Tips for Writing Fear

chloeann6048
Mar 4
2 min read

Fear is defined as an unpleasant and often strong emotion that is caused by perceiving or recognising a danger or threat. It causes phycological changes that produces behavioural reactions such as becoming aggressive or fleeing.

In this post I will go through some tips on writing fear in stories. Such as body language, facial expressions, and showing what fear feels like.

Body language and speech:

Creating distance. Either by moving back a few steps, to create distance between them and what is causing them fear, or pulling back the torso while staying in the same place.
When afraid of a specific person or thing, most people will keep their body facing slightly away from the person/thing, ready to flee.
When afraid, some people will become more aggressive. This can be shown by puffing out their chest or spreading their legs and positioning themselves in a stance ready to fight.
Characters that do become aggressive from fear may quickly attack the source of the fear.
When scared, some characters will freeze while trying to hide their fear.
People who are afraid will tend to act out of character. For example, someone who is usually fairly independent may become clingy, while those who are usually timid may become more vocal.
Survival instincts can cause people to do unexpected things. They may try to save themselves rather than caring about the fate of others, or the opposite, they may put the safety of others above their own. Adrenaline can cause reckless behaviour in both cases.
They may become clumsy
Flinching
Ball their fists
Throw their hands into the air
Clutch at other characters or objects
Characters may rock or sway
Bite their fingernails
Fidgeting or squirming
Avoid eye contact or be unable to stop staring
They may go pale
Goosebumps
Excessive sweating
Breathing heavily
Shaking their head
Speaking quickly
Repeating themselves
They may say inappropriate things
Randomly laugh
Sharply inhale
Screaming
Crying