Horror books are more than just a category of literature, they are an experience. While most styles of literature focus on character development and plot course, horror books take those aspects to the next level by also focusing heavily on the mood and tonal aspects of a book.

As opposed to reading about characters, settings, and plot, a horror book is geared towards completely immersing the reader in an experience. While horror books certainly contain character development and plot, the real focus of this writing style is to make the reader aware of every little sound, every footstep, every shadowy movement, and every terrifying figure passing through the fog. Horror writers are required to have very powerful visualization skills, in order to flood the reader’s senses with frightening input.

This must all be done, however, without losing the reader’s interest. It requires a delicate balance between attention to detail and efficient storytelling. A very large difference between conventional books and horror books, is the attention to auditory aspects. A very important tool in the horror author’s arsenal is the sense of sound; something that the reader can hear but may not be able to see. This creates a genuine feeling of fear and terror in the reader, as the writer creates a sense that something unknown is lurking. Most books tend to focus on dialogue and visual cues while overlooking the sense of sound.

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