So You Want to Be a Horror Writer?

Identify core horror elements: plot, setting, character, theme, and conflict. Use suspense, clues, and motivations to cloak the story in horror, from eerie settings to murky motives.

Write a first draft, then refine through multiple drafts, using outlines and pitches to map the story, and seek editor feedback to sharpen characters and plot.

Define a sympathetic hero with clear goals, realistic backstory and fatal flaws, then chart a compelling journey using archetypes and the hero's journey as guides.

Learn to craft a scary, believable villain with a clear motive and backstory that drives the horror and keeps readers rooting for the hero.

Explore how human actions create monsters in horror, distinguish real monsters from humans, and define a monster’s motivation, age, and rules to keep stories consistent.

Learn to craft horror by shaping atmosphere and setting that signal danger. Use weather, landscapes, and normalcy sliding into fear to cue reader expectations.

Explore what makes a horror story by examining atmosphere, setting, and character, with Bird Box and Lovecraftian ideas illustrating suspense and creeping dread. Build roller-coaster plot from setup to resolution.

Explore bizarro, a grotesque, surreal movement rising around 2000–2005 with publishers like Eraserhead Press and Afterbirth Books, blending splatter punk influences; learn about key authors and the bizzarro con convention.

Study how to blend horror and comedy with sharp timing, inspired by Evil Dead and Sharknado, and refine your work with beta readers.

Explore how to craft a believable cult in horror by defining its purpose, its end game, charismatic leaders, gaslighting, and the moral stakes of good versus evil.

Explore why horror characters strike a deal with the devil, the trickster, and how the beginning, middle, and end shape the hero's outcomes.

Explore how dolls become terrifying agents in horror stories—from haunted and possessed dolls to annabelle in the conjuring universe—and learn to craft chilling doll-centered narratives.

Explore erotic horror, where horror and sexuality intertwine, and learn to navigate boundaries, age-appropriate content, and publishing guidelines for mainstream or self-published works.

Explore how fairy tales blend horror and morality, and learn to revamp classic tales for modern horror writing and anthology submissions.

Examine the Frankenstein trope from Mary Shelley’s era to modern horror, exploring creation, the monster and creator dynamic, and themes of isolation, body parts, and robots.

Decide the ghost's role and how humans interact, anchor the haunted house in reality, and balance shown versus implied hauntings to heighten suspense.

Explores how Little Shop of Horrors blends horror, vampire, and deal-with-the-devil motifs through a killer plant, toxic relationships, and multiple endings, offering rich tropes for horror writing.

Use the Ouija board as a narrative tool or portal to another world, exploring its potential to drive questions and reveal consequences.

Explore the phantom of the opera trope: a tormented composer with stolen music who hides behind a mask in a haunted opera house. Examine modern perspectives and symbols.

Explore possession storytelling by deciding who is possessed, why it happens, and how the possession unfolds across religious, magical, or psychological angles, with clear rules and varied viewpoints.

Explore psychopaths, sociopaths, and narcissistic personality disorder as human monsters and compelling villains in horror writing. Use gaslighting, double lives, and unreliable narrators to anchor realism and unravel the deception.

Explore haunted baby tropes, gaslighting, and conspiracy through Rosemary's Baby, Get Out, and Society, and craft pregnancy-based horror with suspense and secrets.

Explore how to craft a realistic serial killer in horror fiction by studying real cases, motives, patterns, diaries, and police perspectives, while handling sensitive topics like animal abuse and cruelty.

trace slasher fiction from classic archetypes and final girl to modern twists, emphasize empathetic victims, tropes and settings, killer motivation, and diverse storytelling while avoiding animal cruelty.

Discover how splatter punk reshaped horror in the 80s by breaking atmosphere and good-versus-evil tropes with vivid blood, guts, and disturbing themes.

Develop a unique vampire by setting clear rules from the start, research myths and lore, and answer your own questions about blood, age, and powers.

Explore voodoo as a horror trope, its origins in Haiti, and how to research voodoo rules and spells for realistic storytelling. Keep notes and consult practitioners to avoid misinformation.

Create your own werewolf by defining its legend, abilities, and consistent character. Decide whether it is good or bad, and establish pack dynamics and full moon triggers.

Learn to write about witches by setting your own rules, researching beliefs, and balancing magic, spells, and consequences, while keeping your witches consistent and true to your world.

This lecture maps zombie subgenres from Romero's brains-eating undead to voodoo and vegan zombies, and emphasizes defining clear, consistent rules for your zombie world.

Explore traditional vs self-publishing for horror writers, including submissions, contracts, and agent roles. Learn editing pipelines, galley proofs, marketing, royalties, and platform distribution.

Practice sprint writing with a 25-minute timer, 5-minute breaks, and a mindset to get words on the page without overthinking.

Team up with other writers to stay motivated, using Slack and Google Docs to share daily word counts and camaraderie across the globe.

Explore how horror writers use small critique groups for developmental editing, focusing on clarity, reader engagement, and point of view. Learn to apply a 10-page limit and avoid grammar nitpicking.

Join writers organizations like the horror writers association to network with agents, editors, and publishers, attend stoker con and learn markets, while volunteering at conferences builds valuable connections.

Explore market reports and listings from Horror Writers Association and Horror Tree for anthologies. Follow submission guidelines, deadlines, and formatting to tailor horror stories for editors.

Explore how horror agents open doors, match projects to editors, and navigate contracts, while you research, pitch effectively at conventions, and align with the right agent for your goals.

Learn practical marketing and promotion strategies for horror writers, from social media and newsletters to contests, signings, reviews, ads, and cross-promotion to reach readers.

Decide your writing mandate: hobby, career, or professional writer—and set realistic, self-imposed goals. Write consistently to craft a horror story with clear beginning, middle, end, and suspense.

Join this horror writing course and enjoy lifetime access to new material, a bonus lecture, and coupons for all courses, while sharing feedback via email.