Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Create a plot outline. Show, don’t tell, your story. Build tension as the story progresses. Try foreshadowing. Avoid certain words that are too obvious. Avoid cliches. Use gore and violence with purpose.

Answer: Once you find your premise, your setting, and characters, create a rough outline of the story. Follow a story structure such as the one suggested in Freytag’s pyramid to create your outline, or read Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Philosophy of Composition” for guidance on how to structure your story. The key elements may include:  Exposition: Set the scene and introduce the characters. Inciting incident: Have something happen in the story to start the action. Rising action: Continue the story, building excitement and suspense. Climax: Include a moment that holds the most tension in the story. Falling action: These are events that occur after the climax. Resolution: Here, the character solves the main problem. Denouement: This is the ending in which the characters resolve any remaining questions. The most effective scary stories use description to show the reader how the characters feel in a story. This helps the reader feel like he is stepping into the main character’s shoes and identifying with this character. In contrast, when you tell the reader exactly how to feel by describing a scene flatly and obviously, the reader will feel less connected to the story.  For example, consider these two ways of describing a scene:  ”I was too scared to open my eyes, even though I heard footsteps coming closer.” “I wrapped the blankets tighter around me and let out a sick whimper. My chest was tight, my stomach rotten. I would not look. No matter how close those shuffling footsteps came, I would not look. I would not, I would…not…”    The second example gives the reader more of an insight into the character’s physical feelings. Allow the story to get more suspenseful as it goes on. For an effective suspenseful story, you need the reader to feel empathy and concern for the characters, and you need impending danger and escalating tension.   Hint at the story’s direction and possible climax by providing small clues or details. You might briefly mention a label on a bottle that will later come in handy for the main character. There might be a sound or voice in a room that will later become a sign of an unnatural presence. Another effective way to build tension is to alternate from tense or bizarre moments to quiet moments. Allow your character to take a breath, calm down, and feel safe again. Then, amp up the tension by re-engaging the character in the conflict. This time, make the conflict feel even more serious or threatening. As you craft your story, use the foreshadowing storytelling device. Foreshadowing is when you give a hint that something will happen in the future. The reader should be able to find clues of the outcome or story goal. Foreshadowing also makes the reader anxious that the consequence will occur before the main character can succeed. Keep in mind that foreshadowing is most effective when the reader and characters are unaware of the significance of the clues until the end of the story. Force yourself to describe what’s happening with words that evoke emotion in the reader. Don’t rely on words that tell your reader exactly how to feel. For example, avoid these words in your writing:  Scared, scary Terrified, terrifying Horrified, horror Afraid Frightened Like any genre, horror has its own set of tropes and cliches. Writers should avoid there if they want to create a unique, engaging horror story.  Familiar images like a deranged clown in the attic to a babysitter alone in a house at night, are some of the clichés to avoid. So are familiar phrases like “Run!” or “Don’t look behind you!” Too much gore or violence can have a desensitizing effect on the reader. If the same pools of blood keep happening over and over again in the story, the reader will grow bored. Of course, some gore or violence can be useful for setting a scene, describing a character or providing action. Use gore or violence in a spot in the story that is impactful or meaningful, so it can punch your reader in the gut, rather than numb them or bore them.


Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Allow the razor to dry before using it again.

Answer:
Pat each piece gently with a towel, then set them aside to finish air drying. This should only take about half an hour or so. You should not attempt to reassemble or turn on your razor until it has dried completely. Avoid using a hair dryer or any other artificial means to speed up the drying process. This may result in irreparable damage to your razor.