Young Writers Society

Hey, everyone!

This is a question for my latest novel. It's fantasy (as I've found most of mine are) and although I love all the races you find in books by J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Paolini, Robin Hobb and all the others, it still gets me that most of the 'evil' races, the ones with the monsters, are usually the same or very similar.

So. What scares you? It doesn't have to be a ready made monster, but features of a monster. Furry skin? Lots of legs? Many eyes?

Has there ever been a monster that's given you nightmares and had you cowering behind a sofa? If so, why? Or don't you know? Is it that innate fear that has you shivering for absolutely no reason at all, that clutches your heart and places ice in your stomach?

I don't like hairy spiders. I don't like giant insects. And I definitely don't like large stingers (Shelob, anyone, from Lord of the Rings: Return of the King?). Now it's your turn.

Thanks in advance,

Cosby

Clever Monsters. Like the Weeping Angels off Doctor Who. Think in that sort of area, perhaps?

Oh, and also, how about fear of the unknown? Notice how all the scariest/creepiest horror films are the ones where we barely see or know anything about the creature? That way, when you leave it up to the imagination, it will always be a thousand times worse than a generic conglomeration-of-scary-things monster.

Just sayin'

Okay, so first, hi, I'm Alf, and I'm here to give some tips.

Monsters and scary stuff is a must in any adventure fantasy. Now if you want to insert something 'scary' into your piece, it is vital to know who are you audiences. Ask yourself, will I write this for the old geezers, or the youthful children? The strong man, or frail woman. Ask yourself first because, for example, a child doesn't want to read out 'lots and lots of blood', and teenagers don't want to read 'The purple snoozasaurus'. Although, since you're seem to be writing this for a more mature audience, I'll give you a general overview of what can scare people.

Personally, I'm scared of crabs, but since crabs won't work for an evil kingdom, what scares me are Pincers, Bloodied fangs, Lots of teeth, Grave and ghastly voice and a sneer that says "You won't survive".

Most readers have phobias, so you can check this article out.

Hope I helped a lot

Thanks, peoples! I'm aiming for the scary that doesn't need the blood factor. It's scary, but it doesn't need to be gory. The actual look of the 'monsters' is just a part that won't necessarily play much part apart from I need to know what they look like. I'm thinking of innate fears - so I know you don't necessarily think crabs are good enough for a fantasy, what is it about crabs that you don't like?

There's some good stuff there though, thanks.

Another question; what is the scariest monster you have ever read/watched?

For me, the things that are the scariest are creatures that were formerly human and have kept some sort of human features, but are no longer human in the slightest. An appetite for flesh and general shadow-sticking tendencies help.

The scariest I remember are Morlocks, from H.G. Wells' The Time Machine. Red eyes, light fearing, and human eating. Zombies/vampires in general are a close second. (Werewolves, somehow, are not on the list)

But that's just things that give me the creeps and I tend to avoid. What I find truly scary are serial killers, master manipulators, and other humans who seem to have inhibitions ripped off, yet enough class and charm to fit into society.

I hate mosquitoes! They scare me to death. I mean, if I get scared, I would usally jump or be startled. But if I see a mosquitoes, I run and scream and cry like a little girl Dx

I don't know how I became so afraid, but all I know is that I don't think I can conquer this fear. No matter how many times I kill one, I always run out of my room whenever I see one. Somehow, when I try to kill the mosquitoes in my room, I start feeling extremely paranoid and I get itchy. It makes me feel like it's already on my skin and I would keep on jerking around until I see it, get scared, and then slap it with the fly swatter (I'm not going to touch it with my bare hands D8 ).

Like Rosey, I find generally speaking the scariest things are those that look the most human. Playing with the concept of the Uncanny Valley could be interesting for your purposes?

I also find that, as a rule, the less description and/or clear shots I get at the monster, the more creeped out I am - because my imagination starts working overtime to fill in the blanks, and it always goes for the worst. So you might consider working more on building the suspense and the tension, just hinting at a threat? House of Leaves did something like that with its Minotaur: you only ever really saw the marks of its passage and heard it growling in the distance, and all the rest was ominous mentions... and I know a number of people found that frankly terrifying. You can also check out Marble Hornets, which builds up the scary progressively. Granted it's in video form, but it's still a good example of build-up with minimal showing of the actual scary being.

Rosy and Ikerot, lots of good information there, thanks! Definitely going to use some of it.

As for Jagged, I definitely agree, human like monsters are some of the scariest (and did you know, that's how goblins started?) and I'll definitely look at the link.

In the beginning, with these monsters, I am going to use less/confused description and information as that's what will work best with my plot line. There's going to be quite a bit of suspense and tension, but there will come a time when they play a main part in the plot and will need description, etc. but they don't need to be as scary when that time comes.

Thanks for all the information and links, people! It's all helping!

The sound of running water scares me most I have a phobia of this.

Insects. That includes massive bees. *shudders*

An obvious one: freakin' spiders, man.

A less obvious one: endless space. Like a never-ending void sort of thing. Here's an example of what I mean: have you ever played a 3D video game, when all of a sudden you fell out of the map, into a big, black area where you could see chunks of the level? Well if you run into the black...ness, it goes on forever. I get extremely nervous walking into it. I dunno why, it's just a weird fear I have.

Also, that episode of Spongebob where Squidward uses the time machine and ends up in that white void. That part was pretty eerie for me.

Those endless stairs in Super Mario 64 got to me as well.

I've watched and read many horror themed movies and books throughout my life. None of the monsters or creatures have scared me unless they resemble spiders. I suppose it's the creepy crawly feeling and the fact that they have too many legs is what gets to me.

I've always had a fear of sharks. They're expressionless, and can seem soulless. Of course, there aren't that many marine fantasies out there, so yours could be a first.

For the last couple of nights, just when I am about to go to sleep, I've seen these really awful faces that are grotesquely twisted in pain and their eyes are wide. They are usually choked in pain or screaming. It's terrifying.

I also have problems with gloves and people with blank faces. Like, sometimes I can see people with gloves lift up a shade and then put a gun there (I have an extraordinarily scary imagination). And when I saw this guy in "The Phantom Tollbooth" ...



*shudders*

I also don't like shadows that are shaped as unnatural things. And I hate red lights because they remind me of shining red eyes. I wasn't able to finish "The Phantom of the Opera" when I read that line about the red eyes following that one guy. UGH.

Jagged, just thought I'd just say I adore House of Leaves so very much.

Personally, humanoid monsters scare me quite a bit - at least, when they're written well. Any that initially look human but transform into some otherworldly beast would come under this, like, say... Pennywise, maybe? (As a disclaimer, I've actually never seen or read IT; my only knowledge is from a friend of mine who roleplays him... but still! xD)