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How to Describe Waking Up From a Nightmare in a Story

By Rebecca Parpworth-Reynolds

Are you writing a thriller in which a character is haunted by a reoccurring nightmare? Would some descriptive words help you with your writing? Check out this post on how to describe waking up from a nightmare in a story!

Worried and nervous.

“He awoke to the anxious thudding of his heart and cold sweat upon his brow.”

“The nightmare had left him anxious and unable to sleep. Yet, at the same time, he could not bring himself to get out of bed.”

How it Adds Description

Waking up from a nightmare can often leave someone feeling on edge even after being awake for a little while. They may be very wary and nervous about things in the waking world, so you may wish to describe them as “anxious”.

2. Breathless

Unable to breathe easily.
Breathing too fast.

“He jolted awake in the middle of the night, feeling suffocated and breathless from the vivid nightmare that had just plagued his sleep.”

“Gasping for air, she woke up breathless from a nightmare that felt all too real.”

Sometimes people can wake up from nightmares gasping for air, either out of sheer panic or from the content of the bad dream. Describing their “breathless” reaction can help to spread this panic to your reader so that they understand just how scary the nightmare was for your character.

3. Disoriented

Confused and not knowing what to do or where to go.

“As she woke up disoriented from the nightmare, it took her a moment to realize that she was in her own bed, safe from the terrifying creatures of her dreams.”

“Drenched in sweat and with a racing heart, he woke up disoriented from the nightmare, unsure of where he was or what was real.”

When someone wakes up from a nightmare, they can often feel “disoriented” and confused, as their brain struggles to make sense of the sudden shift from the dream world to reality. The intense emotions and sensations experienced during a nightmare can make it difficult to distinguish between what is real and what is not, not only confounding your character but your reader, too!

4. Distressed

Upset or worried.

“Tears streaming down her face, she woke up distressed from a nightmare that had stirred up painful memories and emotions she thought she had buried long ago.”

“He woke up distressed and shaking, the vivid nightmare leaving him with an overwhelming sense of dread and an urgent need to escape the darkness that had enveloped him in his sleep.”

When someone wakes up “distressed” from a nightmare, they are usually experiencing incredibly strong emotions brought on by the bad dream. These emotions can be so intense that they may continue to linger long after the person has woken up, helping you to display the lasting impact of the nightmare to your reader.

5. Emotional

Having strong feelings .

“Overwhelmed, she woke up emotional from the nightmare, struggling to calm her racing heart and ease the knot in her stomach that refused to go away.”

“He woke up emotional from the nightmare as he tried to come to terms with the intense feelings of grief and loss that had left him reeling.”

“Nightmares can be emotionally intense experiences that can leave a person feeling overwhelmed. When someone wakes up “emotional” from a nightmare, this may be because it has tapped into fears and worries that the person has tried to suppress from their waking life. As a result, the emotions your character feels when they wake up can help give your reader an insight into their innermost thoughts and feelings.

Out of control thanks to extreme emotion.
Extremely upset.
Hurried due to anxiety or worry.

“Waking from the nightmare, she frantically threw back the covers to try to escape the monsters haunting her dreams.”

“She woke up frantic due to the nightmare, her heart and her thoughts racing as she struggled to differentiate between the nightmare and reality.”

Nightmares can be very distressing, and when someone wakes up from a particularly vivid or terrifying nightmare, they may experience a sense of panic or urgency that is difficult to shake off. This can lead to them feeling out of control, or lead to hurried movements and bodily sensations such as their heart beating or rapidly sitting up in bed. If this indicates how the character in your story wakes up, try describing them as “frantic”.

7. Panicked

Experiencing a sudden feeling of fear that makes it hard to compose oneself and think and act rationally.

“She woke up panicked from the nightmare, her body trembling with fear as she clung to her blankets.”

“He woke up with a panicked yelp from the nightmare, which many of the other boys relentlessly teased him about at breakfast the next morning.”

Sometimes nightmares make us lose our composure, meaning that we react in unexpected ways when we wake up from them out of sheer fear. This “panicked” response might even catch your reader off-guard!

8. Relieved

Happy that something bad had not happened or that something bad has ended.

“He woke up relieved , the feeling of dread and despair that had consumed him in his sleep fading away as he realized that the worst was over and that he had made it through the night.”

“She flicked her eyes open rapidly, expecting to still be in the hellscape of her nightmare, but was relieved to see the four walls of her bedroom.”

Waking up from a nightmare can sometimes be a pleasant experience, especially when the person realizes it is not real. Create a feeling of safety for them and your reader by describing them as being “relieved” that it is all over.

9. (With a) Start

Moving suddenly when something has surprised or scared someone.

“She awoke with a start , her heart threatening to beat out of her chest.”

“He awoke with such a start from the nightmare that he had to act quickly to stop himself from falling out of the bed.”

Sometimes waking up can trigger sudden movements, such as a gasp, reflexes such as a kick, or even the shock of feeling like you have fallen from a great height onto your bed! If your character wakes up “with a start” then it is clear to your reader that there was something scary in their dream they needed to get away from!

10. Terrified

Very frightened.

“Shrieking in fear, she woke up terrified from the nightmare, her body drenched in sweat.”

“He woke up terrified from the nightmare, his heart racing and his hands trembling as he tried to catch his breath, the memory of the terrifying images still fresh in his mind.”

Rather than just describing someone as scared, “terrified” gives a greater depth of emotion when it comes to waking up from a nightmare. For example, they may be incredibly confident in their daily life, but suddenly they are reduced to a quivering wreck thanks to their bad dreams.

Writing a Chilling Nightmare Scene: A StepbyStep Guide

Personal Development

Introduction to Nightmare Scenes:

Nightmare scenes are an integral part of horror fiction as they have the power to evoke fear and send shivers down the readers’ spines. Creating a chilling nightmare scene requires careful consideration of various elements such as setting, psychological impact, descriptions, dialogue, symbolism, character development, pacing, sensory engagement, and the climactic ending. In this step-by-step guide, we will explore each of these aspects in detail to help you master the art of writing a nightmare scene that will leave your readers terrified.

The Importance of Setting in Creating a Chilling Atmosphere:

The setting plays a crucial role in establishing the atmosphere of the nightmare scene. It helps create a sense of unease and adds to the overall feeling of dread. When designing the setting for your nightmare scene, focus on elements that contribute to the horror, such as dim lighting, eerie sounds, confined spaces, or abandoned locations. By utilizing descriptive language, paint a vivid picture of the surroundings to transport your readers into a world filled with terror.

Understanding the Psychological Impact of Nightmares:

Nightmares tap into our deepest fears and anxieties, making them extremely powerful storytelling tools. Understanding the psychological impact of nightmares allows you to delve into the subconscious mind of both your characters and readers. By exploring common fears such as losing loved ones, being pursued by an unknown force, or experiencing intense pain, you can create a connection with your audience and make the nightmare scene more relatable. This psychological aspect adds depth and authenticity to your writing.

Step 1: Establishing an Eerie Mood with Vivid Descriptions:

Effective nightmare scenes rely on vivid descriptions to create a strong sense of atmosphere. Use evocative language to paint a picture of the horrifying elements within the scene. Describe the bone-chilling cold, the nauseating stench, or the grotesque appearance of the creatures involved. Engage all the senses of the reader to make them feel as if they are truly experiencing the nightmare firsthand.

Using Foreshadowing to Heighten Tension in Nightmare Scenes:

Foreshadowing is a powerful technique to build anticipation and suspense in your nightmare scene. By dropping subtle hints or clues throughout the narrative, you can create a sense of impending doom. Foreshadowing can be achieved through mysterious symbols, recurring imagery, or prophetic dreams experienced by the characters. It will keep your readers on edge, waiting for the dreadful events to unfold.

Step 2: Building Suspense with Well-Crafted Dialogue:

Well-crafted dialogue is essential for bringing your nightmare scene to life. Use dialogue to reveal the characters’ fears, doubts, and the terrifying events they are experiencing. Ensure that the dialogue is concise, realistic, and loaded with tension. Through the characters’ conversations, you can create a sense of urgency and amplify the feeling of danger lurking within the scene.

The Role of Symbolism in Conveying a Sense of Dread:

Symbolism plays a vital role in conveying a sense of dread in your nightmare scene. By utilizing objects or events with symbolic significance, you can add layers of meaning and enhance the overall impact of the horror. Incorporate symbols that resonate with fear and darkness, such as blood, mirrors, or broken glass, to intensify the sense of foreboding within the scene.

Developing Complex Characters for Nightmare Scenes:

Your nightmare scene will only be as terrifying as your characters allow it to be. Develop complex characters with relatable fears and vulnerabilities to create a deeper emotional connection with your readers. By understanding your characters’ motivations and flaws, you can ensure their reactions to the horrors they face are authentic and gripping. Make your characters believable and multidimensional, amplifying the fear they experience.

Step 3: Incorporating Elements of Surprise and Twists:

Surprise and twists are crucial in nightmare scenes as they catch the readers off guard and increase the intensity of fear. Introduce unexpected events, revelations, or sudden changes in the environment to keep your readers guessing. By subverting their expectations, you can create a sense of unease and make your nightmare scene more unpredictable and horrifying.

How to Effectively Use Pacing to Build Fear in Nightmare Scenes:

Pacing is a key factor in building fear and maintaining suspense throughout your nightmare scene. Vary your pacing to keep the readers engaged and on edge. Utilize shorter, snappier sentences and paragraphs during moments of intense horror to create a sense of urgency. Conversely, slow down the pace during quieter moments to build anticipation. By manipulating the rhythm of your writing, you can effectively control the readers’ emotions and immerse them in a genuinely terrifying experience.

Step 4: Engaging the Senses to Amplify the Horror:

To amplify the horror in your nightmare scene, engaging the senses is vital. Describe the putrid smell, the chilling touch, the echoing sounds, or the nauseating taste to make the readers feel fully present in the terrifying scenario. Transporting them to the nightmare world through sensory details allows for a more immersive and spine-chilling experience.

The Power of Nightmares: Exploring the Subconscious Mind:

Nightmares have remarkable power as they tap into our subconscious mind. They reveal our darkest fears and explore the uncharted territories of the human psyche. Explore the themes of vulnerability, guilt, or repressed desires within your nightmare scene to unlock the true potential of horror. By exploring the depths of the subconscious, you can create unsettling and thought-provoking nightmares that linger in the readers’ minds long after they’ve finished reading.

Creating Haunting Visual Imagery in Nightmare Scenes:

Visual imagery is a crucial aspect of nightmare scenes. Paint unsettling and horrifying images in the minds of your readers using vivid and disturbing descriptions. Invoke colors, shapes, and textures that are inherently frightening. Utilize dark, shadowy landscapes or grotesque, otherworldly creatures to create captivating and haunting visual imagery that will stay with your readers long after they’ve closed the book.

Step 5: Crafting a Climactic Ending to Leave Readers Terrified:

The ending of your nightmare scene must leave your readers horrified and haunted. Build towards a climactic moment where all the tension and dread culminate. Avoid providing easy resolutions or a neat conclusion. Instead, leave room for lingering fear and unanswered questions. By leaving your readers in a state of emotional turmoil, you ensure that your nightmare scene will be unforgettable.

The Use of Dreams vs. Nightmares in Writing Horror Fiction:

Apart from nightmares, dreams can also be utilized in horror fiction. Dreams can serve as a contrasting element, offering moments of temporary relief or respite from the horrors experienced in the nightmare scenes. By juxtaposing dreams and nightmares, you can enhance the impact of the horrifying moments and create a deeper sense of dread.

Writing a chilling nightmare scene requires careful attention to detail and a deep understanding of the psychological intricacies that evoke fear. By following this step-by-step guide, you can create nightmare scenes that grip your readers’ imaginations and keep them awake long into the night. Remember, the true power of a nightmare lies in its ability to tap into the subconscious and unearth the darkest corners of the human psyche.

1. The Impact of Sound in Creating a Chilling Nightmare Scene

When it comes to effectively immersing readers in a chilling nightmare scene, the impact of sound cannot be underestimated. Sound can add an extra layer of terror, heighten suspense, and create a truly frightening atmosphere. In this article, we will explore the various ways in which sound can be utilized to create a haunting and memorable nightmare scene.

1.1 The Role of Silence

One of the most powerful techniques in creating a chilling nightmare scene is the strategic use of silence. By withholding sound, the writer can build tension and create a sense of unease. The silence becomes eerie, leaving the readers on edge, anticipating something dreadful to occur. We will delve into the different ways silence can be employed to amplify fear.

1.2 Harnessing Ambient Sounds

Ambient sounds play a crucial role in establishing the setting and atmosphere of a nightmare scene. They can transport readers to the world of the story and evoke an emotional response. We will explore how carefully selecting and describing ambient sounds can help create a haunting and immersive experience for readers.

1.3 The Impact of Characterized Sounds

Characterized sounds refer to sounds specifically associated with certain characters or entities within the nightmare scene. They can be used to create a sense of foreboding or to enhance the trepidation that readers feel. We will discuss different ways in which characterized sounds can be utilized to terrify and unsettle readers.

1.4 The Use of Jarring and Distorted Sounds

Jarring and distorted sounds have the ability to disorient readers and create a sense of chaos and fear. They can be used to intensify the horror and make the nightmare scene truly unnerving. We will explore various techniques to incorporate jarring and distorted sounds in nightmare scenes for maximum impact.

1.5 Music and Sound Effects

Music and sound effects can be powerful tools in creating a chilling nightmare scene. They can heighten tension, evoke emotions, and elicit physiological responses from readers. We will discuss how to select and incorporate appropriate music and sound effects to enhance the overall terror of the nightmare scene.

2. Exploring the Role of Nightmarish Imagery in Writing Horror Fiction

Nightmarish imagery is a key element in constructing a truly terrifying and chilling horror scene. By painting vivid and disturbing pictures in the reader’s mind, writers can evoke fear and unease on a deep level. In this article, we will delve into the importance of nightmarish imagery and discuss different techniques to create unsettling and haunting visuals in nightmare scenes.

2.1 Creating Surreal and Distorted Imagery

Surreal and distorted imagery can transport readers into the realm of nightmares, where reality is twisted and warped. By describing scenes that defy logic and challenge the readers’ perception of what is possible, writers can create an atmosphere of profound discomfort. We will explore various methods to craft surreal and distorted imagery in nightmare scenes.

2.2 Exploring Nightmarish Symbols and Metaphors

Symbols and metaphors can add depth and layers of meaning to nightmare scenes. By incorporating nightmarish symbols and metaphors, writers can create a sense of dread and tap into the readers’ subconscious fears. We will discuss different ways to use symbols and metaphors to enhance the nightmarish quality of horror fiction.

2.3 Describing Gruesome and Macabre Scenes

The description of gruesome and macabre scenes is an effective way to evoke visceral reactions and instill fear in readers. By carefully crafting detailed and graphic descriptions, writers can make readers feel as if they are witnessing the horror firsthand. We will explore techniques to vividly describe gruesome and macabre scenes without crossing the line into gratuitous violence.

2.4 The Manipulation of Perception and Reality

In nightmare scenes, the manipulation of perception and reality can foster a sense of confusion and disorientation. By blurring the line between the real and the imagined, writers can amplify the psychological impact of the horror. We will discuss different ways to manipulate perception and reality to create a nightmarish atmosphere.

2.5 The Power of Vivid Descriptions and Sensory Details

Vivid descriptions and sensory details are essential in conveying nightmarish imagery. By appealing to the reader’s senses and painting vivid pictures with words, writers can create an immersive and terrifying experience. We will explore the importance of sensory details in nightmare scenes and provide tips on how to effectively incorporate them into horror fiction writing.

FAQS – Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are the essential elements needed to create a chilling nightmare scene? A: The essential elements for a chilling nightmare scene include vivid imagery, intense emotions, a sense of dread and unpredictability, as well as exploring the protagonist’s deepest fears.

Q: How important is setting in creating a chilling nightmare scene? A: Setting plays a crucial role in creating a chilling nightmare scene as it helps establish the atmosphere, sets the tone, and enhances the overall sense of unease. It is important to choose a setting that complements the desired mood and helps emphasize the darkness of the scene.

Q: How can I effectively convey fear and anxiety in a nightmare scene? A: To effectively convey fear and anxiety in a nightmare scene, utilize descriptive language to depict the physical and emotional sensations experienced by the protagonist. Use heightened senses, frantic thoughts, and visceral reactions to make the reader feel the character’s terror.

Q: Should I focus more on the psychological or physical horror elements in a nightmare scene? A: The balance between psychological and physical horror elements depends on the tone and desired impact of your scene. However, a combination of both can be highly effective in creating a chilling nightmare scene. By tapping into the character’s deep-rooted fears while incorporating physical frights, you can evoke a sense of terror that lingers with the reader.

Q: How can I maintain the suspense and intensity throughout a nightmare scene? A: To maintain suspense and intensity in a nightmare scene, pacing is crucial. Utilize short, snappy sentences and paragraphs to quicken the rhythm and keep the reader engaged. Maintain a sense of uncertainty and escalate the danger gradually to sustain the tension.

When and How to Write a Character Waking Up

how to describe nightmares creative writing

Writing about a character waking up can be a challenge, especially since waking up is something we do in a semiconscious state. It can be tough to pinpoint exactly how it feels, and that makes it difficult to write convincingly. In addition to that, writers seem split on when to start a scene with a character waking up, and whether you should do it at all.

Is It Bad To Start a Scene with a Character Waking Up?

If you’ve ever been in a creative writing or fiction class, then you’ve definitely been told that it is a bad idea to start a story or scene with your main character waking up. Most experienced writers and instructors strongly advise against it. But why? Is it always a bad idea?

And really, the answer is no; you can pull off a good waking up scene that draws readers into the story. By writing a character waking up in a specific way, you can set the tone for the rest of the scene and offer a unique glimpse into the character’s personality.

However, people tend to discourage starting a scene like this, not because it is inherently bad, but because it is a tactic often used lazily. Many beginner writers rely on this technique as an easy way to transition between scenes. If the transition is abrupt, glossed over, or otherwise disregarded by the writer, then it definitely won’t be taken seriously by the reader.

If you’re considering starting a scene, or your entire story, with your main character waking up, take a moment to consider why you want to write it like that. Do you have a good reason to? Is there another way you could start it? If you don’t have a good reason for writing it like that, you probably shouldn’t do it.

When to Write a Character Waking Up

If you’re going to show a character waking up, make sure there’s a good reason for it. If you just don’t know how else to start a story, and you have your character wake up and start making coffee, chances are your readers are going to get bored.

If you want to keep your readers interested, focus on the implications of waking up. If your character is awake, then they have to do something. What is it they have to do? Are they looking forward to it, or dreading it? Do they struggle to get up, because they are injured, hungover, or groggy? Give the readers something to think about. Instead of just telling them the character is waking up, let them wonder why the character reacts a certain way when they do get up.

The act of waking up is not inherently interesting, so it is your job to present it in an interesting way. Use it as a way of emphasizing something, like your character’s memories, fears, habits, and plans. Make waking up a point to focus on, instead of just a lazy transition. And, however tempting it may be, do not overuse this technique. If every scene starts with the character waking up, it’s going to feel mundane.

If your character suffers from insomnia, then you may find yourself writing many scenes with them waking up, often still tired. If you want some guidance for writing about that specifically, I have another article that could help you out: Losing Sleep Over How to Write a Character with Insomnia?

How to Describe Waking Up

Waking up is a fundamental part of being human; we all do it. The next time you wake up in the morning or from a nap, try to focus on how it feels. Don’t reach for your phone or the lights, and instead think about what it feels like to come back to reality. Were you dreaming? Did you wake up slowly or abruptly? Did you set an alarm? How soon after waking up did you get out of bed? If you focus on how it really feels to do something in your life, you’ll be able to write about it more convincingly.

With that said, obviously not everyone wakes up the same way. And of course, waking up in the middle of the night with a hangover is going to feel different from sleeping in late on a weekend. Writing about different situations is going to require different strategies.

(As a side note, if you want to write about drunk or hungover characters, I recommend taking a peek at my other article: How to Write a Drunk Character. )

How to Describe Someone Waking Up in the Morning

Waking up in the morning is generally pretty mundane, but there are ways to make it interesting.

If the character wakes up naturally, then try to draw the scene out so it progresses in a slow and sleepy manner. Introduce details one at a time and try to show the process of things coming into focus. In general, try to avoid actually writing the phrase “things came into focus,” since you can show your readers how that feels instead of telling them that it’s happening.

Overload the scene with descriptive language and details. Bring the scene to life as much as possible, and really set the stage for the rest of the story. Describe what the character hears when they wake up, to clue the readers in to where the character lives. Do they hear birds or busy city streets? Do they hear nothing at all? What about how they feel? Is it cold? Bright?

Don’t just let readers know that the character is awake, let them experience what the character feels as they are waking up. In addition to the physical details, include little hints about the character’s personality based on how they feel about waking up. Instead of just mentioning the sounds of the city, you could describe it with negative language, to suggest that the character hates living in the city. Or, focus on the serene calmness of the sounds of nature and the coziness of the bed, to create a comfortable feeling right off the bat.

Alternatively, if the character wakes up to an alarm, they are probably going to wake up abruptly, and with less time to absorb their surroundings. Alarm clocks represent structure and routine, and your readers will immediately associate the character with being more systematic and less carefree. You should still set the scene with some descriptions to orient your audience, but in general, you should strive to cut back on the flowery language. The character needed to wake up to do something, so they can’t waste time listening to birds.

How to Describe Someone Waking Up from a Nightmare

Like with an alarm clock, a person waking up from a nightmare is going to wake up rather suddenly. They probably won’t be paying attention to the details of the room, and instead, are going to be disoriented and frantic. A nightmare triggers the body’s fight-or-flight reflex, so the character’s heart will be beating fast, and they will be alert and ready to act to defend themself from whatever they were dreaming about.

After waking up, the character will need to calm down before they can get on with the story. This is a great opportunity to explore the impact of the nightmare and the sentiment of the character. Are bad dreams commonplace, or is the character unused to waking up like this? Is the nightmare an echo of a bad memory, or the result of some supernatural influence?

Have the character think about the details of the dream after the fact, but do not explain the entire dream for the readers. Give little hints about what it could mean to give readers something to think about. If the dream is foreshadowing a future event or an ongoing struggle, don’t give everything away right from the beginning!

Your character may have a difficult time coming back to reality after a nightmare. When this happens, they could experience sleep paralysis upon waking up. This is when a person is unable to speak or move for several minutes after waking up, and may hallucinate seeing or feeling an evil presence like a demon, a figure from their past, or something they fear. You could use this as a tactic to extend the nightmare into the character’s waking life, to emphasize the impact the nightmares have on them.

If you want to read more about how to incorporate dreams and nightmares into your story, check out my article: Writing About Dreams and Nightmares .

How to Describe Someone Waking Up from Being Unconscious

If your character “fell asleep” as a result of getting knocked on the head then they aren’t going to wake up the same way as they would any other time. The first thing they’re going to notice as they wake up is how bad their head hurts. A person has to be hit really hard to lose consciousness, so your character is in for a pretty bad headache when they come to, and they’re going to notice the pain before they can register any other sensation. Make sure that is the first thing you mention unless the character is woken up forcefully by another character, a loud sound, or something else.

Once the character has had time to overcome the pain, they’re probably going to be pretty disoriented. Show the character trying to work through exactly what happened before they fell unconscious, and have them try to sort through what they know and don’t know. Was it a bad fall? A fight? How much do they even remember? Help the readers along by having the character search for context, like what time it is, where they are, and how they managed to get hurt.

Keep in mind that a character who is struck in the head hard enough to knock them out will endure a concussion. The article How to Write About Brain Damage (Accurately!) can walk you through the specifics of including that detail in your story.

How to Describe Someone Waking Up in an Unfamiliar Place

The perfect time to execute a scene that begins with the character waking up is with a kidnapping. Your character will be just as confused as the readers, and you can use that as your hook to keep readers engaged.

If your character wakes up in an unfamiliar place, chances are, the first thing they’re going to do is start to panic. They may start to wake up groggily, but as soon as they realize they may be in danger, adrenaline is going to kick in and they’ll be fully awake in less than a second.

They’re going to look around at everything to try to figure out where they are, so make sure you describe the scene in as much detail as possible. However, avoid the flowery language. If your character is terrified, they’re going to look at things and not really think about them much, so describe things quickly and visually—and move on.

In this case, waking up isn’t the focus. Have the character realize the situation quickly, so they can progress the story. If they can’t move because they’re tied up, then they might start trying to think of how they got there, and who could be behind it. But in general, the character isn’t going to waste a whole lot of time before they start trying to do something to get out of the situation.

Some Parting Thoughts

No one should be able to tell you what you definitively should or should not write. There isn’t a wrong way to tell a story. If you think starting a scene with a character waking up is the best way to do that, then don’t let anyone stop you. It’s your story after all, and if you write it with care and passion, it’s going to be interesting.

If someone tells you not to write something, don’t take that advice at face value. Try to think about why they’re giving you that advice, and why they think it would help you. It’s not that starting a scene with a character waking up is bad, it’s just that most people don’t do it well. When people tell you not to do it, they’re actually telling you not to use cheap tricks to avoid writing difficult transitions. If you know how to handle a character waking up, then there’s no reason to shy away from putting it in your story.

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BRYN DONOVAN

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Master List of Ways to Describe Fear

People have been asking me for this list for such a long time! If you write horror, suspense, mystery, or any kind of fiction with a scary scenes, you need to know how to describe fear.

This list can get you started. It’s a lot of phrases describing fear, including physical reactions, physical sensations, facial expressions, and other words you can use in your novel or in other creative writing.

I’ve included some that can work for uneasiness or anxiety, but most of these are for real terror. You can alter them to fit your sentence or your story, and they’ll likely inspire you to come up with your own descriptions.

Bookmark or pin this page for your reference—it might save you a lot of time in the future. I’ll probably add to it now and again!

Master List of Ways to Describe Fear #master lists for writers free ebook #master lists for writers free pdf #master lists for writers free kindle #describing fear in a story #description of fear #great fear #how to describe fear #words describing fear

fear paralyzed him

his terror mounted with every step

she fought a rising panic

fear tormented her

her heart was uneasy

her heart leaped into her throat

his heart hammered in his chest

his heart pounded

terror stabbed his heart

his heart jumped

her heart lurched

a fear that almost unmanned him

his body shook with fear

she trembled inside

he suppressed a shiver

panic surged through him

her fear spiked

he was in a complete state of panic

she could feel nothing but blind terror

his legs were wobbly with fear

she sweated with fear

his hands were cold and clammy

she was weighed down by dread

dread twisted in her gut

his stomach clenched

fear fluttered in her stomach

her belly cramped

he felt like he might throw up

she was sick with fear

she was frightened down to the soles of her shoes

he was icy with panic

her body went cold with dread

raw panic was in her voice

her voice was thick with fear

his voice was edged with fear

terror thundered down on him

fear caught her in its jaws

fear clawed up her throat

terror sealed her throat

fear gripped her throat

his throat tightened

then she knew real terror was

he was frantic with fear

she was half mad with terror

the color drained from her face

his face was ashen

she blanched

dread gnawed at his insides

dread had been growing in him all day

fresh terror reared up within her

fear choked him

terror stole her words

he was mute with horror

her voice was numb with shock

his voice was shrill with terror

her defiant words masked her fear

her body felt numb

his blood froze in his veins

terror coursed through her veins

fear throbbed inside her

his panic fueled him

adrenaline pumped through his body

adrenaline crashed through her

fear pulsed through him

her scalp prickled

the hairs on the back of her neck stood up

his mouth went dry

his bones turned to jelly

her bones turned to water

she froze with horror

he didn’t dare to move

terror struck her

he was too frightened to lift her head

she was too frightened to scream

his mouth was open in a silent scream

he cringed with fear

she cowered

he shrank back in fear

she flinched

a bolt of panic hit her

terror streaked through him

her terror swelled

his panic increased

anxiety eclipsed his thoughts

panic flared in her eyes

his eyes were wild with terror

her eyes darted from left to right

she feared to close her eyes

he lay awake in a haze of fear

she walked on in a fog of fear

his eyes widened with alarm

she tried to hide her fear

he struggled to conceal his shock

fear crept up her spine

fear trickled down her spine

panic seized his brain

she felt a flash of terror

fear took hold of him

fear flooded through her being

she ordered a drink to drown the panic

he arranged and re-arranged the items on his desk

a nameless dread engulfed him

Master List of Ways to Describe Fear #describing fear in a story #description of fear #great fear #how to describe fear #words describing fear

I bet you came up with other ideas as you were reading!

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Strange is the new normal, how to write creepy scenes to make your readers squirm.

Most writers who delve into horror hit the prose with a bag of clichés and heavy handed stage props—swirling fog, glowing eyes, wicked laughs. Don’t get me wrong, camp can be great (if it’s intentional). However, a more subtle approach can work wonders.

Add Details One by One

Use disturbing details or reversals when describing your scenes. Each one, taken by itself, does little, but in combination, they imbue the reader with unease. Consider Cold Skin by Albert Sánchez Piñol. Here an unnamed narrator just inhabited a weather station on a deserted island.

Just then, I heard a pleasing sound far off. It was more or less like a heard of goats trotting in the distance. At first, I confused it with the pattering of rain; the sound of heavy and distinct drops. I got up and looked out of the closest window. It wasn’t raining. The full moon stained the ocean’s surface in a violet hue. The light bathed the driftwood lying on the beach. It was easy to imagine them as body parts, dismembered and immobile. The whole thing brought to mind a petrified forest. But it wasn’t raining.

Reversal : The narrator thinks it’s raining, but then there’s no rain. We wonder what’s creating that pattering sound, and the not knowing makes us uneasy.

Disturbing details : The water is stained violet, a bloodlike color. This idea is cemented in the reader’s skull with the driftwood, described as dismembered limbs.

Let the Character Freak Out

Nothing creeps out a reader faster than letting the protagonist freak out. Ever wonder why there are so many screams in horror movies? It’s the same thing. As an author, you must find the written equivalent to the scream.

In Bag of Bones by Stephen King, the protagonist, Mike Noonan, begins to believe that his house is haunted. He’s in the basement and hears the sound of someone striking the insulation, but no one else is home.

…every gut and muscle of my body seemed to come unwound. My hair stood up. My eyesockets seemed to be expanding and my eyeballs contracting, as if my head were trying to turn into a skull. Every inch of my skin broke out in gooseflesh. Something was in here with me. Very likely something dead.

King lays it on thick here. Instead of one physical reaction, he dumps the whole bucket on us. He doesn’t dazzle us with a etherial decaying corpse. We won’t even see the ghost till the final chapters. No. He tells us how Noonan feels just in the presence of the thing and that’s what creeps us out.

Another example of the character freaking out can be seen in Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House .

Now we are going to have a new noise, Eleanor thought, listening to the inside of her head; it is changing. The pounding had stopped, as though it had proved ineffectual, and there was now a swift movement up and down the hall, as of an animal pacing back and forth with unbelievable impatience, watching first one door and then another, alert for a movement inside, and there was again the little babbling murmur which Eleanor remembered; Am I doing it? she wondered quickly, is that me? And heard the tiny laughter beyond the door, mocking her.

Here the character doubts herself and what she sees. This is essential to any horror story. When weird things happen, the character mysteries react accordingly. The stranger the situation, the stronger the reaction. And most of us would doubt our sanity in creepy situations.

Let The Reader Do the Imagining

Why should you, the author, do all the heavy lifting. Your reader’s imagination will often fill in the blanks for you. Take this example from Stephen King’s The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon .

As she reached the driver’s door of the cab, which hung open with vines twisting in and out of its socket of a window, lightning flashed again, painting the whole world purple. In its glare Trisha saw something with slumped shoulders standing on the far side of the road, something with black eyes and great cocked ears like horns. Perhaps they were horns. It wasn’t human; nor did she think it was animal. It was a god. It was her god, the wasp-god, standing there in the rain.

Notice that the monster is only vaguely described. It’s called “something” twice. This lets the reader fill in the blanks. There is enough description that we at least know it’s a big hulking creature. This is the literary equivalent of when Ridley Scott only showed glimpses of the alien in Alien .

Use Strong Verbs

Finally, strong verbs will help any writer to shine, but they can also allow one character to shine over another. Take this excerpt from William Blatty’s The Exorcist .

Regan’s eyes gleamed fiercely, unblinking, as a yellowish saliva dribbled down from a corner of her mouth to her chin, to her lips stretch taut into a feral grin of bow-mouthed mockery.

“Well, well, well,” she gloated sardonically and hairs prickled up on the back of Karras’s neck at a voice that was deep and thick with menace and power. “So, it’s you … they sent you !” she continued as if pleased. “Well, we’ve nothing to fear from you at all.”

“Yes, that’s right,” Karras answered; “I’m your friend and I’d like to help you.”

“You might loosen these straps, then,” Regan croaked. She had tugged up her wrists so that now Karras noticed they were bound with a double set of leather restraining straps.

“Are the straps uncomfortable for you?”

“Extremely. They’re a nuisance. An infernal nuisance.”

The eyes glinted slyly with secret amusement.

Karras saw the scratch marks on Regan’s face; the cuts on her lips where apparently she’d bitten them. “I’m afraid you might hurt yourself, Regan,” he told her.

“I’m not Regan,” she rumbled, still with that taut and hideous grin that Karras now guessed was her permanent expression. How incongruous the braces on her teeth looked, he thought. “Oh, I see,” he said, nodding. “Well, then, maybe we should introduce ourselves. I’m Damien Karras. Who are you?”

“I’m the devil!”

Notice the verbs that Blatty uses with Reagan — gleamed, dribbled, gloated, croaked, rumbled. In contrast, the more calm individual in the scene, Karras, responds with simple verbs like “answered” and “saw”. The contrast allows the reader to see Reagan as disturbing.

If you want to make your readers squirm, reading only in daylight hours, shy away from the obvious gore and claptrap. Rather, take the quieter road of tiny disturbing details built up over pages and chapters. Show how your character reacts to what’s happening, and the reader will feel it too.

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4 Tips for Writing Your Character’s PTSD and Trauma Memories

April 22, 2021 by LISA HALL WILSON

Trauma: any event that overwhelms our ability to cope, causes feelings of helplessness, and diminishes our ability to feel a full range of emotions. Anything can be traumatic depending on the individual and what they can cope with.

Giving a character a trauma background , having them experience some kind of trauma, or having to live with and manage PTSD is something more and more writers are choosing for their stories.

Trauma is full of conflict and emotional tension, but readers don’t want objective news coverage. They want the lived experience of the event whether it’s happening right now or fifty years ago.

How Our Brains Record Trauma

Memories aren’t recorded in continuous action like a film. It’s recorded in bits with skips and blanks. Human brains crave beginnings, middles, and ends to things. Context. Continuity. Closure. So, the brain will always look to other sources to fill in those gaps (other survivor accounts, news reports, documentaries, etc) to label, understand, find closure. I cover this more in-depth here .

What a victim takes in during any trauma may differ from what they remember immediately after and may differ again a week or a month later. This reality is particularly apparent in rape cases. The Netflix show Unbelieveable captures this aspect of memory with compelling realism.

This aspect of memory is where you, as the author, can strategically choose which details your characters focus on, are haunted by, prioritize, deny, self-medicate to avoid, etc.

A PTSD Memory Is Frozen In Time

Generally speaking, memory is flexible and fluid. With time, some elements fade and others come to the fore. With PTSD however, the event is captured with photographic detail that doesn’t change much or at all.

If you think of the brain as a giant old-school file cabinet, most memories—even traumatic ones—are filed away for later reference. This relates to how we handle this, react to that, etc. Context.

But, the PTSD memories are left in the to-be-filed box because the brain doesn’t know where to put them—in modern times there’s usually no context for rape or a natural disaster, right? And those trauma memories are the first ones the brain turns to in order to figure out how to react to things, interpret things, measure risk—everything. The lack of closure means the trauma memory remains a constant and present threat.

There were studies done after WW1 where soldiers just returning from the battlefield were asked to recount a specific battle or incident while it was fresh in their memories. Forty years later, those same soldiers were interviewed again. Those with PTSD recalled the same sights, sounds, smells, and sensory details almost word for word. It’s like an old record or CD with a scratch that gets stuck in one place.

Those who didn’t have PTSD (which represented the majority), their accounts were very different from their original statements, because they’d had time for other sources to fill in the gaps, to find context and closure. As time went on, some or many details changed or were lost.

So how can you use this information when writing trauma or PTSD memories for your character?

1. Know Which Kind of Memories Your Character Is Dealing With

Emotions are the key to capturing the effects of these memories for readers. Emotions have three jobs: to warn us, to tell us something, or to protect us. This is super helpful when thinking about how to SHOW the effect trauma memories have, or why they’re triggered. I go into more detail about emotional context here.

With any trauma memory, there’s one or more emotion concerned with protecting the character from this ever happening again. So any character with a trauma background could have those memories brought forward by feeling too small, insignificant, or weak (as an example). Any situation that recreates that feeling can trigger the trauma memory: someone standing next to them while they’re seated, having to speak with someone in authority (ie., a police officer), etc.

For those with PTSD, this triggered emotion will activate survival instincts the character will immediately NEED to obey and are often be disproportionate to the situation. Usually, whatever helped them survive initially will be the default reaction. This is not a reaction they can think their way out of. In real life there wouldn’t be much internal dialogue to rationalize or contextualize or self-soothe (though there may be some repeated phrase or warning: good girls do what they’re told , for instance). They may, however, be aware that their reaction isn’t “rational” to the present situation, though it made perfect sense in the trauma situation.

Get curious about the consequences of your character being triggered, because whether he or she chooses to resist or go along with their instinct, those consequences should play into the story. What might happen in a situation where their gut response is anger, but they resist that urge? Or what if they did react instinctively, and they ended up causing physical, emotional, or relational harm to themselves or others? How do they handle the aftermath of a reaction that “makes no sense?” Do you see the kinds of complications this leads to for those with PTSD?

Without PTSD, someone with a trauma memory is able to retain the ability to think, to problem solve, and intellectualize when faced with those same emotions. It will be upsetting, it will influence their decisions, but the reactions diminish. For those with PTSD, most of the time, their solution is to avoid those emotions being triggered because the consequences are costly.

2. Choose Details That Are out of Place

Trauma memories will focus on the things that aren’t as they should be—those will be the upsetting details. Survivors will often focus on what’s out of place, on what’s wrong, what shouldn’t be. They will register this as wrong, but may be unable in the moment to articulate WHY it’s out of place or shouldn’t be.

One holocaust survivor recalled how she (as a child) was in hiding with her mother when they were discovered by the Nazis. She hid and her mother was dragged outside several meters away. The girl peeked through a crack in the doorway, saw a soldier point at her mother’s head and heard a crack (a gunshot). In vivid detail, she recounted how the snow turned red. She focused on waiting for hours for her mother to get up. She didn’t have any context for what had happened at the time, but in her retelling there were many details added from an adult perspective.

I also read an account of someone who survived the Oklahoma City bombings. She recalled paper fluttering from the sky, personal papers, and scrambling to try and pick them up. She remembered walking, and the ground crunching underfoot with every step. In the moment, she was deeply upset by this sensory detail but couldn’t say why. Later, she could explain that those were papers people wouldn’t ordinarily be so careless with, that the asphalt was covered in shattered glass from the blown-out windows. She didn’t remember seeing anyone injured or upset, though she acknowledged she must have. Her brain had selectively blocked what was overwhelming.

When writing memories like these for your character, i nstead of seeking to capture the complete horror of an event, try narrowly focusing on what would be most upsetting to them. To show what was overwhelming or traumatizing, use things they remember or forget.

Be visceral with the sensory details . Sound and smell are two senses very closely linked with memory. This will be specific to your character, unique to their experiences and threat levels.

If you’re giving your character PTSD, these memories may have skips and gaps they can’t explain. They may vividly recall every emotion they felt, or they may not recall feeling anything at all (though those same emotions will still be triggered).

3. Use Flashbacks—Carefully

There are two kinds of flashbacks used in novels. One is a glimpse into a character’s past, basically a cut scene to something that happened before, which may or may not include anything traumatic. This is usually written as a dream or as backstory.

The second kind of flashback is a trauma memory replayed in detail associated with or to show PTSD. Avoid the temptation to use just this aspect of PTSD and ignore all the intrusive and debilitating aspects of this disorder (well, it’s more correctly a brain injury). Flashbacks are trauma memories re-lived: emotionally, visually, and/or as an auditory memory.

Here’s the thing: in real life, a flashback is the body immersing itself in and re-living the worst event of the character’s life over and over without any warning or control to stop it or prevent it from happening. It’s more like a nightmare than a memory, because it can block out all sense of time and place. These memories can also show up in nightmares that might thematically have no resemblance to the trauma but instead focus on the triggered emotion, like helplessness. These memories are exhausting—mentally, emotionally and physically. I’ve written more about PTSD flashbacks here.

4. Remember that Memories and the Reactions to Them Are Very Individual

When writing trauma memories, keep in mind how much time has gone by. Those WW1 soldiers recounting events from forty years previous—their memories consisted of what they remembered but they were also made up of what the news reported, what they saw on TV, and what others said. Some consciously or unconsciously altered their memories to avoid a variety of internal consequences (guilt, shame, etc). Think about what other sources might be available to your character to fill in the gaps in the character’s memory, or what reasons they may have to hide or diminish their outward reactions to those memories. What would be the consequences of that emotional suppression?

No two trauma survivors are the same. Take the time to research trauma and mental health . Try to find someone you can interview. My experience of PTSD is unique to me. There are commonalities that are used as diagnostic tools, so those are good to be aware of, but the intensity, relational/physical/social consequences, coping mechanisms—all of this is very individual. Use the lengths the character goes to in order to avoid the memory or its resulting feelings to SHOW the depth and intensity of the pain and tension.

In summary, no one wants to be defined by what’s happened to them, but if you’ve given your character some kind of traumatic memory, be sure those memories significantly influence their decisions, actions, thoughts and feelings—otherwise, why bother?

Resource to help you:

If you would like help unearthing your character’s backstory wound and gain valuable ideas on how each experience might impact their behavior, self-worth, fears, and more, try this Emotional Wound Database .

It can guide you on what to expect for different types of trauma, so you can accurately show the strain of having such a wound be part of their past.

Have you given your character any sort of trauma backstory, or do they experience significant trauma in your story?

If Lisa had a super-power it would be breaking down complicated concepts into digestible practical steps. Lisa loves helping writers “go deeper” and create emotional connections with readers using deep point of view! Hang out with Lisa on Facebook at Confident Writers where she talks deep point of view.

Reader Interactions

April 28, 2021 at 9:18 pm

Late to the party but this is great stuff on a tough topic. Thanks for sharing. I can’t wait to pass it along for Writer Wednesday.

April 29, 2021 at 11:36 pm

Hope it was helpful!

September 1, 2021 at 7:46 pm

I happened upon this article by accident, but I’d just like to say I love the information presented here. It’s very obvious you’re thoroughly knowledgeable when it comes to this topic. As someone who studies psychology, I’ve seen PTSD written about in all the wrong ways way too often. It’s so refreshing to see someone who knows things like PTSD being a brain injury rather than a disorder, and the complicated issues the brain faces when “filing” PTSD memories. Thank you so much!

April 22, 2021 at 3:01 pm

This is such excellent material! I just finished writing a book in which the character suffered from PTSD as well as an amputation. After reading this, I feel like I pretty much presented challenges correctly. Thank you for sharing!

April 29, 2021 at 11:38 pm

Awesome! We need more writers to show the realities of living with and managing these conditions so more people understand and have compassion. Write the truth in the lie to paraphrase Stephen King.

April 22, 2021 at 9:19 am

Thanks for having me!! I’ve read/watched a lot of stories that have characters PTSD just because they seemed to like the idea of using flashbacks. If writers don’t want all the additional consequences of PTSD they’re better off just using a trauma memory. There’s way more flexibility and in time there’s normal function. It’s pretty insulting to see a condition that’s debilitating reduced to an inconvenient memory.

April 22, 2021 at 9:08 am

Love this, especially focusing on details that is out of place. Thank you, Lisa!

April 22, 2021 at 8:48 am

Such good stuff, Lisa. Getting this right is incredibly important—not only for creating realistic characters, but to treat the topic respectfully for readers who have been through trauma. Thanks for sharing.

[…] This is Part One of a Two-Part Series. Find Post Two Here: 4 Tips For Writing Your Character’s… […]

[…] story. Stavros Halvatzis examines the inner life of characters in stories, Lisa Hall-Wilson offers 4 tips for writing your character’s PTSD and trauma memories, Samantha Downing lists 4 tips for writing about family grudges, and Katharine Grubb gives us 10 […]

Secret Writers Guild

The Secret is Out…

How to Write Characters With Trauma: Nightmares, Flashbacks, and Triggers

By Lindsay Fortin

CW: Fire

Trauma is one of those things that appears often in stories. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where a character doesn’t experience trauma, and it’s usually part of a character’s arc. You have to be mean to your characters in order for them to grow. It wouldn’t be much of a story if everything was happy and rose-tinted all the time. But writing a character with trauma is difficult. Especially if you’ve never experienced PTSD yourself. And as someone who’s experienced PTSD, I’ve noticed some depictions of trauma responses that stand out as stereotypical and inaccurate.

And just to clarify, this is partly based on my research of PTSD, as well as my own experience with it. There may be common features in everyone who suffers with PTSD, but not everyone will present in the same way or experience the same symptoms. It can present differently in different people, and this is only one limited perspective. My own experience isn’t gospel, and there are so many different ways that PTSD can impact people. If you or someone you know has experienced PTSD in a different way than I have, that is completely valid and okay!

PTSD is complicated, and not like what we see in movies. Flashbacks, nightmares, and triggers tend to be different than the way they’re usually depicted. I’ll illustrate using my own experience with PTSD. In the spring of 2014 I had a house fire. I was 15 at the time, and unfortunately I was the one cooking when it started. Luckily no one was hurt and we didn’t lose our whole house, even though what wasn’t fire damaged still needed to be stripped and rebuilt. Nearly everything we owned was smoke and heat damaged, but ultimately we were very lucky.

I can’t touch on all the different aspects of PTSD, but I’ll hit three major points that usually appear in books and other media; nightmares, flashbacks, and triggers.

To keep in mind when writing your characters:

Not everyone will have the same reaction to trauma. Some will bounce back much more quickly than others, and look back on it as an unpleasant event that they went through. For others it will be deeply traumatic. Therefore not everyone will develop PTSD.
Even more than that, people won’t always develop the same symptoms. Mine manifested a lot in guilt, shame, and anxiety, but for others it might manifest as irritation, emotional outbursts, questioning their beliefs and everything they know, etc…
Think about your character and how the trauma might impact them. Do they care a lot about others? Are they naturally impulsive? Are they good at hiding their feelings? How does this traumatic event shake their world up?

Nightmares:

The way I thought nightmares with PTSD worked was that they were a vivid replay of the traumatic thing that happened. That’s not exactly how it is. It’s more about the feelings and the general themes of the event, and while it incorporates a lot of those same tangible elements, it sometimes plays them in a different way.

For example, if my traumatic event goes:

I’m cooking.
An oil fire starts.
I freeze, not knowing what to do. I can’t move.
My mom tells me to call 911 and get the dogs. I can barely hear her yell over the roar of the flames.
I get the dogs and we get outside.
We sit across the street waiting for the firetrucks to arrive.

You might think that my PTSD nightmare might be a repeat of this, and go:

I freeze, not knowing what to do. I can’t move.
We sit across the street waiting for the firetrucks to arrive.

But it’s much more complex than that. The way I felt in those moments show up way more often in my dreams than some of the physical elements of the trauma. Sometimes I wake up feeling the way I did during the fire. Unsafe, homesick, guilty, panicked, and fearful for my mom and my dogs’ welfare. Sometimes I’ll only remember confusing flashes of images from the dream. Other times I will have dreams that incorporate the tangible aspects of my trauma, but it won’t always be in the exact order or place it happened. I’ve even had perfectly normal dreams in completely different settings turn into a PTSD dream unexpectedly. So rather than a direct replay of the traumatic event, I might get something more like:

I smell smoke. I’m huddled in a corner, frozen. I’m in my bedroom in my new apartment, where I moved a couple of years after the fire. It’s dark. It’s nighttime instead of daytime, completely midnight black except for the bright glowing light flickering outside my door. I know my dogs are close to the fire but I can’t get to them. I struggle against my own body, but I might as well be a statue. I can’t hear myself think over how loud the flames are. Guilt and panic threaten to eat me alive as I feel the flames get closer to my dogs and I can’t do anything. The smoke gets stronger, and I can feel the heat of the fire fill up the room.

I come across nightmare scenes in books that are a direct replay of the traumatic event, and don’t focus enough on the feelings that the character felt in that moment. If we’ve seen the character experience the traumatic event in the book already, you don’t need to repeat it. Instead, dive deeper into how their body feels, what their thought process is like, and how they interact with the world around them in that moment. It’s a great opportunity to show the character’s deepest fears, their regrets, and the inner workings of their psyche. Rather than replaying the trauma exactly as it happened, take advantage of the character building opportunity! Anything can happen in a dream. Be creative with the images, but keep the themes and emotions consistent. Explore those themes and let it actually say something about the character. Your reader will appreciate it.

Flashbacks:

This is another aspect of trauma that a lot of media gets wrong. There’s this stereotypical image of someone having a flashback that can’t distinguish between their memory and reality, and they really think they’re reliving their trauma all over again. While I’m sure that many people might experience their flashbacks like this, I’ve personally found it can be much more subtle. The one part that they get sort of right is that it does feel like you’re reliving your trauma all over again. But I’ve always been aware that I’m not physically standing in front of the fire anymore. What happens is, in my opinion, much worse. My body feels like it’s trapped in front of the fire, that I’m trapped inside of that moment. I’m aware that it’s not currently happening and that I’m physically safe, but I can’t escape it, no matter where I go. My mind will replay certain aspects of the fire and induce that bodily response, and there’s nothing that can stop it. I’m not just brought back to that moment — it lives inside of me and all around me no matter where I go. It’s like being haunted by a very, very determined ghost. Like stepping between two realities. You’re aware that in this moment you are technically safe, but you can’t convince your body and mind of that fact regardless of how hard you may try.

Flashbacks for me can even come in the form of smells. The smoke from the fire had a very distinct smell to it, and for years every time I would get stressed, or come across a trigger, or simply be sitting on the couch watching Netflix, the smell of the smoke would fill my nose and it would be difficult to get it out. I can’t smell anything else in that state. Because I can smell the smoke, it tricks my body into thinking I’m in danger again. These flashbacks can happen anywhere, and even though they’re the ones I can most easily hide from people, they’re not any less distressing. For others with PTSD I imagine that they have similar experiences with taste, touch, and hearing things from their traumatic event.

Triggers:

Triggers can be anything. It might be someone making a casual comment to you about your trauma that puts you into a downward spiral, a commercial on TV, a sight or smell, a texture, an unexpected sound, a place, a person, or even feeling the way you did during the traumatic event. A trigger can bring on a flashback, or even a panic attack.

While some of my triggers are what you’d expect: fire, fire alarms, sirens, smoke

They’re also things you might not expect: seeing more than one fire truck, candles, turning on the stove, cutting onions (which is what I was doing prior to the fire starting), heat from cooking, standing on pavement with bare feet, and even the word “fire.”

Writing a character who has been put through a traumatic event and shows the effects of that trauma can be difficult, but it can also be a really good exercise in getting inside of your character’s head. If you plan to have them experience nightmares, flashbacks, and triggers, take advantage of that opportunity to really dive deep into what drives them and how they see the world. It will help bring your character to life!

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Writing nightmares/dreams

How can I write a nightmare scene without making readers aware that it is indeed a nightmare and not something that is really happening to the character?

creative-writing

3 Answers 3

All you have to do is write it as though it was really happening.

However, you should be aware that many readers strongly dislike it when you fool them in this way --there has to be a strong reason for doing it, otherwise it feels like a cheap parlor trick, and can damage suspension of disbelief.

Relating Dreams and Nightmares as real life scenes in your stories are an over used trope. We can thank all those writers who came before us to stripping the trees of the low hanging fruit to tell their stories.

If the trope is important to your story, then by ensuring that your readers know its is a dream you can refute any complaints you are using an over wrote trope.

If you want you narrative to be free of distancing statements like last night I dreamt … you can have your character relate that they always dream of something specific — unicorns or candy corn or rubber washing gloves. They should react to that observation in some way that reveals plot or character. Then you can have those specific elements show up in your dream scenes and they will clue your readers in to that fact that they are in a dream or nightmare.

Weirdness factor:

I've watched and read a lot of messed up stuff. Chris isn't wrong, in that you can certainly write very realistic dreams. But is that really what you want to do? I think of The Illustrated Man , Inception , or Brazil , and the surreal qualities of the settings in these works are such that the lines between dream and reality blur. Eventually, you're not even sure if it matters.

I have a character who dreams about memories, but sometimes it's not HER memories (she has a ghost). Other times, they are dreams, but premonitions. Other times, they are symbolic and sent as messages. Unfortunately, you usually know they are SOME kind of dream, but not how 'real' they are. The character also hallucinates sometimes (and sometimes the hallucinations reveal a deeper reality, making them more real than reality), so it gets murky. But short of having reality be a slippery slope for the character, readers don't want to be tricked into thinking dreams are real. The best I can suggest is to make the character's reality messed up enough that the character isn't sure what's real.

Altered mental states (I'm leery of 'mental illness' as a tag) allow your character to inhabit a very strange reality. You can portray that reality to your reader. Sometimes, their dreams might be more real than their reality (depending on what genre you're writing in).

Virtual reality is another popular approach to this. Once in a virtual reality, you can never be 100% sure your character has left the virtual reality. There's always the nagging possibility that something (or everything) is just a construct of the virtual reality.

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Descriptive Writing: Nightmare World (Writing Process, Example Plan + Written Extract)

Below, you’ll find a Descriptive Writing Piece: Nightmare World, along with the writing process, example plan and written extract. The piece below was given to a student as a writing prompt. With direction and support during the planning phase, he produced an excellent piece of work! His piece would receive a high grade, though it isn’t perfect it is at the top level of what can be expected for a student of his age. It was not written in timed conditions, but it was written in one sitting without being redrafted. Examiner’s comments and feedback have also been provided.

Whether you’re studying descriptive writing for the first time, or more experienced with the process, reading through the process, plan and final answers of this student will help you to familiarise yourself with the concept of descriptive writing and improve your own creative writing works. Feel free to try your own ‘Nightmare World’ answer after reading through the document!

Thanks for reading! If you need help with Descriptive Writing in general, you can access our full online courses here:

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QUESTION: “My Nightmare World” – write a description of a nightmare world, as suggested by this writing prompt.

Simile
Metaphor
Visual image
Auditory image
Olfactory image
Gustatory image
Repetition
Alliteration
Onomatopoeia
Hyperbole
Personification
Assonance / consonance / sibilance
Dialogue

FIRE WORDS (Research relevant vocabulary)

Spurting Sputtering
Catastrophic
Flickering

Descriptive Writing Piece: Hot Air Balloon

Think of events or experiences that cause fear
What are you personally afraid of? Explore your own fears, and write in a way that captures your own experience of something.
If you have time, research your idea more thoroughly! Read different descriptions of a similar topic, also read about your topic in more depth. In this case, the student read articles about wildfires in Australia that helped to inspire some of the imagery in his piece.
Refine your concept – choose one topic that’s precise and focussed (CHOSEN TOPIC – VILLAGE ON FIRE)
Jot down ideas and thoughts – these could be images, ideas for setting or characters, ideas for tone and mood, or other details
You may also want to develop a list of good vocabulary or techniques that will help you ambitiously push the boundaries of your writing

How to Plan a Perfect Answer in Descriptive Writing

Description of Scenery – Forest. Relaxed tone, flowing long sentences
Smell, sight (black smoke, coming out of the trees)
Fire leaps out, description of colours and effects, people run away
Description of feelings, sweating etc
Fire gets larger, more intense – inferno
Description of final scenery (all burnt)

As I looked out of my window, I saw the beautiful forest, in the afternoon sun, trees swaying in the gentle breeze, with the welcoming sounds of the forest surrounding the greenery. Birds singing, the flowing river, glistening in the sunlight and people walking around enjoying the serene day. People having picnics, people strolling around, happily.

But, suddenly, I began to smell a pungent, bitter odour, an acrid smell repeated which made me flinch as I began to cough. I looked back up and saw black, thick smoke, oozing out of the dense canopy of the trees, spreading out into the open sky. It enveloped the whole of the town, a darkening mass, which blocked out the sun. I was shocked, and confused: what was this mysterious, coal black fog, shrouding the entire town?

At once, dark orange flames sprang out of the forest, leaping from tree to tree – embers sparking out everywhere, trees collapsing, scorched and blackened from the rage of the fiery inferno….

*Please note that this is just an extract, the full piece is available on our website.

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How To Describe Night In Writing (100 Best Words + Examples)

As a writer, I know all too well the challenges that come with describing the essence of the night.

That’s why I’ve put together this guide to help you master the art of writing about the night.

Here is how to describe night in writing:

Describe night in writing by using vivid sensory details, metaphors, and character reactions to evoke the atmosphere, emotions, and complexities of the nocturnal world. Shift night imagery for unforgettable storytelling in different genres.

Keep reading to learn over 100 words and examples of how to describe night in writing.

Understanding the Intricacies of Nighttime Descriptions

Nighttime scene in the forest - How to describe night in writing

Table of Contents

When it comes to understanding nighttime descriptions, it’s essential to recognize the intricacies of night.

And to develop a keen eye for the subtle details that set it apart from the day.

As daylight gradually fades, elements like the absence of light, the emergence of shadows, and the contrast between sounds and silence become crucial for painting a vivid picture of the night.

Night has the unique ability to transform any setting into a canvas for significant character actions or revelations. It lends itself to engaging the senses and conjuring emotions that resonate with the human experience. To effectively capture the essence of night, a writer must skilfully navigate the intricacies of this complex landscape.

Different writing techniques for night scenes can bring to life the rich tapestry of the nocturnal world, fostering a connection with readers and inviting them to immerse themselves in the story.

Here are a few pointers to keep in mind:

Observe how objects and characters cast shadows under the moonlight, creating a play of light and darkness that can heighten the drama and atmosphere of a scene.
Consider the unique sounds of the night, such as the hoot of an owl, the rustle of leaves, or the whisper of the wind as it weaves through branches.
Pay attention to the interplay between the senses and the emotions of the night, with silence often evoking a profound sense of awe, mystery, or solitude.

Mastering the art of nighttime descriptions requires both an eye for detail and an understanding of its inherent metaphorical value.

By seamlessly weaving the literal and the metaphorical, a writer can craft a gripping night scene that transports readers into the heartbeat of the story’s world.

The Role of Atmosphere in Crafting Night Scenes

The atmosphere is pivotal in night scene descriptions, guiding the reader’s emotions and setting the narrative tone.

Vivid sensory experiences help in concocting an immersive atmosphere that is as tangible to the reader as the darkness itself.

In this section, we will explore the importance of sensory details and emotions in nighttime narratives, and how they intertwine with our inner thoughts, making night scenes richer and more engaging.

Setting the Tone with Sensory Details

Sensory details can capture the essence of a night scene, evoking the night’s quiet majesty.

They provide a backdrop for reflective moments and draw the reader into the story using the five senses. Consider some sensory details that you can use to bring your night scene to life:

Visual: The moon casting a soft, silver glow on a quiet street.
Auditory: The distant hoot of an owl or the haunting whisper of the wind.
Olfactory: The crisp, cool air carrying the faint scent of fresh blossoms.
Touch: The dampness of dew-covered grass beneath the character’s feet.
Taste: The character savoring a warm drink on a chilly night.

By including these sensory details, you can set the tone of your night scenes and create a vivid, atmospheric setting that envelops the reader.

Emotions and the Night: Reflecting Inner Thoughts

The interplay of emotions and nighttime is a powerful narrative device.

Night can mirror a character’s inner thoughts and serve as a metaphor for the turmoil, tranquility, or mystery they experience.

It is a period of contemplation, amplifying the character’s emotional state, whether it’s the euphoria of falling stars or the agitation of shadows that resemble past fears.

To harness the emotional power of night, consider these tips:

Align sensory impressions with the character’s psychological state. For example, the sharp coldness of the night could reflect their inner turmoil.
Contrast the night’s serenity with the character’s emotional upheaval, heightening the impact of their internal struggles.
Utilize the darkness as a catalyst for introspection, prompting the character to dig deeper into their thoughts and feelings.

Ultimately, by aligning sensory impressions with psychological states, night scenes become a medium to delve deeper into the corners of the character’s psyche.

Combine sensory details and emotions to create atmospheric night settings that resonate with readers.

Utilizing a Rich Vocabulary to Portray Night

Effectively portraying a night in writing relies heavily on a rich vocabulary.

The proper selection of descriptive words not only evokes different shades of night but also conveys various emotions and atmospheres. Whether describing the color of the sky or the feel of nocturnal air, careful word choice can transport readers into the night scene you create.

Incorporating a range of sensory words and varying degrees of specificity can enhance your nighttime descriptions.

For example, simple but potent words like quiet set the tone, while more specific color descriptors such as crimson or azure paint a distinct picture of the night in the reader’s mind.

Below is a table showcasing different words and phrases that can be used to portray various aspects of the night:

Aspect	Vocabulary Options
Time of Night	Midnight, dusk, dawn, twilight
Darkness	Blackness, obscurity, shadows, murkiness
Colors	Indigo, ebony, jet, charcoal, navy
Sound	Stillness, silence, rustling, murmurs, whispers
Atmosphere	Eerie, mysterious, serene, enchanting, haunting

Tapping into this diverse vocabulary allows you to craft vivid and immersive night scenes.

Each word carries unique connotations that can resonate with the reader, enhancing their connection to the narrative.

When used effectively, these descriptive words for the night can transform your writing, painting a vibrant picture of the night and drawing readers further into your story.

30 Best Words to Describe Night in Writing

When it comes to describing night scenes in writing, the choice of words plays a crucial role in painting a vivid picture.

Here are 30 of the best words to help you capture the essence of the night:

Star-studded

30 Best Phrases to Describe Night in Writing

Crafting a captivating night scene often involves using descriptive phrases that evoke the atmosphere and emotions of the nocturnal world.

Here are 30 of the best phrases to help you master the art of describing night in writing:

“The moon cast a soft, silver glow.”
“Stars adorned the velvety sky.”
“Shadows danced in the moonlight.”
“The night was cloaked in mystery.”
“A serene, moonlit meadow stretched before us.”
“The darkness whispered secrets.”
“Nocturnal creatures stirred in the silence.”
“The night sky was a canvas of stars.”
“Moonbeams kissed the earth.”
“The night held its breath.”
“Darkness enveloped everything.”
“The stars blinked like diamonds.”
“The moon hung low, a glowing orb.”
“The night was alive with whispers.”
“A blanket of stars covered the sky.”
“The night air was cool and crisp.”
“Shadows played tricks on the senses.”
“The night exuded a sense of enchantment.”
“The world was bathed in moonlight.”
“Silence settled like a shroud.”
“The night was a tapestry of shadows.”
“The stars shimmered with a celestial grace.”
“The moonlight painted everything in silver.”
“The night was a realm of dreams.”
“The darkness held its secrets close.”
“The night sky was a sea of stars.”
“The night whispered of ancient mysteries.”
“The moon’s glow was a guiding light.”
“Shadows clung to the edges of reality.”
“The night was a time for reflection.”

Writing Techniques: Going Beyond the Visuals

When crafting an engaging nighttime scene, writers must venture beyond the visuals to captivate the reader fully.

Using sounds and the sense of touch is essential for developing a rich, multi-dimensional narrative.

This section delves into incorporating sounds and silence for dramatic effect and the touch and texture of darkness in writing.

Incorporating Sounds and Silence for Effect

The sounds of night can have powerful effects on the atmosphere and emotional impact of a scene.

Thundering roars, rustling leaves, or the sudden absence of sound can all contribute to the mood of a scene. These auditory cues help create a vivid, believable setting for readers to immerse themselves in.

Consider incorporating the following techniques to represent the sounds of night and the role of silence in your writing:

Use auditory details to paint a fuller picture of the environment.
Utilize silence as a storytelling device, heightening suspense or emphasizing a moment of reflection.
Experiment with sound to create contrast and tension within a scene.

Silence in writing can be as impactful as the sounds themselves, emphasizing the stark difference between the quiet of the night and the sudden eruption of noise that disrupts the calm.

The Touch and Texture of Darkness

Describing touch at night is another essential aspect of crafting a compelling nighttime scene.

The tactile experience of the night is as evocative as its visual counterpart, with the cool breeze raising goosebumps, the damp fog clinging to the skin, and the unsettling sensation of unseen objects brushing against a character.

When done effectively, these tactile descriptions in writing can make the darkness feel like a comforting shroud or an ominous presence looming over the narrative.

The following list includes tips on including touch and texture in your writing:

Describe the night’s touch as it interacts with the character’s skin, clothing, and surroundings.
Highlight the texture of darkness , including the roughness or smoothness of surfaces, the dampness of fog, or a character’s emotional response to the touch of night.
Consider how the sense of touch contributes to character development and advances the story’s plot.

Colorful Language: Painting the Night in Words

Descriptive language is essential in painting the night scene, employing shades like “scarlet,” “indigo,” or “emerald” to depict the sky’s canvas.

Such language transforms the scene into a vivid tableau, enabling readers to visualize the unique hues and tones the night unfolds.

Descriptive words for colors like “burgundy” or “magenta” not only portray the scene but also add emotional weight, enhancing the reader’s connection to the narrative.

Let us explore the variety of words that can be employed to describe the myriad shades and hues of the night sky:

Color	Description
Scarlet	Intense red, often associated with fiery sunsets
Indigo	Deep blue-violet color, reflective of the clear night sky
Emerald	Rich green, reminiscent of an aurora borealis display
Burgundy	Dark red, indicative of a brooding, moody atmosphere
Magenta	Vibrant pink-purple, typically found in striking sunsets and sunrises

Maximizing Impact with Metaphors and Similes

Metaphors and similes are essential tools in the arsenal of a writer, allowing them to create rich and expressive night descriptions.

These literary devices make it possible for writers to craft relatable, evocative scenes that draw powerful parallels between nighttime and universal experiences, enriching the narrative and fostering deeper connections with the reader’s own memories and emotions.

Comparing Nighttime to Universal Experiences

Similes and metaphors have the power to transform ordinary descriptions into captivating and imaginative prose.

They can liken the dark to a velvet blanket that envelops the world in its gentle embrace or compare stars to a multitude of diamonds scattered across the heavens, casting their ethereal glow upon the earth below. By relating nighttime to familiar experiences, writers can breathe life into their descriptions, making them truly memorable and vivid.

When employing metaphors and similes in your writing, consider the following examples:

The night sky unfolded like an ebony tapestry, with the constellations embroidered in silver threads.
Shadows danced and flickered on the walls, creating a haunting ballet of light and dark.
The moon’s radiance carved a shimmering path across the water, mirroring the celestial bridge found in ancient myths.

Keep in mind the importance of balance when using metaphors and similes in your writing.

Overuse can lead to cluttered prose and detract from the impact of your descriptions. Use these devices sparingly and thoughtfully, ensuring they effectively enhance your narrative rather than overwhelming it.

Character Reactions and the Night: A Dynamic Tool

Exploring character reactions to the night serves as a dynamic storytelling tool in writing.

A character’s interaction with the night can range from a confrontation with their fears to a moment of serenity or revelation. Emotional responses to the night are as diverse as the characters themselves, allowing for the exploration of profound personal journeys influenced by the cloak of darkness.

These reactions can serve as a pivot for character development or as key moments that drive the plot forward.

In order to successfully incorporate character reactions to night into a story, consider the following aspects:

Understanding the character’s background and personality, in order to establish how they might react to the night.
Identifying how the night setting can influence each character’s inner emotions and thought processes.
Developing a natural progression of the character’s journey, from initial reactions to ultimate revelations or actions.
Utilizing sensory details, such as sights, sounds, and textures, to heighten the emotional response and connection of the character to their surroundings.
Employing narrative devices, such as flashbacks or introspection, to delve deeper into the character’s past experiences and how they relate to their current situation.

Notable authors have expertly utilized character reactions to night to enrich their narratives.

For example, in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby , the nighttime setting serves as a backdrop for Gatsby’s extravagant parties, highlighting his desires and insecurities.

In contrast, the darkness of night in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre signifies Jane’s feelings of isolation and despair as she struggles to navigate societal expectations and discover her own identity.

The table below outlines various emotional responses to the night and how they can contribute to writing character dynamics:

Emotional Response	Character Dynamic	Example
Fear	A character confronts the unknown or faces their deepest fears, resulting in growth or change.	A character lost in the woods at night encounters the embodiment of their childhood fear, forcing them to confront and overcome it.
Serenity	The character finds solace, wisdom, or insight during the stillness of the night.	A character reflecting on the beauty of the moonlit sky gains a deeper understanding of their own emotions and purpose in life.
Loneliness	The character experiences isolation or disconnection from others, highlighting internal struggles or desires.	A character, unable to sleep, walks through empty streets, pondering their loneliness and longing for connection.
Mystery	The character becomes entwined in a nocturnal enigma or secret, driving the plot forward.	A character stumbles upon a clandestine meeting at a late hour, unveiling a web of intrigue and deception.
Desire	The character feels heightened passion or longing during the night, often exploring forbidden or complex emotions.	A character embarks on a midnight rendezvous with a forbidden love interest, challenging social norms and boundaries.

Writing about the Darkness: Invoking Mystery and Fear

Writing about darkness has the power to reach into our core, tapping into primal emotions such as mystery and fear.

It serves as both a metaphorical and literal backdrop for danger, unknown elements, or even supernatural encounters.

By employing darkness as a narrative driver, writers can create experiences that keep readers on the edge of their seats, cementing engagement and intrigue.

Using Darkness to Drive the Narrative

When incorporating darkness into a story, there are several strategies that can drive the narrative forward.

These strategies contribute to a tense atmosphere and lie in setting up obstacles for characters, stirring tension, and laying the groundwork for suspenseful action.

The unknown aspects of the night provide a myriad of opportunities to cultivate fear and mystery in the reader’s mind.

Here is a chart that breaks down some helpful strategies:

Strategy	Description	Example
Setting up obstacles	Introduce challenges for characters due to the absence of light.	A protagonist has to navigate through a dense forest at night without the aid of any artificial light, heightening the anxiety and uncertainty.
Stirring tension	Create conflict by blurring the line between reality and the characters’ fears and emotions.	A character revisiting an abandoned house in the dead of night, where memories of a tragedy long past resurface and manifest as paranormal presences.
Suspenseful action	Heighten the stakes in action scenes by shrouding events in darkness, disorienting the reader and adding doubt to the outcome.	A thrilling chase scene on a dark and narrow path, where a single misstep could result in a fatal fall for the pursued hero.

Exploring the Twofold Nature of Night’s Tranquility and Turbulence

The twofold nature of night is a fascinating element in storytelling, offering writers countless opportunities to craft engaging narratives that capture the essence of both tranquil night scenes and turbulent night writing.

As the darkness wraps itself around the world, it reveals the duality of night.

You can use this duality to showcase how peaceful moments can intertwine with chaotic events, reflecting the complexities of human emotions and experiences.

To understand the twofold nature of night, let’s first delve into the serenity that can envelop the nocturnal landscape.

Tranquil night scenes depict nature at its most peaceful, showcasing a world untouched by human worries.

Stars glitter above, casting a calming glow upon the quiet earth below, while the gentle rustle of leaves sings a lullaby to the slumbering world. These moments of stillness can provide the most evocative settings for introspection, personal growth, or emotional connection between characters.

On the other hand, turbulent night writing employs darkness to create tension, suspense, or fear.

The howling wind and stormy skies set in stark contrast to the serenity of tranquil night scenes. These moments serve to bring out the raw, primal emotions within characters, forcing them to confront adversity, battle their fears, or come face-to-face with their deepest anxieties.

The Power of Short Sentences and Fragments in Night Imagery

Short sentences and fragments wield considerable power in night imagery.

This writing technique reinforces the themes of darkness and night by mimicking the shadows and disjointed glimpses that emerge in low light.

It creates a rhythm reflective of the night’s ebb and flow.

You can guide the reader through the narrative in abrupt, sometimes breathless, spurts that can increase tension or underscore a moment of clarity within the darkness.

Consider these examples:

Stars blinked in and out. A hush fell. Shadows danced.
Moonlight sliced through darkness. Cold air whispered. Teeth chattered.
Rain lashed the window. Thunder menaced. Breath shuddered.

Each example above showcases short sentences or fragments that mimic the fleeting nature of night scenes.

By truncating the length of sentences, the writer sets a distinctive tempo —one that effectively captures the essence of night and transports the reader into the story.

Fragments in particular can serve as impactful standalone statements, leaving room for interpretation and heightening the sense of mystery. Not confined by traditional grammatical rules, they are free to support or disrupt a narrative flow, making them potent tools for night imagery.

She hesitated. Darkness clawed at her heart. Eerie silence.

In the example above, the fragment “ Eerie silence ” punctuates the sequence and provokes a sense of unease through its abruptness.

Fragments like this one become a powerful storytelling device in night imagery, condensing tension or emotion into brief, visceral moments.

Here is a good video about writing techniques you can use to describe night in writing:

Conclusion: How to Describe Night in Writing

Mastering the art of describing night opens doors to captivating storytelling.

Explore more articles on our website to further enhance your writing skills and craft immersive narratives.

How to Write Dream and Nightmare Sequences Your Readers Will Love

Last Updated: July 24, 2024 Fact Checked

How to Write a Dream Sequence
Purposes of Dreams
Types of Dreams

This article was reviewed by Gerald Posner and by wikiHow staff writer, Dev Murphy, MA . Gerald Posner is an Author & Journalist based in Miami, Florida. With over 35 years of experience, he specializes in investigative journalism, nonfiction books, and editorials. He holds a law degree from UC College of the Law, San Francisco, and a BA in Political Science from the University of California-Berkeley. He’s the author of thirteen books, including several New York Times bestsellers, the winner of the Florida Book Award for General Nonfiction, and has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History. He was also shortlisted for the Best Business Book of 2020 by the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 3,215 times.

Dreams can be such an effective and compelling way to move the plot forward in a novel—but it can be tricky figuring out how to write a dream sequence that isn’t hoaky or unbelievable. While you're free to use creative license here, there are a few rules of thumb that could help you get started. Below, we’ve outlined the common traits of effective dream sequences, the purposes and uses of dreams in fiction, and the many different types of dreams your character could have, plus what to consider when formatting your dream scene.

Things You Should Know

Use a dream sequence to push the story forward in some way—for example, by shedding light on a character's fears or desires, or foreshadowing future events.
Employ logic in your dream sequence, but try not to be too logical: dreams tend to be surreal and vivid and often don't make much sense upon waking.
Use symbolism in the dream to express a character's complex abstract thoughts, fears, or desires in concrete and compelling ways.

How to Write a Compelling Dream or Nightmare

Step 1 Make sure your dream has a purpose for the novel.

You may not know from the get-go what your dream sequence contributes. This might be something you figure out as you write (and rewrite and re-rewrite) your story , so don’t feel pressure to know everything before you’ve even begun writing.

For example, while in real life, you might walk to the fridge to get an apple, in a dream, the apple might suddenly appear in your hand, or you might find it in the closet and not think anything of it.

Note that using vivid imagery doesn’t mean over-describing—a few well-selected words can paint a more vivid picture than 100 poorly-chosen ones.

For instance, your character might fear death in their day-to-day life, but in a dream, instead of having them or someone close to them die, you might represent their fear with a giant black cement block looming over them or a shadowy closet or something else totally ominous that helps the reader better understand their anxiety.

Step 5 Consider using narrative distance.

Narrating the book in the character's vernacular and expressing every thought and emotion clearly would be an example of almost no narrative distance.
On the other hand, a narrator who offers almost none of the character's subjective thoughts or feelings, and only describes the character's actions in objective terms, creates significant narrative distance.
While prescriptivists might argue you need to maintain the same amount of narrative distance throughout a story, as long as you have a clear purpose for changing the narrative distance, it can be extremely effective.

Just telling us what happens in the dream might be vaguely interesting (“I floated up to the ceiling and then a sentient cheese puff told me I was going to die”) but unless readers get a sense of how your character feels about what’s happening, they may write off the whole scene as unimportant—or worse, a waste of time.

What are dream sequences in novels for?

For example, in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre , Jane is told that dreaming of a child is a bad omen; the more time she spends in Mr. Rochester’s mysterious house and the closer she comes to a precarious romance with him, the more she herself dreams of children—hinting to the reader (as well as to Jane) that there is trouble ahead. [5] X Research source

Step 3 They showcase a character's fears or desires.

For example, if your character’s marriage is suffering, you might have them dream about their partner having no face or substitute their dream-partner with another person or thing to illustrate that they feel distant from them or as if they don’t know them anymore.

Step 4 They help a character realize something.

Types of Dream Sequences

You might even opt to give your character hypnopompic hallucinations : visual, auditory, or tactile hallucinations experienced as a person is waking up. [6] X Research source
Giving your character sleep paralysis can add an extra layer of horror: sleep paralysis is just a temporary loss of muscle control after falling asleep or waking, but it can be quite alarming for the sleeper and often involves hallucinations or the sensation of being suffocated. [7] X Research source

You could give your character a lucid dream as a way to show what would happen if they had their way in real life: what would they do? How would others react?

You might even have your character connect with someone who has passed on: maybe they receive guidance from their deceased mother, for instance.

How to Format a Dream Sequence

You may also opt to keep the formatting the same throughout, but explicitly indicate that the character is dreaming, as J. K. Rowling does in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets : "He dreamed that he was on show in a zoo, with a card reading UNDERAGE WIZARD attached to his cage." [10] X Research source

Step 2 Keep the formatting the same if you want to leave readers uncertain.

An example of a novel in which the reader is by design uncertain which scenes are really happening and which are merely dreams, fables, or the character’s imagination is Kate Bernheimer’s The Complete Tales of Ketzia Gold . [12] X Research source

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dave_c Active Member

Waking up from a dream without it being......tacky.

Discussion in ' Plot Development ' started by dave_c , Oct 5, 2011 .

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_7e3cd1a253f12d6ffbf2baf895ba28e2'); }); there is a situation where my character is forced to live out his worst fear without knowing he is dreaming. He wakes up basically when his own abilities go berserk after a loved one is killed in the dream. Is this totally over used? Is it still an acceptable way write it? It seems like a way of creating false tension. I know its an odd one but each time i write it i get visions of the ending to Time bandits and other cheesy books/films and as a rule, i hate it when books do this. perhaps if i make it so that the reader knows its a dream, or does this remove the chance of the reader feeling emotion towards the character? any help appreciated, i gotta stop writing at night, its doing my brain absolutely no good what so ever, lol.

MasonAdey New Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_7e3cd1a253f12d6ffbf2baf895ba28e2'); }); A book that may interest you as a point of reference is Stuff Of Nightmares by Malorie Blackman in which a boy involved in a train crash fleas Death by hiding within peoples nightmares. I dont think it will be an emotional block if the reader knows its a dream, after all its the protagonists worst nightmare...surely if the reader is invested enough in the protagonist their fears etc should upset/move the reader and help them to empathize with the character? I think if you make it perfectly clear that its a nightmare, and that its the characters deepest fears and you stress how much impact it will have on the character despite it not being "real" then the reader will get just as much emotion out of it

Mallory Contributor Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_7e3cd1a253f12d6ffbf2baf895ba28e2'); }); Don't use cliched phrases like "He woke with his heart pounding," etc. Write it so it takes the readers 3-4 sentences to a paragraph to realize that they've come out of the dream. This parallels the way someone actually wakes up, having that "Ohhhh, it wasn't real!" realization, instead of using infodumps to spell it out for them. Hope this helps.

UberNoodle New Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_7e3cd1a253f12d6ffbf2baf895ba28e2'); }); I sometimes wake up from a dream with a line break. Say, for example, my character is having a bad dream: I build up the tension and then ... *white space* We are now back in reality, and I make some reference to the first thing my characters recognises, perhaps the light in the room or the ceiling. Because I always remember my last moments of dreaming, many of my characters do to, so I may reference some 'ghosts' of that dream which have followed them into wakefulness. The other way I usually do dreams is that I leave the dream before it's 'wake-up point' and transition with a line break to a much later scene, say, breakfast, the next morning at work, or sitting on the train. But usually, unless the viewpoint character has some means to remember his or her dreams, I don't write them. If I do, I just write the disorientating 'in-and-out' dreaming and synesthesia one experiences if really tired, just before falling fully asleep. If I want to imply that my character will have a bad night's sleep, say, because of stress about a relationship, I describe their thoughts on that while they are succumbing to sleep, and then, I end the scene on some ominous tone. In the next scene, usually fully awake, ie, on the train, my character may remember the remains or impression that his waking dream had left in him. In this way, unless the story allows for my viewpoint characters to know exactly what he or she had dreamt, I avoid writing dreams in this way.

Yasin New Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_7e3cd1a253f12d6ffbf2baf895ba28e2'); }); Mallory said: ↑ Don't use cliched phrases like "He woke with his heart pounding," etc. Write it so it takes the readers 3-4 sentences to a paragraph to realize that they've come out of the dream. This parallels the way someone actually wakes up, having that "Ohhhh, it wasn't real!" realization, instead of using infodumps to spell it out for them. Hope this helps. Click to expand...

Ettina Senior Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_7e3cd1a253f12d6ffbf2baf895ba28e2'); }); One thing to remember is that the narrative of dreams is different from real life. It's actually more like that one game wherepeople take turns continuing a story while only seeing the last paragraph - the plotline of a dream is often not consistent throughout the entire dream, but instead only consistent with the previous couple moments. And weird things happen without anyone reacting, such as the many times in my dreams that a child I'm caring for keeps turning into a cat and then back again without me noticing. If you write a dream like it's actually a dream, people will notice the incongruities and ponder over them, so instead of murdering tension, the awakening causes an 'aga' moment as you realize there's a reason why the narrative was so strange.

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_7e3cd1a253f12d6ffbf2baf895ba28e2'); }); thanks really appreciate the input on this one, sorry it took me so long to reply.

Mckk Member Supporter Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_7e3cd1a253f12d6ffbf2baf895ba28e2'); }); If you make sure your readers know it's a dream from the beginning, I think it'll be fine. Just don't have the dream thing as a "twist" because for me, that'd be an anti-climax. Perhaps your character could be trapped in the dream. Or perhaps you could drift in and out of his dreams, so that the reader doesn't always know which part is a dream, and which part is real, which would make a very interesting book but terribly hard to write.

The Tourist Banned

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_7e3cd1a253f12d6ffbf2baf895ba28e2'); }); You might want to catch an episode of "Awake" on TV. This is roughly the plot there, too. He's a cop, involved in a suspicious car accident with his wife and son--there's a singular death. He falls asleep. But upon waking his son has died and his wife is alive, but if he falls asleep there he awakes "on the other side" where his wife is dead and the the son is alive. He has two shrinks, one on each side. The stories usually develop as he learns things on one side that help him solve crimes on the other, and vice versa. Obviously the guy is conflicted.

zarz Banned

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_7e3cd1a253f12d6ffbf2baf895ba28e2'); }); Maybe you should try awakening your character without ever truly having him wake up. Transition from an abstract dream to reality by perhaps walking through a door. -zarz

Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_7e3cd1a253f12d6ffbf2baf895ba28e2'); }); Just don't have your character wake up to find the husband, murdered a year ago, cheerfully taking a shower (the entire year was a dream). Of course, no one would REALLY write anything THAT tacky! (heh)

aimeekath New Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_7e3cd1a253f12d6ffbf2baf895ba28e2'); }); Perhaps not letting the readers know that it was a dream would create some interesting ambiguity and would lessen the kind of emotional block you're worried about. For me I don't see stuff like that as an emotional block, because it gives an insight into the character's fears. However I'm not sure about how other people would feel about it. Though it can sometimes be a bit disapointing if it's really exciting or full of tension, and then suddenly you find it was a dream and it doesn't seem to matter as much, like in the Silent Hill movie. That sucked a bit. I suppose you could overcome that dissapointment by having the character obsess over the dream. Or you could just change the style that it was written in to suggest a dream. Or write something like "I fell into an uneasy sleep" before the dream.

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40 Scary Writing Prompts to Give Your Readers Nightmares

There is something primal and deeply satisfying about being scared. The rush of endorphins that pumps through your body while you’re reading something terrifying (and then again later that night every time your house creaks or groans) is strangely exhilarating.

Or is that just me?

Probably not, since you’re here to check out more than thirty different writing prompts to help you write something spooky.

Not all of these prompts are just for horror stories, either. There are other genres where a dash of fear or suspense are needed. To that end, we’ll be looking at:

How to use these scary writing prompts
Scary writings prompts for horror stories
Creepy writing prompts for fantasy tales
Spooky writing prompts for sci-fi
Stressful writing prompts for real-word fiction (aka literary fiction)

So grab your favorite blanket, dim the lights, and ignore the scratching noises coming from the closet as we dive into these prompts.

How to Use These Prompts

Before we get into the (grotesque) meat of the prompts, let’s take a second to talk about how you should use them.

If you already know you want to write something scary, take any of these prompts and just run with them. Even if a dozen different authors choose the same prompt as the basis for their story, we’ll end up with a dozen unique books.

Maybe you know the general plot of your story. Use these prompts as inspiration for a particular scene or subplot. Maybe one will make you think of an entirely new way to approach a character arc or theme!

You can use these scary writing prompts for practice, too. Writing something that scares someone is totally different from any other form of writing. The pace, the tone, the level of detail you need to put into it—all of these and more must be fine-tuned for an audience that is primed to experience terror.

The first time I tried my hand at a horror novel came after years of writing dark fantasy. When I was revising what I had, I realized I wasn’t capturing the essence of a scary story. My scenes were fast-paced, like my fantasy writing. There was less build-up and tension than I needed.

So, regardless of where you are in your writing journey, grab any one of these prompts and write a short story. Hone those scary writing skills to become the best, most terrifying author you can be.

Scary Writing Prompts for Horror

The most likely place you’ll use scary writing prompts is for writing horror. The horror genre ranges from slow-burn dreads to haunted houses to splatterpunk killers, with a bunch of things in between. The goal is to make your reader feel uneasy, unsettled, or uncomfortable.

For a complete guide to writing horror, click here . It dives into a lot, but one of the best takeaways is how effective horror is when you combine two phobias that force the protagonist to choose one of them. Keep that in mind when thinking about these prompts.

A woman wakes up in the middle of a swamp, a severed arm handcuffed to her wrist.
Three teens use a ouija board and contact the spirit of a murdered witch.
A father is convinced one of his twins is possessed, but he can’t tell which one.
A cannibal that only eats other cannibals.
A single mom who looks after her child, unaware that she already died protecting that child.
An Antarctic expedition that gets stranded in a bay that shouldn’t exist.
A serial killer who murders and impersonates the new sheriff in a small town before that sheriff can meet anyone.
A house full of ghosts who are living (as best they can) a normal life when a non-dead couple moves in.
A cult leader trying to con people out of their life savings only to unleash an ancient evil.
A woman discovers a spot on her skin that slowly grows every day. As it grows, it looks like words that describe how she’s going to die.
On a road trip, a family finds an abandoned car on the side of the road. With no service, they can’t call for help so they decide to keep driving, only to have their own car break down a few miles later.
To try and help with their trauma, a grief counseling group goes on a weekend retreat. But their hosts turn out to be practitioners of some ancient religion.
Trying to save his family from losing their home , a man signs up for a gladiator-style bloodsport hosted by wealthy families.
In the wake of a global plague (too soon?) a woman wakes up from a coma and must find her children in a city filled with criminals and virus carriers.
Someone volunteers to donate a kidney to their best friend, but didn’t sign up for whatever they put in its place.

Creepy Writing Prompts for Fantasy

Like I said before, it isn’t just horror that amps up the scares. If you’re writing fantasy, horror elements might be ingrained in your story, like in the dark fantasy subgenre . Or maybe you just want to change up the pace and tone by adding some suspense.

It’s a great way to force your reader to keep turning those pages!

Fantasy can range from epic tales to urban adventures, which means there’s a lot of room to play around. So here are some prompts to get you thinking about ways to creep out your fantasy readers.

The party must dive into the pitch-black, claustrophobia-inducing hive of monsters to slay the monstrous queen.
A necromancer is kidnapping people from the nearby village, stitching their body parts together with magic to create unspeakable monstrosities.
In a clan of vampires, one human child tries to survive a family that would drain them if they discovered the truth.
Two thieves must journey through a cursed tomb to find a magic amulet.
A strange traveler wanders into a village, somehow knowing and exposing a shocking number of secrets held by the villagers.
A plague has swept through the land, turning the afflicted into zombies.
A cleric must exorcise a monarch while demons from all across the kingdom try to stop them.
Centuries ago, a country was cursed by a witch. Since then, everyone born in the country has carried a birthmark representing the curse. Our protagonist gives birth to a baby who doesn’t have the birthmark.
A good witch is pursued by witch hunters, forcing her to seek refuge with an evil coven.
A walled town has lived for decades with werewolves prowling the lands beyond their gates. But resources are running out, and the townsfolk must brave the wolflands to find a new place to settle.

Spooky Writing Prompts for Science Fiction

While sci-fi can be a great place for large-scale space operas and grand displays of technology, it also presents a massive sandbox filled with the unknown and potentially horrifying.

Us human beings love knowing stuff. So, when we’re presented with something we don’t know or can’t understand, it fills us with unease. And that’s exactly what we’re going for.

A newly discovered moon is thought to have resources a planet needs for energy production, so it sends a mining team. Unfortunately for that team, the moon is also home to a breed of feral aliens that doesn’t take too kindly to visitors.
A company developing a new A.I. has a security breach, unleashing the malicious program through the company’s campus and employees.
A spaceship breaks down near a strange star, and the radiation from that star is slowly eating away at their minds as their oxygen starts to run out.
A peaceful alien race is systematically hunted by human colonizers who want to terraform their planet.
An archaeological expedition in another solar system uncovers remnants of a society and a religion that promises immortality… at a price.
While visiting the matriarch of an alien species, a diplomat is infected by a parasite that connects them to the aliens’ hivemind.
A man addicted to augmenting his body is implanted with something infected by a computer virus that makes him see ghosts.
In the near future, violent solar storms disrupt and destroy technology, plummeting society into an age without electricity.
Scavengers find a ruined ship floating in space and decide to strip it for parts. There, they find a crew that looks exactly like themselves still in cryosleep.
In a dystopian society, burglars no longer break into your house but hack into your mind.

Scary Writing Prompts for Real World Fiction

Bringing it back to (our current) reality, sometimes the scariest things are those we face every day. These can range from stories about natural disasters to debilitating illnesses, common fears to unthinkable tragedies, and everything in between.

When adding scary elements to real-word fiction, you want to keep it realistic. Make the readers think these dreadful events could really happen tomorrow.

On vacation, a family learns a tsunami is approaching and they can’t find a flight to safety.
Friends on a backcountry hiking trip suffer an accident, stranding them days away from help.
In the middle of a bustling town fair, a child is taken.
A stay-at-home mom is delivered a letter claiming her partner has died. She can’t reach them and they never checked into their hotel.
Woken by their alarm, a family finds the front door of their house open.

What Scary Story Will You Write?

Don’t forget, these prompts can be used to inspire a new story, help you with your current story, or get you writing a short story to buff your scary writing skills, use them in whatever way works best for you.

And, if you’re looking for more inspiration, check out the Story Craft Café. It’s a community of writers who support, encourage, and motivate one another. There are writers from all genres, at every stage in their writing journey.

So head on over and say hello. Share what writing prompt spoke most to you. And, when you’re ready, post the story you wrote with one of these prompts and celebrate with your fellow authors!

Doug Landsborough can’t get enough of writing. Whether freelancing as an editor, blog writer, or ghostwriter, Doug is a big fan of the power of words. In his spare time, he writes about monsters, angels, and demons under the name D. William Landsborough. When not obsessing about sympathetic villains and wondrous magic, Doug enjoys board games, horror movies, and spending time with his wife, Sarah.

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Realized that I have no idea how to write a nightmare.

I'm working on a fic that fills a prompt for Bad Things Happen Bingo and it starts out in the character's nightmare. She's running through a dark forest, surrounded by the sounds of war and angry voices, knowing that her friends and means of escape are waiting for her just at the edge of the forest. The faster she runs, the closer the horrific sounds get. She hears her friends calling for her and can see their ship (Star Wars fic) but right before she reaches them, she trips on a root and falls. They board the ship and leave without her.

I'm in the process of writing all of that and I'm realizing that I just don't know how to write nightmares. I don't know how to convey that fear, that surrealness that let's you know it's a dream. Any tips, ideas, or references y'all can throw my way?

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IMAGES

Writing Prompt: Nightmares Come Alive • DraftSparks
How to Describe a Nightmare in a Story
110+ Horror Writing Prompts (With A Twist)
160 Horror Writing Prompts to Formulate the Best Horror Stories!
How to Describe a Nightmare in a Story
Land of nightmares.

COMMENTS

How to Describe a Nightmare in a Story
Horrifying is often used to describe something so frightening that its effects are felt long after the event has ended. Describing a nightmare as horrifying also suggests the events of the nightmare are beyond explanation because they've created such a sense of dread that the dreamer doesn't want to return to it for a second. 10. Shocking ...
How to Describe Waking Up From a Nightmare in a Story
Would some descriptive words help you with your writing? Check out this post on how to describe waking up from a nightmare in a story! 1. Anxious Definition. Worried and nervous. Examples "He awoke to the anxious thudding of his heart and cold sweat upon his brow." "The nightmare had left him anxious and unable to sleep. Yet, at the same ...
How to Write Nightmare Scenes (21 Tips
Tip #3: Manipulate Time and Space. In dreams, and especially nightmares, the constraints of reality can be bent. Time can flow backward, speed up, or stand still. Locations can morph and change in the blink of an eye. Leveraging these distortions can make the nightmare feel more dreamlike and surreal.
Writing About Dreams and Nightmares
Writing Advice / Plot. Shares18k. Dreams and nightmares can play a large part in people's lives, but because of their unstructured and confusing nature, it can be difficult to include them in a story. To make it even more difficult, the majority of a dream is forgotten within the first few minutes after waking up!
Writing a Chilling Nightmare Scene: A StepbyStep Guide
1.1 The Role of Silence. One of the most powerful techniques in creating a chilling nightmare scene is the strategic use of silence. By withholding sound, the writer can build tension and create a sense of unease. The silence becomes eerie, leaving the readers on edge, anticipating something dreadful to occur.
When and How to Write a Character Waking Up
Instead of just telling them the character is waking up, let them wonder why the character reacts a certain way when they do get up. The act of waking up is not inherently interesting, so it is your job to present it in an interesting way. Use it as a way of emphasizing something, like your character's memories, fears, habits, and plans.
creative writing
Thanks for contributing an answer to Writing Stack Exchange! Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research! But avoid … Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
Master List of Ways to Describe Fear
A quill still wet with thick black ink rested next to a sheet of parchment filled with writing in a language he couldn't read. Crude drawings made with heavy strokes were set within the words. Some of them were disturbing — a bleeding hand cut open with a knife and a person floating lifeless below a ghoul with black eyes poised to attack.
How to Write Creepy Scenes to Make Your Readers Squirm
Notice the verbs that Blatty uses with Reagan — gleamed, dribbled, gloated, croaked, rumbled. In contrast, the more calm individual in the scene, Karras, responds with simple verbs like "answered" and "saw". The contrast allows the reader to see Reagan as disturbing. If you want to make your readers squirm, reading only in daylight ...
4 Tips for Writing Your Character's PTSD and Trauma Memories
3. Use Flashbacks—Carefully. There are two kinds of flashbacks used in novels. One is a glimpse into a character's past, basically a cut scene to something that happened before, which may or may not include anything traumatic. This is usually written as a dream or as backstory.
How to Write Characters With Trauma: Nightmares, Flashbacks, and
Rather than replaying the trauma exactly as it happened, take advantage of the character building opportunity! Anything can happen in a dream. Be creative with the images, but keep the themes and emotions consistent. Explore those themes and let it actually say something about the character.
realism
2. Relating Dreams and Nightmares as real life scenes in your stories are an over used trope. We can thank all those writers who came before us to stripping the trees of the low hanging fruit to tell their stories. If the trope is important to your story, then by ensuring that your readers know its is a dream you can refute any complaints you ...
Advice on describing a nightmare. : r/writing
Advice on describing a nightmare. Generally dream sequences, especially nightmarish ones, rely heavily upon descriptions. Be attentive to all senses, and don't be afraid to use disturbing imagery. The dreams will be different based on the trauma, and it's hard to tell. Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves is a great piece for this kind of ...
Descriptive Writing: Nightmare World (Writing ...
Whether you're studying descriptive writing for the first time, or more experienced with the process, reading through the process, plan and final answers of this student will help you to familiarise yourself with the concept of descriptive writing and improve your own creative writing works. Feel free to try your own 'Nightmare World ...
How To Describe Night In Writing (100 Best Words + Examples)
Here are 30 of the best phrases to help you master the art of describing night in writing: "The moon cast a soft, silver glow.". "Stars adorned the velvety sky.". "Shadows danced in the moonlight.". "The night was cloaked in mystery.". "A serene, moonlit meadow stretched before us.". "The darkness whispered secrets.".
How to Write a Compelling Dream Sequence: The Dos and Don'ts of Writing
These are a different sort of nightmare: use them to communicate stress or illness or indecision, the product of a split, fractured, or divided mind. Embrace that chaos in your writing. Go into detail overload. Describe things in florid or grotesque fashion, especially things that wouldn't normally be either florid or grotesque.
10 Steps For How to Write Horror: Conjuring Nightmares with a Pen
10. Read & Revise. This might be the most crucial tip for writing horror. Once you start writing, you must also start reading. Read your drafts, read works by notable horror authors, and constantly refine them. Remember, every great story started as a draft that was revised multiple times.
How to Show a Dream Sequence in a Novel: Writing Guide
The most effective dream sequences offer something that the reader couldn't get from your character's waking life—a realization on the part of the character, an understanding of your character's motivations, a glimpse of past events that influence your character's present, etc. 2. They foreshadow events to come.
waking up from a dream without it being......tacky?
One thing to remember is that the narrative of dreams is different from real life. It's actually more like that one game wherepeople take turns continuing a story while only seeing the last paragraph - the plotline of a dream is often not consistent throughout the entire dream, but instead only consistent with the previous couple moments.
How to Give People Nightmares: 6 Tips For Writing Young Adult Horror
6. Bring the ending. Just bring it. This is not the time to cop out. This is what it's all been leading up to. Twist or no twist, gore or no gore, this is the time to shine. I want a horror ending that undoes me. I want to be unsure whether I should laugh, or cry, or scream. I want to feel like a kid again, alone at night, in bed, certain ...
40 Scary Writing Prompts to Give Your Readers Nightmares
And, when you're ready, post the story you wrote with one of these prompts and celebrate with your fellow authors! ‍. Doug Landsborough. Doug Landsborough can't get enough of writing. Whether freelancing as an editor, blog writer, or ghostwriter, Doug is a big fan of the power of words.
Nightmare
Nightmare - Creative Writing. The howling of the wind brought my eyes to open. Where was I? Focusing in the dark of night, confusion washed over me as I came to realize I was in the desert. Distant landscapes of dry and worn rock surrounded me, and beneath my bare feet I felt the gritty sand caught between my toes.
Realized that I have no idea how to write a nightmare
Just write the events of the dream. !st person POV might be nice. Then have that person wake up. Other people here have already told you that a person experiencing a nightmare really do think that a nightmare is real until woken up. I remember a time when I had nightmares (sometimes combined with sleep paralysis).

How to Describe Waking Up From a Nightmare in a Story

How it Adds Description

2. Breathless

3. Disoriented

4. Distressed

5. Emotional

7. Panicked

8. Relieved

9. (With a) Start

10. Terrified

Writing a Chilling Nightmare Scene: A StepbyStep Guide

The Importance of Setting in Creating a Chilling Atmosphere:

Understanding the Psychological Impact of Nightmares:

Step 1: Establishing an Eerie Mood with Vivid Descriptions:

Using Foreshadowing to Heighten Tension in Nightmare Scenes:

Step 2: Building Suspense with Well-Crafted Dialogue:

The Role of Symbolism in Conveying a Sense of Dread:

Developing Complex Characters for Nightmare Scenes:

Step 3: Incorporating Elements of Surprise and Twists:

How to Effectively Use Pacing to Build Fear in Nightmare Scenes:

Step 4: Engaging the Senses to Amplify the Horror:

The Power of Nightmares: Exploring the Subconscious Mind:

Creating Haunting Visual Imagery in Nightmare Scenes:

Step 5: Crafting a Climactic Ending to Leave Readers Terrified:

The Use of Dreams vs. Nightmares in Writing Horror Fiction:

1. The Impact of Sound in Creating a Chilling Nightmare Scene

1.1 The Role of Silence

1.2 Harnessing Ambient Sounds

1.3 The Impact of Characterized Sounds

1.4 The Use of Jarring and Distorted Sounds

1.5 Music and Sound Effects

2. Exploring the Role of Nightmarish Imagery in Writing Horror Fiction

2.1 Creating Surreal and Distorted Imagery

2.2 Exploring Nightmarish Symbols and Metaphors

2.3 Describing Gruesome and Macabre Scenes

2.4 The Manipulation of Perception and Reality

2.5 The Power of Vivid Descriptions and Sensory Details

FAQS – Frequently Asked Questions

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When and How to Write a Character Waking Up

Is It Bad To Start a Scene with a Character Waking Up?

When to Write a Character Waking Up

How to Describe Waking Up

How to Describe Someone Waking Up in the Morning

How to Describe Someone Waking Up from a Nightmare

How to Describe Someone Waking Up from Being Unconscious

How to Describe Someone Waking Up in an Unfamiliar Place

Some Parting Thoughts

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4 Tips for Writing Your Character’s PTSD and Trauma Memories

How Our Brains Record Trauma

A PTSD Memory Is Frozen In Time

1. Know Which Kind of Memories Your Character Is Dealing With

2. Choose Details That Are out of Place

3. Use Flashbacks—Carefully

4. Remember that Memories and the Reactions to Them Are Very Individual

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How to Write Characters With Trauma: Nightmares, Flashbacks, and Triggers

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Writing nightmares/dreams

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Weirdness factor: