Writing
Horror
Creating tension and
atmosphere through verbs
How can we create a creepy atmosphere in
our writing? Is it through our adjectives?
No, it is through our verbs. It is our physical
actions and reactions which show our fear,
not the colour of our eyes!
Try it out
Replace the verbs in the following sentences
to create a creepy atmosphere.
The boy ran down the alley.
A tall man walked behind him.
Choose your ammunition
Use a thesaurus to look up as many
synonyms as you can for the following
verbs.
Creep
Fall
Run
Shiver
Create tension
Read through the passage from Darren Shan's Cirque du Freak. Add in
appropriately creepy verbs to create a tense atmosphere.
Context: Madam Octa is a huge and deadly spider that Darren controls by playing a flute.
Here we see Darren's power over Madam Octa failing.
The sound ________ me. My head turned, the flute ______ from my lips, and
my concentration ________. My link to Madam Octa disintegrated. She shook
her head, took a couple of quick steps closer to Steve's throat, then ________
her fangs and appeared to grin.
Steve ______ with fear and _____ to his feet. He _____ at the spider, but she
and his hand missed. Before he could try again, Madam Octa lowered her
head, quick as a snake, and sank her poison-tipped fangs deep into his neck!
Original text
The sound alarmed me. My head turned, the flute slid from my
lips, and my concentration snapped. My link to Madam Octa
disintegrated. She shook her head, took a couple of quick steps
closer to Steve's throat, then bared her fangs and appeared to
grin.
Steve roared with fear and surged to his feet. He swiped at the
spider, but she ducked and his hand missed. Before he could try
again, Madam Octa lowered her head, quick as a snake, and
sank her poison-tipped fangs deep into his neck!
Get writing
Your scenario: a girl is entering a deserted house.
Your task: use the following five verbs in five
sentences, which tell this story.
Crept
Trembled
Gasped
Fled
Grimaced
Finally, write the next five sentences of the story by
yourself. Make sure you use some creepy verbs.