How long have scarecrows been around, and what country first used them? Nowadays scarecrows can be found in books, movies, and fall decorations. Which books portray them as something to be feared? Which books do not? And what causes people to suffer from formidophobia, the fear of scarecrows?
The eerie feel of autumn swoops in on the wings of birds and insects as they fly south for the winter on nature’s highways. Seasonal decorations grace the shelves of stores all around America, and the excited chatter of children turn from the latest toys to this year’s costumes. When the leaves fall and the…
Do you have a torment of ogres chasing after your character? Is he about to run into a devilry of gremlins? Has he been driven insane by a rally of hobgoblins who escaped capture by a malevolence of trolls? Does your story need a monster? Take a look through the monsters in this article and…
Will you have lunch with a lodge of fauns? Are you trying to find a senate of griffins to guard your treasure? Would you rather see a fulsome of hippogriffs or a dastardly of manticores? Would you be brave enough to walk through a snarl of minotaurs? When is a good time to travel to…
Are you looking for idioms and words that can be used to set a creepy tone to your scene or story? Do you want to use words that will send shivers up your readers’ spines? Is it your desire for those who hold your book in their hands to be frozen with fear? Will they…
Have you ever thought about using a mental hospital in your story? The reasons people were admitted to these institutions suggest many different story ideas. The cruel and inhuman way many of them were treated can also fill one’s head full of ideas about the patients, those who “cared” for them, and those who had…
Here are eight more creepy crawlies that live way too close to us. Wasps—paper wasps, yellow jackets, and boldfaced hornets—nest in rotten tree stumps, crevices in rocks, and in mud. A person can develop an allergy to their stings without warning. The daughter of a friend of mine, who had never been allergic to their…
From the brilliance of the phoenix to the brutality of the sphinx and the magic of the unicorn, these mythological creatures are amazing. Would a burning conservatory of phoenixes turn the sky red and gold? How crazy is a lunacy of werewolves? Do you think a flurry of yeti and a yearning of sasquatches could…
Did you realize we are surrounded by creepy crawlies? These creatures are enough to bring on scary dreams if you think long enough about them. One or more of these creepy crawlies could be used as fodder for a nightmare-inducing tale. If your character has acarophobia (an irrational fear of small bugs), murophobia (irrational fear…
According to dictionary.com, a superstition is a belief or notion, not based reason or knowledge, in or of the ominous significance of a particular thing, circumstance, occurrence, proceeding, or the like. It is an irrational fear of the unknown or mysterious. Many myths and legends, good and bad, exist about the owl. Some see them…
