How to Craft Scares

Are you looking to startle or surprise? Boil unsettling sensations up into visceral feelings of dread? A corrosive brew of both? In this presentation, I’ll talk about the basics of writing scares – pacing, character, location, as well as the challenges (and opportunities) of a hungry readership that has seen it all. I’ll also delve into the hard questions only you can answer* that’ll point you in the direction of the scares only you can write. (*Whether you want to or not is another question.)

Instructor

Mark Wheaton got his start as a screenwriter on horror films like Friday The 13th (2009), the Sam Raimi-produced, The Messengers, and the Emilia Clarke-starring, Voice From the Stone. He has also written novels, including the bestselling Father Chavez crime trilogy (Thomas & Mercer, 2016-2017), Emily Eternal (Grand Central Publishing, 2019, written as M.G. Wheaton – named one of the Five Best Sci-Fi Novels of 2019 by the Financial Times and translated into five languages), The Quake Cities (Severn House, 2021) and Who Haunts You (Off Limits Press, 2023). In addition, Wheaton has had several horror short stories published including, In the Water, appearing in the 2021 Stoker Award-nominated anthology, Worst Laid Plans (Grindhouse Press) and Killer of Hogs, long-listed by Ellen Datlow as one of the Best Horror Short Stories of 2022. He has also worked as a comic book writer (Dark Horse’s The Cleaners), video game scripter, (Wet 2, F.E.A.R. franchise), and movie journalist for outlets such as E!, Syfy, Fangoria, Total Film and many, many others.