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…
Did you attend an academy of apparitions? Would you be able to sleep if there was a racket of banshees hovering around your bed? Doesn’t it make sense that a congress of ghosts would roam the halls of the United States Capitol? Do you know of any graves that have been robbed by a shroud…
The Egyptians worshiped them. Noah prayed for them, but Pope Innocent VIII declared them to be evil. During the Middle Ages, they became associated with witches, and some were even burned. A group of them can be called a destruction, or you could call a group of them a cuddle. Egyptians and Their CatsAncient Egyptians…
There is no need to make up a creepy town name for your Halloween tale when there are so many already in existence. One or two of these unusual names belong to a county instead of a city. The states that have cities with Halloween related names are listed in alphabetical order, as are the…
The world can be full of scary things. What is out there that would scare a writer? Since there is a phobia for just about everything, it wasn’t hard to find specific phobias that would hinder a writer’s success. Some may even keep him from writing at all. If the thought of having one of…
Did you know that there are people who are deathly afraid of cows and horses? Goats, sheep, and pigs fill others with terror. Remember, each time a person with a phobia is confronted by what he or she fears, there are physical reactions. Dread, nausea, or breathlessness overcomes him. He sweats excessively and possibly loses…
