Peak scary season is upon us, my goblins and ghouls, friends and fiends. Whether you’ll be doling out sugary treats to the little monsters that knock on your door this Halloween night, partake in an adult-oriented costume party, or binge on classics like Young Frankenstein or Rocky Horror Picture Show (I highly recommend either, or both if you’re in the mood for a science fiction double feature), know that after tonight, it all comes crashing down like a sugar high, and we all must end our revelries and return to our writing. (Although some of us may prolong that inevitability by celebrating well into el Dia de los Muertos. Why not make a weekend of it? They’ve already got Christmas decor in the aisles of Dollar General and Hobby Lobby.)
Even after all the hoopla subsides, we writers must come to terms with some scary goblins that can haunt our work year round. Here are five scary creatures that may hang around well after All Hallows Eve, like toilet paper on the stately elm in the front yard of Mr. Henderson, who always handed out those filling-yanking sticky, taffy-like things wrapped in waxy orange and black paper.
1. The ghost
The ghost story is when you think your story is complete–it has all the elements: characters, plot, setting, etc.–but in reality it’s an apparition. There’s a hint of a story in your writing, but it’s merely an ephemeral wisp. The characters aren’t even one-dimensional, the plot is thin as gruel, and the setting doesn’t feel right. What do you do? Take a few steps back and examine all elements of the story with a critical eye, and put some meat on its bones. Or, first make a skeleton of your ghost, then add meat.
2. Frankenstein’s monster
Many of us can’t bear to kill the darlings of our writing, so we save those scraps and snips from other stories. We shove them in other files or documents, thinking they’ll come in useful someday. They linger on the shelves of our laboratories or in our digital graveyards, where we dig them out and attempt to cobble them together, much like Dr. Frankenstein did with his modern Prometheus in the classic Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley novel, in hopes of reanimating these pieces and parts into a cohesive whole.
But stop. Do these pieces really go together? Sure, maybe a few stitch near-seamlessly into a new creation. But maybe it’s better to keep some of those pieces buried, or leave Abby Normal’s brain (video) in that jar on the shelf.
3. The vampire
Sometimes your story just sucks. Sometimes you just need to drive a stake through its heart.
4. The mummy
There’s a story in there somewhere, but it’s all wrapped up in layers and layers of gauze or toilet paper or whatever it is they wrap mummies in these days. What’s covering up your story? Too many details? Unnecessary description or scene-setting? Tug on one of those threads of your mummy story and see what you can find beneath.
5. The invisible man
Like the mummy story above, the invisible man story is hidden beneath layers of clothing. Unlike the mummy, however, and more like the ghost, the invisible man suffers from lack of substance. He’s a nothingburger. Is your story ultimately a story about nothing? Take heart. I’ve read plenty of stories about nothing, and some of them I enjoyed. Your invisible story could still be a success, just like the TV show Seinfeld, which claimed to be a show about nothing (video).
Top image via Pexels.
Andy writes! 
Ghastly, ghoulish gaffes–gadzooks, that’s some gloriously good alliteration!