Tips for Writing Horror Novels and Reasons for Buying Second Hand Novels

It's difficult to believe that people might fall in love with a story in which horrible things continue to happen to people. They do, however. 

Authors such as Stephen King have dominated bookstores and had their works adapted into films in Hollywood. However, there are a few things you must get right in order to write a horror novel that can both scare and win the hearts of your readers. You must realize that fear alone will not save your narrative; continue reading to learn about typical horror story topics and how to write scary stories. 

Use a powerful, widespread tone. 

Understanding 'tone' is essential for good horror writing. Two style factors that influence how your tale feels are tone and mood. Before a single character makes a bad decision, the tone and mood of the story makes readers' spines tingle. An overarching tone is established by the way you describe locales, character movement, and activities. A gloomy or terrifying tone is frequently used in horror writing. Consider the following passage from Clive Barker's novel The Thief of Always: 

He moved to the window, half-closed his eyes, and fumbled to slam it, making sure the lock was in place this time. When he returned, the wind had started swaying his lamp, and the entire room looked to be swinging around. The fight was flaming in his eyes one instant, and then it was flooding the other wall the next. But, in the midst of the fire and the flood, a stranger stood in the middle of his chamber, shaking the rain from his hat. 

He appeared to be inoffensive. He stood no more than six inches higher than Harvey, with a thin body and yellowish skin. He was dressed up, with spectacles on his eyes and a big smile on his face. The scene is filled with an ominous atmosphere. Objects that should remain still move. The space itself appears to be moving. The character who is the point of view is confused. A strange character appears seemingly out of nowhere. 

Through indirect means, Barker also establishes an unsettling tone. 'He appeared to be innocuous enough' calls our attention to the likelihood that the individual is actually dangerous. The stranger's 'scrawny' frame and 'yellowish' skin are both unnerving and add to the impression of unfamiliarity. 

Create a comfortable environment. 

The contrasts between the comfort of the familiar and the discomfort of the unexpected are central to horror. The simplest way to do this is to start your story with your character in a familiar, comfortable setting. This could also be a place that the reader associates with being a safe haven. 

The reader's sympathies are triggered when your character is abruptly confronted with the unknown. This happens because we've all been there and know how it feels to move from a comfortable environment to one that is quite uncomfortable. Castle Rock, Maine, a fictional town created by Stephen King, is a perfect illustration of this. What better place to begin a horror thriller than in a Norman Rockwell-inspired tiny town with white picket fences and Mom-and-Pop shops? 

In your genre, read a lot. 

Read as many novels by respected authors in your genre as possible, regardless of whether you write psychological or paranormal horror. Stephen King, Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Clive Barker, Bram Stoker, Neil Gaiman, Chuck Palahniuk, John Lindqvist, and others are among the most well-known horror authors. 

Make a list of the areas of your genre the author excels in as you read authors in your genre. Is it a fantastic, eerie setting? Copy and reread your favorite quotations that generate an unsettling feeling of place while you're trying to make your own settings come to life. Your mastery of the horror genre will improve if you actively learn from great authors. 

Make use of foreshadowing in a subtle way. 

Another fantastic approach to create suspense and terror for your readers is to use foreshadowing in your story. This approach is employed by seasoned horror authors and can be as basic as a shiver running down your character's spine as they pass by a closed door or a sense of dread as they travel down a dark corridor. The reader will realize there is something significant hidden behind that closed door or along that corridor. And they'll know it's going to be horrifying, which will encourage them to keep turning the pages to find out what it is. 

Give your villains motivations. 

Give each villainous character a compelling, distinct motivation. The motivation for the frightening events in your novel can be revealed as part of the mystery that keeps readers guessing as to why strange things keep happening. Make the motivation of any hostile entity, being, or stranger in your horror tale identical to the character's actions. Readers will scoff if a spooky doll in your fiction embarks on a violent rampage just because the batteries were removed. 

Think about the pacing. 

Pacing is a strategy used by movie filmmakers to increase the dread factor in their films, and it may also be used in literature. Stretched, descriptive words are a wonderful technique to create a sense of steadily increasing dread in the same way that a long, panned shot may. The effect is visceral when you combine that with short phrases. You can even alter your reader's breathing pattern while they're reading. If you want to employ a certain scenario as a potent dosage of terror, try reworking it with pacing that progresses from slow to staccato. Then you'll see how this strategy affects the amount of tension you can create. 

Make use of the tragedy's main aspects. 

Chuck Wendig's site Terrible Minds has some good horror-writing instruction. As Wendig puts it, "horror is greatest when it's about tragedy in its most real and theatrical form: tragedy is born through character faults, bad choices, and fatal blunders." Some of the essential aspects of tragedy are so overused in the horror genre that they have become clichés. While watching American Horror Story, you might yell at the television, 'Don't go in that home, idiot,' since the character is blind to personal risk. We are afraid in horror stories because, as readers, we can see the signals that the characters are being foolish. 

Tragedy, at its core, offers crucial truths. Tragic events, for example, demonstrate that: Acts of cruelty have a catastrophic, rippling cause and effect (a excellent illustration is the terrifying manner Carrie, the titular character in Stephen King's novel, unleashes her talents as a result of bottling continuous psychological torture). You can avert a downfall by looking at situations and scenarios from many angles (for example, you could tell yourself, "That house is abandoned because the property market plummeted."). 'That house is abandoned because something dreadful happened there (and continues to happen there), and people are scared of it.') 

Bravery entails making a decision while fully conscious of the danger, whereas making decisions while blissfully unaware of the repercussions leaves people defenseless. To write a realistic horror story, you must demonstrate that the horror-filled circumstance is dependent on a network of past and current character choices. Even in the fantasy realm of storytelling, horror fiction teaches us that cause and effect are real. 

Make your reader's imagination work for you. 

It's possible that our worst anxieties are all in our heads. It's the shadow on the wall that resembles a human figure, or the sound of a tree tapping on your window during a storm that sounds like fingernails. Our imaginations have an extraordinary ability to fool us and make us imagine several dangers that aren't even present. In this sense, being imprecise in your descriptions of monsters (human or non-human) leaves a lot to the imagination of the reader, which can heighten the sensation of fear. 

Understand the distinction between terror and horror. 

It's helpful to know the distinction between horror and terror when learning how to create horror books. The word 'terror' refers to a state of mind. It is simply defined as 'great terror' in the Oxford Dictionaries. To 'terrorize' means to terrify another by instilling intense fear in them. Horror, on the other hand, conjures up images of revulsion, surprise, or shock. As a result, the term "horror" encompasses not only intense terror but also revulsion, surprise, and the unexpected. 

Different methods to understand the difference between panic and horror are shared by horror writers: I'll try to scare you first, and if that doesn't work, I'll try to horrify you, and if that doesn't work, I'll attempt to gross you out, according to Stephen King: I'll try to terrify you first, and if that doesn't work, I'll try to horrify you, and if that doesn't work, I'll try to gross you out. I'm not proud of myself. According to King's comment, if you can make the reader fearful of your horror story before there's even a gross-out scene or a sickly reveal, you've succeeded. 

Suffocate in confined places 

The human condition is characterized by a basic phobia of enclosed environments. It activates a basic evolutionary instinct to flee and causes shallower respiration. It causes an increase in heart rate. You can use confined spaces to make your character (and your reader) terrified in the same way that you can use pacing in your writing to affect your reader's pulse rate. This is a common method in haunted home stories, as well as in the slasher genre. Consider how victims feel as they hurriedly hide in closets to avoid death. 

Benefits of Buying Second Hand Novels 

Purchasing second hand novels allows you to save a significant amount of money. 

Purchasing used novels, like any other used item, is a terrific way to save a lot of money. New books are usually pricey due to their novelty. What are your thoughts? Whether the book is fresh new or has been well-loved by past readers, the words are the same! Second hand novels from places like Usedbooksfactory can be obtained for a fraction of the price of new books. This is especially true for larger books, like as second hand textbooks, which can quickly add to your purchasing costs. 

You Can Read More When You Buy Second hand Novels 

For genuine hungry readers, a fully filled bookshelf is never enough. Buying second hand novels is the best way to ensure that you never run out of new books to read. Not only will you be able to purchase more books for your dollar when compared to new books, but the sheer number of books available second hand will also ensure that you have a diverse choice of genres to read. Buying old used books means that you will never go through the misery of being without a book to read. 

Second hand novels can help you broaden your horizons. 

The most recent novels that every reader will buy are only available in chain bookstores. If you're weary of reading the same popular fantasy novels as everyone else, buying second hand novels is the best way to escape it. You never know what you'll find buried away in a used bookshop corner because second hand novels can come from a range of people from various walks of life. It's important to keep an open mind when reading, especially when it comes to new stories or concepts, and being open to stories or ideas you've never considered before may be highly useful to your life. 

Novels from the second hand market have already been broken in. 

Let's face it: books were designed to be opened and read. When you buy second hand novels, you're buying a book that has already been through the torturous process of breaking it in. Because it's already been through a few owners, you don't have to worry about cracking the spine, folding the page corners, or spilling your morning coffee on it. Anything that keeps you from reading, such as a desire not to sully a brand-new book's pristine finish, is not a beneficial trait in a book. If you buy second hand novels, you won't have to worry about putting them through their paces. 

In a second hand novel, you can come across something truly extraordinary 

Buying second hand novels online is your best chance to add something truly unique to your collection, whether it's a limited-edition cover or an author introduction that was only available in one edition. Even novels you've read before can be found in a previously unseen edition. The used book department of your local second hand store is the best place to locate hidden gems for serious book collectors(second hand novels).