How to create tension while narrating horror

Hint: You can't be terrified every moment or everyone (you, the listener and even the characters) will get exhausted.

Reader Question:

“I would love some pointers on how to handle constant tension/excitement in the horror genre. I’m working on one now and it’s hard to maintain the constant tension without losing steam or just sounding constantly overly dramatic.”

I love this question so much.

I’m not an expert with narrating horror, though I’d love to be. I just haven’t been hired for it.

<Someone please hire me for a horror book STAT! As long as STAT is in August or later>

However, I am a horror fan (raised on Stephen King and old TV reruns of 1950/60ss horror films with Vincent Price) and I’m a horror writer. See PRIMAL.

Here is what I know about horror:

Scary things are only scary in bursts.

It’s true! If you are constantly at a high height of tension and fear, eventually, you’ll get used to it. (This is called an Anxiety Disorder. Ask me how I know.)

Like in other genres of writing, there are layers.

We think horror just means scary, and it does have those elements, but there is also humor, embarrassment, budding relationships/attraction, baffling choices, dysfunction, relief, anger, etc.

You have to remind yourself as you narrate horror that you save those high tension moments of narrating for REALLY special moments.

And by special, I mean terrifying.

Horror Is Like Music

Think of horror like music. (Stay with me here.) I love to watch The Voice and other singing competitions.

When there’s a great singer who tells the story, who follows the melody, I’m hooked. I’m IN it. I’ll cry when they reach their final soaring note or get goosebumps.

When there’s a great singer who goes off the melody and does a bunch of fancy vocalizations and acrobatics for the whole song, I have no emotional response. I get bored. There’s no surprise there. There’s no journey.

You know what else is boring?

Really long drum solos.

And narrators reading a book where everything is dialed to 11. (Dialing to 11 only works if you’re Spinal Tap.)

Remember, horror is a journey.

It has a beginning, a middle, a fake end, a reversal back to the middle, and then a surprising end that’s really the end. Or is it?

Tips:

How, then, do you create tension in horror without overdoing it?

1) Be present.

Remember that the characters don’t know they’re in a horror story. It’s just a day that goes really wrong for them. Keep the discovery in the present. Don’t show panic before there’s a need to.

2) Be choosy about pacing.

Keep your regular pacing for the book, but slow down (or speed up) moments of intensity. Be choosy. You don’t get to do it all the time. Make these choices count.

3) Be emotive.

True terror isn’t just a shaky voice and breathlessness. Terror can also be a complete numbing, pulling back. It can be expressed as anger, like WTF is this bloody beast doing in my living room? Terror can be expressed as sadness and softness. Terror can be a regression from an adult to a child. Terror can also be a complete meltdown. Look for the nuances in the text.

4) Find the humor.

Most horror stories have lots of humor. For real. Why? Because it breaks the tension, it gives the audience time to relax. It’s like a dip in a roller coaster. It’s the up and down that is scary. The anticipation, the experience, then the release.

5) Follow the ebb and flow.

Horror and thriller books swing back and forth in emotion. Follow the cues from the author and the character. Your audience isn’t dumb. You don’t need to overdo it so they know This Is a Scary Book.

In Short:

All you have to do is tell the story the way you would any story, by honoring the characters, playing with subtext, and stretching out or contracting intense moments.

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For Additional Reading:

See this older article for more on tension and this one that breaks down steps in creating tension:

Have a question you’d like to ask Tanya? Let her know.

And please, leave a comment if you think of something. I love that we’re building a little ongoing dialogue here and appreciate any thoughts.

ABOUT TANYA EBY

Tanya Eby is a narrator, a writer, and a cheese eater. That’s really all you need to know.