Recap of Sunday’s Topic & Introducing Loren Rhoads


On Sunday we looked head on into the eyes of horror and survived.

tell tale heartSome things to keep in mind if we are going to write horror include what makes a good horror story and things a writer can learn by observing someone else’s horror story.

  • Good Horror means a Good Setting
  • Don’t go overboard on Scares
  • Use Source Material to Find True Horror (Sometimes the scariest things in life are real)
  • Know the Strengths of your Character
  • Create Underlying Themes in your Horror Story
  • Remember to Sustain your Tension

There are Five Elements of a Good Horror Story.

  1. Fear
  2. Surprise
  3. Suspense
  4. Mystery
  5. Spoilers

Note – You can download my notes from tonight by logging into the Forum at writerschatroom.boards.net Once logged in – look for tonight’s horror topic, open the post and click on the file attachment at the end of the post.


Coming to Celebrity Sunday on 8 October

cover art 199 cemeteriesLoren Rhoads is the author of 199 Cemeteries to See Before You Die and Wish You Were Here: Adventures in Cemetery Travel.  She blogs at CemeteryTravel.com and writes about cemeteries for the Horror Writers Association.  In her secret life, she writes fiction about space ships, succubi, and witches.  This year her short stories have appeared in Best New Horror #27 and the Strange California anthology.