Children of the Night: For authors of middle grade & YA horror
So you’re writing a scary book for children or teens? Yes! Let’s be friends! This is such a fun genre in kidlit and once a reader gets their first taste of horror they’re often hooked for life (I was!). So let’s help them fall in love with the dark side. Here are some articles, websites and people that I love and think you’ll like, too.
Resources right here:
- Exploring kidlit subgenres: Supernatural horror
- Tips for writing a creepy attic or basement in middle grade or YA
- Want to read more YA horror? Start here! 2022 edition
- Sweet dreams! Should your middle grade horror have a happy ending?
- Tips for writing a creepy attic or basement in middle grade or YA
- Read like a writer: Last One to Die by Cynthia Murphy
- Read like a writer: Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall
- Analysing the Tale of the Twisted Claw
- Story prompt: lesser known monsters
- Making your spooky kidlit scenes even scarier with sound effects
Articles about writing MG and YA horror:
- Advice from young writers from the Spooky Middle Grade authors | Spooky Middle Grade
- Writing Scary Stories & Horror for Kids: 4 Lessons from Goosebumps Author R.L. Stine | Writer’s Digest
- 7 Tips on How to Write Middle Grade Horror | Writer’s Digest
- A playground for fear: Horror fiction for children | Robert Hood
- When Scaring Children Is A Good Thing: Why Kid-Friendly Horror Matters | Slash Film
- Young Adult Horror Archives | Horror Writers Association
- Amy Lucavics: Setting, Atmosphere, and Creating a Creepy Tone in Horror Fiction | WH Smith
- How to Write a Horror Story: R.L. Stine’s Tips for Writing Horror | Masterclass
- Interviewing Erica Waters: A powerful new voice in YA horror fiction | Ginger Nuts of Horror
- Kayla Cottingham On Her Debut YA Sapphic Horror Novel, My Dearest Darkest | United by Pop
- Cynthia Murphy: ‘I knew that I wanted to write something scary but also fun’ | Curtis Brown
- Author Interview: Alex Bell gets all Frozen Charlotte | Ginger Nuts of Horror
- Adam Cesare on Clown in A Cornfield, YA fiction, and YouTube | This is Horror
Articles about writing horror in general:
- All the things I wish I’d known as a beginner horror writer | The Writer
- How to Write Horror Fiction | Writers & Artists Yearbook
- 7 Tips For Writing Horror Stories | The Creative Penn
- How To Write A Spine-Chilling Horror Story | Jericho Writers
- 5 Tips for Writing Scary Stories and Horror Novels | Writer’s Digest
- Secrets of the Horror Genre | Story Grid
- 8 Horror Screenwriting Tips from the Writer of THE BLACK PHONE and SINISTER | Screen Craft
- Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Sub-Genres | Worlds Without End
- 25 Things You Should Know About Writing Horror | Terrible Minds
- The Horror Genre: On Writing Horror and Avoiding Clichés | Writer’s Digest
- What Makes a Good Monster, with Courtney Alameda | Writing Excuses
- How To Scare Your Reader: 11 Tips From 11 Horror Writers | Lit Reactor
- 13 Tips for Writing a Halloween Story | Fiction University
- 13 Ways to Freaking Freak Out Your Horror Readers | Jane Friedman
- Writing and Publishing Horror: Q&A with Todd Keisling | Jane Friedman