: Re: How do I imply the horror of transforming into a werewolf from another character's point of view I am very new to Stack Exchange. I want to ask a question I had on my mind for some time.

@Jessie137

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To produce a deliberately constructed horror scene, you should identify the emotions you want to evoke and write toward those. Horror as a genre is all about emotion, foremost being dread. Dread is essentially the anticipation of something worse yet to come.

To make it dreadful, make sure your soldier understands that things are going counter to expectations-- there is horror in the loss of control and the anticipation that important plans are being ruined. Not only is the transformation horrible to watch, but the monster emerging becomes a new, more dangerous, and unpredictable threat, and all manner of terrible consequences could be next. A fear of impending death is the most obvious reaction to this threat, but it's not that interesting by itself, so make sure you give it some flavor.

You have fear of the unknown providing an element of uncertainty. Perhaps the fog and darkness give limited visibility, heightening the suspense as we await a clear glimpse of the monster? Can our soldier figure out what triggered the transformation?

You can also build dread with some incidental consequences or complicating factors, heightened risks, and bigger stakes. Yes, the werewolf is too close for comfort, and there is a possibility that the soldier can make a mad dash for the nearest tree, a plan the soldier can anticipate-- but then that would surely catch the attention of enemy soldiers and the werewolf. (Think swordfight over the alligator pit.) Perhaps the creature emerges in a lupine form and begins sniffing the air, and the soldier realizes it might be able to smell them-- a new problem with dreadful implications. Or maybe the cause of the transformation is volatile-- if the wind changes, could the soldier be next? Do they need to get away from the fog above all else? Maybe the stakes are raised by the presence of someone the soldier wants to protect, such as a comrade or that pesky kid who keeps tagging along at inappropriate times.

Other emotions to consider as you break down the horror of the scene: disgust (unnatural shifts in form are visually disturbing, whether it's the shape or the way the limbs are rearranging themselves, but you also have the sounds of bones and sinews shifting and breaking, moans and whimpers of pain, and inhuman noises), empathy and sorrow (especially if the person afflicted is not an unknown entity, such as a comrade), a sense of cognitive vertigo or disorientation as your soldier's worldview shifts abruptly off its axis.

You may also want to tackle the way the transformation affects the protagonist's goals and expectations: Your protagonist is a soldier on a stealth mission, and probably it was business as usual until the transformation happened. Were they feeling confident before? Tense? Purposeful? What were their hopes and fears about the mission or their life at that moment? What was their understanding of the enemy's purpose and the functionality of their defenses? Does it reframe the entire situation for them?

So your sergeant goes from being focused, strategy-oriented, and controlled, to losing their grasp of the bigger picture. How can you concentrate on the mission when presented with something so awful? Does the immediate goal become not to succeed in the mission or to infiltrate that camp but rather to escape the monster? To protect their comrade? To keep a level head and carry on with the mission despite all of the instincts to do otherwise?

As AkkaVer points out, pacing is crucial. You may not have time to explore all of that in medias res, so choose what will have the most gut-wrenching impact (within the plausible bounds of your character arcs and plot, of course) and let the rest go.

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