How do you create a scary atmosphere in spooky stories?

That chill down your spine? Those goosebumps on your arm? The hair on the back of your neck standing up? It’s all about the atmosphere created by the author whose work you’re reading. And one of the best new writers for the spooky stuff – her debut novel is on the Stoker longlist, people! – is Ally Wilkes, author of the polar survival horror All The White Spaces.

 

Ahead of her appearance at the UK Ghost Story Festival – where she’ll run a workshop on landscape and location in the ghost story, as well as a talk on publishing in the horror genre – Ally shares her tips for creating a scary atmosphere with Horror Tree.

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