In an article for The Writer, Aigner Loren Wilson discusses how to incorporate serious themes in your horror stories. “Writers use horror to explore not only the scary and terrifying aspects of our world but the tender, hilarious, and heartbreaking moments, too,” she says. “With horror, you can show the world’s injustices to an otherwise unwilling audience and make them feel almost anything you want.”
Wilson’s advice includes:
- Figure out your themes and thematic statement. “The biggest pushback received when talking with horror writers about utilizing themes to enhance their work is that these writers just want to tell a good story; they’re not looking to say or state anything,” Wilson says. However, even fluffy stories are about something. To figure out what your story is about, examines the topics that take up space. “For example, if you’re writing a story about a monster made of sticks and rocks that haunts a schoolyard, a few likely themes are aging, children, and school,” she notes. POV also influences theme, as telling the story from the perspective of a teacher, child, or parent would highlight different concepts.
- Create character symbols. Use your characters to represent symbols beyond their personality and connect them to your theme.
- Align your setting with your themes. Use your setting to reflect your themes. Ask yourself which backdrop would create the strongest connection.
- Pick your words carefully. Strong word choices and evocative language will go far to create your story’s atmosphere. “Writers who tend to cast tales of thematic horror are sharpshooters of words,” Wilson says. “They know the exact word to use at just the right time to capture the atmosphere of the scene and story and the emotions they want their reader to feel.”
- Design your metaphors and similes specifically for your story. Use metaphors and similes to show your theme from different angles.
