http://www.sd84.k12.id.us/hw/barbara.tibbs/scarystory.htm

WRITING TIPS FOR SCARY STORY WRITING

You are the builder of the story, so have a plan.

1.Beginning

A. Catch reader's attention

B. Begin the conflict

2. Middle

A. Describe the events

B. Build the tension, suspense, and action

a. Put scary ideas in reader's head

b. Use dialogue - Character's talking

c. Be descriptive - See below

3. End

A. Resolve the suspense

B. Whatever happens at the end is the result of the events in the middle.

a. Sometimes it answers or resolves the tension, sometimes it leaves the reader with a pounding heart.

Additional hints for good writing:

1. Show, Don't Tell.

Tell / Show
He was sloppy. / He dragged his sleeve through the spaghetti sauce.
She was glad to see me. / When she saw me, she ran, arms open, to give me a wonderful bear-hug hello.
I was clumsy. / I stumbled into the hall.
John had a cold. / John coughed until his ribs ached. He wiped his sore, scabbed nose for what seemed the millionth time as he reached for another cough drop.

2. Description - Use the five senses. Before you write, add some scary words to this list.

See - Use color - red, blue; bright

Touch - hard, cold, wet, rough

Smell - Cinnamon, rose, musky, rank

Sound - crunch, snap, whistle

Taste - bitter, sweet, sour

3. Verbs are important. They actually help set the tone and are quite descriptive in a short story

Example: Bland - Jane said. More descriptive - Jane screamed.

4. Put ideas in reader's head - foreshadow.

"It was Christmas eve, when Santa Claus delivers gifts to children around the world in a bell decked sleigh. .... John had just laid his head on his pillow when he heard a distant jingle of bells. (Christmas Eve, Santa Claus and bell help the reader "know" what the distant jingle of bells is.)

5. Neatness, grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. are all-important and absolutely necessary, but remember to tell a story, too.

6. This is a SCARY Story Writing Assignment so: MAKE IT SCARY! by using some of the above tips!

Story Writing: Scary Story Rubric

Teacher Name: Mrs. Black
Student Name: ______Class:______
CATEGORY / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1
Introduction / First paragraph has a "grabber" or catchy beginning. / First paragraph has a weak "grabber". / A catchy beginning was attempted but was confusing rather than catchy. / No attempt was made to catch the reader's attention in the first paragraph.
Setting / Many vivid, descriptive words are used to tell when and where the story took place. / Some vivid, descriptive words are used to tell the audience when and where the story took place. / The reader can figure out when and where the story took place, but the author didn't supply much detail. / The reader has trouble figuring out when and where the story took place.
Characters / The main characters are named and clearly described in text as well as pictures. Most readers could describe the characters accurately. / The main characters are named and described. Most readers would have some idea of what the characters looked like. / The main characters are named. The reader knows very little about the characters. / It is hard to tell who the main characters are.
Problem/Conflict / It is very easy for the reader to understand the problem the main characters face and why it is a problem. / It is fairly easy for the reader to understand the problem the main characters face and why it is a problem. / It is fairly easy for the reader to understand the problem the main characters face but it is not clear why it is a problem. / It is not clear what problem the main characters face.
Action / Several action verbs (active voice) are used to describe what is happening in the story. The story seems exciting! / Several action verbs are used to describe what is happening in the story, but the word choice doesn't make the story as exciting as it could be. / A variety of verbs (passive voice) are used and describe the action accurately but not in a very exciting way. / Little variety seen in the verbs that are used. The story seems a little boring.
Creativity / The story contains many creative details and/or descriptions that contribute to the reader's enjoyment. The author has really used his imagination. / The story contains a few creative details and/or descriptions that contribute to the reader's enjoyment. The author has used his imagination. / The story contains a few creative details and/or descriptions, but they distract from the story. The author has tried to use his imagination. / There is little evidence of creativity in the story. The author does not seem to have used much imagination.
Solution/Resolution / The solution to the character's problem is easy to understand, and is logical. There are no loose ends. / The solution to the character's problem is easy to understand, and is somewhat logical. / The solution to the character's problem is a little hard to understand. / No solution is attempted or it is impossible to understand.
Spelling and Punctuation / There are no spelling or punctuation errors in the final draft. Character and place names that the author invented are spelled consistently throughout. / There is one spelling or punctuation error in the final draft. / There are 2-3 spelling and punctuation errors in the final draft. / The final draft has more than 3 spelling and punctuation errors.
Writing Process / Student devotes a lot of time and effort to the writing process (prewriting, drafting, reviewing, and editing). Works hard to make the story wonderful. / Student devotes sufficient time and effort to the writing process (prewriting, drafting, reviewing, and editing). Works and gets the job done. / Student devotes some time and effort to the writing process but was not very thorough. Does enough to get by. / Student devotes little time and effort to the writing process. Doesn't seem to care.