Pacing

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meowzbark

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I'm curious as to how you set up the horror in your writing.

There isn't much horror in the first part of my novel, but I'm playing with the emotions of my readers by making my characters experience some very uncomfortable situations. The second part is more a slow setup for the reader to scream "OMG! HOW CAN YOU NOT KNOW THE EVIL GUY IS ABOUT TO KILL YOU!" and then a very gruesome climax/ending with a twist.

Does a horror novel need to be scary throughout the novel or can I focus purely on building up to the scary stuff?

Like compare it to playing chess. Arrange the pieces...then bam, checkmate. Or arrange the pieces...check...check...checkmate.
 

BrumBall

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Depends what you mean by 'scary'. You don't need physical scary stuff (murders, gruesomeness etc) all the way through. In fact, too much of this could take away the impact when you really want physical horror. However, you do need plenty of tension and conflict. Make your readers think that something will happen at any second. Keep them on the edge of their seats.

The way you're doing it actually sounds good to me.
 

Tinman

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In one of my favorite novels, Salems Lot, the Horror doesn't even appear until about a fifth of the way into the novel. I would advise you to use foreshadowing and show either the Horror working behind the scenes or problems the Horror has caused, if possible.
 
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