Halloween tips for writers

'Tis the season to think about spooky stories!

We've rounded up tons of tips on writing horror and other pulse-pounding tales from our author newswire archives, for those interested in writing — or who already write — chilling, thrilling fiction.

The bad guys

• What makes a great villain? Creating an antagonist for your story

• Gaslighting is good ... when you need to write a villain

• How to write a villain who feels real to your readers

• Add antagonists to your cast of supporting characters

• Things that go bump in your novel: Tips for writing a monster

General genre advice

• How to avoid clichés in your horror story

• Write your scary story like someone's reading it out loud

• Horror authors, terrify your readers with strong storytelling

• Start with strong characters for a powerful action scene

• The differences between mysteries, thrillers, and suspense novels

• The painful truth: 3 types of suffering for horror-story characters 

Mind games

• How to stay mentally strong while writing dark fiction

• Writing in the Dark author on the psychology of horror

Straight from the source

• Writing advice from Stephen King 

• Tips on writing horror from a bestselling author

• R.L. Stine's advice for age-appropriate horror stories

• How William Peter Blatty made "The Exorcist" so darn scary