Learn the art of constrained writing for ghost stories with this awesome guest blog from Darleen Bailey Beard...
Award-winning children’s book author, Darleen Bailey Beard, who recently did a Q&A with Young Writers has some excellent writing tips for students (and teachers) entering our Scary Tales and Fright Club mini saga contest.
It doesn’t matter if you’re writing a mini saga, a short story, or even a novel, all writing can be broken down into three parts - a beginning, a middle, and an ending. So, let’s look at these three parts to discover how to write a scary tale that really knocks your socks off:
Beginning - a strong beginning grabs your readers’ interest, introduces your character and atmosphere, and presents your character’s problem.
So, how exactly do you begin? Start with the moment that reveals the problem.
Example:
I click on the light, slowly stepping down the long, creaky staircase
into my basement. Swatting cobwebs, I step over boxes and piles of
discarded junk. Suddenly, the light sputters off, leaving me alone in
total darkness. (37 words)
See how the beginning introduces the problem quickly while giving a little description to set the atmosphere? Hmm, what’s atmosphere? It’s the overall feeling of your saga. For this contest, you want readers to feel scared. Really scared. Like knock-your-socks-off scared!
Middle - a fast-moving middle turns up the scare and tension, leaving your character to face a problem that feels insurmountable.
So, how exactly do you write the middle? By putting your character into a situation you yourself wouldn’t want to face and by making the problem worse.
Example:
Unable to see, I gasp as a hand reaches out of nowhere, covering my
nose and mouth. I try to scream but can’t. (23 words)
See how the scare and tension go from bad to worse? Now you’ve gone from being alone in a dark basement to having a hand cover your nose and mouth. Yikes!
Ending - a great ending provides a solution to the problem. Often this solution will be a surprising twist, will leave readers in suspense, or will provide a funny one-liner that leaves your readers chuckling.
So, how exactly do you write the ending? By first deciding what you want your readers to walk away with. Do you want to surprise them? Leave them in suspense? Or make them laugh? But remember - the ending can’t just come from nowhere. It has to make sense, feel true to your saga, and be believable to the readers.
Example:
I pull away from the hand’s tight grip, gulping for air.
“Not very funny,” I say to my brother. “Stop trying to
scare me or I’m telling Mom on you, you big rat.”
Then the light sputters back on but my brother isn’t there.
Nobody’s there. It’s just me, the boxes and piles of junk,
and over in the corner an old mannequin... smiling. (67 words)
The use of a creepy mannequin works well because it’s believable. We already know the basement is full of boxes and discarded junk, so it stands to reason there could easily be a mannequin down there, as well. It also works well because it creates atmosphere. Think about it. What’s scarier than an old mannequin in a dark corner of a basement? Notice how this tale leaves readers with a hint of suspense?
Cutting Word Count ✂️✂️✂️
If you count the words of the mini saga above, you’ll see it comes to 127 words. That’s 27 words too many. Not a problem if you know the seven tips to cut word count:
👻 Keep it simple. Focus on one character and one scene.
🕷️ Since your title isn’t in the word count, use it for atmosphere, tension, or suspense.
🧟 Cut these 12 overused words when possible: that, just, right, very, good, big, little, then, so, but, see, the.
🎃 Instead of using adverbs, use stronger verbs. Example: I slowly and cautiously stepped down the staircase. (8 words) Instead, write: I tip-toed down the creaky staircase. (6 words - notice the two adverbs are replaced by a strong verb?)
🧛 Instead of using strings of adjectives, use single adjectives. Example: I tip-toed down the dark, long, creaky, cob-webby staircase into the damp, musty-smelling basement. (14 words) Instead, write: I tip-toed down the creaky staircase into the musty basement. (10 words—notice the strings of adjectives are replaced by single adjectives?)
💀 Suggestion:Write your mini saga with NO adjectives or adverbs. Then, add single adjectives and strong verbs to create more atmosphere, tension, and suspense.
🦇 Use dialogue (your character speaking) to show characterization.
Turning Up The Scare 👆👆👆
By writing at least three drafts, you’ll be able to cut word count and turn up the scare. So now, let’s analyze a first, second, and final (third) draft to see this in action:
First Draft
I click on the light, slowly stepping down the long, creaky staircase
into my basement. Swatting cobwebs, I step over boxes and piles of
discarded junk. Suddenly, the light sputters off, leaving me alone in
total darkness. Unable to see, I gasp as a hand reaches out of
nowhere, covering my nose and mouth. I try to scream but can’t. I
pull away from the hand’s tight grip, gulping for air. “Not very funny,” I
say to my brother. “Stop trying to scare me or I’m telling Mom on you,
you big rat.” Then the light sputters back on but my brother isn’t there.
Nobody’s there. It’s just me, the boxes and piles of junk, and over in the
corner an old mannequin... smiling. (127 words)
Second Draft
I click on the light, tip-toeing down the creaky basement stairs.
Batting cobwebs, I step over boxes and piles of discarded junk.
Suddenly, the light sputters off leaving me in total darkness. Unable
to see, I gasp as a hand covers my nose and mouth. I try to scream
but can’t. Pulling away from the hand’s tight grip, I gulp for air.
“Not funny, Jackson. Stop trying to scare me. I’m telling Mom on you,
you big rat!” Then, the light sputters back on but my brother isn’t there.
Nobody’s there. It’s just me, these boxes and piles of junk, and over in
the corner an old mannequin... smiling. (112 words)
Final Draft (with title)
The Encounter
I click on the light. Batting cobwebs, I carefully tip-toe down the
creaky staircase into my musty basement. I step over boxes and
discarded junk - a broken CD player, a dust-filled bassinet, a stringy
mop. Suddenly, the light sputters off, trapping me in total darkness.
A hand reaches out, covering my nose, my mouth. Gasping for air, I
fight its firm grip, choking and gulping. I pull away. “Not funny,
Jackson. I’m telling Mom on you, you rat!” The light sputters on again
but my brother isn’t there. Nobody’s there. In a shadowy corner, an
one-armed mannequin is smiling. (99 words)
Notice the final draft has cut a whopping 28 words? Notice it’s more concise? Scarier? And by describing the mannequin as having “one arm” makes it even more frightening because a mannequin in a shadowy basement is scary, but a “one-armed” mannequin is even scarier especially when a hand has just covered the main character’s nose and mouth.
Good luck with your Scary Tales and Fright Club mini sagas. As you cut word count and turn up the scare, your writing will become so concise, so scary, it may just even knock-your-socks-off! Happy writing, everyone!
Darleen Bailey Beard is the award-winning author of eight children’s books that have received starred and boxed reviews. Visit her website at www.darleenbaileybeard.com or contact her directly at [email protected]. With 30 years of speaking in schools and receiving rave reviews, she’s available for conferences, school author visits, hands-on writing workshops, Title One family nights, teacher in-services, and much more.
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