Tell Me Something Tuesday #161:What is Scary?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post here on Rainy Day Ramblings where I discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.

 

Continuing with the Halloween theme this week:

 

If you were writing a horror book, what things would you include to scare others? 

I don't know about you all, but I enjoy a good, suspenseful, scary movie or book every now and then, and if I were going to write a horror book, I know how I would go about scaring you, 

 

Keep It Real: I think some of the scariest stories are drawn from real life. There is something incredibly frightening about a novel that takes on something that could really happen, i.e.: water shortage, nuclear war, starvation, power failure, global computer, to name a few. Anything that can happen in real life is chilling.

Kidnapping: As a parent, there is nothing more terrifying than the thought if having your child snatched,and this is always a frightening scenario for anyone. 

 

Illness: This falls into the realistic category, but I am going to give its own heading. If you have read books where the population is suddenly struck by a deadly illness, killing millions in days, you are sure to be terrified. With global travel and antibiotic resistant bacteria and viruses this could easily happen. Chills.

 

Suspense: I like a story that is thick with suspense and frightening. Think back on that urban legend story that has gone around for years about the babysitter who keeps getting mysterious calls asking where the children are, growing more and more frightening until she learns the perpetrator is in the house. How scary would that be? 

 

Atmospheric setting: Of course, we all know the tried and true settings that scare us: decrepit buildings, graveyards, abandoned asylums to name a few. A book with a strong atmospheric setting, one that gives you the creeps is a sure bet to scare. 

 

Demons and ghosts: Yes, there are plenty of books with ghosts and demons, but I am more scared by the stories based on actual events. Anything with demonic ghosts or entities scares the pants off me. 

 

These are my tried and true, sure to scare topics. What about you all? What would you use if you were writing a horror novel? 

Next week's TMST:

What do you love about the Halloween season?