How to Write a Horror Novel
Horror novels have a unique power: they make readers feel fear, tension, and unease in ways that linger long after the final page… But if you’ve ever wondered how to write a horror novel that truly grips readers, it’s not just about jump scares or gore—it’s about crafting an immersive, suspenseful experience that taps into universal fears while keeping the story engaging!
This guide breaks down the key steps, tools, and techniques you need to write a horror novel that leaves a lasting impression.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
— Start with a Disturbingly Gripping Concept
— Explore Horror Tropes and Themes
— Develop Complex Characters
— Create a Haunting Setting
— Master the Art of Pacing
— Tap into Universal Fears
— Foreshadowing and Misdirection
— Create Unforgettable Antagonists
— Build Suspense Through Dialogue
— Embrace the Psychological Element
— Editing and Polishing Your Horror Novel
— Horror Plot Tracker
— Bringing It All Together
Start with a Disturbingly Gripping Concept
The foundation of every great horror novel is a concept that genuinely unsettles you. Your own fears are often your best guide: the things that haunt your thoughts, make your stomach twist, or keep you awake at night can be powerful seeds for your story.
How to Write a Horror Novel | EXERCISE 1
Identify 5 personal fears and turn one into a story idea.
Write down five fears that truly unsettle you—these can be physical, emotional, or abstract.
For each fear, brainstorm three story scenarios that could plausibly terrorize someone else.
Choose the one that excites or scares you the most.
Then, sketch a quick outline: who is the protagonist, who or what is the antagonist, and what are the stakes?
Example
If your fear is drowning, one scenario could be a subway tunnel slowly flooding with the protagonist trapped inside. Another could feature a cursed coastal town that drags residents into the sea. A third might have a hydrophobic character forced to cross a haunted river. Each scenario transforms a personal fear into the spine of your novel.
PROMPT: Which fear would grip your readers the most? Write a one-paragraph “hook” scene showing the protagonist facing that fear.
Explore Horror Tropes and Themes
While originality is key, familiar horror tropes provide a framework readers understand—and fear. Understanding them allows you to subvert expectations while keeping the story grounded.
Common Horror Tropes and How to Use Them
Isolation and Claustrophobia: Cut characters off from help. (Example: a cabin in the woods with no cell service.) Tip: Layer sensory details like creaking floorboards or sudden cold drafts to heighten unease.
The Unknown and Cosmic Horror: Exploit fear of incomprehensible forces. (Example: ancient entities beyond human understanding.) Tip: Don’t over-explain; let the reader’s imagination fill in the blanks.
Gothic Horror: Haunted mansions or decaying castles. (Tip: Combine atmospheric description with psychological tension.)
Body Horror: Terrifying physical transformations. (Tip: Focus on characters’ reactions to increase empathy and dread.)
Monsters and Creatures: Vampires, werewolves, or original beings. (Tip: Establish rules for the creature’s behavior to maintain suspense.)
Psychological Horror: Madness, paranoia, unreliable narrators. (Tip: Seed subtle inconsistencies to keep readers questioning reality.)
Survival Horror: Scarcity and desperate situations. (Tip: Track resource limitations and physical consequences to maintain realism.)
Haunted Objects and Curses: Ordinary objects imbued with danger. (Tip: Use foreshadowing to hint at the object’s significance.)
Folklore and Mythology: Cultural legends provide depth. (Tip: Adapt myths with a fresh perspective.)
Moral Dilemmas: Force difficult choices. (Tip: Show consequences to heighten suspense and empathy.)
How to Write a Horror Novel | EXERCISE 2
Pick one classic horror trope and subvert it in your story.
Think about familiar horror elements like isolation, haunted objects, or monsters.
Brainstorm three ways you could twist the trope to surprise readers.
Write a short scene for one of these twists to practice blending familiarity with originality.
Example
Instead of isolating a character in a remote cabin, place them in a busy city where strangers pretend to help but are actually misleading them. You could write a scene where the protagonist asks for directions to escape but ends up trapped in a labyrinth of back alleys.
Develop Complex Characters
Characters are your readers’ emotional anchors. A fear that feels abstract becomes real when it’s experienced by someone readers care about.
➜ Give protagonists relatable strengths, flaws, and moral dilemmas.
➜ Develop secondary characters so every action or reaction adds tension.
➜ Tie fears to narrative stakes: if the protagonist panics, freezes, or makes mistakes, the reader feels the consequences.
How to Write a Horror Novel | EXERCISE 3
Create a protagonist profile highlighting a fear or flaw.
Develop a character who feels real.
Give them strengths, weaknesses, and moral dilemmas.
Then, write a scene showing how their flaw or fear makes them vulnerable in a horror scenario.
Example
A character terrified of fire must escape a burning building. They hesitate, make a wrong choice, or panic, creating tension and empathy. This internal conflict makes external threats more suspenseful.
Create a Haunting Setting
Setting is a tool for tension, atmosphere, and dread. Think of it as another character with its own presence.
➜ Use all senses: sounds, textures, smells, and temperature cues deepen immersion.
➜ Layer details to create unpredictability: flickering lights, shifting shadows, or strange odors.
➜ Align the environment with emotional tone: a decaying mansion for gothic horror, a forest for isolation, a claustrophobic basement for suspense.
How to Write a Horror Novel | EXERCISE 4
Transform a familiar location into a frightening setting and write a scene in it.
Pick a place you know well, such as your home, school, or neighborhood.
Describe it as though it is haunted, using sensory details—sights, sounds, textures, and smells.
Then introduce an unexpected danger.
Example
An abandoned school with echoing hallways, rattling lockers, and shadows that seem to move independently. A door opens to reveal the same hallway slightly altered, making the protagonist question reality.
Master the Art of Pacing
Pacing controls tension, dread, and release:
➜ Alternate slow-building suspense with sudden shocks to keep readers on edge.
➜ Use sentence structure and paragraph breaks to control rhythm. Short sentences can mimic panic, while longer passages build anticipation.
➜ Let readers breathe occasionally, but never let them feel completely safe.
How to Write a Horror Novel | EXERCISE 5
Map out three chapters showing rising tension
Plan a short sequence of chapters.
Note where suspense builds, where quiet dread occurs, and where sudden shocks hit.
Then, take one scene and experiment with sentence length—short sentences can mimic panic, long ones build anticipation.
Example
Chapter one might feature quiet exploration, chapter two slow-burn suspense, and chapter three a shocking reveal. During the reveal, short, fragmented sentences convey the protagonist’s panic.
Tap into Universal Fears
Effective horror taps into primal anxieties:
❕️ Fear of death, isolation, and the unknown.
❕️ Loss of control or helplessness.
❕️ Betrayal or corruption of loved ones.
How to Write a Horror Novel | EXERCISE 6
Pick two universal fears and write short scenes.
Choose fears like isolation, death, or the unknown.
Create scenarios that force your protagonist to confront these fears in tangible ways.
Example
Fear of isolation could involve a character trapped in an elevator with failing lights. Fear of death could involve a slow, ticking danger like poisoned water. Each scenario should escalate tension and make the reader feel the fear themselves.
Foreshadowing and Misdirection
Foreshadowing builds anticipation; misdirection maintains suspense:
➜ Foreshadow subtly with objects, dialogue, or environmental cues.
➜ Use misdirection to make readers assume one outcome while preparing for another.
➜ Avoid heavy-handed hints or overly opaque clues.
How to Write a Horror Novel | EXERCISE 7
Select a major plot twist, then plant clues.
Decide on a major reveal and create three subtle hints leading toward it.
Then add two misdirections that readers might plausibly follow but are ultimately false.
Example
If the antagonist is a trusted friend, subtle hints could include small contradictions in their story or unexplained knowledge. Misdirections could involve a minor character appearing suspicious or external events drawing attention away from the real threat.
Create Unforgettable Antagonists
A strong antagonist is essential! Give them motives, weaknesses, and personality. Even supernatural forces need internal logic. Further, show how they interact with the protagonist to create tension; complexity makes villains more terrifying: understandable motives make readers unsettled.
How to Write a Horror Novel | EXERCISE 8
Write a 100-word bio for your antagonist.
Write a 100-word bio for your antagonist, including their fear(s), motivation(s), and method(s) of terror.
Then, show them interacting with the protagonist in ways that heighten suspense.
Add a flaw to humanize them while keeping them terrifying.
Example
A seemingly helpful neighbor orchestrates hauntings to satisfy a need for control. In one scene, they give advice that leads the protagonist into danger. In another, contradictory evidence hints at their true identity, creating unease.
Build Suspense Through Dialogue
Dialogue is more than exposition—it’s a tool to build tension!
❕️ Reveal hints and secrets indirectly.
❕️ Use interruptions, subtext, and half-truths to create unease.
Tension grows when readers know more than the characters—or less.
How to Write a Horror Novel | EXERCISE 9
Rewrite a conversation to convey tension.
Take a normal dialogue scene and layer in uncertainty, interruptions, and subtle threats.
Readers should feel unease even if the conversation seems mundane on the surface.
Example
A protagonist asks a neighbor for help, but the answers are technically true while misleading. Pauses, ambiguous gestures, and vague hints suggest danger without spelling it out.
Embrace the Psychological Element
Some of the most effective horror comes from the mind!
➜ Use unreliable narrators to blur reality.
➜ Explore paranoia, obsession, or delusion.
➜ Show fear’s impact on decision-making, memory, and perception.
How to Write a Horror Novel | EXERCISE 10
Write a scene from your protagonist’s perspective.
Write a scene from your protagonist’s perspective, showing distorted perception, then rewrite it objectively.
Highlight how fear warps reality and keeps readers questioning what is real.
Compare it to a neutral description to show the contrast.
Example
The protagonist sees shadowy figures in a hallway, but in reality, only a curtain moves in the wind. Their fear makes every movement seem threatening, heightening suspense.
Editing and Polishing Your Horror Novel
Once the first draft is complete, editing is where your horror novel truly comes alive:
✅ Tighten pacing and sentence structure to maximize tension.
✅ Ensure consistency with clues, foreshadowing, and character actions.
✅ Seek beta readers who can provide perspective on suspense, scares, and plot logic.
Revision transforms a good story into a spine-chilling, page-turning experience!
Horror Plot Tracker
Keeping track of scares, plot twists, and foreshadowing can make your novel tighter and more effective. Here’s a simple table you can adapt for your own story:
| Scene / Chapter | Scare / Horror Element | Who Experiences It | Foreshadowing / Clues | Outcome / Payoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Strange scratching noises | Protagonist | Window slightly open | First hint of intruder |
| 3 | Disembodied whispers | Side character | Newspaper clipping | Reveals curse subplot |
| 5 | Shadowy figure in hall | Protagonist | Flickering lights | Leads to antagonist reveal |
Tip: Copy this into a spreadsheet to track every scare, misdirection, and reveal. It’s invaluable for pacing and suspense.
How to Write a Horror Novel: Bringing It All Together
Writing a horror novel is a journey into the darkest corners of imagination. By combining:
❕️ A disturbingly gripping concept
❕️ Compelling characters
❕️ A haunting, immersive setting
❕️ Carefully timed scares and pacing
❕️ Memorable antagonists
❕️ Subtle foreshadowing and psychological tension
…you can craft a story that haunts your readers long after the last page!
Learning how to write a horror novel effectively is about balancing these elements, ensuring every scare, revelation, and emotional beat works together to create maximum tension and satisfaction.
Erin K. Larson-Burnett, Production Manager at Atmosphere Press (submit your manuscript here!), is a born-and-raised Southerner currently living in Katy, Texas, with her husband and their small domestic zoo. She is an avid ink drinker who lives and breathes books—during the day, she works remotely with authors around the world, honing and perfecting books published through Atmosphere Press. By night, she crafts her own stories…or at least tries to. The Bear & the Rose is her debut novel.
Atmosphere Press is a selective hybrid publisher founded in 2015 on the principles of Honesty, Transparency, Professionalism, Kindness, and Making Your Book Awesome. Our books have won dozens of awards and sold tens of thousands of copies. If you’re interested in learning more, or seeking publication for your own work, please explore the links below.