• The following extract from The Carver by Jenny Jones was narrated during the programme, [6.53]:

Reprocessing the original passage can reveal how the author had focussed on a credible setting and built the suspense towards the final, ominous declaration.

The consistent advice from the writers featured in this series is to begin thinking about real fears which you have experienced; 'the fear inside yourself'. Everyday, minor fears can be developed imaginatively into something truly frightening.

Characters are more important than the plot. Well-described, believable characters will affect readers' emotions. Know your characters' attitudes and goals, strengths and weaknesses – in other words, their human emotions. That is what will make them appear real and believable to your readers. Whatever your characters do and say must make your readers care for (or hate) them.

Just as we all change as a result of the experiences we have in life, so too should your characters develop. Draw two columns; in one, list adjectives to describe your character(s) when first introduced; in column two, list adjectives that describe the character(s) at the end of the story. Having a different list in column two will help to ensure that there is character development in your story. As you write, identify which emotions (and how much) your characters would really display under particular circumstances. Remember to allow your characters to make good use of their five senses – sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell – just as real people do.

A story which is just a string of 'And then... And then... And then...' (emphasising action alone) ignores the important influence that characters can have on events. It is not what a character does that engages readers but why and how (s)he does it. (Much of what happens in our own lives is a result of decisions that we make.)

Try to limit the number of characters to three, which is quite enough for a short story.

Where will the story be set? In a crumbly castle, your school, your town or in the country? Whether you choose a place well known to you, somewhere famous or somewhere entirely imaginary, have good reasons for your choices. When you choose a setting, then ask yourself 'What if...?' Choosing just one or two settings will still allow you to move to different areas within the setting.

Once readers know enough about your main character and setting, the story can begin. Your story should have a beginning, a middle and an end. All stories follow the same, basic pattern: the main character is introduced, usually when everyday life is quite normal; this normality is then changed somehow and the character tries to regain normality. The plot, or storyline, follows your main character coming into conflict with some horror, taking some action to avoid the horror, which solves (temporarily/satisfactorily?) the problem. The horror creates problems for the main character and one eventually succeeds while the other fails.

The events you describe may be unlikely to happen in real life but they should not be impossible. The more that the reader can believe in the possibility of things happening, the more real and terrifying will be your writing and the more involved will be your reader.

The storyline needs to keep readers interested in finding out what happens next. Plan what will happen as a series of frights for the main character, beginning with some unsettling minor problems (which the main character will survive) and then increasing each shock until the biggest fright happens at the climax.

Can you see how the Timeline diagram could be applied to (each main event of) a horror story you have read?

Write and redraft your story, perhaps several times, as professional writers do.

Use a selection of the horror genre conventions but avoid using too many in any one story.

The opening of your story will be very important to readers because it should contain clues as to what the story will be about. They will think about the setting and make assumptions about your characters and their relationships to each other. Without realising it, they will have entered into the world of your story.

Words that you use can suggest (or connote) more than their literal meaning. The moon, for example, is literally a satellite of the earth but it can be used to suggest romance or cold, eerie, harsh light. What 'signals' will your words send? A doll or puppet might convey ideas of children's entertainment or, as in Jenny Jones's The Carver, some kind of disturbing inanimate humanoid. Combining two quite ordinary objects, such as puppets and spiky pine trees, can produce a quite menacing situation:

[Extract from The Carver by Jenny Jones]

Much the same may be done with sounds. Begin with small, soft, barely audible sounds. Then, gradually build your story's soundtrack. Sudden, unexpected, loud sounds will suggest something really terrible may happen within a few moments. Every detail of sounds, everyday objects, smells, weather conditions, low-light and darkness will be useful for creating and building atmosphere and mood.

Let your imagination go. Let things go bump in your mind. Genuinely scare yourself!

1. Try writing your entire story in just one sentence, using no more than thirty words.
2. Next, develop the story (of Step 1) by writing about its key moments in one or two pages.
3. Now, take each paragraph (of Step 2) and fit it to the Timeline diagram.
4. Finally, write each scene (of Step 3), in detail, within the Timeline's conflict – action – result structure.

If you can use a word processor, make a copy of what you have written and experiment with changing scenes around. Try alternating very dramatic and exciting scenes with quieter moments, to enhance the pacing of your story.