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| Darkness falls across the land, the midnight hour is close at hand... |
Describing the Unknown
I love using the unknown to build dread. In fact, provoking dread in a reader, that sense of impending doom which keeps them turning each page cautiously, is a key ingredient of the most successful horror stories. One way to do this is to lead readers towards the unknown, forcing them into imagined situations where uncertainty rules. It is this not knowing, which truly terrifies. In that ignorance lies foul possibilities more frightening than anything you could describe.
The truth is, people don't like feeling uncertain about the real world, it stops them from being able to predict the outcome of an event, but in fiction that uncertainty is what drives readers forward in search of some form of resolution. Whether you provide that for your audience is entirely up to you, but with many horror stories uncertainty is at its most powerful in the dark. Indeed, it is what we don't see which terrifies us the most. The night, and environments where light is absent, often provide the backdrop for a story's most potent events.
But it's not as simple as just writing a scene which takes place in the dark. if it were we'd all be Stephen King, and a hell of a lot richer, that's for sure. As with most storytelling tools, it's about how you use it.
How to Use the Dark
There are several ways to use the dark in a horror story. Many of my favourite ghost stories use darkness to reduce the reader to the mindset of a child. A deep, primary terror which reaches up from the pit of your stomach to thrash your heart about and pull up the hairs on the back of your neck. Whichever approach you take in your story, subtle or not, it should be one which evokes part of this primal fear.
Ways to incorporate darkness into your stories include:
- Atmosphere: There may be nothing in the darkness, but the very fact that it is present is enough to elicit a creeping atmosphere when described correctly.
- Foreboding: The darkness may be an omen which warns a character or a reader that something terrible is going to happen. Clouds blotting out the sun as a storm nears is one of the most commonly used ways to suggest a future cataclysm in horror and many other genres.
- Helplessness: The night can invoke isolation. People are asleep in their beds, will anyone hear your screams? Or perhaps your character is in a darkened cave as an ancient evil watches and waits for the perfect moment to strike. The dark makes us feel alone, perhaps that's the reason why as children we scream for our parents. This does not dispel the darkness, but a fear shared is a terror halved.
- Contrast: In my short story "Fear, Take My Voice", I described an empty nightclub where a member of staff wandered alone from room to room. This contrast of a place which is usually bustling with people and then being empty and silent creates a sense of unease in the reader. Why? Because it subverts expectations which in turn creates uncertainty. A park can be a serene setting during the day when the sun is shining and people are walking their dogs, but when the sun sets the trees and narrow walkways can take on a more menacing form. All that is different is the absence of light, but this contrast can prime a reader for something even more terrifying to come.
As well as effective ways to use darkness in your writing, it can also be used in a way which hinders the impact of your horror story.
Mistakes to Avoid When Using Darkness
There are four major mistakes you must avoid in order to use darkness effectively in your writing:- Don't reveal the truth too soon. Whatever might be lingering in the night, you can't build dread if you reveal what it is immediately. You need to pace your way towards the reveal.
- Know when to put up or shut up. Don't bore your reader. That's the one sin you want to avoid. Building dread using darkness isn't just about creating a sense of impending doom through your descriptions, it's also about knowing when to make something happen at the right moment to keep your readers on their toes.
- Don't reveal too much. Remember that uncertainty we were talking about? How it creates fear? You don't want to remove all uncertainty. When your shambling horror comes lurching out of the darkness, make sure that you keep some attributes hidden. Yes, you will need to describe something, but in many cases a visceral sensory impression full of sounds, smells, and fleeting glimpses will create true terror in your readers. Try to avoid describing every little detail. Knowledge defeats fear every time.
- It's Not Always Dark. Use darkness, but don't overuse it. Daylight can be just as terrifying. In fact, even more so in some cases. Don't expect night time alone to create a frightening story for you. There's more to it than that.
Light the Way
As a writer it's your job to lead your reader to places they would otherwise never tread, and there is nowhere they'd rather not go than into the dark unknown. Entice them with your words, make the journey one which they will feel compelled to take, and then, when the right moment comes, turn off the lights and keep your readers in the dark.
How do you use darkness in your writing? Sound off in the comments below.
About the Author: Michael Whitehouse is a best-selling horror author on Amazon. His short stories have been read online by over 2 million readers, and one of his stories has been adapted into a London play. When he's not writing down his fears he's making horror films on Youtube with the Ghastly Tales Crew.
About the Author: Michael Whitehouse is a best-selling horror author on Amazon. His short stories have been read online by over 2 million readers, and one of his stories has been adapted into a London play. When he's not writing down his fears he's making horror films on Youtube with the Ghastly Tales Crew.
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