The Anatomy of a Horror Book
Horror books are more than just a category of literature, they are an experience. While most styles of literature focus on character development and plot course, horror books take those aspects to the next level by also focusing heavily on the mood and tonal aspects of a book.
As opposed to reading about characters, settings, and plot, a horror book is geared towards completely immersing the reader in an experience. While horror books certainly contain character development and plot, the real focus of this writing style is to make the reader aware of every little sound, every footstep, every shadowy movement, and every terrifying figure passing through the fog. Horror writers are required to have very powerful visualization skills, in order to flood the reader’s senses with frightening input.
This must all be done, however, without losing the reader’s interest. It requires a delicate balance between attention to detail and efficient storytelling. A very large difference between conventional books and horror books, is the attention to auditory aspects. A very important tool in the horror author’s arsenal is the sense of sound; something that the reader can hear but may not be able to see. This creates a genuine feeling of fear and terror in the reader, as the writer creates a sense that something unknown is lurking. Most books tend to focus on dialogue and visual cues while overlooking the sense of sound.
Books in the horror genre must follow a different path. Have you ever paid close attention to a scary movie? The most integral part of the scary movie is not simply the villain jumping out, it’s the mood that is set before this ever happens. It’s the slowly intensifying, creepy music, and the quiet background sounds that are barely audible. These auditory cues make up the basis for what truly generates a feeling of the unknown. While it may be counter intuitive to expect that a book must rely so heavily on the description of sounds to achieve its goal, it makes perfect sense when you think of the sensory input that is necessary to create a genuinely frightening experience. It is the job of the horror writer to prompt the reader into letting their imagination run wild.
The horror writer must set the tone, and then lead the reader down a path which results in a build-up to the big scare. Horror books are often overlooked with regards to the recognition that their writers receive. For the reasons outlined above, however, they should be applauded for their unique approach to the literary craft.
Sarah is an avid writer and book reviewer. She loves every aspect of books, including repairing books herself using book binding supplies like book binding glue, book binding tape, and other tools you can use to repair books by yourself.
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