Writing your own scary story

WRITE YOUR STORY USING THIS SCENARIO [IDEA] AS A GUIDELINE. Try to imagine
everything as if it was happening to you: how would you really respond?

1. You get a message from the school secretary that you must go home at once: no
reason has been given, but a pre-paid taxi has been sent to take you to your door.

® THINK ABOUT: What do you fear may have happened? Who do you think
most likely to have organised the taxi? When you’re worried, how does
your body show it?

® USEFUL WORDS: anticipation; apprehension; excitement; gnawing fear;

wonder, confidence.

2. You walk in expecting to see someone, but no-one is about: you’re confused.

® THINK ABOUT: What it is really like walking into your home alone: what
do you usually see, hear, smell, feel? How is this time different? How does
that make you feel?

® USEFUL WORDS: tension, straining to hear, hush, silence, ominous,

brooding, unnatural, disappointment.

3. Looking about, calling out, you notice a dark blotch on the floor: is it blood? What
do you do?

® THINK ABOUT: What/who might have made the mark(s) on the floor? What
clues could they give you as to what has happened? What fears could they
evoke?

® USEFUL WORDS: horror, possibility, probability, sinking feeling, denial,

panic, goose-bumps, trembling, eyes darting, tentative

4. You hear a faint sound: what is it? Where is it coming from? What do
you do?
® THINK ABOUT: it’s over to you now, let your imagination soar!
5. Now work towards resolving the mystery – will all turn out well, or has something
terrible really happened?

6. Remember, start a new paragraph whenever you start a new bullet, however, one
bullet could be made up of many paragraphs.

7. WRITE AT LEAST SEVEN PARAGRAPHS.

Write your story. Use this to help you. (Write your ideas here)

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 Writing your own scary story
You get a message from the school secretary. You must go home at once: no reason has
been given. A taxi is waiting for you. What on earth could have happened?
I think that .............................................................................................

............................................................................................................

............................................................................................................

I think the person who sent the taxi must be .....................................................

............................................................................................................

............................................................................................................

When I am worried, you can tell, because I ......................................................

............................................................................................................

............................................................................................................

Useful anticipation apprehension

words

excitement shake wonder

confidence sweat panic

1. You get home. No one is there. You’re confused.

When I walked into my home on my own, I felt ...............................................

.........................................................................................................

I could see ...........................................................................................

.........................................................................................................

I could smell ........................................................................................

.........................................................................................................

I could hear .........................................................................................

.........................................................................................................

It was different from usual because ............................................................

.........................................................................................................

.........................................................................................................

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 Writing your own scary story

Useful words tension hush

silence ominous brooding

unnatural disappointment straining to

hear

2. You look around. You call out. Then you notice a dark patch of something on the
floor…

The blotch looked like .................................................................................

I thought the person who had made the marks was ..............................................

I thought hard about what had happened. I saw some clues. What had happened was

.............................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................

because ..................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................

I felt scared because ..................................................................................

.............................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................

Useful words horror possibility

denial panic goose-

bumps

trembling eyes darting tentative

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 Writing your own scary story

3. You hear a faint sound.

The sound was coming from ..........................................................................

.............................................................................................................

It was .....................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................

4. Work out what happened next.

First, I ....................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................

The next thing that happened was ..................................................................

.............................................................................................................

Then ......................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................

Finally ....................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................

5. Remember, start a new paragraph whenever you start a new number. One
number could be made up of many paragraphs.

6. Write at least seven paragraphs.

©www.teachit.co.uk2005 4161 Page 4 of 4