HORROR STORY CONTEST

You’re cordially invited to participate in our:

 Horror Story Contest

Read carefully  the information below.   Plan your story and send your drafts to panamericano.ingles@gmail.com before September 30th.

First Prize: November Literature and Grammar exams exemption. 
Second Prize: November Literature or Grammar exam exemption. 

Characteristics of a Horror Story

Horror stories represent a collision between what we know for a fact is possible (death, plague, dismemberment, kidnapping) and what we believe is impossible (resurrected corpses, mutations, necromancy, ancient curses). What drives the narrative of these stories is as much a pulse-pounding urgency to protect (a family or community, for instance) as an overpowering sense of helplessness and confusion that the threatening forces might become too strong to conquer. The horror genre encompasses a slew of subgenres: ghost stories; witchcraft and sorcery; historical, regional or ethnic folklore; science gone bad; and psychological terror.

When planning your own horror story, first identify the elements that terrify you the most. These may be things such as drowning, burning, falling, suffocating, being devoured by wild animals or stung to death by bees, awakening in the middle of surgery or being buried alive. Second, imagine watching such horrible things happening to your closest relatives and friends while you’re unable to do anything about it.

Elements

Setting

We often think of horror stories unfolding in sceneries such as: a creepy mausoleum, an abandoned mine shaft, a haunted mansion, a cave, a fog-shrouded moor, etc. Choosing these kinds of places as a setting might cause that your readers -who could never imagine having put themselves in such places- will not connect to your story. To counteract this, experiment with more familiar and accessible locations.

Horror masters such as Stephen King, can turn an innocent hometown suburb into a devil's den. Think about the places where you usually go: coffee shops, movie theaters, gas stations... Imagine what types of monsters, human or otherwise, might find these particular venues attractive places for seeking victims. Picture such seemingly innocuous settings on a dark and stormy night. Imagine yourself trapped there. Consider how the physical location or the materials used to construct it could trigger an encounter with the supernatural.

Characters (Motivations)

The two primary motivations of heroes in a horror story are: to get away and/or to destroy the enemy. Try to ascribe a comparable level of motivation to the bugs, beasties, zombies or whatevers on the attack. While a horror plot does not need to strive to make its villains sympathetic, it should still treat them the same way it would human bad guys, giving such entities plausible reasons for their actions. Some of these reasons might include revenge for past transgressions against them, anger that their eternal sleep has been disrupted, chemical imbalances, the depletion of food sources or the quest for companionship, etc.

Plot

In horror stories, the characters often find themselves lulled into a false sense of security. They believe they're in charge. But that's when things get ugly. Take a moment to look around you. Identify six random objects and consider what they could do to harm you if they suddenly came to life. If you're in the kitchen, you're probably in the most peril with all those sharp, pointy, heavy and electric objects. If you're in a home office, you're not only at the mercy of technology running amok but also of scissors, letter openers, pencils and books. Rushing outdoors could get worse, especially with every plant, rock, bug, bird and squirrel.

Some common ideas for horror stories’ plots are:
ü Monsters
Stories can be built around classic monsters, such as vampires, werewolves or ghosts. These stories are usually built around the idea of the monster of choice terrorizing humanity. The hero of the story, often the only one who understands the true nature of the danger, is tasked with defeating the monster.

ü Human Evil

Evil is a word that is not easily defined, but when we speak of human evil in horror fiction, we generally mean something like a serial killer being on the loose or someone going crazy and committing horrible acts. Horror fiction of this kind can be very disturbing because it is largely based in reality and readers can easily believe the premise.

ü Science Fiction Horror

Horror stories often involve a mix of science fiction. These stories became increasingly popular in the 1950s and '60s as humanity was making great scientific advancements and many people could easily imagine the science spinning out of control. Horror stories of this type usually rely on the idea that some scientific experiment has gone wrong, perhaps creating a monster, causing some catastrophic plague or inviting extraterrestrial beings into our lives. Horror fiction of this type works because we can recognize the possibilities of the horror happening, even though it may not be a reality at present.

ü Emotional Horror

Emotional horror is a subtle sort of horror story idea. These stories usually deal with a perceived fear or terror, rather than something tangible. It may be a fear of losing someone or a fear of the dark or a fear of bugs. These fears are then magnified in the mind or life of the protagonist who then has to deal with them or be consumed by them.

Extra tips:

Ø The Setting

Thoroughly describe your setting, make your readers imagine every single detail, including: time, place, weather conditions, social conditions, mood or atmosphere. Use lots of sensory words.

Ø The Flaw

Introduce your hero and give him/her a flaw. Before you can put your hero in jeopardy your reader must be sympathetic towards him/her, make him/her human.

Ø The Fear

Create a fear for your hero, one he/she must defeat together with the horror.

Ø No Escape

At times, have your hero at an isolated location where he can't escape the horror.

Ø Foreplay

Tease your readers. Make them jump at scenes that appear scary but turn out to be completely normal. Give them some more foreplay before bringing in the real horror.

Ø Evil Attacks

A couple of times during the middle of the story show how evil the monster can be -as it attacks its victims.

Ø Investigation

The hero investigates, and finds out the truth behind the horror.

Ø Showdown

The hero has to face both his fear and the monster. The hero uses his brain, rather than muscles, to outsmart the monster.

Ø Aftermath

Everything's back to the way it was from the beginning but the hero has changed for the better or for the worse

Ø Evil Lurks

The readers may see evidence that the monster may return somewhere… somehow… in the future.