--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wanted to write a horror story. But in…" description: "\"I wanted to write a horror story. But in some ways, I have always thought of myself as a kind of ghost-story/horror writer, though most of the time the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0c/dan-chaon-2729_ghost_i-wanted-to-write-a-horror-story-but-in_3037095.png" --- # I wanted to write a horror story. But in some ways, I have… ![“I wanted to write a horror story. But in some ways, I have always thought of myself as a kind of ghost-story/horror writer, though most of the time the supernatural never actually appears on stage.” quote by Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0c/dan-chaon-2729_ghost_i-wanted-to-write-a-horror-story-but-in_3037095.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0c/dan-chaon-2729_ghost_i-wanted-to-write-a-horror-story-but-in_3037095.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0c/dan-chaon-2729_ghost_i-wanted-to-write-a-horror-story-but-in_3037095.png) > “I wanted to write a horror story. But in some ways, I have always thought of myself as a kind of ghost-story/horror writer, though most of the time the supernatural never actually appears on stage.” [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He sees himself as a ghost‑story writer, where horror is subtle and often unseen rather than overt. **In simple terms:** His horror is implied, not explicit. Key Takeaway Use subtlety to evoke fear. Themes horror subtlety storytelling Mood mysterious introspective Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - theatre - creative workshops Key Concepts ghost stories psychological tension Questions to Reflect On - How can subtle horror affect readers differently? - What techniques create unseen tension? A Different Perspective Some audiences prefer overt scares. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ghost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghost/) [Ghost stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghost-stories/) [Horror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror/) [Horror stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror-stories/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Supernatural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supernatural/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [ \[Robert\] Aikman would write horror stories that weren't gore, they weren't slashers, and they weren't monster stories either. He called them ghost stories. The… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-darnielle/robert-aikman-would-write-horror-stories-that-weren-t-gore-they-weren/) [John Darnielle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-darnielle/) > [There’s always been a need for horror fiction, though - ghost stories have been a staple of every human society since the beginning of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bentley-little/there-s-always-been-a-need-for-horror-fiction-though-ghost-stories/) [Bentley Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bentley-little/) > [Sometimes the biggest disasters aren't noticed at all - no one's around to write horror stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernor-vinge/sometimes-the-biggest-disasters-aren-t-noticed-at-all-no-one-s-around/) [Vernor Vinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernor-vinge/) > [When you read a supernatural suspense story or a ghost story, or a horror story, the evil at play is something that you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-koryta/when-you-read-a-supernatural-suspense-story-or-a-ghost-story-or-a/) [Michael Koryta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-koryta/) > [One of the problems, hanging out with me, is that I can turn any topic into a toxic horror story. I've lost two girlfriends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/one-of-the-problems-hanging-out-with-me-is-that-i-can-turn-any-topic/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [American Horror Story on cable now, it is terrific. There has to be room to re-invent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-englund/american-horror-story-on-cable-now-it-is-terrific-there-has-to-be/) [Robert Englund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-englund/) > [ My 14-year-old grandniece is not allowed to watch 'American Horror Story' yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bates/my-14-year-old-grandniece-is-not-allowed-to-watch-american-horror/) [Kathy Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bates/) > [The definition of horror is pretty broad. What causes us "horror" is actually a many splendored thing (laughs). It can be hard to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-fuller/the-definition-of-horror-is-pretty-broad-what-causes-us-horror-is/) [Bryan Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-fuller/) > [ It definitely could have been a horror story \[Valley of Violence\], oh my God, if the dog was impossible. So could the horses. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ti-west/it-definitely-could-have-been-a-horror-story-valley-of-violence-oh-my/) [Ti West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ti-west/) > [I wanted to write a balls-to-the-wall supernatural horror story, something I haven't done in a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-wanted-to-write-a-balls-to-the-wall-supernatural-horror-story/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [American Horror Story re-energized me; it re-energized my career. There’s no shame in recognizing that. It’s exposed me to a whole new generation, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-lange/american-horror-story-re-energized-me-it-re-energized-my-career-there/) [Jessica Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-lange/) > [ Horror is a reaction; it's not a genre. Somebody's life would have to be in danger for it \[story\] to be a horror story. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carpenter/horror-is-a-reaction-it-s-not-a-genre-somebody-s-life-would-have-to/) [John Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carpenter/) > [There is a sweet little horror story that is only two sentences long: The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredric-brown/there-is-a-sweet-little-horror-story-that-is-only-two-sentences-long/) [Fredric Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredric-brown/) > [When I was in New Orleans, I was in a grocery store and a woman came up to me and she said, "Oh, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bates/when-i-was-in-new-orleans-i-was-in-a-grocery-store-and-a-woman-came/) [Kathy Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bates/) > [You don't see heroism, humanity and hope like you do in a horror story. Horror celebrates the kind of friendship that keeps you standing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/you-don-t-see-heroism-humanity-and-hope-like-you-do-in-a-horror-story/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) ## More by Dan Chaon > [“Maybe love, like suffering, is relative. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/maybe-love-like-suffering-is-relative/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [Even when our death is imminent, we carry the image of ourselves moving forward, alive, into the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/even-when-our-death-is-imminent-we-carry-the-image-of-ourselves/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [For the last few years I've tried to force myself to write at least one page every day, which doesn't sound like much but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/for-the-last-few-years-i-ve-tried-to-force-myself-to-write-at-least/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“It's hard to believe that this is how it's done. That this is how we get here into the world, by accident or design,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/it-s-hard-to-believe-that-this-is-how-it-s-done-that-this-is-how-we/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [I also have just my own limits about stuff. I'm not interested in writing graphically about sexual assault for example. I feel like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/i-also-have-just-my-own-limits-about-stuff-i-m-not-interested-in/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“I have to admit that most of the time I read in the same way that I smoke and chew gum and jiggle my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/i-have-to-admit-that-most-of-the-time-i-read-in-the-same-way-that-i/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“Outside, the sleet had gotten thicker. You could hear it pebbling against the large glass windows, you could see it swirling wildly through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/outside-the-sleet-had-gotten-thicker-you-could-hear-it-pebbling/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [I was worried that, as a college teacher, if I wrote too much about intergenerational sex my students would be creeped out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/i-was-worried-that-as-a-college-teacher-if-i-wrote-too-much-about/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [Plot and scene are still the hardest things for me, though I think they're the building blocks of what makes a story work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/plot-and-scene-are-still-the-hardest-things-for-me-though-i-think/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“I've been talking to myself a lot lately. I don't know what that's about, but my mother was the same way. She hated to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/i-ve-been-talking-to-myself-a-lot-lately-i-don-t-know-what-that-s/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“Your Mom's Car. Think about that. Try to wrap your brain around the supernatural and spiritual implications that the name bears down you. Your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/your-mom-s-car-think-about-that-try-to-wrap-your-brain-around-the/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“He pictures amputated human arms flopping like fish down the center of the road; syringes floating on beds of liposuctioned fat; gelatinous human eyeballs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/he-pictures-amputated-human-arms-flopping-like-fish-down-the-center/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“In the basement of Sydney's new house is a little room that is about the size and shape of a coffin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/in-the-basement-of-sydney-s-new-house-is-a-little-room-that-is-about/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“It’s called apophenia. It’s the tendency we humans have to find meaning in disconnected information. For example, some people believe in what’s called the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/it-s-called-apophenia-it-s-the-tendency-we-humans-have-to-find/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [I would say that all short stories have mystery naturally built into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/i-would-say-that-all-short-stories-have-mystery-naturally-built-into/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) [Explore all 152 Dan Chaon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) ## More Ghost quotes > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [“When you feel terribly angry, you're possessed by anger ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-feel-terribly-angry-you-re-possessed-by-anger-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [I was overcome by the Holy Ghost one time, but in a Baptist way. I was six or seven, and I was saved. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/i-was-overcome-by-the-holy-ghost-one-time-but-in-a-baptist-way-i-was/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [Nice is a city of ghosts and specters, but I hope not to become one of them right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-modiano/nice-is-a-city-of-ghosts-and-specters-but-i-hope-not-to-become-one-of/) [Patrick Modiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-modiano/) > [“Who is this ghost ordered into music?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuko-shiraishi/who-is-this-ghost-ordered-into-music/) Kazuko Shiraishi > [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Maybe I could be friends with a ghost. I wouldn’t be able to kill him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/maybe-i-could-be-friends-with-a-ghost-i-wouldn-t-be-able-to-kill-him/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [I love ghost stories, I love to read them, and I love the idea of being haunted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micah-perks/i-love-ghost-stories-i-love-to-read-them-and-i-love-the-idea-of-being/) [Micah Perks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micah-perks/) > [The Holy Ghost is the greatest guarantor of inward peace in our unstable world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/the-holy-ghost-is-the-greatest-guarantor-of-inward-peace-in-our/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [I saw the gooseflesh on my skin. I did not know what made it. I was not cold. Had a ghost passed over? No,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-saw-the-gooseflesh-on-my-skin-i-did-not-know-what-made-it-i-was-not/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [She knows not loves that kissed her She knows not where. Art thou the ghost, my sister, White sister there, Am I the ghost,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/she-knows-not-loves-that-kissed-her-she-knows-not-where-art-thou-the/) [Algernon Charles Swinburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-charles-swinburne/) > [Pity the planet, all joy gone from this sweet volcanic cone; peace to our children when they fall in small war on the heel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lowell/pity-the-planet-all-joy-gone-from-this-sweet-volcanic-cone-peace-to/) [Robert Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lowell/) > [What the Church needs to-day is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-the-church-needs-to-day-is-not-more-machinery-or-better-not-new/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Do I believe in ghosts?...I am prepared to consider evidence and accept it if it satisfies me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-r-james/do-i-believe-in-ghosts-i-am-prepared-to-consider-evidence-and-accept/) [M. R. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-r-james/) > [Just live that life. It doesn't matter whether it is life or hell, life of the hungry ghost, life of the animal, it's okay;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taizan-maezumi/just-live-that-life-it-doesn-t-matter-whether-it-is-life-or-hell-life/) [Taizan Maezumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taizan-maezumi/) [Browse all 2,175 Ghost quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghost/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I wanted to write a horror story. 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