Question

Does anyone have tips on writing a short horror story?

Answer 1

Yes. I actually wrote a really good one 1-2 years ago and i got the highest in class.
Basically, your basic idea could be very out of the ordinary (like finger eating monster, monster in the attic, mother turning into monster/ghost, etc etc) but the way you present that is the important and hard bit.
For example, my story was that my father died a few years ago because some kind of beast ate him. And i was on my way to visit my mother who lived outside the city for my dads death anniversary or whatever. And finally when i got to my mothers house, it turned out SHE was the beast and shes coming towards me. The story ends on a cliffhanger.
So, that was the VERY basic idea behind my story. But now, lets talk about how I presented it.
You might already know this, but i really recommend starting with ‘pathetic fallacy’ which is a technique where the weather sets the mood for the story. I used very thick cloud (to show the mystery behind my fathers death). I went on to talk about (very descriptively) how my father was eaten by the beast and how the remaining limbs were all bruised etc etc (you can make it as gory and as disgusting as you want). And as my characters talking about how he died, i get off the train and UNLIKE USUAL, the huge train station is empty and be descriptive about this as well (it helps to imagine yourself in his place). For example (im not sure where you are from but in the UK, when you exit you have to go through a barrier and it makes a high pitched sound. So I focused on that and how it echoed to give my teacher that sense of being on the edge and give her the chills). And i also used some symbolism. The first loving thing my main character sees is a black cat which is said to give you bad luck. I continued to talk about the dark atmosphere as i walked towards my mothers street. When i finally got there, there were so many odd things that it makes the reader feel REALLY ON EDGE. For example, i said the moment i knocked on her door the door flung open (its unusual because it usually takes someone a few seconds to get to the door), i said she greeted me with a smile that felt deceptive because it was only her lips that smile and not a harmony of her eyes and lips, when i hugged her she didn’t have that warm motherly feel to her anymore and finally when i went inside the kitchen to eat dinner, i say the innards of a bird being eaten out alive and when i turned around a huge, hairy figure with claws towered over me.
I recommend using a thesaurus to get some good words in while you are planning for it.
Really hope this helped. If you have any more questions please ask me :))