Guest Post: Cat Winters on Giving Readers Chills +++ Win an ARC of In the Shadow of Blackbirds! (INTL)

In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters || Release date: April 2013.

In 1918, the world seems on the verge of apocalypse. Americans roam the streets in gauze masks to ward off the deadly Spanish influenza, and the government ships young men to the front lines of a brutal war, creating an atmosphere of fear and confusion. Sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black watches as desperate mourners flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort, but she herself has never believed in ghosts. During her bleakest moment, however, she’s forced to rethink her entire way of looking at life and death, for her first love—a boy who died in battle—returns in spirit form. But what does he want from her?

Featuring haunting archival early-twentieth-century photographs, this is a tense, romantic story set in a past that is eerily like our own time.

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Cat Winters on Writing Spooky Scenes and Giving Readers Chills.

Cat Winters

How to Give Your Readers Chills

by Cat Winters

In Chapter 10 of my debut novel, IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS, my main character wakes up and believes something unsettling is lurking in the room with her. I could have simply written, “I woke up at three in the morning and felt scared,” but I thought it would be far more interesting to phrase my character’s experience the following way:

“I awoke, curled on my side and facing the wall, as the downstairs cuckoo announced three o’clock. The muted glow of the oil lamp still illuminated my golden wallpaper, but the blackness of night crowded around me as if it were a living creature. The scent of burning fireworks scorched my nostrils. A coppery taste lined my tongue and caused the fillings in my teeth to ache, while my heartbeat echoed inside the mattress, pounding like a second heart.”

From my own adventures in writing, I’ve learned that the key to writing a spooky scene is to make your readers feel as though they’re experiencing exactly what your characters are experiencing. Think about your reactions to your favorite scary novels and movies. Chances are, they caused your heart to race and had you looking over your shoulder, even though you knew it was only a story. 

Here are five tools and tips for plunging readers into evocative, terrifying fictional moments.

1. Pay attention to what physically happens to you in frightening situations.

Let your characters undergo those same physical reactions. One night after reading a book that spooked me, I lay awake in my bed, heard the echo of my heartbeat ticking away in my mattress, and realized it sounded like another heart was beating inside my bed. Yep, I then incorporated that experience into IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS, as shown in the sample paragraph above!

2. Use sensory language.

Show us your characters’ terrifying encounters through all five of their senses, not just sight. What does that haunted old house smell like to your character? How does that eerie mist feel when he walks through it? What does he hear in the darkness? Does his mouth taste dry from breathing too hard?

3. Write about things that scare YOU.

Your reader will believe a situation is frightening if you believe it’s frightening, too. If you’re terrified of spiders, have your character encounter a horrific spider—and bring in those physical reactions you experience when facing eight-legged creepy-crawlies.

4. Play around with language to find the scariest words.

“Dog” vs. “beast.” “Monster” vs. “fiend.” “Spooky old house” vs. “crumbling, crooked mansion.” Finding just the right words can transform an object from ordinary to eerie.

5. Use images and music for inspiration.

Listen to haunting melodies before you sit down to write a spine-tingling scene. Collect pictures from magazines or websites—images that stir up emotions inside you. The more reactions you have to spooky sights and sounds, the more prepared you’ll be to describe your characters’ encounters with fearful situations.

Happy writing! Happy Halloween!

Bio:

Cat Winters's critically acclaimed debut novel, In the Shadow of Blackbirds, is a nominee for YALSA's 2014 Best Fiction for Young Adults and was named one of Booklist's 2013 Top Ten Horror Fiction for Youth. Her second novel, The Cure for Dreaming, is coming Fall 2014. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and two kids. Visit her online at www.catwinters.com and www.blackbirdsnovel.com.

You can also follow Cat on Twitter: @catwinters  and check out My Review of In the Shadow of Blackbirds

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Thanks to Cat for the great guest post! As a special Halloween treat, I'm giving away my ARC of In the Shadow of Blackbirds.
Competition is open Internationally and closes November 10th 2013.
Winner will be contacted by email and will have 72 hours to respond before I pick another winner.

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