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That's a pretty broad question, but they key thing about horror, or any other strong emotion, it that it is all in the build up. What creates the tension in a horror movie, for instance, is not the...
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#4: Attribution notice removed
by
System
·
2020-01-03T20:41:51Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/25168 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added
by
System
·
2019-12-08T05:43:33Z (about 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/25168 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision
by
System
·
2019-12-08T05:43:33Z (about 5 years ago)
That's a pretty broad question, but they key thing about horror, or any other strong emotion, it that it is all in the build up. What creates the tension in a horror movie, for instance, is not the thing that goes boo, but the quiet period where we keep waiting and waiting and waiting for the thing to go boo until our hearts are in our mouths hoping and dreading at the same time that the monster will finally go boo. So much on the edge of our seats, in fact, that the tiniest sound or movement will make us jump out of our skins. You cannot create a strong emotion or reaction in writing by writing the emotion itself. It is all about how you get the reader to the point of anxiety or longing in which there mere mention of whatever prize or terror or disappointment awaits brings an instantaneous burst of emotion.
#1: Imported from external source
by
System
·
2016-11-08T05:09:48Z (about 8 years ago)
Original score: 2