Fear on the Page
The power writers can wield
October 2026
Spooky season seems like the perfect time to reflect on how authors can sprinkle a few scares in their manuscripts to concoct an engaging brew. Indeed, fear comes in many shapes and sizes. It can be as brief as a sudden shock or as deep as existential threats and haunting phobias. It’s the writers' job to understand types of fear in order to describe it in realistic detail for readers.
But mere description lacks deep point of view. The secret inevitably comes back to showing not telling. Demonstrating those feelings makes crafting that work in progress feel something like slicing open a vein and bleeding all over the page (or keyboard, as it were). How about a few strategies to stop the hemorrhaging?
Let’s start with spoken language. Stuttering, speechlessness, and gasps do a great job to portray a character’s terror. Changing pitch to a shrill squeal amps up the anxiety quite a few decibels as well.
Body language provides yet another avenue to show the fear. Non-verbals like tense postures, eye contact avoidance, trembling, and fidgeting paint the picture of nervousness. Or try some jaw clenching, rapid breathing, racing pulses, profuse sweating, and nail biting.
In uncertain situations, the amygdala triggers an emotional response that trounces the cerebral cortex when terrified, muddling thoughts and decisions. Bewildered, confused, panicked characters add to the frightful chaos unfolding in the story. Paranoia and betrayal can create additional angst for both protagonists and readers.
Let’s not forget setting and symbolism to layer it on deeper. Shadows, darkness, isolated locations, and crashing storms contribute to the ambience of a hair-raising scene.
By blending physiological reactions, atmospheric cues, and sensory details, the static scene transforms into a visceral experience. A cliché monster under the bed doesn’t have the same impact without the build-up to its discovery with all the racing heartbeats, suffocating silence, and quivering lips that culminate in the bone-chilling scream.
With such diabolical ingredients, let the nightmares begin!