is 30,000 words, or about 1000 words per day. That’s a more accessible goal for many people. You can find quite a few others like Reedsy, ProWriting Aid and AutoCrit. 

No matter which challenge you follow or if you make up your own like I’m doing, the key point to remember is to stretch yourself. Aim for more words. Longer writing periods. Or do something different. Consider these other possibilities:

* Draft one flash fiction story (about 1500 words) or a short story (up to 15,000 words) per week
* Commit to writing 500 words per day, the equivalent of two pages.
* Write for 30 minutes per day, especially if you’re used to writing sporadically.
* Write your current work-in-progress from a different character’s point of view.
* Write in a different genre than you’re used to. If you’re used to writing fiction, try writing essays.

You might consider some non-writing activities too.

* Read the first draft of your current work-in-progress, noting changes you want to make in the margins. But don’t make the changes just yet.

* Read about the writing craft. If you’re new to writing, this might be a good time to become familiar with the tools you need to craft your story. Learn about plotting, story structure, character development, conflict, etc.

* Got a story dancing in your head? Sketch out several scenes to get your creative juices flowing.

* Do background research. Is there a subject you know nothing about but is imperative to your current project? Spend a few minutes each day researching that topic.

* Spend some time world-building. What do the settings in your story look like? Whether you’re writing a fantasy in a make-believe world or a mystery set in a small town, take time to convert the setting from your imagination to the paper or screen.

* Work on character development. Get to know your characters by writing profiles of the main ones. Describe more than their appearance, but their desires, their personality quirks, their strengths and weaknesses.

The beauty of the November Writing Challenge is to make it whatever you want it to be depending on your goals and what you’re working on. You set the goals and how you’ll measure your success. Just remember to ramp up the activity so you’re challenging yourself to do something different or to improve your productivity.

For example, I plan on using November to draft a holiday romance novella. I’m already prepping by sketching out scenes I plan to write later. My goal is to draft five pages per day, or roughly 1000-1,2000 words. If all goes well, my rough draft should be complete by the end of the month.

If you’re creating your own challenge, it might be helpful to follow these basic rules:

* Establish your goal for November. What do you want to accomplish by month’s end?

* Make sure your goal is measurable. How do you know you’ve achieved success? Set a specific time limit or number. For example, aiming to write 1000 words per day or writing for 15 minutes before bedtime.

* Track your progress. Using a calendar, mark a symbol or star on the days you write or jot down how many words/pages you finished.

* Be sure to ramp up the difficulty. If you’re used to writing three days a week, what can you do to increase that output to five days?

* Reward yourself. When November ends and you can see the progress you’ve made, celebrate your accomplishments. Perhaps treat yourself to a low-cost writing webinar or a book about the writing craft.

You don’t have to target 50,000 words to be successful during November Writing Month. Whether you commit to writing one page per day or 1000 words per day, simply by sitting down to write, you’ve already achieved success.

 

Why Writers Need to Celebrate Their Failures

~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment
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As you might have heard, the Chicago Marathon took place last week, winding its way through the streets of our grand city. Watching the coverage on TV, one comment stood out–that just starting the race is a victory and success in itself.

It’s often said that writing a novel is a lot like running a marathon. The two activities have much in common:

  • Both require hard work to prepare for the long haul. While a writer’s legs may not be moving as they write, their brains are to conjure up plots and dialogue. 
  • Both require commitment of time and energy to keep training and working toward the end goal.
  • Both require continuous learning and dedication. Athletes continue to learn about how their bodies respond to the physical demands of running a race, while writers continue to learn about their craft and how their creative minds work. 

Perhaps the biggest similarity is this: Success comes by getting to the starting line or by sitting down to write. Because the only true sign of failure is not showing up. 

That’s why we must honor our successes AND our failures. After all, failure has a lot to say about our success.

For runners, failure might look like pulling up lame during a race and having to quit, or it might mean an injury or illness sidelines them. For writers, failure might mean never finishing a story you started writing or receiving rejection letters for a story you poured your heart and soul into. 

The Rome Business School in Italy outlines several benefits of embracing failure in our work, no matter what kind of work that might be. Failure can help you:

  • Develop resilience – the ability to bounce back from setbacks and challenges.
  • Encourage creativity – It forces you to consider other solutions to your writing problems and think outside the box.
  • Foster a growth mindset – It helps us view challenges as opportunities, which we use as a stepping stone toward our main goal
  • Build confidence – Failure doesn’t have to define you. Instead, it can set the stage for figure efforts.

Thomas Edison, who invented the light bulb, phonograph, and movie camera, among other things, failed many times. He was noted for saying: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

The lesson to be learned from Edison is this: If we find something that doesn’t work, it doesn’t mean we failed. It simply means that we need to explore other possible solutions. 

Since failure can be instrumental in our career growth, it might be worthwhile to celebrate and honor your writing failures as much as your successes. Here are some possible suggestions:

  • Compile all your rejection letters and save them in a file. Occasionally read them to remind you of how far you’ve come in your writing journey. Seeing the feedback can spur you to keep working toward your goal or to find solutions to some of your nagging writing issues. Some writers even frame their rejection letters so they can see them all the time.
  • Light a candle and read each rejection letter out loud. Alternatively, if you’re working with beta readers or an editor, read aloud any of their negative feedback. Try not to react viscerally to comments, but allow their meaning to sink in. Maybe they didn’t get the message you were trying to convey in your story, in which case you may need to rewrite the message differently.
  • Journal your reactions to failure and rejection. As you write, you might discover why rejection makes you feel like a failure or why it has such a strong hold on you.
  • Rethink the role of failure in your work. Sometimes you have to view it as a stepping stone toward your ultimate goal rather than a dead end. What can you learn from the failed experience? Failure can teach us many things–courage, perseverance, resilience. It can coax you to try new techniques and pull you out of your comfort zone.

Whether you’re an athlete training to run in the next marathon or a writer working on their first (or tenth) novel, it’s okay to embrace failure. It has a lot to teach us if we’re willing to listen to its lesson and learn from it. The only true failure is not trying.