Sunday, May 26, 2013

Tips For Writing Short Ghost Stories

By Audrey McGuire


Many people have memories of hearing or telling short ghost stories when they were children. Humans seem to love the excitement that these scary stories offer. You can write a story that make your readers feel fear, suspense and excitement.

All stories take place somewhere. This may be in the real world or a fantasy world that you make up. It's important that, whatever the setting, things make sense. A fantasy world still needs to have some way that the world runs. Where one place is run by government or royal monarchy, a fantasy world may have a completely different system. Whatever you decide, it must make sense and be consistent throughout the story. Religion has a strong affect on society so you may want to think about what religions your fantasy world might have.

Some writers start by setting up a place to work. Make sure it is clean and free of clutter. You'll be spending quite some time at the desk so be sure to have your chair and computer in a comfortable position.

Free writing is a form of brainstorming. Just take pen to paper and let the ideas flow. Don't hold back, this is a time to get as many ideas out as possible. It may be helpful to ask "what if" questions throughout your day. Think about what would happen if an alien climbed in your window and stole your lunch, or if that bird is trying to send you a message and what you'd do to find out who it's from. This helps think outside the box and about different things that could happen in your story.

Libraries and the internet are the best place to get information on essentially any subject. There are centuries full of paranormal history so go ahead and research what you can about them. Researching will give you great ideas, not just on the past of your ghost, but also on what scary things might happen in your story. Be careful not to copy an existing ghost story but feel free to use it to spark your own ideas.

Some writers create a story board. This just involves writing ideas on 4-10 index cards (depending on how long you want your story to be). Then take the cards and arrange and rearrange them to decide what order you want things to take place in your story. Not all writers do this so it is a matter of personal preference.

The best thing about stories is feeling like you're there when you're just the reader. The way authors are successful in achieving this is by creating atmosphere. The best way to do this is to put yourself in the story and take notice of the senses. Take notice of how things look, how the wind feels, how it smells. All of these things will make a person be able to picture the scene and feel as if they are there too. Creating atmosphere is key in creating a good story so spend some time on this.

Writing short ghost stories can be a great hobby and a fun career. Don't feel stressed out when you're writing. This should be fun and feel good. If you find yourself getting writer's block, just go take a walk. Take your mind off of it and come back with renewed vigor. Most importantly, don't hold back your imagination. Let your imagination go wild. The top ghost stories were authored by people that used their unfettered imagination.




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