Hey Legacy, this post is completely off-topic and isn't related to HHN30 or anything, but I've been wondering, I have MANYYY HHN house ideas (mostly original concepts made up by me), but my house ideas aren't as elaborate as your scene by scene description for "Terminal 13". are there any tips you can give me on how I can make my original house ideas more elaborate?
I read and write a lot, to the point where I got a bachelors in Creative Writing. I say that to give a little context of my answer, because I haunt design isn’t something you’re really “trained” to do.
When you’re designing a house, each scene (IMO) should be presented as a self-contained story. That means you’re working to establish settings, characters, and “plot” for each scene using the same principles you’d use if you were writing a story.
Setting - Engage as many senses as possible. Sight and sound are essentially. Smell if it’s used and touch for stuff in face. Just like a story, think of key details that can establish the where and when it’s occurring, and view it as a real space.
Character - Character is more than the look of the scareactor. What is driving them to do what they’re doing? Hunger? Hatred? Revenge? Their own fear? You have to know the answer and work to convey that in how you describe their actions. Also, just like a story, remember the protagonist—which is the guest. You can convey a lot about a scene by determining how you want the guests to feel moment to moment.
Plot - What is happening in the scene apart from the scare(s) themselves? The scare is important, sure, but it’s the moments in between the scares where the house’s story is told.
Each scene is a story, that connects to a larger story. That’s how HHN develops them, and it’ll improve the overall quality of what you produce.