Q&A for How to Write a Ghost Story

Give your story a good hook that is exciting but also scary.

Tie up any loose ends, unless you are planning a sequel. It can end happily or unhappily as in "they were never seen again."

Think about the people in YOUR Life and what makes them good or bad. Not all ghosts can be bad, just because they are scary. Try to think of a memory where you have been good or bad. Think about what happened to your ghosts during their lives that might have made them good or bad.

Just have the good person/main character and introduce them and their everyday life.

Ghosts are the culturally colored manifestation of our subconscious minds, which are triggered by conspecific chemical death markers caused by human biological contamination present in the environment, which are then detected by a sensitive individual. The message is always the same, "death here," but depending on the particular bouquet of chemical compounds one might sense fear, pain, gender, age of deceased, or even the person's occupation. Although becoming spooked in the presence of species specific death markers is common in the natural world, only we, by virtue of brain function -need- to create a story to give the experience context and meaning.

Read about ghosts and go ghost hunting for inspiration.

Avoid writing "boo" and also avoid describing the ghost as a huge figure with a white blanket draped around it.

You could tell your ideas to people out loud if you're unable to write them down. You could also choose one particular idea and use it to write a story in your head (which can be written down later on).

It depends on what you're trying to do. I always like a little levity in horror.

Think about the most important/interesting elements of the story. For instance, if your story featured a shadow monster, you could simply call it "The Shadow Monster."

Of course! Maybe the ghost could be a sidekick, or the "evil ghost" could turn out to be a friendly, run-of-the-mill ghost!

The ghost can be whatever you want. The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe and The Hound of Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle are two classic ghost stories that don't have any supernatural ghosts in them.

It's your story, so you can decide! Think about the themes of your story and what feels the spookiest, and that will help you decide how the ghost might feel when touched.

Describe the event and situation that is taking place really slowly. Put in phrases and short sentences that have cliffhangers and that make it enters sting.This will make the reader want to know more and add the the thrill and suspense part.

Maybe end with the ghost actually being a good ghost that accidentally scared people. Or you can have the protagonist defeat the ghost and not be bothered by it again.

You could say that the ghost wants the protagonist's help in solving a mystery. The mystery could be about who murdered the ghost, or who murdered someone close to the ghost. The victim could also be someone who lives in the ghosts' house and they witnessed the murder. The protagonist could ask the ghosts for help with solving the murder, or vise versa.

Make the ghost first and mysteriously create mischief. then make the hero/es of the story to first see the impact of the ghost, a scary encounter with it in first place, and then a dialouge to discover the ghosts intentions. In the end, they either understand and banish the ghost. Either by talking to it, giving it what it wants, or with magical and/or cursed objects.

It could be about the times you defeated your fears. For instance, you can defeat them by ending it at, … "It was all just a dream" or "I don't believe, just go away!".

Use a happy tone, like "I smiled and it was the warmest feeling I had felt in a long time" then progress into a more, "the warmth of my heart had now made my blood turn cold and the back of my hair stand up. It was here. " Make it suspenseful.

Sure! You can kill off as many characters as you'd like if it's an especially vengeful spirit.

Use a hook line, like a quote about ghost stories or even a supernatural event you're familiar with. It is always good to start with the setting or time in the day.

Anyway you want, depending on the circumstances, but remember that as soon as you take the mystery out of it by describing exactly how it appears or how it works, you also lose the intrigue of the unknown.