As a writer and an avid reader of ghost stories, I feel that I am somewhat qualified to present my opinions on this subject. I love ghost stories, I have read thousands; I also have extensively researched ghosts, as well as all things paranormal. In my quest to learn the truth, and in all reality, to just be entertained; I have noticed that a majority of these stories are, with lack of a better word to describe them, bad. These sub-par stories mostly appear on ghost story websites that are open to the public. I have visited most of the websites out there, and I make sure I read every story I come across. Therefore, I rarely get creeped out or surprised, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a good ghost story when I see one. A lot of ghost story authors out there are probably saying, “Surely she isn’t talking about me.” Well, to be honest, I am very likely talking about you. I don’t want to come off as a snob or a know-it-all, and you probably already think I am. Just read on, I promise that my intentions are to be purely beneficial. A lot of you have great stories; I can certainly see the potential in a majority that I read. I think that if I provided a few tips, tricks, and a dedicated ghost story reader’s point of view, your story will entertain, enlighten, and most importantly, get your point across to the paranormal community.
I suppose I should start off with a few writing basics that cover writing in general, and applies to more than ghost story telling. The most important thing you can do when writing anything is to proof-read. I know most of you are not aspiring authors; but you want your story to be understood and taken seriously, right? Then proof-read. Perhaps you shouldn’t just rush into getting your story out there; I would avoid writing your story on the website itself. You might want to create your story in a writing program first. Then your story can have its spelling and grammar checked. We all rely on these programs to help us come across as the intelligent people that we are. Cutting and pasting a spell-checked document: it’s a good thing. Editing programs, as helpful as they are, still can’t assist you with all the little nuances of human languages, so proof-reading requires a bit more effort. I suggest that you read your writing out loud. You’ll experience firsthand what your readers will be viewing. You’ll discover that some sentences may not make that much sense. Every writer encounters an oddly-worded sentence here and there. Even non-writers can still see where their story may be confusing. Reading out loud is a very good way to discover these things. This may be hard for some to do, but I also suggest that someone else read your story before you send it off. A fresh pair of eyes looking at your writing is always a great idea to help make your story more readable. If you feel that your story is too personal, and you would like to retain your anonymity, just stick with the first two suggestions.
Now I would like to discuss story content and actual writing. You certainly do not need flowery, dressed up language to convey a good, solid story. Just state the facts, tell us what happened; your writer’s voice will appear on its own. There’s no need to try to draw someone in with poetic language, it gets in the way of the content, and I think that would be the last thing you want to do.
So you have your story, you basically know what you want to write; now you have to deal with getting it out of your brain and assembling your thoughts into a cohesive story. Try outlining; put all of your important points down on paper. This will essentially help you with the chronological aspect of your story. If you have an outline of every major point from beginning to end, you have a clear and concise way of telling people what happened, how it happened, and the end result of these happenings. You may be inclined to mix up the timeline of your story; such as starting from the climax and then describing how you got to your opening point. This is an advanced writer’s method. If you are an advanced writer, go for it. However, I just want to do basics for now to ensure a high success rate for storytelling.
A word of advice: don’t tack on things that you just remembered to the end of your story. Yes, writing the story itself will probably remind you of other important details; but if you want to look good in the story telling community, take your time and put those extra points in where they belong. Believe me, your readers will appreciate a story with a definite beginning, middle, and end.
This brings me to my next point, finish your story with a strong ending. Both new and seasoned writers have problems with ending a story; even true stories. I am, after all, talking about non-fiction stories here, and finding an ending is hard when the story itself isn’t complete. If it is ongoing, let us know, and be bold in your statements. If you fear for the future, tell us about it. If you look forward to the ongoing chronicle of your life, tell us so. Don’t trail off, this is crucial when trying to get a point across; you don’t want to leave your readers in a state of story-telling purgatory. Even if you are seeking advice at the end of your narrative, do it definitively, tell us exactly what you want.
Ghost stories are unique in comparison to most other stories in that there are usually deep emotional and personal connections to the facts being presented. Ghost story writers fear ridicule or disbelief. The writer is presenting themselves in a very vulnerable way; and rejection from the paranormal community is almost an attack on the very character of the writer. This is why I will tell you again to just stick to the facts; and just you wait, it won’t be the last time that I tell you the same thing.
I know I will receive adamant dissent when I say this, but I’m going to say it anyway: I don’t really care if your story is real or made up. Let the arguing commence. Just hear me out for a second. Of course I hope the reader is telling the truth; in my unending quest for answers, I need all the facts I can get, so I can expand my knowledge of the paranormal world. Yet when I settle in at my computer to read a bunch of ghost stories in a row, I’m looking for entertainment first and insight next. I’m certainly not suggesting that you come up with the most exciting and scary ghost story that you can think of, and then try to pass it off as fact. I’m saying that in the paranormal community, as well as in any other community, there are bound to be liars. People who may make up events just to feel included; or, dare I say it, to mock the group as a whole, feeding on, in this case, the readers’ desire to discover the truth. They also could simply be liars to the core, it may be a habit, and yes, they do have a voice as well. Thankfully, false ghost stories are painfully obvious. Historical discrepancies, plot holes, made up locations; these stories can easily be weeded out. I just want to make it clear that folk legends don’t count. That’s history right there, feel free to share your local tales. I, personally, cannot get enough of regional ghost legends.
I apologize for such a digression, but I felt it was necessary to clear the air around my presumptuous statement. No, I don’t care if your stories are true or not, I just want them to be good. In saying that, please don’t repeatedly insist that your story is true. You’re posting it on a ghost story website; thousands of people have submitted thousands of stories that are probably very similar to yours. We won’t think you’re crazy, unless, of course, your story is an obvious fake, as mentioned before. You just don’t need to say over and over again that the mentioned events really happened. Just present the facts (told you I’d mention this again) and let the reader come to their own conclusions. Some people may not believe you, and this is apparently a harsh reality for ghost story writers. But when you think about it, the paranormal is a fuzzy area. There are no definite boundaries. Tell your story the best that you can and let the skeptics be skeptics, and let your good writing assist those with open minds absorb your story and take it into consideration.
Now I’d like to present to you what I think is the most important factor in telling a good ghost story. Please don’t skimp on the details. This is my biggest problem with most ghost stories that I read. I can’t tell you how many times a ghost is simply mentioned in a story. Okay, so there was a ghost. So what? We need to know the specifics. I will admit that most stories give a basic description of the sighting. That’s all well and good, but I believe that the reader wants more. We want all the details; such as where was it? What time of day and year did it happen? What were they wearing? What exactly did it look like? Was it moving? If so, how? How did it make you feel? Don’t worry if you think that you are going on for too long; people log on to ghost story websites to read about ghosts. What really gets me is when people say they saw a demon. How do you know that what you saw was in fact a demon? What did the demon look like? Please tell us what the demon looked like.
I would also like to be let in on the history of the haunting. I have read countless stories where somehow, the haunting was verified through research. This may be the single most important thing you could possibly share with the paranormal community. If you’ve researched a haunted location, please tell your readers how you obtained this information. This will lend more than enough credence to your story. I understand if you found information on a private property and you are concerned about breaches to this privacy. Just a mention that you found your information at, let’s say, a library, you still are given a little credibility for sharing this detail.
The more details the reader gets, the more answers you’ll receive. People can relate to your story, and tell you about their similar experiences. Then you can finally make some headway in finding conclusions to your spooky encounters.
I fear I must mention what may prove to be a sore subject for a few people reading this: is your story even worth sharing? How dare I say such a thing? To those of you who have stayed with me after my last statement, I thank you. I’d like to explain myself. Primarily, I am talking about people who feel that their experience is too personal and intimate, that they omit huge chunks of their story. Are you doing this to taunt your audience? Why even mention it at all if it’s that touchy? Here I go, I’m going to say something shocking again: the paranormal community reads these stories to learn about the other side, we honestly don’t really care about your personal life. That is, unless it directly ties to the story you are telling. If you had an encounter that was too personal and private for you to properly explain, please don’t tease your audience with vague sentences and ambiguous ideas. If you’re uncomfortable telling it to others, simply don’t tell it.
Along those same lines, do a few creaks and a moment of hearing footsteps really constitute a true ghost story? I personally don’t think so. Yes, something startled you, does that mean it was a ghost? Or more importantly, would it make a good ghost story? Would you think your story is interesting if it was written by someone else? These questions apply to a very small percentage of the stories I’ve read. Like I’ve mentioned before, most stories have great ideas hidden within extraneous material. But that small percentage probably needs to rethink their story. Most importantly, is it a true ghost story? Are you sure that shadow you saw was an actual ghost? Are you sure it wasn’t just a shadow? As far as knocking and banging go, it happens in a lot of places, and a lot of places are not haunted, they just make banging sounds. Yet, what I think is most important regarding an overreaction story, is what the writer was doing during the time of these so called hauntings. Were you talking about ghosts? That is a red flag right there, the power of suggestion should never be underrated. The mind plays tricks on you, on everyone, really. Watching a scary movie can also put you in this mind set. Make sure you aren’t already scared when this so called scary event happens; otherwise, the writer comes off as a bit paranoid and very open to suggestion.
I know we all want our story to be perceived as interesting and exciting; but I can tell you that there is a huge misconception in achieving this. In many stories that I’ve read, I notice an abundance of exclamation points. They’re fine when the writer uses them in quotes, I mean, if you yelled something, you’ll definitely want to use an exclamation point. However, putting an exclamation point at the end of each sentence does not make the story any scarier. If anything, it makes the story choppy and hard to read. This is a phenomenon that I’ve only noticed in paranormal stories, if you want us to understand exactly what you were going through, stick with the facts, and be liberal with your description. Your story will be better and more interesting that way.
I promise that this long-winded rant is almost finished. I just need to drive my point home. I know you’re excited to get your story out there for the world to read and enjoy; just remember to take a little time and take your readers into consideration. They want to hear your story, they want to discuss your story; but most importantly, they need to understand your story first.
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