What Most Writers Get Wrong About Horror (And How to Get It Right)

Let’s get one thing straight: horror isn’t just about jump scares and ghosts. Horror isn’t about how much gore is in a single frame or how many different monsters you can include in a story; now, horror does include those sorts of elements most of the time, but horror’s strengths aren’t in being pure shock value. Too many times, writers think that horror is about being the loudest, jumpiest, and most violent in the room. However, horror can take on many shapes and sizes and styles and sometimes the most effective horror is the kind that sticks to the reader/viewer’s mind long after they’ve finished your story. So, let’s talk about what most writers get wrong about horror, some of the most common horror writing mistakes, and how you can avoid making the same mistakes.

If you want to learn how to write amazing and effective horror stories, then you need to check out the Ultimate Horror Writing Guide. With over 80 beautifully designed pages full of instructional material and workbook pages, you’ll never need another guide to help you learn how to write Hollywood-level horror again. You can purchase it now on my shop: 

Horror Isn’t About Shock

Ask any horror reader or seasoned writer: it’s not the jump scares that stick with you. It’s the dread.

Beginner horror writers often mistake surprise for fear. They drop a ghost in a mirror. A knife in the dark. A sudden body count. And while that can be effective in the moment, shock fades fast. What really stays with people is the slow, creeping realization that something is wrong and that it might get worse. 

There’s a buildup that has to happen and it’s this constant buildup that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. They want to feel the dread before the ball drops and the incident actually happens. Building this dread through a slow descent into something terrifying is a great technique to use when writing horror.

Why Atmosphere Beats Action

Horror doesn’t need a lot of movement to be a home run. In fact, too much action can drain the tension out of a scene. One of the most common horror writing mistakes is turning the story into pure action rather than true horror.

Think about some of the most terrifying scenes in literature or film. They’re often simple: a person alone in a house. A hallway that’s just a little too dark. A conversation where the subtext is louder than the words. Before the scary, insane moment, there needed to be context.

This context, or atmosphere, is ultimately what pulls the reader (or viewer or player) into the scene. It’s created with tone, sensory details, pacing, and a careful choice of language. You want to use light and shadow, sound or a lack of it, and you want to let the setting feel visceral.

The Emotional Core of Fear

All horror starts with a question: What are you afraid of?

But too often, writers jump to the scary stuff without understanding the emotional engine behind it. Ghosts are scary, sure. But they’re scarier if they’re tied to grief or a vengeful spirit. This is another very common horror writing mistake, which is avoiding the emotional part of fear.

Real horror is rooted in personal fear. Not just fear of death or injury, but fear of:

• Losing control
• Being forgotten
• Hurting someone we love
• Being trapped
• Seeing the truth too late

If you want your horror to hit harder, don’t just build tension, but try to tap into something real. 

Character-Driven Horror Is Effective

Want to know the real secret to terrifying your readers?

Make them care about the subject.

A horror story is always scarier when the reader is invested in the character. If we don’t care whether they live or die, all the monsters in the world won’t make your story matter. But if we love them? If we see ourselves in them? Then every threat becomes personal.

Good horror isn’t just about what happens. There’s a scenario and a buildup and an effectiveness that you need to hit with your own story.

That’s why I created my new Ultimate Character Creation Guide. I wanted to help writers craft believable, emotionally grounded characters inside their horror stories, or really any story. It’s fit for any genre you can think of and with over 150 pages, you’ll never need another character guide again. Because let’s be honest: a spooky setting doesn’t do much if the people in it feel like cardboard cutouts.

In the Ultimate Character Creation guide, you’ll learn how to:

• Develop protagonists who feel real (and flawed)
• Create psychological tension through internal conflict
• Build believable reactions to trauma, fear, and loss
• Use character arcs to enhance your story

When you pair it with the Ultimate Pro’s Guide to Writing Horror, you’ll have the perfect balance and be able to write an amazing story for readers of all kinds!

Getting the Genre Right Without Falling Into Cliché

Horror is a genre full of tropes. You’ve got old and haunted houses, creepy dolls, cults that worship eldritch horrors, and demonic possession. They’re popular because they’re rooted in primal human fears and mythology and folklore that have scared people for generations.

The problem comes when writers use these elements without doing anything with them and that’s when horror starts to feel predictable and forgettable.

So how do you avoid cliché?

• Start with character, not concept.
• Subvert expectations and show the familiar in an unfamiliar light.
• Layer your horror: Make it psychological, emotional, and cultural.
• Ask: What’s new about the way I’m telling this story?

Ready to Write Horror That Actually Scares People?

If you’re tired of writing horror that feels shallow or you want to make sure your next story doesn’t fall flat, then the Ultimate Pro’s Guide to Writing Horror is here to help.

It’s a practical, deeply detailed walkthrough of how to:

• Build tension that lingers
• Design scenes that unsettle, not just shock
• Create characters and villains that will keep readers engaged
• Anchor your horror in emotional realism

You’ll also get tools to:

• Craft your villain with psychological nuance
• Build a horror atmosphere readers can feel
• Learn from the genre’s biggest successes

So if you’re ready to move past clichés and start writing horror that really hits, then pick up a copy of the guide here! Best part is, it’s digital so you can fill it out all on your device and keep it there as you write your stories or you can print it out!

Let me know in the comments if there’s ever been a horror story that stuck with your and why you feel it stuck with you so much!

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