How to Write a Horror Story: A Complete Guide for Beginners

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This resource will teach you how to write a horror short story from start to finish, even if you’re a beginner. Part 1 offers a step-by-step guide to get you started. Part 2 delivers some helpful advice and inspiration from masters of the genre!

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Part 1: How to Write a Horror Short Story

Writing a good horror story is harder than you might think.

Longtime, professional writers might make it look easy. But that’s only because they’ve been through the process dozens of times in the past.

I don’t say this to discourage you, but to help you set realistic expectations from the start. Writing a good short story is like any other creative skill. It requires time and practice to excel.

The good news: Short stories don’t require a long-term commitment, the way novels do. You can write one in a week. So you can experiment with different approaches and ideas, while honing your skills at the same time.

Here’s a step-by-step beginner’s guide that explains how to write a horror story.

1. Come up with a unique idea for your story.

You can’t start writing a horror story until you develop an idea or premise. It doesn’t have to be a fully formed idea—and it probably won’t be in the beginning.

But there has to be something to provide a springboard.

Here’s a creative exercise you might find helpful. Think of an ordinary person, place or thing, and then find a way to make it dark or disturbing.

Here are a few examples:

Person: A friendly neighbor who never misses a chance to chat … but their cheerful demeanor hides an unsettling secret about what they keep in their basement.
Place: A local coffee shop where the barista remembers every single customer’s order … and their deepest fears.
Thing: A child’s doll that has been passed down for generations … and seems to take on a life of its own at night.
Routine: An evening jog through a familiar park where you start noticing eerie figures hidden among the trees, always watching, but never approaching.
Digital Device: A new smart speaker that starts responding to questions no one has asked … and knows things about the listener’s life that were never shared online.
Public Space: A crowded subway station where strangers, one by one, start to recognize you and whisper about something terrible you haven’t yet done.
Mirror: A mirror in an antique store that shows different reflections of the same person, each one aging or decaying in ways that suggest a horrific fate.
Pet: A loyal dog that begins growling and acting aggressively whenever it’s near a specific part of the house.

Horror stories often involve taking the ordinary and twisting it into something uncanny, unsettling, and unexpected. And there are many ways to accomplish this in short story form.

2. Choose your point of view.

In fiction, the point of view (POV) refers to the perspective from which the story is told.

Point of view establishes the narrator’s position relative to the story. It also determines how much information the reader has, since the reader “sees” the story through the eyes of the main character.

Here are the three main POV options used when writing horror stories:

First Person: The narrator is a character within the story, directly experiencing events and using “I” and “me” pronouns.
Second Person: The narrator directly addresses the reader as “you,” placing the reader in the story as a character.
Third Person: The narrator is outside the story, using “he,” “she,” and “they” to describe characters. There are different versions of third person POV, but that’s the subject of another guide.

The great thing about horror short stories (versus novels) is that you can experiment with different POVs to figure out what works best. The shorter length makes edits and revisions easier.

Maybe you start off writing a story in third-person POV, but later discover that it works best as a first-person narrative. No problem. Just change it around. You’re only three pages in.

Chances are, you prefer a certain type of POV when reading short stories. If so, you’ll probably find it easier and more natural to take your own work in that direction.

3. Develop a simple hook or premise.

Short stories benefit from having a good, strong hook that pulls the reader in. That’s true for all genres, but especially for horror and suspense.

When people sit down to read a horror story, they want to encounter something intriguing within the first few paragraphs.

They’re not impatient. They just have specific expectations for a specific genre and format.

Short stories deliver a compressed narrative. They usually start in the middle, just before the climax or peak action. So you have to get the ball rolling quickly. Your readers will expect it.

Before you even start writing a horror story, think about how you can hook the reader. You could do this with a simple premise, like “a character notices something wrong with their reflection,” or “a person gets a disturbing phone call late at night.”

You don’t need to have all of the answers at this stage. You don’t even have to know how the story ends. You just need a premise to get the story moving forward.

Write the beginning. Hook the reader. And move forward from there.

4. Give yourself the freedom to experiment.

If you were halfway through a novel and decided to make a major change, you would have a lot of work to do. You might have to rewrite or significantly change 200 pages of material.

Short stories, on the other hand, are much easier to reshape due to their brevity. They allow you to experiment on the page, making changes with less effort.

You might start writing a horror story with a specific vision in mind, only to find that the vision changes as you get a few pages in. That’s a manageable rewrite.

Keep this in mind when you sit down to write a short story. Give yourself full permission to experiment and “wander,” even if it means you have to make a midcourse correction.

Writing horror stories is like a detonation and a reconstruction all rolled into one. You start with a specific idea (or part of an idea) as to where you think the story is headed. But then you actually start writing it and everything just blows up. Bits and pieces fly everywhere.

So you look at those pieces and realize there’s actually a different kind of story trying to emerge. You reorganize. You reshape. You take things out and put other things in.

And eventually … voila. All of the pieces fit neatly into place.

It doesn’t always work like this. But it often does—and usually with better results.

5. Figure out what your character wants and fears.

In fiction, character actions are often driven by their wants and desires. The character wants something (or wants to avoid something), but obstacles rise up in their path.

This “want-plus-obstacle” formula is the basis for most fiction, including horror stories.

Here’s how the legendary Ray Bradbury describes it, in the preface of his book Zen in the Art of Writing:

“What do you want more than anything else in the world? What do you love, or what do you hate? Find a character, like yourself, who will want something or not want something, with all his heart. Give him running orders. Shoot him off. Then follow as fast as you can go. The Character, in his great love, or hate, will rush you through to the end of the story.”

If you don’t know what your character wants, you don’t know what drives them. So try to figure that out before you write the first words.

Or figure it out as you go, and then go back and revise accordingly.

6. Introduce something uncanny or unsettling.

Think about how you can hint at something being “off” at the start of your story, before the real horror unfolds. Small abnormalities or oddities make for excellent story openers.

You don’t have to reveal the scary thing in the beginning. Your story will probably be better if you don’t. Instead, look for ways to unsettle the reader with subtle, eerie hints.

7. Know that you don’t have to explain everything.

In a novel, you could include an entire chapter that reveals backstory or provides historical context.

In a short story, not so much.

When writing a short horror story, you’ll have to omit a lot of the backstory. You need to stay “in the moment” for the most part, right there with the main character.

And you don’t have to explain everything. You only have to explain (or better yet, describe) whatever is relevant to the character in that moment and shortly before it.

If you need to color in a little of the backstory to make the story work, then by all means do so. Just know that you have the freedom to omit such details.

You could even start your story with a little mystery. For example, a character might sense something strange but not fully understand it—not yet. With horror, the unknown and the unexplained are often scarier than the clearly defined.

8. Rewrite the ending several times, especially the last line.

Short stories end differently than novels, and readers expect this.

The ending of a story can come on quick, right after the climax in some cases. This leaves the reader with a quick emotional punch rather than a gradual landing.

Novels, on the other hand, provide a more comprehensive resolution. They have space to develop subplots and multiple character arcs. So the ending often has to tie up various threads to offer a sense of closure.

Short story readers are usually willing to accept (and might even expect) an ambiguous ending. They know it’s all part of the formula, part of what makes short stories unique and special.

In contrast, a person who has invested weeks into reading a novel might feel “cheated” if the ending poses more questions than it answers.

Keep this in mind when writing horror stories. If you’re struggling to find the ending of a particular story, look in the rearview mirror. You might have already passed it.

And pay particular attention to the last sentence. Short stories are known for having a strong final sentence that lingers in the mind, possibly altering the context of what came before it.

Lightning Round: Quick Tips on Writing Horror

Need more advice on how to write a horror novel or story? Welcome to the lightning round!

Come up with an original story idea readers haven’t seen before.
Or, put a fresh spin on familiar horror tropes (e.g., a haunted cruise ship).
Take the time to develop your characters before you introduce the horror.
Create authentic, three-dimensional characters (with flaws).
Reveal your character’s inner thoughts and fears, to help readers connect.
Horror isn’t about monsters, but the character’s reaction to monsters.
Give your story emotion. Let us know what the protagonist wants, and why.
Raise the stakes. Make sure your protagonist has a lot to lose.
Make the “monster” or villain mysterious for a while, to prolong suspense.
Remember that people are often the scariest monsters (see Buffalo Bill).
At some point, force your protagonist to confront the evil / monster / threat.
The big “showdown” should come toward the end of the story (climax).
Leave some things to the reader’s imagination. Don’t over-describe.
Feel free to disorient your characters (and readers) by twisting reality.
Rewrite your scary scenes until even you find them frightening.
Be yourself. Channel your own fears and experiences into your story.
Read, read, and read some more. It will help you learn the craft.

Glossary of Terms for Writers

Here are some terms and concepts you should be familiar with if you want to write horror stories. You might think of them as the “tools of the trade.”

Ambiguity: A technique where details or outcomes are deliberately unclear, leaving readers to interpret them. Used in horror to create mystery, tension, and lasting unease.
Antagonist: The character or force opposing the protagonist, creating obstacles or conflict that drives the story forward.
Arc: The development or transformation of a character or theme throughout a story, showing growth, change, or resolution.
Atmosphere: The mood or emotional tone of a story, crucial for creating horror. An effective atmosphere can make even ordinary settings feel ominous.
Climax: The highest point of tension and action in a story, often involving a confrontation with the source of horror or a significant twist.
Complication: An event or obstacle that makes the main conflict more complex, raising stakes and adding tension to the plot.
Conflict: The central struggle between opposing forces in a story, such as character vs. character, character vs. nature, or character vs. self.
Denouement: The resolution of a story following the climax, where loose ends are tied up.
Dread: A slow-building sense of fear or anxiety about something impending, often worse than the actual event. Dread is a key component of psychological horror and builds suspense.
Exposition: The introductory portion of a story that provides background information on characters, setting, and basic plot elements.
Flashback: A narrative device that takes the story back in time to provide context or reveal important details about characters or events.
Foreshadowing: Hints or clues about what’s to come. Effective foreshadowing can make later twists or scares more satisfying and coherent.
Monster: The central “antagonist” or creature in horror that embodies fear. It could be supernatural (vampires, demons) or psychological (serial killers, malevolent humans).
Paranoia: An intense, irrational fear or mistrust of others, often used in psychological horror to build tension and question reality.
Plot: The sequence of events and actions that make up the main storyline, usually structured with a beginning, middle, and end.
Point of View (POV): The perspective from which a story is told, such as first-person, third-person, or omniscient.
Protagonist: The main character or central figure in a story, usually facing challenges that drive the plot forward.
Revelation: A sudden, often horrifying discovery that changes the character’s understanding of the threat or their own situation.
Rising Action: The series of events that increase tension and build toward the climax, deepening conflicts and raising the stakes.
Setting: The time, place, and environment in which a story takes place.
Slow Burn: A narrative that builds tension gradually, creating suspense and dread over time rather than through immediate scares.
Subplot: A secondary storyline that runs parallel to the main plot, enhancing or contrasting it and adding depth to the story.
Subtext: Underlying meanings or themes that are not explicitly stated. Horror fiction often explores subtext related to fears, taboos, or social anxieties.
Suspense: The feeling of anticipation or worry about what will happen next, essential for building tension.
Tension: The sense of heightened anticipation, uncertainty, or anxiety that keeps readers engaged in the story.
Theme: The underlying message, idea, or insight about life that a story conveys, often through character experiences and plot.
Tropes: Common storytelling elements or conventions in horror, like haunted houses, cursed objects, or mysterious strangers.
Twist: An unexpected plot turn, often in the climax or denouement, that changes the reader’s understanding of the story.

So there you have it, a crash course on how to write a horror story. I hope you found some useful tips, techniques, and strategies in this article, and I wish you well in your writing adventures.

How to Write a Horror Short Story: A Complete Guide for Beginners