In this month’s master class we’re going to look at how we build and convey a sense of fear in our stories. We’ll be looking at Paranoia by Shirley Jackson, in which our hero, Mr Halloran Beresford, starts off having a perfectly ordinary day and through a series of events ends up feeling completely paranoid. As always, you will benefit the most from this article if you read the story for yourself: writ.rs/paranoia
Let’s see how Shirley Jackson takes Mr Beresford on a journey from peace of mind to mental anguish. Look at the language in the first paragraph. He is described as pleasantly tired and pleased with both his neat appearance and the fact that he has remembered his wife’s birthday. The language is positive and gentle and gives no clue of what is to come.