why<\/em>\u00a0people love horror \u2013 and you need a good feel for what will scare your readers best.<\/p>\nHere\u2019s more information about the psychology behind writing horror, and how you can master the art of horror.<\/p>\n
The Why of Horror<\/h2>\n
\u201cPeople read scary books for the same reasons they read any fiction,\u201d says psychologist and writer Maria Florencia Lista all the way from Argentina. \u201cThey want to experience vicarious emotions.\u201d She says that people might not personally enjoy the circumstances in horror books if they experienced it in real-life because it\u2019s just too real \u2013 fear for yourself kicks in as a natural response \u2013 but it\u2019s not the same when you\u2019re experiencing it through someone else.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I read a story of someone else who is going through the same situation, I can distance myself from that just enough to enjoy the thrill without feeling that I\u2019m in actual danger.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why do people love scary movies? \u201cIt\u2019s for the same reason people love scary books, with the only difference being how these scary experiences are presented.\u201d says Maria. \u201cBooks leave more to the imagination, so I can create my own monsters in my head \u2013 and make these as scary as I want, even customize them to match my own personal fears.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWriters like Lovecraft mastered the potential of fear precisely because of this.\u201d says Maria. \u201cMovies, on the other hand, have a different set of tools to scare you.\u201d Maria says that movies present more information in different channels, leaving something to the imagination. \u201cAt the same time, they can be really atmospheric \u2013 if well directed \u2013 and decide the pacing at which you go through the story. This allows you to have experiences like the \u2018jump scare.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Fear is Different<\/h2>\n
\u201cFear works differently in all of us,\u201d says Maria. \u201cThis is because all emotions do. We have different genetics, and we have a different life history. We have been exposed to emotional experiences that will condition us to react the way we do to certain things.\u201d<\/p>\n
When something scares you, Maria says this is because in way or another, you are reminded of something that\u2019s terrible for you specifically because of the life you\u2019ve lived.<\/p>\n
But this is a very fine line, and writers should remember this. \u201cWith enjoying fear, it\u2019s all about balance: If it\u2019s too scary, then you don\u2019t like it anymore \u2013 but if it\u2019s not scary at all, then it\u2019s not thrilling. Each one of us have our own \u2018sweet spot\u2019 for being able to enjoy fear.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fear Pushed Too Far<\/h2>\n
Recent news reports have noted the experiences of actor Alex Wolff, who is convinced that he is suffering severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (or PTSD, also sometimes known as combat fatigue) due to filming the horror movie Hereditary. (Source: Vice<\/a>)<\/p>\nWhat happens when the concept of horror gets pushed too far \u2013 can it induce symptoms of PTSD and depression in its viewers, readers and writers?<\/p>\n
Psychology says yes.<\/p>\n
\u201cInterestingly enough, some research shows that \u2018non-real\u2019 experiences such as imagination and dreams are processed by the same circuits in the brain that processes reality.\u201d says Maria. \u201cIn other words, seeing a monster activates the same neurons in my visual cortex that get triggered when I imagine it or dream about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maria notes that imagination can be enough to cause traumatic injury \u2013 but it can also do the opposite. \u201cThat\u2019s why there are so many effective techniques to treat traumatic disorders such as phobias through visualization exercises.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPTSD is a disorder caused by your brain being unable to handle the fear and distress that you have experienced: If you combine scary sensorial input with some emotional conditioning and the right emotional context, and you can give someone PTSD with some well crafted fictional horror.\u201d says Maria as a last note.<\/p>\n
Learning to Write Horror<\/h2>\n
Learning to write horror yourself? Here\u2019s how to get a handle on horror, and a few more things that you should keep in mind as a writer.<\/p>\n
\n- Know Your Market:\u00a0<\/strong>You should always know what market you are writing for, and you should get to know your readership well \u2013 research your readers, research your publication and research\u00a0what<\/em>\u00a0scares your readers best. If you\u2019re writing horror for children, there are certain lines that you can\u2019t afford to cross: No, you don\u2019t want to take the blame for psychologically scarring a young child \u2013 ever.<\/li>\n
- It\u2019s Not About Gore:\u00a0<\/strong>Gore can be scary, but gore can also be overdone. Understand the line between what\u2019s called \u201ctorture porn\u201d and horror, and never cross that line \u2013 or you end up putting your readers off what could have been a great story underneath the river of blood.<\/li>\n
- Create Fear:\u00a0<\/strong>What scares you? When writing horror or describing something terrifying, you should always remember your own experiences when putting it down on paper. Remember a moment where you have been scared, terrified or uneasy and convey the same feeling to your reader \u2013 in this aspect, you\u2019re trying to channel a very ancient emotion, not just write a scary story.<\/li>\n
- Writing Atmosphere:<\/strong>\u00a0 I firmly believe that horror writers, whether they\u2019re writing for the page or screen, should create an atmosphere of terror \u2013 or at the very least uneasiness \u2013 when they sit down to write. If the scene scares\u00a0you<\/em>, then you know damn well it\u2019s going to work for your readers. Do what works for you: Scary music, candles, writing with the lights off… If you want to scare a reader, you have to scare yourself first.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"template":"","categories":[23,32,9],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/844"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/articles"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}