Writing scary stories

Clichés are a problem because they create boring writing with no imagination behind it. These clichéd storylines can be used only if they are approached in a new and exciting way that can push the reader’s mind away from the expected.

But what really frightens us? Is it the man down the road who everyone knows is a witch? Is it the ghost you see in the dining room on Saturdays? The vampire banging on your front door? Or, is it a finger brushing across your face in the dark, in a room that you are positive is empty?