creative writing about a monster

Monster Writing Prompts: Craft Tales of Creatures

My name is Debbie, and I am passionate about developing a love for the written word and planting a seed that will grow into a powerful voice that can inspire many.

Monster Writing Prompts: Craft Tales of⁤ Creatures

Unleash ⁣your creativity with​ monster writing​ prompts, discover the world of‍ monsters and unleash your imagination with these writing prompts, why choose our monster-themed⁢ writing prompts, explore the origins of monsters: digging into mythology⁤ and folklore, delve into the rich origins of creatures: unveiling the depths of ⁤mythology and folklore, delve into the fascinating world of mythology and folklore to find inspiration for your creature ‌creations, creating compelling monster characters: tips⁣ and⁢ tricks, learn the art⁤ of crafting captivating ‍monster characters that will leave your​ readers ‌enthralled, unleash your creativity with captivating monster characters, creating vivid ‍monster‍ characters, utilizing metaphors and similes, master the art of descriptive⁤ writing to bring your monstrous creations to life on the page, building suspense and tension: keeping your⁣ readers on the edge ‌of their seats, creating unforgettable⁣ suspense: engaging⁢ your‌ audience ‍from start to ‌finish, learn⁤ how to build suspense and tension in your monster tales, keeping your readers engaged and intrigued, conquering​ writer’s block: overcoming challenges in monster writing, overcoming challenges in monster writing, discover effective⁣ strategies to overcome writer’s block and unleash your creativity when writing⁤ monster stories, polishing your monster masterpieces: editing and revising tips, refine your monster tales with expert editing ​and ⁢revising tips to create polished and captivating stories, crafting‍ memorable‍ endings: leaving a lasting impression, explore techniques for crafting‌ satisfying and memorable endings to your monster tales, leaving your readers wanting more, master⁤ the​ art of⁢ crafting irresistible⁣ endings for ​your monster tales, frequently asked questions, to conclude.

There’s an entire⁣ world of monsters‌ waiting to be unleashed from the depths of your imagination! With our collection of‌ monster writing prompts,​ you have ⁤the chance to create captivating tales of creatures that will leave readers on the⁢ edge of their ⁢seats. Whether you’re a ​seasoned writer or just starting ⁢your ⁢literary journey, these ‍prompts will inspire you to craft ⁤unique and ‍unforgettable monster stories.

In this⁣ collection, you’ll find a vast array of creature-inspired writing prompts that will‍ push your creativity to new heights. From mythical beasts to modern-day monsters, there’s no limit to the terrifying and fascinating creatures you can conjure. Dive into the⁢ world⁤ of monster writing ⁤and let your imagination run wild as you explore⁢ the depths of the supernatural and the unknown. Unlock the potential ‍of‌ your storytelling⁤ abilities and bring to ⁣life creatures ​that haunt nightmares and captivate imaginations.

Embark on an adventure ⁢where mythical ​beings clash, legendary monsters ‌roam, and‌ terrifying creatures lurk in the shadows.⁣ Explore the challenges these monsters face, the emotions they ‍evoke in others, and the‍ impact they have on their surroundings. With our carefully curated prompts , you’ll have the opportunity to develop unique storylines, intricate character backgrounds , and thrilling plot twists. Whether you choose to create a monstrous protagonist or a fearsome antagonist, these prompts‌ will ensure that your tales of creatures ‍are nothing​ short of extraordinary. So grab your pen, embrace the unknown, ⁤and ⁤let the world of monsters⁣ inspire you to craft captivating tales that leave readers both⁣ trembling in fear and longing for more.

Are you ready to ⁣embark on an epic journey of imagination? Look no further than our collection of Monster Writing⁤ Prompts! ‌These prompts ​are designed to inspire and challenge your creative abilities, ‌allowing you ​to⁣ create fantastical stories that will captivate readers of all ages.

With our Monster Writing ‌Prompts, you have ⁣the power​ to​ conjure ​up creatures that dwell in the deepest corners of‌ your mind. From fearsome dragons to ⁢mischievous goblins, each ‍prompt presents​ a unique opportunity​ to bring your​ wildest ideas to life. Let ‌your imagination⁣ roam free as you⁤ venture‌ into uncharted realms, where anything is possible.

• Challenge yourself with prompts that delve into the origins and characteristics of mythical beasts.
• Explore⁣ the untold stories of legendary creatures⁢ that have been ‍passed down through generations.
• Imagine encounters with extraordinary monsters in unexpected places, like bustling ‍cities or serene landscapes.
• Craft⁣ tales of unlikely friendships or epic battles between powerful creatures.

Dive deep into the realm of‍ fantasy and let the magic of storytelling take hold. Our Monster Writing⁣ Prompts will push the ‌boundaries of your creativity,​ encouraging you to⁢ think outside the box‍ and weave narratives that will leave readers craving more. So, ⁤grab a pen, summon your imagination, and let the monsters come to life on the pages of your stories.

Are you ‍ready‍ to embark on an⁤ extraordinary journey into the ‌world of monsters? Prepare to let your imagination run wild as we present you with a collection of ​captivating writing prompts. These prompts are designed to transport you to mysterious realms where fantastical creatures ⁣roam, igniting your creativity and allowing you to⁢ weave ‌tales beyond your wildest dreams.

Delve into the depths ⁢of your imagination⁢ and conjure ⁣up epic stories featuring mythical beings such⁣ as⁢ fearsome ​dragons, mischievous sprites, and enigmatic sea monsters. With these writing prompts, ​you have the power to bring ‌these creatures to life, giving them unique personalities and captivating backstories. Unleash your storytelling prowess as⁣ you ‍describe their appearances, habitats, and even the interactions they have with​ humans.‍ Whether‍ you choose to craft a thrilling adventure or a heartwarming⁣ tale, the possibilities are endless.

• Unlock unlimited creativity: These writing prompts act as a portal to a world limited only ⁤by your ‌imagination. Let your creative juices⁤ flow and discover new realms ​of storytelling.
• Enhance writing ‍skills: ‍ By engaging with these prompts, you’ll improve your ​ability to create compelling characters, build intriguing plotlines,​ and develop immersive settings.
• Explore diverse monster archetypes: From ⁣legendary⁤ creatures ingrained in folklore ⁢to ⁤entirely original monsters of your own creation, you’ll have the⁤ chance to invent and explore a wide variety of captivating beings.
• Ignite your ‌passion for storytelling: These prompts are ‌sure ​to⁣ reignite your​ love for writing,‍ allowing⁣ you to escape into a‌ world where anything is⁣ possible.

So, what are you waiting for? Grab your pen ‌and paper, or fire up your computer, and‌ immerse yourself in a captivating adventure through the realm‍ of monsters. Unleash your imagination and let your⁣ creativity soar!

Embark on a captivating journey where the boundaries between reality and imagination blur ​– a ‍realm where mythical creatures⁤ roam and tales from ⁤ancient ⁣folklore ⁤come alive. Prepare to immerse yourself⁣ in the enchanting universe​ of monsters, ‌as we dig deep‍ into the realms of mythology to unveil their fascinating origins.

Mythology and folklore from cultures across the globe offer​ a tapestry of captivating stories⁤ about creatures⁢ that ‌have⁢ both terrified ⁣and captivated⁤ humanity for centuries. From majestic dragons and mysterious sphinxes to mischievous ‍spirits and fearsome giants, ‌each ⁣culture has its own unique set of legendary beings ​that ‍have ⁢left an indelible⁤ mark ⁣on their collective consciousness.

Uncover the astonishing connections⁣ between these mythical creatures and the cultural ‍beliefs⁤ that shaped ⁤their existence. Discover how ancient civilizations wove tales of monsters into their religious practices, moral teachings, and even explanations for natural phenomena. ⁣Traverse through the intricately woven tapestries of myth and folklore, where each tale carries​ hidden meanings and insights into the human ⁣experience.

• Gain profound insights into⁣ humanity’s collective imagination and ⁢the archetypes of fear⁣ and‍ wonder that have given birth to a myriad of legendary monsters.
• Unravel the colorful threads of​ mythology and witness how these ancient tales continue to influence popular culture today.
• Explore the symbolism⁢ behind ⁣each⁤ creature, delving into the cultural contexts that imbue⁤ these mythical ​beings with both awe and terror.
• Unearth the underlying messages and teachings‌ hidden within the folklore-rich stories, providing valuable lessons that ‌can still ​resonate ‌with​ modern society.

Prepare to ‌ignite ‌your curiosity and​ awaken your inner explorer as we embark upon this ‍extraordinary ⁣expedition into the origins of monstrous creatures. Are you ready to unravel the​ secrets behind the‌ legends?

Exploring the rich tapestry of mythology and folklore can‍ unveil a treasure trove ​of inspiration when it ⁤comes to​ crafting⁤ your ⁢own unique ‍creatures. From ⁤the ancient Greek legends of fearsome beasts like the Hydra and Chimera, to the enchanting creatures of ⁤Norse mythology like the mighty Jormungandr or cunning Valkyries, the possibilities are ⁣endless.‌ By immersing yourself in these captivating tales, ⁢you can tap into a wellspring of ideas⁣ and breathe life into your creature designs. ⁣

‌ Each myth and‍ legend ⁣offers a ‌unique perspective on creature creation, providing you with ​a diverse array‌ of traits, attributes, ⁢and stories ⁢to draw‍ upon. By drawing inspiration from these ⁤mythological ⁢beings, you can ‍infuse your own creations with fantastical elements that⁤ resonate with readers or viewers. Perhaps you’ll be inspired by the majestic winged Pegasus, known for its elegance and speed,​ or the mischievous ​shape-shifting kitsune from Japanese folklore.

• Unveil the mysterious allure⁤ of the sphinx, combining the body of a lion with the ‌head of ‌a human.
• Embrace the power and strength of the thunderbird, a legendary creature that controls‍ the ⁣forces of ​nature.
• Delight ‌in the charm of the kelpie, a shape-shifting water spirit capable of​ luring unsuspecting victims into its watery domain.

⁣ Throughout history, mythology and folklore have captivated humanity’s​ imagination, revealing extraordinary creatures ​that have ⁤stood the test of time. By⁤ embarking on this mythical journey, you’ll open yourself up to endless possibilities, breathing life into ‌your creature creations ⁢and infusing them⁢ with a touch of magic and⁤ wonder. ​

When it comes ‌to⁣ crafting monster characters for your stories, it’s⁤ all about making them captivating ⁣and unforgettable. Whether you’re writing a spooky horror novel⁣ or creating a monstrous antagonist for your video game, here are some tips and tricks to help bring your creature to life:

• Start‌ with a strong concept: ⁢Before diving into details, have a clear idea of what your monster represents. Is it a‍ physical ⁣manifestation ‍of fear, a mythical creature, or perhaps ⁣a result of a terrifying experiment? Understanding the core concept will guide your decisions throughout the creation process.
• Design distinctive features: Give⁤ your‌ monster a standout appearance that will leave a lasting impression​ on your audience. This can include ⁤unique physical attributes, ​such⁢ as glowing eyes, sharp claws, or⁤ grotesque ​mutations. Incorporate elements that make your monster‍ visually intriguing ⁣and instantly recognizable.
• Develop a compelling backstory: Every great monster needs a compelling backstory that adds depth and‍ intrigue. Consider ⁣their origins, motivations, and how they fit into‍ the larger narrative. Are they seeking revenge, driven by an insatiable hunger,‌ or simply ⁢misunderstood? A well-crafted backstory ⁢will make your monster​ more relatable to your audience, even⁢ if they are inherently frightening.

Remember, ⁣the key to creating compelling monster characters lies ⁢in their uniqueness and the connection they establish with your audience. By starting⁣ with a strong concept, designing distinctive features, and developing a compelling backstory, you’ll create monsters that will both send⁤ shivers down spines‌ and resonate ⁣with readers and players‌ long after the final page or game over screen.

Monsters ​have⁢ always captivated the imagination of readers throughout history. From the ⁤terrifying creatures lurking in the shadows to the misunderstood creatures seeking​ redemption,⁢ crafting compelling⁤ monster characters can⁤ take your storytelling to the next level, leaving your readers spellbound.

So, how can you master the art of creating captivating monster characters? Here are a few key tips to get you ⁣started:

• Research and Inspire: ⁣Dive into ⁣mythology, folklore, or even nature to ‌discover unique characteristics and traits ‍that can make your monsters truly stand out. Draw inspiration from existing monsters, but don’t ‌be afraid‍ to add your own twist.
• Develop ​Unique Backstories: Give⁤ your monsters a rich history and background that influences their behavior and motivations. This will add depth and complexity to your characters, making them more relatable and intriguing.
• Create Physical​ and Emotional Appeal: Design visually striking‌ features for​ your‍ monsters, be it fearsome fangs, luminescent skin, ⁢or mesmerizing eyes. Additionally,⁢ explore ‍their emotional range,‍ from rage-filled​ roars⁤ to fragile vulnerabilities that evoke empathy.

Becoming a master of captivating monster character creation is⁤ a journey that requires⁣ practice, experimentation, ⁤and ​a​ sprinkle of‌ imagination. So, embrace⁣ the challenge, let your creativity run wild, and⁤ unlock an⁣ enthralling world of mythical‌ creatures that will leave your readers awestruck.

Mastering the Art of Descriptive Writing: Bring Your Monsters to Life

When​ it⁤ comes to descriptive writing, adding life to your monsters is a crucial element ​in captivating ⁤your readers and immersing them in your story. By mastering​ the art of descriptive writing, you possess the power to bring your monstrous‌ creations to life‍ on the page.

To​ create vivid monster characters, consider the following tips:

• Imagery: Use rich⁢ and evocative language to paint a vivid image of your monster in the reader’s mind. Describe ‍their appearance, movement, and ‍unique characteristics in detail to make them visually come to life.
• Emotional Impact: Monsters aren’t just about their physical attributes; they also evoke strong emotions in readers. Describe the fear, awe, or disgust that your monster’s presence brings, allowing ​readers to feel a connection to your creation.
• Sensory Details: Engage your readers’ senses by incorporating sensory ‌details into your descriptions. Describe the sounds, ⁤smells, and tactile sensations associated with your monster, enhancing the realism of their existence.

Metaphors and similes are powerful tools in descriptive ‌writing that can add depth and complexity to your monster characters. By comparing your monster to something familiar or creating a striking visual⁣ image , you can convey a deeper understanding of their ⁣attributes and behavior.

Consider the⁣ following examples:

• Metaphor: ⁤”Her clawed hands were as sharp ​as daggers, tearing through the ‍darkness like a tempest ⁢in the night.”
• Simile: ‍”The monster’s bloodcurdling roar echoed through ‌the forest, reverberating like thunder on a moonlit night.”

By‍ incorporating metaphors and similes into your descriptions, you enhance ‌the reader’s experience, making your monsters more memorable and captivating.

Descriptive writing has the power to make your monstrous creations⁣ leap off the page and captivate your readers’ imaginations. By mastering this art, you can breathe life ⁢into your characters, settings, and creatures, making them​ come alive in vivid detail.‍ Here are some essential tips​ to enhance‌ your descriptive writing ⁣skills and ‍create a ⁣thrilling experience for ⁢your readers:

1. Engage⁢ the senses: Appeal to your readers’⁤ senses by vividly describing the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures ⁢of your monstrous creations.‍ Use creative metaphors and similes to evoke specific sensations, transporting ​your readers into the heart of ⁤your narrative.

2. ​Harness the power of ⁤vivid⁤ language: Choose your words carefully‍ to ⁢paint a powerful image in the reader’s mind. Opt for strong and specific adjectives to⁤ create a clearer picture. Instead of saying your monster is scary, describe the jagged fangs, blood-red eyes, and menacing growl that send shivers down the spine.

3. Show, don’t⁢ tell: Instead of simply telling ​your readers about your‍ monster’s‌ appearance, let them experience it firsthand. Describe the grotesque features, the slimy touch, or the bone-chilling⁢ roar, allowing the reader to form their own emotional connection with your creations.

4. Create a well-rounded monster: Give⁣ life to your monstrous creations beyond their ⁢physical attributes. Develop their personalities, motivations,⁢ and quirks to make them multi-dimensional. Consider their history, desires, ⁤and fears, allowing the reader⁢ to understand⁣ and‌ relate to ⁤them in a ⁢unique way.

When it ⁣comes to storytelling,⁢ building suspense and tension⁢ is key to​ keeping‌ your readers captivated and eagerly⁤ turning the pages. Whether you’re crafting a thrilling mystery, a spine-chilling horror, or a gripping psychological drama, there are several techniques ‍you can employ to maximize the suspense‌ factor and ensure⁤ your audience remains ‌on the edge of their seats.

1. Intriguing Openings: ⁤Begin⁤ your story with a ​bang! Hook your readers ​from the ⁢very first ​line with ‍a shocking revelation, an unexpected event, or a perplexing ⁤question. By immediately plunging them into the heart of the action, you⁢ set the stage for an intense and⁣ suspenseful ⁣reading experience.

2. Masterful ⁢Pacing: ​Control the rhythm and tempo of your narrative to build tension effectively. Alternate between moments of high ‍intensity and slower, thought-provoking passages. ⁣Allow your story to ⁣ebb and‍ flow, creating a rollercoaster​ of emotions that keeps readers engaged while giving​ them moments⁢ to⁣ catch their breath and process the suspenseful events.

3. Foreshadowing and Red Herrings: Plant hints and clues that suggest potential⁣ outcomes ‍or ‍future dangers, creating an intriguing sense of anticipation. However, don’t​ make it too obvious. Throw in clever red herrings to mislead your audience and add an extra layer of suspense. Just⁤ be sure to tie all loose ends‍ together ​by the story’s end to⁢ avoid frustrating your readers.

4. Deep Character Development: Make your readers ⁣care deeply about your characters. By creating multi-dimensional and relatable protagonists, you establish an emotional⁣ connection between readers and the fate of your characters. This investment intensifies⁤ the suspense, as readers become truly invested in the outcome of the story.

5. Cliffhangers⁣ and Unexpected ​Twists: Keep your readers guessing with strategic cliffhangers and surprising plot twists. Leave them hanging at the end of chapters, creating a burning desire to know what happens next. Twist⁣ the plot ​unexpectedly, subverting their expectations and ⁣injecting a surge of adrenaline into the narrative.

By incorporating these techniques into your writing,‍ you can effectively ⁣build suspense and tension, leaving your readers on the edge of their seats and hungry for more. Remember, it’s not only about the destination but the ​journey itself, and creating an unforgettable⁢ suspense-filled ‌journey⁤ will keep your readers coming ⁢back for ⁢more.

Tips for⁤ Building ‌Suspense and Tension ⁤in Your Monster Tales

Do you⁢ want to captivate your readers with spine-chilling monster tales that keep them ⁤on the edge of their seats?‌ Building suspense and⁤ tension is ⁣key to creating‍ an engaging and intriguing story. Here are some valuable tips on​ how to masterfully infuse suspense and tension into your monster tales:

• Create a Mysterious Atmosphere: Set the stage for suspense by establishing an eerie and ‌foreboding environment.​ Describe the ⁢sinister shadows⁢ lurking in the darkness, the creaking⁢ floorboards, or the distant howls of ​unknown creatures. Engage your readers’⁤ senses to make them ‌feel like​ they ‍are part of​ the eerie world you’ve created.
• Develop Intriguing Characters: Introduce complex characters​ that readers can root for or be wary⁣ of. Make their motives unclear, their pasts hidden, and their actions unpredictable.​ Incorporate unexpected twists and turns ​in their personalities ‌to keep readers guessing.
• Employ ‍Foreshadowing: Drop subtle⁢ hints⁤ throughout your⁣ story that something ominous ‌is looming. Foreshadowing can create⁢ anticipation and build tension as readers try to decipher the hidden clues. Whether it’s a cryptic ‍message on a torn ​piece of paper or a chilling‌ encounter with a mysterious figure, small ‌hints can leave ⁤readers yearning ⁢for answers.

By implementing these techniques, you can successfully craft monster tales that leave your readers craving more. So,⁣ grab your pen‌ and let your ‍imagination unleash a world filled with suspense, tension, and ‍horrifying creatures.

Writing about‍ monsters is a thrilling endeavor, but​ sometimes, even ​the most seasoned writers can ​encounter the dreaded writer’s block. It can be challenging to conjure up unique and captivating creatures from the depths of our imagination. However, ‍fear ⁤not!​ We have compiled some ⁤effective strategies to ⁢help you conquer writer’s block and breathe life into your monster writing.

1. Dive into research: Immerse yourself in the⁤ world of mythology, folklore, and literature.‍ Uncover intriguing tales⁤ and⁢ legends related to​ mythical beasts and supernatural creatures. Not only⁣ will this‌ provide you with inspiration,​ but it can also spark new ideas and fresh perspectives for ⁣your monster creations.

2. Embrace brainstorming: Set aside dedicated time for brainstorming sessions. Grab ⁣a pen and paper,⁢ or use a digital tool, to jot down any and every idea that comes to mind.‍ Don’t worry about the feasibility or quality of the ideas initially; the goal is to ​generate a ⁣pool of potential​ monster concepts. Later, you can sift through⁤ and​ refine these ideas, combining different ‍elements to form​ unique and captivating creatures.

Are you struggling to find inspiration when it comes ⁤to writing⁤ monster stories? Writer’s block can be a formidable foe, but fear not! We ⁢have compiled a list of⁣ effective strategies that will help you overcome this hurdle​ and unleash your creativity like never before.

• Dive into the world of mythology: ‌ Explore various⁣ mythologies and legends from different cultures. Ancient‍ tales of monsters can ‍be ⁤a⁣ wellspring of inspiration ⁤for your own creations. Whether it’s the terrifying creatures from⁤ Greek mythology or the mystical beings of folklore, immersing ⁣yourself in these fantastical narratives can spark ⁢fresh⁤ ideas and breathe life into ⁣your own⁤ monster stories.
• Experiment with ⁤different perspectives: Sometimes, taking a break​ from focusing solely on ⁤the monster‌ itself can provide a new perspective.​ Try⁢ writing ‍from the point‌ of ‌view of a​ monster hunter or a terrified victim.‌ By exploring diverse angles, you can deepen the complexity of your stories and reveal ‍unique​ aspects of your monstrous characters.
• Embrace ⁤the unknown: Monsters represent the mysterious ⁤and unknown, so embrace the uncertainty. Allow your imagination to roam free and create monsters that defy expectations. ⁢Tap into your deepest fears⁤ and uncover the darkest corners of your mind. ‍By⁣ delving into the unknown, ‍you’ll ‍unlock a plethora of ideas that will make your ​monster ‍stories truly captivating.

Remember, writer’s ⁣block is just a temporary setback. By incorporating these strategies into your writing‌ routine, you will conquer the blank page and unleash a world of unimaginable creatures.⁤ So,​ grab‍ your pen, let your‌ creativity flow, and prepare to​ captivate ⁣your readers‌ with your unique monster stories!

When it comes to writing, the‍ real​ magic happens during the editing and revising process. Just like polishing a rough gemstone into ​a sparkling jewel,⁢ editing ⁣and⁣ revising can⁢ transform your monster masterpiece into a flawless ⁣work of art. Here are some tips to help you refine your writing and take it to the next level:

• Step‌ away and take a breather: After completing your first draft, it’s essential ​to give yourself​ some distance from your ⁢work. Take ⁤a ⁣break, indulge in a‍ different activity, or focus on another project. This break allows you to approach your writing with fresh eyes and a clear mind during the editing⁣ process.
• Start with the big picture: Begin by⁢ examining the⁤ overall structure and flow of⁤ your piece. Look for‌ any plot holes, ‍inconsistencies, or sections that could benefit from restructuring. Check if ⁤your ideas are communicated smoothly and​ effectively. ⁢Remember, editing is not just ‌about ‍catching‌ typos but also about refining the core aspects‍ of your writing.
• Refine your⁢ language: Now that you’ve​ assessed the bigger picture, it’s time​ to focus on the smaller details. Pay attention to⁣ grammar, punctuation,⁤ and sentence structure. Eliminate unnecessary words or phrases that hinder clarity. Use tools like a thesaurus⁢ to enhance ⁤your vocabulary or a‌ grammar checker to catch any overlooked​ errors.

Editing and revising ‍can be a daunting⁤ task, but the rewards are worth it. It allows you to transform a‍ good story into an extraordinary‌ one. Remember, the editing process is not​ about criticizing your work but rather about refining it. Approach it with‌ passion and persistence, and soon you’ll breathe life into your own monster masterpiece.

Welcome to⁢ our comprehensive guide on refining your monster ‍tales⁤ with expert editing and revising tips! Whether you’re a seasoned‌ writer or just starting out, we’ve got you covered. Crafting a captivating story about monsters takes creativity and skill, and with our expert advice,⁤ you’ll be⁣ able to bring your spooky creatures to ⁣life in a polished and engaging manner.

Here are some invaluable tips⁤ to help you refine your monster tales and make them truly ⁤captivating:

• 1. Develop your monster’s backstory: ⁤Give your monster depth and complexity ⁤by exploring their origins, motivations, and history.‌ This ⁣will add richness to ‍your tale and make your readers invested ⁢in the creature you’ve created.
• 2. Streamline your plot: Make sure your‌ story ‌has a clear and concise structure that keeps readers engaged.‍ Eliminate unnecessary subplots or ‌characters that distract from your monster’s narrative.
• 3. Edit for⁢ pacing: Consider​ the pacing of your story to maintain ⁣reader interest. Build tension by strategically placing suspenseful moments and balancing them with moments⁢ of resolution.
• 4. ⁤Refine your descriptions: Use vivid and⁢ evocative language to bring‍ your monster to‍ life on the page. Engage all the senses and describe​ its appearance, sounds, smells, and physical sensations to immerse your readers in⁤ your world.

With these expert editing and revising tips, you’ll be well on your way to creating⁣ polished and captivating monster ‍tales that⁢ will leave your readers on the edge of their seats. Don’t ‌be afraid to experiment, revise, and seek feedback to truly ‍refine‌ your storytelling skills. Happy writing!

When it comes to storytelling, the ⁢ending ⁣is⁤ just as important as the beginning and middle. Crafting a memorable ending ‌is what leaves ⁢a lasting impression on your audience, ensuring that they will continue to think⁤ about your story long ⁤after it has ended. Here are some tips to help you create endings that will captivate and resonate with your readers:

• Create a⁢ sense of closure: A satisfying ending ties up ‍loose⁣ ends and provides resolution‌ to the main⁣ conflicts in your story.​ It gives your readers a sense of fulfillment and completion, leaving no ‍unanswered questions or unresolved plot points.
• Embrace the‌ unexpected: Surprise your ⁤readers⁢ with an unexpected twist or revelation in the ending. This can add a sense of excitement‍ and intrigue, forcing your audience⁣ to reevaluate everything they thought they ‌knew ⁢and leaving them wanting more.
• Evoke emotional impact: Endings ⁢that make ⁤your readers‍ feel ​something ​are the ones they will remember.⁤ Whether it’s joy, sadness, or even shock, aim to evoke⁤ strong emotions in your audience through the final ⁢moments of your story.

A memorable ending ⁢is also characterized by ⁣its ability to leave room for interpretation and reflection. Instead⁣ of presenting everything ‍on a ⁤silver platter, consider leaving some aspects open to interpretation, allowing your readers to draw their own conclusions and‍ engage in post-story contemplation. By keeping your audience‍ guessing and encouraging them⁢ to ⁤reflect on‌ your ​story, ‌you ⁢create a lasting impression that ⁣lingers far beyond the final page.

As ⁢a ‍writer, one ‌of the most powerful tools you possess is the ability to leave your readers​ craving more. The⁤ ending of your‌ monster⁢ tale is your chance to make‌ a lasting impression, to captivate your audience and ensure that they’ll eagerly anticipate your next installment. Here, we ‍delve into a variety of techniques that ​will help you create endings that are satisfying, memorable, and ⁣that will leave your readers begging for the next chapter:

• Embrace​ the element ⁢of ⁤surprise: ⁢ Keep ‌your readers on⁢ their​ toes ⁣by subverting their expectations. Consider a twist ending that reveals ⁣a hidden truth about ​your monster or​ introduces a ‌new and unexpected danger.
• Create a sense of resolution: While leaving room for future stories, ⁢it’s important to provide ⁢closure to specific elements of your monster tale. Tie up ⁢loose ​ends, answer ⁣lingering questions, and give ⁣your readers a⁣ sense‌ of satisfaction.
• Leave unanswered​ questions: Balance closure with ​a touch of mystery. By leaving‌ some questions unanswered, you can​ pique your readers’ curiosity and ensure they’ll ⁢yearn for⁣ more stories in your monster universe.
• Employ foreshadowing: Plant subtle hints throughout your ⁢tale that allude to future events or storylines. This not only adds depth to your ending but also sets ⁢the stage for future adventures with your captivating monsters.

Remember, the‍ ending of ‌your monster tale is your chance to leave your readers in awe, eager to know ‌what happens next. By employing these techniques, you’ll not only craft satisfying endings but also create a devoted following of readers who can’t⁣ get enough of your ‍monstrous tales.

Q: What are monster ⁢writing prompts? A: Monster writing prompts are creative cues or ideas that inspire writers ⁣to craft imaginative tales featuring‌ various⁤ creatures and monsters.

Q: How can monster writing ‌prompts enhance our storytelling abilities? A: ⁢Monster writing prompts ​encourage⁣ us to ‌think outside the box, allowing us to explore different ​worlds and develop​ storytelling skills. They ignite our imagination ‍and challenge us to create unique characters, settings, and narratives.

Q: Are monster ‍writing‌ prompts‌ suitable⁤ for writers of all levels? A: ⁢Absolutely! Monster writing prompts cater ‌to writers of all⁣ levels, whether you are a beginner or a ⁢seasoned writer ​looking for⁤ fresh inspiration. They​ offer a platform to practice creativity and can be adapted to fit any writing skill level.

Q: Can you give ​us some ‍examples of monster writing prompts? A:‌ Certainly! Here are a few examples: 1. Imagine a friendly monster who ​helps children with their fears. 2. Create a story about a mischievous creature who‍ loves to play tricks on‍ unsuspecting townspeople. 3. Write a tale about a legendary⁣ beast that ‍guards ‌a hidden ⁢treasure deep within a‌ mystical forest.

Q: How do these prompts help ⁣generate story ideas? A: Monster writing prompts​ provide a starting⁢ point​ for generating ‌story ideas by presenting a theme or concept. They spark​ our creativity and act as a springboard⁣ for character development, plotlines, and unique ⁤challenges for our ​protagonists to face.

Q: Can monster writing ⁤prompts be used for ⁤specific genres, such as horror or ⁣fantasy? A: Absolutely! Monster writing prompts are versatile and can be adapted⁢ to various genres, including horror, fantasy, science ⁢fiction, ​and even comedy. Writers can infuse‌ their own personal style and preferences to tailor the prompts to their chosen genre.

Q: Are ⁤there ​any tips for effectively using monster writing prompts? A: ⁢Yes! Here are ⁢a few tips: 1. Allow your imagination to run wild, and explore unconventional⁢ ideas. 2. Don’t be⁣ afraid to ⁤ combine multiple⁢ prompts to create‍ a rich ⁤and⁢ intricate story. 3. Use the monsters as metaphors to explore deeper themes and emotions within ‌your writing.

Q: Can we share our stories based on​ these monster writing ‍prompts? A: Absolutely! ‌Sharing your stories‌ is highly encouraged. Whether ⁢it’s⁣ among friends,‌ writing communities, ‍or online platforms, sharing your work can ⁣provide ‍valuable feedback and​ foster ⁢a​ sense of community among​ fellow writers.

Q: Where can we find ⁤monster writing prompts? A: Monster writing prompts​ can be found in various sources, such as writing websites, books‍ on creative writing, or even by simply​ using search engines. Additionally, many writing communities and social ⁤media platforms offer regular writing prompts to inspire creativity.​

In conclusion,​ “Monster Writing Prompts: Craft Tales of‍ Creatures” provides⁤ a fun and creative way ‍for writers to unleash their imagination and bring mythical beings to life.⁣ Get ready to dive ⁤into a world of monsters and let your storytelling⁤ skills shine!

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The Most Unnerving Monster Story Ideas (Updated in 2024)

Looking for enticing and creative monster story ideas and writing prompts? You’ve come to the right place!

Read on for ideas like a siren working as a bar singer, a doctor specializing in treating mythological creatures, or a monster originating from a child’s drawing!

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Monsters in modern settings

Retellings of classics, original monster ideas, monsters vs. demons, famous stories featuring monsters.

Related posts: 14 Chilling Urban Legend Story Ideas and Writing Prompts (2023) Dark and Eerie Gothic Story Ideas (2023) The Most Unsettling Ghost Story Ideas (2023) Demon Story Ideas (2023) 22 Spellbinding Witch Story Ideas (2023) Deep Dark Fantasy Story Ideas & Writing Prompts (2023)

Monster Story Ideas and Writing Prompts

So, you want to write a monster story? Let’s dive in for some intriguing story ideas!

Please note that the genders in these prompts and story ideas are just placeholders. It is not the intention to enforce any hurtful stereotypes or offend anyone.

Choose a monster and plop it into a modern setting. This allows you to incorporate the use of modern technologies and context such as cell phones, the internet, etc. to enrich your narrative. Here are some ideas:

• A werewolf who’s a professional tracker He tracks anything from missing trinkets to missing pets, and even missing people. (Originally appeared on my post Werewolf Story Ideas and Writing Prompts .)
• A siren who’s a bar singer She enchants her audience with her voice. There’s a reason that all the usual bar patrons and her coworkers know not to mess with this one, because rumor has it, she could drive anyone crazy with her voice if she wants to.
• A vampire who’s a doctor He chooses said occupation for an easy access to blood. What happens when he/she drinks blood from a patient and becomes specifically addicted to that patient’s blood? (Originally appeared on my post Vampire Romance Story Ideas and Writing Prompts .)
• A siren who might or might not be a serial killer A series of gruesome murders lead a detective to a siren, and together they form an unlikely alliance to unravel the mystery, while confronting the dark forces that seek to exploit the siren’s power.
• A genie who tries to collect on a century-old promise The genie is being re-awakened in the 20th century, and is now trying to collect on a promise. But the original promise maker has been long dead. So, the monster is coming for their nearest descendant.
• Dragons, whose natural habitats are gone because of deforestation Due to the loss of their natural homes, they decide to make city parks and zoos their new residence. (For more dragon-related story ideas, head to my post Dragon Story Ideas to Spark the Imagination .)
• Cerberus, the friendly dog He befriends a kind, blind elderly who mistakes him as a stray dog. (Originally appeared on my post Deep Dark Fantasy Story Ideas and Writing Prompts .)
• Hybrid monster kids trying to fit into the modern world They try hiding their monstrous forms with enchantments, glamours, and sometimes, cosmetics.
• Or write about a regular doctor whose patients include the unicorns and the centaurs He stumbled upon his/her specialty by accident, and now by words of mouth he has a very long writing list of various mythological and legendary creatures.

Take a classic and put your own spin into it. Here are some ideas:

• Odyssey by Homer Re-imagined as the adventure of a small child navigating the world around them. The monster Cyclop is a burly school bully, the vicious six dog head is the neighbor’s rabid dog, and the whirlpool Charybdis is the house’s vacuum cleaner. Perfect for a children’s book.
• Beauty and the Beast Told as a gender-flipped story, or mashed with another genre or setting. What if the beast is a deformed mermaid or merman? Or what if the beast has vampiric tendencies?
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley But instead of stitching together human parts, it’s animal parts that are being stitched together, which then comes alive.
• Dracula by Bram Stoker Take a convincing historical figure and merge the figure’s personality with that of Dracula. Genghis Khan as Dracula? Or Napoleon?
• Minotaur A what-if story. What if the Minotaur of the Greek legend lives among us? Where would his mother hide him, and what would be his character’s arc?

Let your imagination loose and come up with an original narrative. To help you start, here are some ideas:

• The Shadow Beast There’s a beast who lurks in the shadows of a small town, feeding on the fears of the townsfolk.
• The Time Shifter A scientist accidentally creates a time-manipulating creature in their lab.
• The Dream Thief A malevolent entity haunts the dreams of a small town’s inhabitants, stealing fragments of their dreams and leaving them trapped in a perpetual nightmare.
• The Soul Collector In a haunted forest, the Soul Collector roams, capturing the souls of the lost and trapping them within its labyrinthine lair. A woman embarks on a dangerous quest to confront the creature and free her sister’s trapped soul.
• Evolution What if a species we’ve never considered as a threat before evolves and rises to the top of the food chain, even above humans? My love for kombucha (fermented tea) inspires this one. What if the organisms responsible for fermentation evolve into a whole ‘nother creature?
• The Waste Eater Scientists have successfully create a microorganism that happily devours waste. Too happily, that it grows and multiplies exponentially and threatens the lives of the humans around it.
• Blurred Lines What if for a day, the lines separating the dream world and the waking world blurs? All the monsters from our dream world would cross over and refuse to fade back into the dream world because their food is more abundant here in the waking world.
• Accidental Monster A toddler’s drawing of a monster comes alive. Alternatively, an art student creating a sculpture of a hypothetical creature, only for it to come alive.
• Monsters of Unexpected Origins The sun is actually a sentient being, and it’s just waken up after million years of slumber.
• The Molten Skin In an alternate world, humans molt like insect, and the discarded molten skins sometimes gain sentience and turn evil.

About Monsters

Now, let’s delve deeper into this genre.

What’s a monster, really? A monster is typically an imaginary creature in legends, fantasy, science fiction, mythology, folklore, and even religion, that is perceived as frightening, dangerous, or monstrous in appearance, behavior, or character.

The term can refer to a variety of beings, such as mythical creatures like dragons, ogres, or unicorns, or more modern representations like zombies or vampires. Monsters are often depicted as being supernaturally powerful, vicious, or malevolent, and may be used in literature, movies, or other media as symbols of fear, evil, or the unknown.

The difference between monsters and demons can vary depending on the context, but generally speaking:

A monster is a creature that is often depicted as being large, grotesque, and dangerous. Monsters can be fictional or legendary, and are often associated with horror or fantasy genres. While monsters can be evil and terrifying, they are not necessarily malevolent or supernatural in nature.

A demon, on the other hand, is a malevolent supernatural entity that is often associated with evil or demonic possession. In many religions and mythologies, demons are considered to be fallen angels or evil spirits, capable of possessing humans and causing harm or destruction. Demons are often depicted as having supernatural powers and abilities, and are typically associated with dark magic and the occult.

So while monsters and demons can both be scary and frightening, the key difference is that monsters are generally physical creatures, while demons are supernatural entities with malevolent intentions.

Here are some famous stories featuring monsters.

“ Beowulf ” is an epic poem written in Old English sometime between the 8th and the early 11th century (but was not published as a book until 1815) telling the story of a hero named Beowulf who battles a monster named Grendel, as well as Grendel’s mother and a dragon.

Known as one of the earliest “modern” monster stories is Mary Shelley’s “ Frankenstein ” published in 1818, telling the story of a young scientist named Victor Frankenstein who creates a grotesque creature in an experiment gone wrong.

Halfway across the pond, we have “ Godzilla “. This iconic movie monster first appeared in the 1954 Japanese film “Godzilla.” The character is a giant, radioactive dinosaur-like creature that wreaks havoc on cities and battles other monsters in a number of films and other media.

If you need more story ideas and prompts, please browse our Story Ideas & Writing Prompts Category!

Have any question or feedback? Feel free to contact me here . Until next time!

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How to Create a Monster That Terrifies Your Readers

by Sarah Gribble | 1 comment

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Halloween is right around the corner and I know a lot of you will be writing some spine-chilling stories to celebrate. What’s the best part of a creepy story? A monster. Which means your task is to create a monster that will terrify your readers.

When writing monsters, you could rely on the tried-and-true vampires, zombies, and giant, man-killing spiders. There's nothing wrong with adding to the monster canon, but it does get a little boring after a while. It’s often better to create a monster all your own .

Decades have been spent honing the standard wants and abilities of vampires and zombies. How can you create a monster just as good in a much shorter time frame?

It's simple really: You put some thought into rounding out your monster's character.

Read on for my tips on making your monster come to life!

How to Create a Monster

Your monsters need to have substance. The same amount of thought should be given to them as your other characters. They are characters, after all. While it’s fun to have a nice slasher romp every so often — with creatures that don’t seem to do anything but maim and kill — the monsters that stick with you, the ones that truly scare , have some thought put into them.

Ready to create a monster ? First, you need to create a character profile for your monster, just as you would any other character. Here are some things to think about when developing a monster character profile:

What is it?

This is basic and you probably already nail this every time you write a monster. What’s it called? What does it look like? What does it sound, smell, and feel like? Can it talk or communicate with other monsters in some way? How about with humans?

Is it evil/bad/a killer? Does it hurt us, help us, or just sit on the sidelines as we ignore it? Remember not all monsters have to be scary. And even if they are scary, is it because we don't understand them? Are they trying to be nice, but have been driven to violence?

Where does it come from?

Background is important if your monster comes from away , wherever that may be. It helps keep you in mind of consistency and logic in your creation.

For instance, if your monster is bright red, why? Is its homeworld red and it blends in better that way? A monster that comes from a cold area would probably have a thick coat of fur. That wouldn’t be so convenient for something that lives in New York City’s sewers.

Think about the development of your monster; don’t just throw spikes on its back because that seems cool.

A note on logic: Your readers understand this monster isn’t real. It doesn’t need to logically fit into our world. It needs to logically fit into the world you have created . Suspended disbelief is a beautiful thing, but can be ruined by an illogical detail.

What does it eat?

This one may seem mundane, but it’s important for character development and logic.

I recently read an awesome book about a den of monsters who lived underground, had been unearthed, and had a penchant for killing humans but not eating them. They were intelligent. They had a society. They had motives. But their home environment was simply a cave, showing no signs of agriculture or prey.

What on earth did the things eat? It’s a question that’s plagued me ever since I put the book down.

Your monster may eat humans, but why? Is it starving and has no other choice? Does it just have a taste for humans?

And remember, killing isn’t eating. If your monster is simply killing humans and leaving the bodies uneaten, why? Where is it getting its nourishment?

It’s questions like these that get you thinking deeper about your monster and help you round out your character.

What are its strengths?

Its strengths should be many and should seem impossible to overcome. The thing that makes monsters scary to us is they’re unpredictable. We don’t know what we’re dealing with and don’t know how the monster is going to react. We simply don’t know what else it’s got up its sleeve. (Speaking of, does it have sleeves?!)

Think beyond strength and sharp teeth. Can it learn and adapt? Can it camouflage itself? Is it able to use any sort of supernatural power like telekinesis?

What are its weaknesses?

Technically, they only need to have one weakness: one your protagonist can exploit in order to defeat it . You can have more than one, but normally the monster is scarier and the tension is amped up more if there’s only one. It makes it seem that much harder for your protagonist to defeat it.

Sure, we've got the standard stake through the heart or beheading. But what about something more complicated? Try to come up with a non-traditional (i.e. not a bigger, badder weapon than the monster has) or unexpected weakness (bonus points for irony).

In  Signs , the water defeated the aliens. In  War of the Worlds , it's a run-of-the-mill pathogen. Medusa was defeated when Perseus got the bright idea to look at her through a reflection.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with a good, old-fashioned headshot to kill a zombie if you'd rather not be subtle or you're working within a word limit. It just might not be as interesting.

What do we know about it?

Ideally, your other characters and your readers know next to nothing about these monsters at the start. Slowly, your protagonist learns more about the creature and develops an often-risky plan to defeat it.

In horror (and a lot of science fiction and fantasy), your characters learn about the monster through the use of redshirts. Redshirts, simply put, are characters who only exist to get killed. They’re the first ones that die, and through their deaths, your protagonist learns a lot about the monster they’re facing.

They learn how it kills, how it hunts, how it moves. They learn its capabilities. And ultimately, they discover its weakness.

What does it want?

You monster must have a motivation. That motivation can be simple, like eating or breeding. (Think Alien or The Meg .)

But it can also be more complicated. Is it intelligent? Does it want to take over the world? Does it just want to protect its home environment, its family, or itself?

Is it forced to come out of hiding for some reason? Was it ever hiding, and why?

Is it just having a fun hunting party, like Predator ? Did humans do something to it first? (Poor Frankenstein's monster.)

All Monsters Welcome

I’ve mostly concentrated on making monsters that are scary, but they don’t have to be. Monsters, Inc. has plenty of lovable monsters. There's the Grinch and Jack Skellington and every fluffy thing on Sesame Street. Then there's Frankenstein's monster, who's really only mean if you're mean first.

Even if your monster is more cuddly than vicious, you still need to figure out motivations and background. (Pro tip: You should do this sort of thing for all your characters.)

It’s important to note that this list isn’t all-encompassing, nor is it necessary to answer every single one of these questions. This list is a jumping off point to get you thinking. Take what you want, leave what you want, and add what you want.

Just remember to give your monsters a motivation and keep them consistent and logically grounded in the world you have created.

Do you like to create a monster completely your own, or do you prefer to stick with the standards everyone knows? Let me know in the comments !

Today I want you to spend fifteen minutes writing a monster character profile. Try to get to as many of the questions listed above as you can. Make your monster as “real” as possible. Have fun with it!

Then share your character profile in the comments and give your fellow writers some feedback!

Sarah Gribble

Sarah Gribble is the author of dozens of short stories that explore uncomfortable situations, basic fears, and the general awe and fascination of the unknown. She just released Surviving Death , her first novel, and is currently working on her next book.

Follow her on Instagram or join her email list for free scares.

I Am working on a kaiju novel called Field of Clovers I may need help with my monster its when Tokyo is suddenly attacked by a monster with hostile intentions

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150+ Cool Monster Ideas for Epic Stories: Unleash Your Imagination!

Stuck on finding the right monster for your story? I know how you feel!

In my journey as a horror writer and filmmaker , I’ve been there too! But I also knew that the right monster can make or break a story.

To give you a creative boost, I’ve put together an extensive list of over 150 cool monster ideas. These range from eerie specters to unimaginable abominations, each with its own unique twist.

Take a peek at this collection and choose the monster that fits your story and inspires your creativity! Let’s start with sci-fi monsters.

What Are Great Monster Story Ideas?

Sci-fi monster ideas.

The Nebula Wraith is creature born in the depths of space, made of gas and stardust. It can alter its density and become invisible, only visible when passing in front of stars. It communicates through radio waves, making it a haunting presence in the silence of space.

The Chrono-Beast is a monster that exists in multiple timelines simultaneously. Its actions in the past, present, and future affect its form and abilities, making it a challenging adversary for time-traveling heroes.

The Nano-Swarm is a collective of microscopic robots gone rogue. They can assemble into various forms, from terrifying beasts to innocuous objects, making them unpredictable and nearly impossible to fight using conventional methods.

The Singularity Serpent is a creature that resides near black holes, feeding off the immense gravitational energy. It’s said to have a body that stretches across light-years and can manipulate gravity to its will.

The Quantum Phantom is a monster that exists in a state of quantum uncertainty. It can be in multiple places at once, and only takes a definitive form when observed. This makes it a formidable and elusive entity.

Imagine a dragon-like creature that lives in the corona of stars, immune to extreme heat and radiation. It can descend on planets, wreaking havoc with its fiery breath and incandescent scales. The Solar Drake represents a primal force, a reminder of the untamed power of the universe.

The Electro-Specter is an energetic entity born from the chaos of an electromagnetic storm. It can travel through any electrical circuit, control machines, and create lightning. Its form flickers like a ghostly apparition, crackling with raw energy.

The Void Leviathan is a colossal creature that inhabits the empty spaces between galaxies. It’s nearly invisible in the void, only detectable by the gravitational anomalies it causes. It could be a metaphor for the unknown dangers lurking in unexplored spaces.

A fusion of organic and cybernetic elements, this Bio-Mechanical Parasite monster latches onto spaceships, slowly assimilating and transforming them into extensions of itself. It’s a terrifying blend of the organic and the artificial, challenging the boundaries of life.

The Crystalloid Entity is made entirely of a strange, translucent crystal. It can refract and manipulate light to become invisible or create dazzling displays. It’s a being of beauty and danger, symbolizing the allure and peril of uncharted frontiers.

The Starshade Predator is a creature that lurks in the shadows of stars virtually invisible against the backdrop of space it emerges only to hunt, using the gravity of stars to propel itself at high speeds.

The Galactic Maelstrom Entity is born from the chaotic energy at the heart of a galaxy. This swirling mass of cosmic power consumes everything in its path, growing larger with each absorption.

The Dimension Weaver is a being that can slip between different dimensions and realities. Its appearance shifts with each transition, making it a mysterious and unpredictable foe.

The Plasma Wraith is a luminous entity that dwells within the heart of stars. It’s made of superheated plasma and can make itself into various forms. Its intense heat is capable of melting even the strongest materials.

The Graviton Phantom is an elusive creature made of dark matter and unseen forces. It manipulates gravitational fields to move and interact with the physical world, often causing unexplained phenomena.

The Cosmic Symbiote is an organism that attaches to spacefaring vessels. It slowly integrates with the ship’s systems as it evolves over time, becoming a living part of the spacecraft.

The Time Rift Behemoth is a massive monster that appears near temporal anomalies. Its presence causes time distortions, and it seems to age and get younger in cycles.

The Solar Mimic is a creature that can adopt the appearance and characteristics of stars and other celestial bodies. It uses this ability to lure in unsuspecting prey, and then it reveals its true form.

The Nebula Phantom is a creature that forms within the dense clouds of nebulae. It’s composed of gas and dust and is able to change its density and shape. It creates a hauntingly beautiful yet dangerous presence in space.

The Ether Serpent is a creature that swims through the vacuum of space. It feeds on cosmic radiation and can emit blinding bursts of energy while it leaves trails of light as it moves.

RELATED: Read all about how to write a great monster here!

Supernatural Monster Ideas

The Whispering Wraith is a ghostly entity that haunts old libraries. It communicates through eerie whispers that only certain people can hear, often revealing secrets or foretelling doom.

The Shadow Lurker is a creature that thrives in darkness. It can blend perfectly with any shadow and has the power to drain the light from its surroundings, leaving only darkness.

The Mirror Ghoul lives in reflections. It mimics the appearance of those it sees, creating confusion and fear. It’s known to trap the unwary in its mirror world.

The Graveyard Hound is a spectral dog seen in cemeteries. Its howl causes an unnatural cold, and it’s said to guard the souls of those who haven’t moved on.

The Frost Specter haunts snowy regions. It appears as a chilling mist that freezes anything it touches, leaving a trail of frost in its wake.

The Inferno Sprite is a small but fiery creature found near volcanoes. It can ignite objects with a touch and often causes unexplained wildfires.

The Storm Nymph resides in the heart of thunderstorms. It controls winds and lightning, often leading sailors to peril with its deceptive call.

The Banshee of the Moors is a wailing spirit found in misty fields. Its mournful cry is said to be an omen of death, sending chills down the spines of those who hear it.

The Gloom Spider weaves webs in forgotten places. These webs cause deep sadness and despair in anyone who touches them, trapping them in sorrow.

The Bone Collector is a skeletal figure that gathers the bones of the dead. It can animate these bones to do its bidding, creating a terrifying army of skeletal minions.

The Nightshade Dryad lives within deadly plants. It lures victims with its hypnotic beauty but is deadly to the touch, with poison coursing through its veins.

The Mist Walker roams foggy coastlines. It can disappear and reappear at will within the mist, leading travelers astray into dangerous waters.

The Cursed Scarecrow stands in lonely fields. It comes to life at night, punishing those who dare to trespass on its land with its sinister presence.

The Lightning Wraith appears during stormy nights. It moves with the speed of lightning and brings with it an overwhelming sense of dread and foreboding.

The Phantom Piper is a ghostly musician whose music can control the emotions of those who hear it. It’s often heard but rarely seen, its melodies haunting the listeners.

The Sorrowful Maiden wanders near lakes and rivers. She is a ghostly figure that embodies tragedy and loss, often drawing sympathy before revealing her true, malevolent nature.

The Crypt Keeper is a ghastly figure that guards ancient tombs. It can summon the spirits of the dead and is known for its deep, echoing laugh that reverberates through the catacombs.

The Ember Revenant rises from the ashes of a great fire. It seeks revenge on those who caused its demise, leaving a trail of smoldering destruction in its path.

The Windigo of the North is a beast from cold, northern forests. It preys on the lost and the weak, its howls sending shivers down the spine of those unlucky enough to hear it.

The Starving Poltergeist inhabits abandoned homes. It feeds off the energy of the living, causing objects to move on their own and creating an atmosphere of unease.

RELATED: Check out my full list of character death ideas here!

Historical/Period Piece Monsters

The Samurai Specter haunts the ruins of old Japanese castles. It’s a ghostly warrior, eternally reliving its last battle, and is known for its eerie, sorrowful wail.

The Ironclad Golem roams medieval battlefields. It’s crafted from discarded armor and weapons, animated by the spirits of fallen soldiers who are seeking to continue the fight.

The Plague Wraith is a spectral figure that emerged during the Black Death. It’s seen drifting through European towns, its touch bringing illness and exacerbating the plague’s horror.

The Gold-Hoarding Wyrm resides in the hidden tombs of ancient pharaohs. It’s a serpent-like creature that guards treasures with a venomous bite and a hypnotic gaze.

The Colonial Witchfinder is a terrifying figure from the Salem witch trials. It appears in the dead of night, seeking out the innocent and spreading fear and paranoia.

The Viking Berserker is a fearsome monster from Norse mythology. It’s a warrior driven mad by battle frenzy, possessing superhuman strength and a relentless desire for destruction.

The Forbidden City Dragon is a creature from ancient Chinese legends. It slithers through the palace grounds at night, a guardian of the emperor and a symbol of power and mystery.

The Phantom Cavalier haunts the English Civil War battlefields. Clad in ethereal armor, it rides a ghostly horse, forever searching for its fallen comrades.

The Aztec Jaguar is a monstrous predator from pre-Columbian Mexico. It’s a large, feline creature with obsidian claws and a terrifying roar, believed to be a protector of sacred sites.

The Highlander Wraith is a ghostly figure from Scottish lore. It appears on foggy nights in the Highlands, wearing traditional garb and playing haunting melodies on its bagpipes.

The Barbary Corsair is a spectral pirate seen off the North African coast. It sails a ghost ship, attacking and disappearing into mist, a reminder of the Mediterranean’s perilous past.

The Ottoman Djinn is a magical entity from Middle Eastern folklore. It dwells in ancient ruins, offering twisted wishes to those who dare to summon it.

The Silk Road Traveler is a mysterious figure that haunts the ancient trade routes. It offers exotic goods but at a terrible price, often leading to misfortune for those who deal with it.

The Appalachian Hag is a witch-like creature from early American folklore. It lurks in the mountains, casting curses and leading travelers astray with its deceiving whispers.

The Whitechapel Shadow is a monstrous entity from Victorian London. It stalks the foggy streets at night, reminiscent of the fear and mystery surrounding Jack the Ripper.

The Tsar’s Ice Beast is a creature from Russian legends. It’s a giant, bear-like monster with fur as white as snow, seen roaming the Siberian wilderness, a symbol of nature’s untamed power.

The French Revolution Phantom is a headless ghost seen during the Reign of Terror. It roams the streets of Paris, a grim reminder of the guillotine’s blade and the revolution’s dark side.

The Carpathian Vampire is a creature from Eastern European folklore. It emerges at night in the rural villages, a sinister figure with a thirst for blood, embodying the fear of the unknown.

The Celtic Tree Spirit dwells in the ancient forests of Ireland. It’s a mystical being that can control nature and often appears as a guardian of sacred groves, its presence both awe-inspiring and intimidating.

The Roman Centurion Ghost marches along old Roman roads. It’s a spectral soldier still patrolling the empire’s borders, its presence evoking Rome’s eternal spirit.

Human Monster Ideas

The Grudge Keeper was once a person who became consumed by vengeance. Now, it’s a monstrous figure that feeds on others’ anger and resentments, growing stronger with each conflict.

The Deceit Shade used to be a master of lies and manipulation. It has transformed into a shadowy entity, able to create illusions that trap people in a web of deceit.

The Wrath Brute , overwhelmed by rage, has become a hulking monster. Its roars incite violence, and it leaves a path of destruction in its wake.

The Envy Wraith was once envious of everyone around. Now, it’s a spectral being that sows jealousy and discord, thriving on the chaos it creates.

The Sorrow Drainer was consumed by sadness. It has become a being that absorbs happiness, leaving those around it desolate and depressed.

The Fear Monger , once a purveyor of terror, is now a ghastly figure. It can sense and amplify people’s fears, enjoying their panic and turmoil.

The Pride Fiend ‘s ego grew too large, and it transformed into a grotesque creature. It looks down on all, attempting to crush anyone it deems beneath it.

The Despair Leech was lost in hopelessness. Now, it latches onto others, draining them of hope and leaving them in a state of deep despair.

The Lust Demon , driven by insatiable desires, is now a seductive monster. It lures people with promises of pleasure, only to consume them.

The Sloth Phantom was once lethargic and uncaring. It now haunts places of rest, draining energy and motivation from anyone it encounters.

The Glutton Ghoul ‘s appetite became its undoing, turning it into a ravenous beast. It devours everything in its path, never satisfied, always hungering for more.

The Hollow Soul was consumed by emptiness. It wanders, a shell of a person, creating a void that sucks in joy and life, leaving nothing but hollowness.

The Inferno Tyrant , engulfed by their own cruelty, is now a living flame. It scorches everything around it with its fury, a testament to the destructive power of tyranny.

The Shadow Puppeteer was manipulative and controlling. It now exists as a dark figure, pulling the strings of people’s lives, turning them into mere puppets.

The Blood Baron , once obsessed with power, is now a vampiric creature. It preys on the weak, gaining strength from their life force, symbolizing the corrupting nature of power.

Alien Monsters

The Star Mite is a tiny but dangerous creature. It feeds on the hulls of space stations, causing structural damage over time with its corrosive saliva.

The Moon Moth is a massive, winged creature that resides on moons. It can create powerful gusts of wind and is attracted to artificial light sources.

The Nebula Juggernaut is a massive creature composed of star dust and gas. It moves through space, absorbing energy from stars, growing larger and more powerful.

The Void Crawler is an alien that travels through the vacuum of space. It can attach to spacecraft, draining their energy and endangering the crew.

The Cosmic Leviathan swims in the depths of space like an interstellar whale. Its enormous size and gravitational pull can disrupt space travel and communications.

The Quantum Shifter is an alien being that can exist in multiple places at once. Its unpredictable movements and attacks make it a formidable foe.

The Solar Phantom is a ghostly entity that appears near suns. It absorbs solar flares, releasing them in unpredictable and dangerous bursts.

The Asteroid Serpent lives within the rocky cores of asteroids. It can cause these space rocks to change course, posing a threat to planets and moons.

The Galactic Spore is a plant-like organism that drifts through space. When it lands on a planet, it rapidly grows and consumes everything in its path.

The Meteor Mantis is a predatory alien that hunts on the surface of meteors. It can leap through space, attacking spaceships and other celestial bodies.

The Black Hole Entity resides near black holes. It feeds on the energy and matter being pulled in, sometimes causing unstable gravitational waves.

The Crystalloid Swarm is a group of small, crystalline creatures. They can merge together to form larger structures, trapping or crushing anything in their path.

The Plasma Wisp is an alien made of superheated gas. It can pass through solid objects and disrupt electronic equipment with its intense heat.

The Dimensional Drifter is an alien that can slip through rifts in space-time. It appears and disappears mysteriously, causing chaos with its temporal jumps.

The Orbit Weaver is a spider-like alien that creates webs in space. These webs can capture passing spacecraft or debris, making space travel perilous.

The Comet Predator rides on comets, feeding off their icy cores. When the comet nears a sun, the creature awakens and becomes aggressive.

The Stellar Mimic can change its appearance to resemble various celestial bodies. It deceives space travelers, drawing them into traps.

The Gravity Ghoul manipulates gravitational forces. It can create pockets of intense gravity, crushing its prey or pulling in ships.

The Interstellar Kraken is a giant, tentacled monster that dwells in the cold depths of space. It ensnares passing ships with its limbs, dragging them into its maw.

The Space Siren is an ethereal creature that emits a hypnotic song. It lures astronauts into dangerous parts of space, leading them to their doom.

RELATED: Check out my full list of alien name ideas for storytellers!

Mythological Monsters

The Frost Hydra : This creature has icy breath so cold it can freeze an entire lake instantly. Each of its heads has a different frosty power, from hailstorms to blizzards.

The Ember Griffin : Living among smoldering volcanoes, this griffin preys on creatures that can withstand extreme heat. Its feathers glow like molten rock, and it leaves a trail of ash wherever it flies.

The Thunder Roc : This enormous bird creates thunderstorms with its wings. Its nest is said to be made from clouds, and it feeds on lightning-charged prey, attracting them with its electrifying plumage.

The Whispering Nymph : Her voice is hypnotic, laced with ancient magic. She protects sacred groves and ancient trees, and those who follow her voice often find themselves lost in time and space.

The Stone Golem : Crafted from the ruins of ancient civilizations, it is both guardian and avenger. It blends perfectly with the stone around it, striking swiftly against those who defile sacred grounds.

The Shadow Sphinx : This mystical creature speaks in riddles and puzzles. It’s said to guard the threshold between the mortal world and realms of untold magic, challenging those who seek to cross.

The Moon Basilisk : This creature’s eyes crystallize anything into lunar stone. It’s most active during lunar eclipses when its power is at its peak, and its lair is littered with statues of the unwary.

The Sun Serpent : Orbiting the sun, this serpent influences solar activity. Legends say it can create sunspots and solar storms, and seeing it is an omen of significant change.

The Wind Djinn : Playful yet capricious, this djinn shapes the clouds. It can travel at the speed of the wind and enjoys creating sudden gusts to startle or disorient travelers.

The Earth Troll : Massive and slow-moving, this troll causes tremors with its steps. It’s fiercely territorial and can meld into rock, lying in wait for intruders.

The Fire Salamander : Living in the heart of wildfires, it’s immune to heat and flame. It can ignite objects with a flick of its tail and is often seen as a symbol of transformation and resilience.

The Mirage Dragon : This dragon’s scales refract light to create illusions. It’s a solitary creature, guarding hidden oases and punishing those who greedily seek its treasures.

The Lightning Pegasus : Born from a thundercloud, this Pegasus gallops across the sky, its hooves striking lightning. It’s a magnificent sight, often inspiring awe and fear in equal measure.

The Shadow Banshee : A spirit of lamentation, its cries echo through the night, foretelling loss and sorrow. Its ethereal form is often seen as a misty figure in graveyards and ancient battlegrounds.

The Ice Phoenix : Unlike its fiery counterpart, this phoenix embodies the harsh beauty of winter. When it dies, it dissolves into snowflakes, only to be reborn from a sculpture of ice.

The Sand Leviathan : Buried deep under the desert, it causes dunes to shift and can create sandstorms. Caravans tell tales of seeing a massive, shifting shape beneath the sands, altering the landscape.

The Star Nymphs : These celestial beings dance in the cosmos, their movements influencing star patterns. They are said to be the creators of constellations, weaving stories into the night sky.

The Tide Kraken : This leviathan’s tentacles are as large as ships, and its maw is a gaping abyss. It’s drawn to the surface by lunar cycles, and its emergence heralds cataclysmic sea storms.

Folkloric Creatures

The Mountain Troll : Living in high mountain caves, this troll is known for throwing rocks at passing travelers. It’s said to have skin as tough as stone and eyes like glowing coals.

The Willow Wisp : Found in misty marshlands, this floating light lures travelers off their path. Its true form is a mischievous spirit, leading people into the marsh to vanish without a trace.

The Forest Dryad : A guardian of ancient woods, the dryad can control trees and plants. It appears as a beautiful figure, but its wrath is fierce against those who harm its forest.

The Sea Kelpie : This shape-shifting water horse lures the unwary to ride on its back, only to drag them into the depths. It’s feared by fishermen and sailors for its deceptive nature.

The Thunderbird : A mighty bird that controls the weather, its wings create thunder and its eyes flash lightning. It’s revered and feared by many, seen as a powerful totem.

The Corn Sprite : Found in fields of crops, it’s a tiny creature that ensures bountiful harvests. If angered, it can blight crops and bring famine.

The Cave Kobold : A mischievous miner’s spirit found in underground tunnels. It’s known to either help miners find ore or lead them astray deep into the earth.

The Moor Banshee : This wailing spirit foretells death with its cry. It’s seen as a mournful figure, draped in tattered robes, wandering the moors.

The Hearth Brownie : A helpful household spirit that aids with chores in exchange for small offerings. If offended, it becomes a troublesome poltergeist.

The Snow Yeti : A mysterious, elusive creature living in snowy mountains. Its footprints are often found in deep snow, but it’s rarely seen, creating an aura of mystery.

The Moon Hare : A magical rabbit seen leaping on the moon’s surface. It’s associated with luck and longevity, often appearing in stories of immortality.

The Desert Djinn : A powerful spirit of sand and wind, it can grant wishes but often with a twist. It’s both feared and respected for its unpredictable nature.

The Wind Sylph : An airy spirit that rides the breezes. It’s invisible but can be felt in gentle gusts and seen in the swirling of leaves.

The Fire Salamander : This mythical lizard lives in flames and is immune to fire. It symbolizes transformation and is often sought for its magical properties.

The Stone Gargoyle : Once a stone statue, it comes to life to protect sacred places. It’s both a guardian and a sentinel, watching from high perches.

The Bog Hag : A swamp-dwelling witch known for brewing potions and casting curses. She’s often sought for her knowledge but feared for her powers.

The Whispering Willows : These are sentient trees found in ancient forests. They communicate with soft whispers, guiding lost travelers or sometimes leading them astray with misleading advice.

The Moonlit Mermaid : Dwelling in moonlit lagoons, she enchants with her beauty. Her song can heal, but if angered, she can also lure sailors to their doom with her mesmerizing voice.

The Hearth Gnome : A small, mischievous creature that lives in homes, often near the fireplace. It helps with household chores at night but will play harmless pranks if not treated well.

The River Nixie : A water nymph that sings enchanting songs. It’s both beautiful and dangerous, capable of pulling swimmers into its watery domain.

RELATED: Find tons of unique vampire story ideas and apocalypse story ideas for writers!

Realistic Monsters

The Highway Haunt : A spectral figure that appears on desolate roads at night. It causes disorientation in drivers, leading to accidents and mysterious disappearances.

The Urban Shadow : A mysterious figure that lurks in city alleyways. It preys on the fears of city dwellers, causing paranoia and panic with its unseen presence.

The Toxic Sludge Creature : Formed in polluted waters, this creature is a manifestation of environmental neglect. It’s a slimy, amorphous being that harms wildlife and spreads disease.

The Sewer Alligator : A legend of large alligators living in city sewers. They grow to monstrous sizes due to chemical waste, becoming aggressive and dangerous.

The Abandoned Factory Phantom : Said to haunt old industrial sites. It’s the restless spirit of a worker, causing machinery to malfunction and casting an eerie atmosphere.

The Landfill Behemoth : A creature formed from the refuse of a massive landfill. It scavenges and incorporates more trash into itself, symbolizing the consequences of excessive waste.

The Feral Subway Beast : A creature that has adapted to live in the subway tunnels. It’s a mix of urban legend and unexplained sightings, stalking passengers and evading capture.

The Digital Wraith : A manifestation of digital addiction and online toxicity. It haunts screens and devices, often appearing in distorted images or through electronic interference.

The Corporate Vampire : A metaphorical monster representing corporate greed. It drains the life and energy from employees, symbolizing exploitation and burnout.

The Gentrification Ghoul : A spirit that haunts neighborhoods undergoing rapid gentrification. It embodies the loss and displacement felt by long-time residents, causing feelings of unease and resentment.

The Isolation Specter : A creature born from the loneliness of modern living. It appears in the homes of the isolated, feeding on their social disconnection and deepening their sense of solitude.

The Smog Serpent : A monstrous entity formed in areas with heavy air pollution. It’s a cloud of toxic smog that takes a serpentine form, choking and disorienting those who encounter it.

The Techno Poltergeist : An electronic disturbance that causes devices to malfunction. It symbolizes our over-reliance on technology.

The Urban Jungle Predator : A wild animal that has adapted to city life, becoming more aggressive and cunning. It represents the clash between nature and urbanization.

The Factory Farm Fiend : A creature born from the cruelty of industrial farming. It’s a grotesque amalgamation of animal traits, symbolizing the consequences of unethical farming practices.

The Frost Wight : In cold, northern towns, this entity is seen after blizzards, walking the snow-covered streets at night. It’s associated with sudden chills and unexplained freezing conditions inside homes.

The Industrial Poltergeist : Haunting old factories and warehouses, this spirit is known for moving objects and machinery, sometimes causing accidents, believed to be a worker who met an untimely end.

The Cornfield Specter : In rural areas, this entity is seen in the cornfields, creating an eerie atmosphere. It’s associated with the rustling of corn at night and sudden unexplained crop damage.

The Mountain Echo : Not just a natural echo, hikers in certain mountains report hearing their names called or whispered conversations just beyond their sight. Some believe it’s a protective spirit, while others fear it lures the unwary off the safe paths.

The Lake Lurker : A creature living in deep, secluded lakes. Swimmers tell of feeling something brushing against their feet or being pulled under for a moment by unseen hands.

Well, that’s a huge list of potential monster ideas for your next story. I hope you found something to inspire you and that your next horror, thriller or sci-fi story will be frightening!

If you’re looking to write a great horror story , deciding on your monster is just the first step. Check out these helpful articles for more!

Horror vs. Thriller: What’s the Difference For Movies & Books?

The Top 17+ Horror Subgenres Explained [Horror Movie Guide]

Terror vs Horror in Film & Books: What’s the Difference?

25+ Horror Fan & Horror Movie Statistics

Potential Questions

What are some names for a monster.

Some great names for a monster can be inspired by their traits, like “Shadowfang” for a creature with dark, sharp features, or “Glaciermaw” for an icy behemoth. You can also create names using mythical languages or unique word combinations, like “Zephyrclaw” or “Nethergeist.”

How do you make a unique monster?

To create a unique monster, combine unusual physical characteristics ( like strange-colored eyes, or multiple heads) with distinct behaviors or origins that tie into your story’s world. Think outside the box with your monster ideas, like merging different animal traits or adding elements from the environment they live in.

What are some popular monster archetypes?

Popular monster archetypes include the misunderstood creature, like Frankenstein’s monster; the unstoppable force, like Godzilla; and the deceptive beauty, like sirens. Each of these monsters bring different feelings and stories to your tale.

Filmmaker, Author, Actor and Story Consultant

Neil Chase is an award-winning, produced screenwriter, independent filmmaker, professional actor, and author of the horror-western novel Iron Dogs. His latest feature film is an apocalyptic thriller called Spin The Wheel.

Neil has been featured on Celtx, No Film School, Script Revolution, Raindance, The Write Practice, Lifewire, and MSN.com, and his work has won awards from Script Summit, ScreamFest, FilmQuest and Cinequest (among others).

Neil believes that all writers have the potential to create great work. His passion is helping writers find their voice and develop their skills so that they can create stories that are entertaining and meaningful. If you’re ready to take your writing to the next level, he's here to help!

Similar Posts

How to Write a Monster That Will Terrify Your Audience: 7 Steps

The Monster Archetype [In-Depth Guide With 15+ Examples!]

Horror Story Writing: 9 Tips for Writing Horror Fiction

50+ Horror Story Ideas [Scary Movie Prompts to Creep You Out!]

199+ Zombie Name Ideas for Your Story [Funny, Scary, or Creepy!]

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The Creative Penn

Writing, self-publishing, book marketing, making a living with your writing

How To Write Monsters With Philip Athans

posted on July 13, 2020

Podcast: Download (Duration: 53:51 — 50.1MB)

Subscribe: Spotify | TuneIn | RSS | More

Monsters tap into something primal that lies at the heart of being human. We have always feared what lies at the edge of the campfire, just out of sight, and as writers, tapping into those fears can be a powerful form of creation. In this interview, Philip Athans talks about why we find monsters so fascinating, how to create them, and why they can sometimes be a metaphor for society, plus, thoughts on making a living as a writer.

In the intro, I discuss Brandon Sanderson's Kickstarter for the leather-bound edition of Way of Kings and why creating beautiful physical objects should be part of our indie maker movement, and check out this interview on bookbinding with Lisa Van Pelt . Plus, why we need to put our lessons learned from the pandemic into action now instead of waiting for ‘the end,' whatever that might mean!

Also, I have re-recorded my tutorials on how to build an author website , install Author Pro theme (which I use for JFPenn.com ), and also how to set up your email list with ConvertKit . I've also updated the Author Blueprint which you have access to on my email list or you can sign up here .

Philip Athans is the New York Times bestselling author of Annihilation , and a dozen other books, including The Guide to Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction . He's also an editor, professional speaker, and writing coach. Today, we're talking about his book, Writing Monsters: How to Craft Believably Terrifying Creatures to Enhance Your Horror, Fantasy and Science Fiction .

You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and full transcript below.

• What is a monster ?
• How monsters are part of our human evolution
• The importance for humans of fighting a common enemy
• How the monster in a story can bring out a character’s true nature
• Monsters as metaphors
• How do we create unique monsters?
• When should you reveal your monster?
• Multiple streams of income as a writer. “Walk through the door that's open.”
• Licensing intellectual property as a source of income

You can find Philip Athans at AthansAssociates.com and at the Fantasy Authors Handbook and on Twitter @PhilAthans

Transcript of Interview with Philip Athans

Joanna: Philip Athans is the New York Times bestselling author of Annihilation , and a dozen other books, including The Guide to Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction . He's also an editor, professional speaker, and writing coach. Today, we're talking about Writing Monsters: How to Craft Believably Terrifying Creatures to Enhance Your Horror, Fantasy and Science Fiction .

Welcome, Phil.

Philip: Thank you for having me. It's great to be here.

Joanna: I'm so excited about this. I bought the book ages ago and then I read it quite recently, and I was like, oh, my goodness, I really want to talk to you, because I feel like there are some of us who get excited about monsters, and everyone else has now turned off the show anyway, so we can just get into it. So, let's start with definition.

What is a monster anyway, and what are their characteristics that are most important?

Philip: For me, and this was really what Writing Monsters is mostly about, is monsters as a supernatural force. So this isn't really a book about the serial killer that everyone thinks of as a monster, or someone like Hitler was a monster, things like that.

Using that term to apply to a person as a way to dehumanize evil and say that these are somehow not humans anymore, somebody who can do these terrible things, it's a way for the rest of us to sort of push away and say, ah, that's not in me, I don't have that in me.

And hopefully, I don't believe that I have an inner Hitler. I'm very happy to report that. I think most people really don't go anywhere near to that territory.

But at the same time, he wasn't a monster created in some other dimension or something like that. He was a person who did terrible things. So, for writing monsters, this was really about for horror authors, supernatural horror authors, fantasy authors, science fiction, etc., where this monster is this living thing, and you can't see me do air quotes around living, so is it some kind of mechanical creature or something like that, that we're afraid of, but we don't understand it?

I think if you looked at just a photograph of a great white shark, it's the scariest monster I can even think of, so it's just absolutely terrible. But we know what sharks are. There are books written about them. The Discovery Channel does a whole week of shark documentaries every year. So we understand it as an animal, but I think if you had never seen one, never heard of it, that would be a monster, a very dangerous thing and I don't know what that is.

Joanna: Right. So it's scary, and we don't know how to connect with it in that we would do with another person. So do you think the fear is an important aspect? Because of course, there's the classic, is it Pixar, the ‘Monsters, Inc.' I mean, those are technically monsters, but they're not scary.

Are they created in the same way?

Philip: I think so. But what was fun about ‘Monsters, Inc' and about like the monsters on ‘Sesame Street,' things like that is we're taking something that's scary and then we're making it not scary.

Once you get to know those monsters as people, which I thought was really brilliant in ‘Monsters, Inc,' that, the idea is that they're the scary thing that lives in your closet. But they're actually just regular guys who are going to work and that's a thing that they do.

They work for, of course, the evil energy company, which is pretty easy to imagine, that the energy industry is willing to do anything. And so, that was that they turned the idea of a monster upside down. It was this living thing that we're afraid of but, don't understand and we're afraid of it because we don't understand, but once we got to know them, we realize, oh, wait a minute they're not.

Joanna: They're not so scary.

Philip: They're not monsters. They're the people.

Joanna: Obviously we're going to focus on the scary ones. Let's just talk about why we love monsters. Clearly, you and I are fans of monsters and things that are terrifying.

Why are monsters so common in myth and legend as well as fiction?

Philip: I wrote about this a lot in Writing Monsters , and in other places, I think that for me it goes back, or puts us back in touch, monsters do, with the predator-prey relationship, which we've really, as humans, have exited that.

That's probably the main thing that we have accomplished as a species is to lift ourselves out of that. So, sure there are people who go hunting as a hobby, but there really isn't anyone who depends on that anymore.

Since the invention of agriculture, and with the bow and arrow, the ability to kill at a distance, we've stopped being… I don't know about you, I'm in quarantine here for the COVID virus. But let's say I had a job that took me outside of the house, there might be a lot of things that I'm afraid of out in the Seattle area, but being attacked by a predatory animal is not one of them.

There was a small bear that wandered into my backyard, and the dogs went crazy, but we just sort of took cell phone pictures of it and thought it was really fascinating. But I have never been afraid that somewhere between here and the supermarket, I'm going to be jumped by a tiger and killed.

So what monsters do is they remind us of that, that they say, what if there is something out there that breaks through this giant evolutionary hurdle that we've made, and now all of a sudden, I'm the prey?

Certainly, that's what ‘Jaws' was all about was this idea that there actually is a wilderness, and that's the ocean, that once you step in there, you're way, way out of your element, and there is stuff in there that could actually eat you, and doesn't know, hey, that's a human, hands off.

So I think that's really the trigger that says this is something to be afraid of, because this is going to eat me, and it's not understanding that I have some sort of special privilege.

They also story-wise give us a common enemy to struggle against, is that everybody teams up against the zombies. ‘Dracula' was really about let's get some people together to combat this thing that came to England and is threatening our women, and things like that.

And then again, it plays on the fear of the unknown. This is something we don't know. We haven't identified this yet, we haven't tamed it, we haven't hunted it to extinction or to near extinction. I know all of the animals in my neighborhood, and so if I see a raccoon, I'm not thrown into spasms of terror. But monsters are the thing that gets added to that comfortable world.

Joanna: I wonder if now, as you say, we're far removed from when originally tales were told and we were going hunting and all of that back in the day, but some kind of collective memory or collective unconscious as Carl Jung would have said, of this fear that we're born with.

Things in the dark and things hunting us, and is it that we like reading, I like reading the, kind of, cryptid books, and I love Jurassic Park and all of that type of thing.

Is it somehow cathartic that we're experiencing it in that way, without obviously having to face something in real life?

Philip: Sure. I think there's so much of entertainment is that I'm experiencing this thing that in real life I would avoid in any way I possibly could. And so there is the sense of I'm scared, but I know I'm not in danger in any way sitting here reading a book, or sitting in a movie theater.

We get on roller coasters to experience what it would be like to be in this out of control vehicle, but we know that it's not out of control, that it's on tracks, but it just feels like it's scary for a second.

That sort of a thing that we're looking for is what would it be like to be hunted? What would it be like to be in a position where you're out of control completely, and all of the standard things that we feel like we can rely on are sort of stripped away from us.

Joanna: I like the fact that you said common enemy, and I do read quite a lot of horror. I don't really watch horror movies, but I read quite a lot of horror, and that common enemy idea, in that, and I think Jonathan Maberry says “it's not about the monster, it's about the people fighting the monster,” and the hope that we can maybe kill the monster is that common enemy.

Do you think that's really important in horror particularly?

Philip: It can be. And that's one of the things I love about monsters is that they come in so many different varieties, not just in, this is sort of the furry monster or the slimy monster, that kind of thing, physically, but they mean different things to the characters in each story, and they mean different things to each individual story. So that idea of let's get together against this common enemy, that really drives books like It by Stephen King.

But then a lot of times, those monsters are the thing that brings out the good and evil in us, so that a zombie horde in something like Night of the Living Dead or The Walking Dead is really a natural disaster that's happening. And the story is in who is the person who's going to try to take advantage of that to seize power and become somebody like the Governor in The Walking Dead .

Who's going to rise to the occasion and become the hero, when faced with this horde of zombies that don't care, they don't have a plan, they don't have a strategy, there's not some kind of political party that you can argue against. They're just a thing that moves through, like a hurricane moves through, or a tornado moves through your town.

There's no reasoning with it, it's just, am I going to be the person who runs into the burning building to save people, or am I going to be the person who owns a gas station and all of a sudden raises the price to $20 a gallon because I think I can? Does that monster bring out the good or evil in people?

And using Stephen King as another example, because why not, right? In The Mist , that's exactly what he does. He throws this collection of Lovecraftian monsters at people trapped in a supermarket, and it's entirely a force of nature. It's some sort of disaster is happening.

And then the people all trapped together then either rise to the occasion or crumble, according to their own inner set of tools and assumptions and prejudices and things like that. So we see them turn on each other, we see them band together and try to help, and be humans faced with the unknown.

Joanna: You do have a great section on monsters as metaphor, so, how do we think about that? If we're planning to write a monster book, like I definitely want to, I have had monsters in my books, but I'm like I'd like to write just a good monster book.

How can we bring that deeper element? Is it easy as you say reflecting on the meaning? Let's take Jurassic Park , because I'm sure everyone's at least seen the movie, if not read the book. The book was much better, obviously. The book was a lot more about chaos theory and things getting out of control, but nature kind of doing that, and the genetic engineering of the monsters was part of that.

Should we be layering in this metaphor level, to bring a deeper element, and how do we do that?

Philip: Sure. I think that really what that idea of monsters as metaphor is it's monsters are that thing that's out of control. And that's really what Jurassic Park was all about, like you said, it's that chaos theory of, ‘We're doing this thing because we can.' We figured out how to clone dinosaurs but no one really ever thought through what does that mean exactly. We're introducing these giant predatory animals into our world, and are we really ready for that?

And I think people in general, humans are pattern-seeking creatures. We look for patterns in everything. It's one of the ways we survive. We can see the pattern in the seasons, and so that allows for agriculture and that kind of thing. So we're always about pattern identification.

When a monster is then thrown into that, this force of chaos, that pattern is interrupted. So our daily lives are interrupted, or these scientists who think, well, we'll do this and then we'll put these genes together and we'll make this creature, and then we'll put it in a cage. Awesome, that'll be great. And then that animal then has its own set of patterns that come into conflict with those people.

Sometimes monsters can be so obviously a metaphor for something. My favorite metaphorical monster has got to be ‘Godzilla,' which, if you've seen the original Japanese Godzilla, the very first one, and not the one that was edited in America and had an American actor stuck in there, that really trimmed out a lot of the political stuff.

‘Godzilla' was definitely, we sort of went on this little adventure, and in that case, it was doing atomic testing, and we roused this thing, this mindless, primitive, barbarian thing, that then just came and literally crushed everything and just destroyed everything, and blasted us with atomic fire breath.

When you sit back and see that as a Japanese movie from the mid-50s, less than, in some case, I really I think it was, I want to say it was like 1954, so less than 10 years after the end of World War II, it's pretty clear what ‘Godzilla' represents. It's the thing that, we poked this thing, and it just destroyed everything, it just literally walks through and burned everything down.

Joanna: I was going to say, because at the moment, I mean, as you say, we're recording this during lockdown, and I feel like, obviously Trump calls it ‘the invisible killer,' and we're all in our homes sheltering from something we can't even see. And I wonder what will come out of this?

It's almost on the nose to write a pandemic thriller. But, what will come out of it as a monster? There are invisible monsters and stuff like that.

Is it a case of taking a theme or taking the idea that we want to write about, and then creating something that might represent that in a type of monster?

Philip: I think that that's really what zombies are, in particular. It's a plague, it's essentially an invisible force behind there, that this thing bites me and I'm infected in some way. And everyone who's bitten by a zombie is infected by that.

Vampires tend to be the thing that sucks your blood and infects you with this whatever it is, turns you into a vampire, or turns you into a slave, an undead slave. I think that there has been this sense of the plague monster for really ever, certainly going back to The Black Plague and that time, and this idea that evil is passed from person to person, and that there can be this invisible force that we don't even understand that transforms us into monsters and then kills us.

So I think well before the coronavirus, this has been part of horror literature at least, and fantasy and science fiction as well. What if?

Michael Crichton, who also wrote Jurassic Park , wrote, one of his first novels, I think it was his first novel, was The Andromeda Strain , which imagined a virus from space coming down on a satellite, and the scientists trying to figure out what this thing even was, and prevent it from spreading all over the world. So I think the idea of an out of control pandemic has been in that consciousness for a really long time.

Joanna: Absolutely.

When we're constructing our monsters, what are the important things that we need to decide upon in order to construct the rules of the world?

Philip: I think for starting out with everything, and this is what I harp on with authors all the time, it is, why is this in the story in the first place?

I work with a lot of authors who are at varying stages of their careers and experience levels, and most of the first-time authors, or people who are just sort of starting to get into it, tend to want to throw stuff in, like we're just going to put in as many elements as we possibly can.

And so for me, the really, question is why? Why is the monster in the story in the first place? If it's just there because you think monsters are fun, well, so do I. I think you could maybe sell that to me, but most people are going to wonder why all of a sudden there's a monster.

So how does the monster actually move the story forward? Is it an obstacle to be overcome? Does it demand something of the characters? Does it say, ‘This is your opportunity?' You're being forced into a position of either standing up to be the hero or laying down to be the villain or the victim?

Does it play on our fears of what, exactly? Is it the predator-prey relationship that I think everyone is sort of, every animal certainly, is built-in, has this built-in fight or flight response and has a sense of, ‘What is that thing? Is it going to bite me? Is it going to eat me? Is it going to poison me?' And so does it just play on that?

Or, in some cases, like H.P Lovecraft, for instance, is still being read today because he wrote stories where the monster was not something that you could be, you couldn't find the weakness in it and then figure out, ‘Ooh, it's the silver bullet. Now we've got that sorted.'

That played on our fear of, hey, maybe we're not the masters of the universe. Maybe we don't have this thing all locked out. Maybe we are on this tiny little rock in this giant infinity, and out there are things that are just so beyond us that we'd have to only hope that they don't notice us.

Joanna: Yeah. Keep quiet.

Philip: Right. And so a lot of it is looking back at history and where was the culture at that time, and the monster will start to inform, or be what is really informed by that time.

100 years ago, Lovecraft was in a world that was becoming aware of astronomy and cosmology in a way that 100 years before that, they didn't necessarily have a grasp on. And it sounded pretty scary. It was pretty rough.

He was starting to understand that maybe we really are just kind of hanging out there, and there could be anything out there on the horizon, and being a bit of a xenophobe in general, that really, I think that really worked at his fears of maybe we're not in charge. Maybe I'm not the guy who can control the world around me.

What do you want people to be afraid of, essentially? Do you want people to be afraid of something like the pandemic, that has some people clearly behaving badly and some people clearly trying to do the right thing, and most of us are caught in between trying to figure out our place in this?

But then beyond that, what the monster can do and what it can't do? What its weaknesses are? Especially for a story that hinges on, ‘This is a problem we have to solve.' And I did write about that a little bit in Writing Monsters , that there are some stories, a lot of monster stories, in fact, that sort of begin as a horror story.

Jaws is a great example of this, because we don't, for about half of the movie, we don't see the shark, we see the results of the shark. We see the people being pulled underwater. It pulls the dock away from the beach and so on. And we know that something terrifying is under there.

And then, once they identify what this is, and they find the fishermen and they all get on the boat and they go off to actually kill the shark, the whole movie changes, and this is like a great testament to Spielberg as a filmmaker. The music changes from that ominous pulsing to this sort of triumphant kind of almost bugles and sea shanties.

It stops being a horror movie and it becomes a maritime adventure story. Is that what you're going for? The monster is terrifying until we realize, ‘Aha, this is what we do,' and then it turns into an adventure story.

To some degree, the movie Alien is a horror story where a monster that is flipping that predator-prey relationship. So now, something that we can't kill is hunting us. It's taking away our natural weaponry. We can't just shoot it, or its blood will destroy our ship and we'll all die and things like that.

And then Aliens , the sequel, is the second half of Jaws . It's like, okay, now we know what this thing is, what it can and can't do. Let's go kill it. And of course, complicated by the fact that there's now 500 of them or something.

So I think that is sort of two movies that, put together, is it's sort of equals Jaws . The monster is now identified. What do we do? They're not less scary necessarily. The fact that there's lots more of them make them scary.

Joanna: I really like that, because you've definitely shown different things there in terms of, is the monster something we already know how to kill, and now we just have to go kill it?

I even think even, like Wilbur Smith, for example, those are action-adventure books, but he often has wild lions and things come and kill people. So you know what the monster is, but what you're saying is also there's these monsters where we don't even know.

And the Lovecraft stuff is interesting, because you've given a number of examples there. So you say Lovecraft, people think tentacles, right? They think Cthulhu, and then you say Jaws and you think big teeth, and we say Jurassic Park and people will have the dinosaur.

With all of these archetypical monsters in our heads, how do we create something new or original when so much has already been done?

Philip: First of all, all of those things that have been done, or we'll say most of those things, I tend to have kind of a zombie aversion, at least now, I think, okay, like I get it. But that's an interesting example of one work.

The movie Night of the Living Dead that then created an archetype. That's a relatively new concept I think. But for things like, whether it's a vampire or a werewolf or a dragon, something like that, those are all free for everybody to just grab from mythology and legend and fairytales and so on.

But one of the things I talked about in the book and elsewhere is this idea of thinking of it as a recording studio mixing board, so that if you are, you have a werewolf story that you want to tell, now the challenge for each individual author is to make that my werewolf. Which is different from your werewolf, which is going to be different from Stephen King's werewolf, and so on.

Everybody has a sense of what this thing is, what it can and can't do, how to kill it, and so on, so start changing that. Mix that up a little bit, and just sort of do your best to make it your own.

I think humans are just natural monster-making machines. It's something that's really in our DNA. It's kind of what, it goes to our survival instinct, that we can't just be a good predator, we have to be the only predator. When we move into an area, we make it our own.

We really don't allow for hunting, in that, no hunting allowed in my suburban neighborhood. So when people see coyotes, it becomes a problem. Not because I'm worried that a coyote is going to attack me, but I have small dogs. Like, get out of here, coyotes.

And I think it's something that is sort of ingrained in us, because I think it's better from a survival standpoint to imagine that a monster, if there's something moving in the darkness you can't see and you hear something moving around, it's better to imagine that that's a monster and be ready to defend yourself, than assume it's a squirrel and be taken by surprise by a leopard.

Joanna: That brings us to something else, which is the unseen monster. And you mentioned Stephen King's It , and obviously for anyone who hasn't read it, we're no spoilers, but we don't see the actual thing until nearer the end.

I always found that it wasn't as scary as what I had imagined. And perhaps, is that a truism as well, that if you reveal it too soon, it's not as scary, unless I guess we've seen it in action, like we have with Jaws for example, you see the body parts, you don't see the monster.

Is that be a tip for writing? Keep it hidden, or when do we reveal it?

Philip: Absolutely. And that's a big part of the book, actually, is that idea of staging the reveal of the thing. So if it's just, right away it jumps out and you've described it in extreme detail, and characters quickly or immediately figure out, and I've seen this a lot in fantasy, in particular in science fiction, where the characters instantly identify what it is, as though they're walking around with the monster manual.

Then that's a very different sort of story. Now that is essentially, we've been attacked by a leopard, or we've been attacked by a shark. Now we know what to do. And that can still be an entertaining story, it can still be a great adventure story. But it really stops being a monster right away.

Staging this thing in, like they did in Jaws , which, of course was a great happy accident, that the mechanical shark didn't work and they didn't have it available for most of the filming of the movie, so he had to figure out how to not show the shark, and it ended up being a great accident that made that movie a thousand, a million times better.

The less you show the better, right? And just show it the effect of the thing. What is it actually doing? And you want to stage it a little bit at a time, a little bit at a time.

You definitely see that in all of the most effective horror movies, in particular, like Alien , you only see sort of little bits of things, and it actually ramps up. It's the face hugger, and then it's the little thing that they think they're looking for is about the size of the cat, and then it's this big thing that's moving around in the air ducts, and they can only see it in little snatches, and then don't really understand what it's doing and things like that.

Exactly how you stage that monster in really depends on the story that you're telling. Is it just an adventure about let's fight some monsters? Then great, right? That's the dungeons and dragons approach. It's about the fight and it's about the number of monsters that you throw in there.

And again, I'm in on that, that's great. But if the story depends on the one monster continuing to be scary throughout, then you want to put it in in teaspoonfuls as you go.

Joanna: Fantastic. So, we're going to change direction, but the book is Writing Monsters so for everyone listening, I think it is brilliant. I've got it here on my desk. It's got lots of pages turned on it, and I'm like, oh yeah, that's great, that's great. I want to write tons of monster book.

I didn't upfront ask about you and how you got into writing, but I wonder if you'd tell us a bit more about your ecosystem, because many people listening want to make a living with their writing. So, tell us, like, what is your career, because you do so many things.

What does your career look like right now, and what are your multiple streams of income?

Philip: Right now it seems like a little bit of everything. I guess we can kind of work our way backward, but right now I'm a freelance editor and writing coach, and I work with individual clients.

Again, through a huge range of experience levels. From people who are literally just starting out, to veteran authors who've been doing it for a long time. And then, I have some corporate clients and do some consulting work there.

I write a lot about writing, and I've been teaching online courses in writing. Those are in a transition period where I'm shifting over to a different host for those. So keep an eye on my social media for when those are going to start ramping up, hopefully by the end of this year.

I think if you want to really do this for a living, it is certainly possible to be the next J.K. Rowling and just sort of scribble out this great book that is rejected X number of times until somebody says, ‘Hey, this is really good.' And then voila, you're a billionaire. The chances of that happening are super slim.

I think the fact that you can count on one hand the number of really huge franchise authors who are working at any given time is a pretty good tell that that's not just something that happens. It's not the automatic thing, I've written a book, so therefore I'm a big famous author and a millionaire.

What I try to advise people as much as I can is think of yourself as a content provider. If you're a storyteller first, then yes, definitely be writing that novel, but also be writing short stories, and write anything you want to and anything you can, and get it out there in any way possible.

I think we all have to have a day job, and but if you do have to have a day job, can your day job be like my day job, which was an editor? I'm basically doing what I do at work and at home and everywhere.

I know a lot of writers are coming in through the video game business, which has got a big, which is so huge, and it has a big need for writers. It's a different kind of writing, it can be hard, and it's hard to find your own voice in those a lot of times, but I think it's a great way to make a living while you're also writing that great American novel.

And that's what I have been doing at least for the last 10 years since I left Wizards of the Coast, was just what might interest me. I do ghostwriting. There are books out there that you would never know, and I'm contractually obligated not to tell you, that I had anything to do with. And I think that's great and there are a lot of people who are like, ‘No, I would never do that.' Well, I would try it, right?

Joanna: Pays the bills.

Philip: Exactly. And that's the thing. And now I'm making a living doing this. I don't also wait tables, so, I used to be, “You know, well, I'm a writer, but I'm actually managing a record store.” Which was a pretty cool job. That was really what I was doing most of the time.

I think what you do is you walk through the door that's open. And if you approach this as, ‘I'm either going to be the next George R.R. Martin or forget it,' then forget it. Because the chances of just willing that into place is essentially zero.

Joanna: And it's interesting that you brought up George R.R. Martin, because of course, he's an older guy now, and he's been writing for decades. So, he only became in inverted commas, ‘George R.R. Martin' when the TV show took off, and that's when he became a sort of mega-brand name, author, famous outside of a particular niche. So even his career is he got super famous quite late.

I love your business model. I'm very similar. I have lots and lots of things. But you mentioned Wizards of the Coast. From your website, Athans and Associates, you also have worked with Dungeons & Dragons and Pixar, and I'm like, these are some awesome companies around licensing.

And licensing, like you mentioned gaming, licensing intellectual property seems to be one of the ways in which we can move into bigger than, just say, self-publishing an ebook on Amazon, which is where many people start.

Any thoughts on this positioning IP for licensing and thinking much bigger?

Philip: That can be really, really difficult as well, because, and absolutely this is true that everyone wants to see their fantasy novel or their fantasy series become the next Game of Thrones . Why wouldn't you? You want your science fiction series to be The Expanse .

That's definitely less impossible now than it was 10 or 15 years ago or so, because there's so much content being created. And I think that's very exciting times for everybody. There are opportunities now, with all the sort of TV streaming and things like that, that didn't exist in the rarefied Hollywood atmosphere of 20 years ago.

But still, it's such a distant possibility, really the best thing to do for any author is just concentrate only on the one thing that you have any control over whatsoever, and that's the quality of your work.

None of us have any control over the coronavirus and what that may or may not be doing to the publishing business, what the publishing business is going to look like after this. We certainly don't have any control over the global economy, things like that.

We have no control over trends and what all of a sudden is going to seem dated or what is going to be the next big thing. But we do have control over the quality of our writing, so start with that. And if you've written the best book you can possibly write, readers will find you. And after the readers find you, maybe movies, video games, and all that stuff will come with it.

That's exactly what J.K. Rowling and George R.R. Martin did. They wrote the best books they possibly could. And the audience found them.

Joanna: They also wrote really, really long fantasy series, so that might be another tip.

Philip: But again, is that, I'm not sure that that trend. Some of these things are unreproducible. J.K Rowling had some really interesting timing issues, at the beginning of the internet, where kids were talking to each other in ways that they weren't able to before. It was possible to build buzz in ways that didn't exist in, literally six months before that.

And then George R.R. Martin was plucked out of, ‘Hey, it's actually possible to make dragons that look convincing.' It's actually possible with digital effects to do this, and make a TV series that looks like this, where so much science fiction and fantasy, in particular, had always sort of sat on the shelf because how could we possibly realize this? How could we possibly make this into a movie? I just don't know how to make these special effects.

Joanna: Exciting times for those of us writing monsters. Phil, that was great.

Where can people find you and everything you do online?

Philip: Well, follow me on Twitter. That's @PhilAthans. And then my blog is Fantasy Author's Handbook. That's updated every Tuesday. It's fantasyhandbook.wordpress.com. And then, if you want to find me for editing, coaching, any of that good stuff, it's athansassociates.com.

Joanna: Brilliant. Thanks so much for your time, Phil. That was great.

Philip: Thanks for having me.

Reader Interactions

July 24, 2020 at 8:06 am

Thank you for this. I found it very interesting. I’m working on a story about people who are monsters discussed in this podcast. I want to keep some of the atmosphere of mystery and fear about them, while also being interesting characters who a reader will root for or against.

July 27, 2020 at 2:49 am

Great interview and loved the topic. I thought it was especially interesting how Philip pointed out that in some of the best monster movies/books the “what” isn’t clearly defined until very far in…and how that lends itself to additional fear on the part of the viewer/reader.

Lots of interesting tidbits in this episode. I appreciated Philip’s honesty about making a living as a writer and how that often requires more than one stream of income. He has some very interesting-sounding projects and streams, which is nice to hear.

Thanks, Joanna, for the introduction to another great author to follow and connect with!

July 27, 2020 at 3:34 am

Glad you found it interesting!

July 30, 2020 at 2:00 pm

Thank you for a very interesting podcast. Playing on people’s fear of the unknown is a great element to use for enhancing your monsters. However, monsters don’t always need to be “mysterious” in order to be scary. The way I see it, there are at least 4 different things people are afraid of:

– the unknown/ mysterious (monsters can either be gradually revealed to keep the mystery, or they can incorporate something unknown – zombies are scary because they play on our fear of death, which is probably the ultimate unknown thing there is) – the grotesque (putting your hand into a bowl of worms and spiders is very scary, even if they are not dangerous and we know everything there is to know about them…) – the predatory (as you brilliantly pointed out with “Jurassic Park” and “Jaws” – these monsters play on our evolutionary fight or flight or play dead instinct) – the familiar

The last point is perhaps the most interesting. It’s a fact that your murderer or kidnapper etc. is likely to be one of your own relatives. In German, we have a word called “heimlich”, which in one sense can mean “homely, cozy”, and in another sense can mean “secretive, uncanny” – the only word I know of which can be used as its own antonym. One of the best ways to induce fear in a novel is to take something familiar and change small things, so that it becomes eerie and uncanny. For example, that’s the reason vampires usually look almost human – in the story “Dracula”, we initially think Count Dracula is a human, but small inconsistencies gradually add up to reveal his true monstrous nature.

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Tim Kane Books

Strange is the new normal, how to write creepy scenes to make your readers squirm.

Most writers who delve into horror hit the prose with a bag of clichés and heavy handed stage props—swirling fog, glowing eyes, wicked laughs. Don’t get me wrong, camp can be great (if it’s intentional). However, a more subtle approach can work wonders.

Add Details One by One

Use disturbing details or reversals when describing your scenes. Each one, taken by itself, does little, but in combination, they imbue the reader with unease. Consider Cold Skin by Albert Sánchez Piñol. Here an unnamed narrator just inhabited a weather station on a deserted island.

Just then, I heard a pleasing sound far off. It was more or less like a heard of goats trotting in the distance. At first, I confused it with the pattering of rain; the sound of heavy and distinct drops. I got up and looked out of the closest window. It wasn’t raining. The full moon stained the ocean’s surface in a violet hue. The light bathed the driftwood lying on the beach. It was easy to imagine them as body parts, dismembered and immobile. The whole thing brought to mind a petrified forest. But it wasn’t raining.

Reversal : The narrator thinks it’s raining, but then there’s no rain. We wonder what’s creating that pattering sound, and the not knowing makes us uneasy.

Disturbing details : The water is stained violet, a bloodlike color. This idea is cemented in the reader’s skull with the driftwood, described as dismembered limbs.

Let the Character Freak Out

Nothing creeps out a reader faster than letting the protagonist freak out. Ever wonder why there are so many screams in horror movies? It’s the same thing. As an author, you must find the written equivalent to the scream.

In Bag of Bones by Stephen King, the protagonist, Mike Noonan, begins to believe that his house is haunted. He’s in the basement and hears the sound of someone striking the insulation, but no one else is home.

…every gut and muscle of my body seemed to come unwound. My hair stood up. My eyesockets seemed to be expanding and my eyeballs contracting, as if  my head were trying to turn into a skull. Every inch of my skin broke out in gooseflesh. Something was in here with me. Very likely something dead.

King lays it on thick here. Instead of one physical reaction, he dumps the whole bucket on us. He doesn’t dazzle us with a etherial decaying corpse. We won’t even see the ghost till the final chapters. No. He tells us how Noonan feels just in the presence of the thing and that’s what creeps us out.

Another example of the character freaking out can be seen in Shirley Jackson’s  The Haunting of Hill House .

Now we are going to have a new noise, Eleanor thought, listening to the inside of her head; it is changing.  The pounding had stopped, as though it had proved ineffectual, and there was now a swift movement up and down the hall, as of an animal pacing back and forth with unbelievable impatience, watching first one door and then another, alert for a movement inside, and there was again the little babbling murmur which Eleanor remembered; Am I doing it? she wondered quickly, is that me? And heard the tiny laughter beyond the door, mocking her.

Here the character doubts herself and what she sees. This is essential to any horror story. When weird things happen, the character mysteries react accordingly. The stranger the situation, the stronger the reaction. And most of us would doubt our sanity in creepy situations.

Let The Reader Do the Imagining

Why should you, the author, do all the heavy lifting. Your reader’s imagination will often fill in the blanks for you. Take this example from Stephen King’s The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon .

As she reached the driver’s door of the cab, which hung open with vines twisting in and out of its socket of a window, lightning flashed again, painting the whole world purple. In its glare Trisha saw something with slumped shoulders standing on the far side of the road, something with black eyes and great cocked ears like horns. Perhaps they were horns. It wasn’t human; nor did she think it was animal. It was a god. It was her god, the wasp-god, standing there in the rain.

Notice that the monster is only vaguely described. It’s called “something” twice. This lets the reader fill in the blanks. There is enough description that we at least know it’s a big hulking creature. This is the literary equivalent of when Ridley Scott only showed glimpses of the alien in Alien .

Use Strong Verbs

Finally, strong verbs will help any writer to shine, but they can also allow one character to shine over another. Take this excerpt from William Blatty’s The Exorcist .

Regan’s eyes gleamed fiercely, unblinking, as a yellowish saliva dribbled down from a corner of her mouth to her chin, to her lips stretch taut into a feral grin of bow-mouthed mockery.

“Well, well, well,” she gloated sardonically and hairs prickled up on the back of Karras’s neck at a voice that was deep and thick with menace and power. “So, it’s you … they sent  you !” she continued as if pleased. “Well, we’ve nothing to fear from you at all.”

“Yes, that’s right,” Karras answered; “I’m your friend and I’d like to help you.”

“You might loosen these straps, then,” Regan croaked. She had tugged up her wrists so that now Karras noticed they were bound with a double set of leather restraining straps.

“Are the straps uncomfortable for you?”

“Extremely. They’re a nuisance. An  infernal  nuisance.”

The eyes glinted slyly with secret amusement.

Karras saw the scratch marks on Regan’s face; the cuts on her lips where apparently she’d bitten them. “I’m afraid you might hurt yourself, Regan,” he told her.

“I’m not Regan,” she rumbled, still with that taut and hideous grin that Karras now guessed was her permanent expression. How incongruous the braces on her teeth looked, he thought. “Oh, I see,” he said, nodding. “Well, then, maybe we should introduce ourselves. I’m Damien Karras. Who are you?”

“I’m the devil!”

Notice the verbs that Blatty uses with Reagan — gleamed, dribbled, gloated, croaked, rumbled. In contrast, the more calm individual in the scene, Karras, responds with simple verbs like “answered” and “saw”. The contrast allows the reader to see Reagan as disturbing.

If you want to make your readers squirm, reading only in daylight hours, shy away from the obvious gore and claptrap. Rather, take the quieter road of tiny disturbing details built up over pages and chapters. Show how your character reacts to what’s happening, and the reader will feel it too.

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Embodiment of Horror: How To Write a Monster Story

Have you felt something drawing you to the dark side of literature? Do you see stories in the shadows that keep you company when you wake in the dark at night? If so, then you might be ready to embark on the journey of writing your own monster story. Don't be frightened of the work that lies ahead of you; there are endless opportunities to stitch together your own unique, terrifying monster that will both delight and intrigue your readers.

It can be easy to categorize anything scary or fear-inducing as a monster, but not every fictional creature can be classified as a horror monster. Let's define monster horror and consider the parameters for a creature to be considered a horror monster.

Monster horror definition

Monsters can be found within several horror subgenres, including:

Body horror

Extreme horror, lovecraftian, science horror.

What do monsters from all of these subgenres have in common? Horror monsters are characterized by their strange or grotesque appearances, signifying them as "the other" and something to be feared. These plots are typically centered around the protagonist's efforts to defeat or escape from these dangerous creatures whose purpose centers around creating chaos and danger. Fear of the unknown and the perversion of the mundane are common themes throughout monster horror stories.

Making a horror monster

If you think writing a good monster horror is a walk in the park, you've got it wrong. Writing cheesy and cliché monster horror can be easy, but if you want your monster to stand out from the existing pool of creatures, then you're going to need to take on a unique perspective. Here are three main factors that define a horror monster:

• Strange or grotesque appearance : We're often afraid of the unknown or the unfamiliar. This includes physical features we are not accustomed to seeing, especially if they suggest some kind of mutation or potential danger. For example, a rotting face, such as you would see on a zombie, would cause revulsion and discomfort, making us fearful of interacting with the creature.
• Dangerous : If a monster is not dangerous, then there's no real, rational reason to be afraid of it. If it's not going to cause us harm, then we can simply avoid it and move on. A true horror monster needs to act as a threat against us.
• Part of a horror narrative : If the monster is not written into a horror narrative, then it does not count as a horror monster. Take Sesame Street for example. Oscar the Grouch or The Count are monster-like creatures, particularly the vampire, but they don't exist as horror monsters. They are playful characters meant to educate the youth. So, although The Count is a vampire, he does not count as a horror monster.

Although these are the three main components in creating a horror monster, these are not the only things you want to include in your writing. Here are some other necessities to keep in mind as you develop a good horror monster:

• Motive : Motive is possibly the most important thing to consider as you write your monster. Maybe your monster is a killing machine, ripping apart their victims limb by limb (yikes, am I right?). Or maybe your monster hunts their human prey under the cover of night, feasting on their flesh (gross). But why? Why is your monster feeding on humans? Is it because they have no other food resources and are desperate for survival? Why is your monster ripping apart humans? Are they trying to protect their environments from human trespassers? Treat your monster as a character in your story, because they are. This means giving them motivations just as you would for any other character in your story.
• Strengths : What are your monster's strengths? Are they extremely strong with multiple limbs that allow them to multitask in their pursuit to kill a human? Are they like chameleons, able to camouflage themselves into their environments, so they can hide from their prey and perform a successful sneak attack? Does your monster have supernatural abilities beyond the scope of human understanding? Even more interesting, is your monster intelligent? We're so used to reading monsters as these strong beings that use their bodies to inflict fear and pain. Consider making your monster smart. Although your monster may appear unthreatening, it could possibly become the most powerful monster ever if it adheres to human logic.
• Weaknesses : Even though your monster is the ultimate villain for your hero to defeat, your hero is going to repeatedly fail. In fact, your protagonist(s) may endure pain and suffering at the hands of your monster before it is defeated. So, how does the protagonist defeat the monster if it's so strong? Every single monster has one (or a few) major weakness. Consider the werewolf. What kills a werewolf? A silver bullet. What defeats a vampire? Holy water, a wooden stake, or sunlight. It may take time and trial and error, but your protagonist will eventually discover your monster's one weakness they can exploit to triumph over the monster in the end. Make sure you keep this weakness hidden until you approach the end of your story.
• Unpredictability : If your characters and readers know everything there is to know about your monster, then there's very little point in writing a monster horror story. Part of the fear comes from the unpredictability of the monster. Can the monster be exposed to sunlight, or are they allergic to it like vampires? Can your monster camouflage themselves to hide from your protagonist? We shouldn't know what your monsters can and cannot do for the majority of your story. This way we'll be left on the edge of our seats. A twist on this unpredictability trope is to make the mundane unpredictable or to pervert the mundane. This goes beyond your monster character and can include environments and inanimate objects. We're used to the dark being scary, but what if you make the light frightening? Cell phones are normal devices that almost everyone uses, but some people get frightened or wary when their phones start listening to them. Play up on these fears and make the non-scary, scary.
• Make the monster symbolic : What's scarier than a man-eating monster or being buried alive? Realizing that the thing you've been afraid of all along exists in reality. In fact, you may already be a victim to it. Perhaps your monster is never satiated and that's why its constantly killing humans and feasting on them. This can symbolize greed and society's ever-increasing need for more . If your monster represents a larger theme from the real world, it might be even scarier than if it were just a simple scare because it makes readers question their own ideas and livelihoods.
• Enclosed spaces

Of course, there are plenty of other phobias for you to use in your writing. Do some research and find one that fits your story.

Now that you know what defines a horror monster, let's examine the nine most popular horror subgenres that include monsters. These are sure to keep you and your readers awake at night.

The body horror subgenre is characterized by the grotesque and disfigured appearance of the monster(s) in the story. Popular sources of disfigurement are diseases, mutations, and scientific experimentation. The terror in these stories comes from the thought of your body betraying you, causing you to lose any sense of agency. The most recognizable figure in body horror is the zombie with its rotting flesh. Here are some components of successful body horror:

• Evoke intense emotional reactions : As opposed to other subgenres of monster horror that seek to scare readers with violence, body horror is frightening because it is gross and disturbing. It evokes feelings like paranoia, disgust, and anxiety.
• Perversion of the mundane : The main reason why body horror is so anxiety-inducing is because it perverts the mundane. Mutated faces and bodies make us turn our faces away in fear. We fear what we don't know, and this fear becomes multiplied when it applies to the human body, something that everyone relies on to survive.
• Invasive : Body horror is, by nature, invasive. This may mean a pest or disease has invaded your body and caused your body to mutate. For example, one trope in these stories is a woman being impregnated by a horrifying host. The lack of control over your own body is what makes body horror so horrifying.

Extreme horror is characterized by its lack of limitations. These stories will showcase extremely graphic and horrifying acts of violence. The terror comes from knowing, in detail, exactly what is happening between the monster and the protagonist(s). There is particularly a lot of blood and gore. For example, Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th is a serial killer who brutally murders camp counselors. Saw is also considered to be an example of extreme horror. Here are a couple common tropes found in extreme horror:

• Sexual violence, abuse, torture : This subgenre is not for the weak of heart. These are pretty self-explanatory, but they will be graphically depicted in extreme horror stories.
• Emotional consequences : Because of the sensitive and oftentimes triggering content found in extreme horror, readers will have very emotional reactions. The plot will examine the emotional consequences of horrifying acts of violence and make the readers consider emotional trauma.

Gothic horror is most commonly associated with the classic setting of the sprawling, old-fashioned manor with a vampire hiding in its depths (hey, Dracula !) Much of the terror in these stories comes from developing a mysterious atmosphere full of dark, long-forgotten secrets, madness, and quiet hauntings. Many gothic horror stories are allegories for psychological themes or the fall of the aristocracy.

Here are some of the most important factors to consider as you write gothic horror:

• Establish rules : You should set up rules for your antagonist. They should not be entirely separate from human understanding. Instead, these characters should have moral beliefs surrounding who they are and what they do, so the protagonist can seek out tangible ways to attain knowledge and understanding and to understand the antagonists' purpose.
• Setting : Gothic horror is known for its settings, particularly the sprawling horror castle or the mansion full of secrets (we'll get to secrets in a moment). This is because using small settings allows you to isolate the horror, making your characters and readers feel more claustrophobic. Treat your setting like a distinct character, because it is. You can use literary devices to bring your setting to life. Some of the best ones to include in your gothic horror are metaphors, imagery, foreshadowing, allegory, and personification.
• Secrets and mystery : Leaving your characters (and readers) in the dark about certain settings and secondary characters will enhance the horror in your story. Think about using those literary devices we mentioned to build a sense of mystery and suspense in your horror story. However, be sure to provide answers to your readers' questions by the end of the story. The horror is meant to eventually be understood.

Historical horror stories can use settings and events from an already dark period of time from the past, such as the Donner Party , and make it even more horrifying by juxtaposing real historical figures with monsters and new characters. The protagonist usually gives a first-hand account of what actually happened during that event, according to their perspective. These stories can also take inspiration from any time period, such as 536 AD , and use it as a backdrop for a horrifying tale. Consider how many books and films have been written in historic Egypt with the mummy as the main horror monster.

• Accurate language and voice : We know you want to focus on the intricacies of the plot for your historical horror story, but part of that story is the historical aspect. If your story is set during WWII, your characters aren't going to be up-to-date with current slang and terminology. They also won't be aware of modern discoveries or technologies that did not exist during that time period.
• Pervert the history : If you're writing during a specific historical time period, such as ancient Egypt, take something already creepy from that time period and make it terrifying. For example, ancient Egypt is known for its mummies. Mummification was a popular and normal practice, yet many writers turned mummies into monsters by making them come to life and terrorize the living. This practice can also be applied to specific historical events.

Also known as cosmic horror , these stories feature Lovecraftian god-like monsters that exist beyond our reality and comprehension and have little to no regard for human existence. Human beings are insignificant creatures in the face of the larger universe. The protagonists' insatiable curiosity of the secrets of the forbidden cosmic knowledge is essential for these stories and results in the horrific realization that such knowledge is beyond their human-constrained capabilities. They are left with little to no answers, and any answers they do receive are tainted by the bleakness depicted through these monsters.

• Setting : You should take mundane settings, depicted as decrepit, poor, and bleak (gee, we wonder why!) and introduce entities that are capable of breaking them. Doing this will make both your characters and your reader uneasy because they are aware there is something lurking beyond the mundane, but they are unknowing.
• Unreliable narrator : Since most Lovecraftian stories are told after the discovery of a cosmic horror, the the unreliable narrator relies on fleeting images and moments of their encounters, making them unreliable. These protagonists are also faced with insanity or death because their curiosity drags them in over their head and their lack of agency leaves them helpless and lost amongst a cosmic horror.
• Make everything horrifying : Drawing on Lovecraft's fear of well, lots of things, you should make the mundane scary. Suddenly, the water bottle you've been carrying around and drinking out of is looking suspicious. Practicing this method will add unease to your narrative.
• The ending : Cosmic horrors should not wrap up neatly. The genre is about asking questions and receiving answers which are partial, dangerous, impossible, or create more questions or any combination of those.

Man-made horror stories feature man-made monsters (the proof is in the pudding!). This monster horror subgenre veers away from supernatural creatures and plots. Instead, these stories tend to explore the limitations of human curiosity and ability, making us question our own selfishness and humanity in the face of progress. One of the most popular examples of this subgenre is Mary Shelley's cautionary tale Frankenstein , a book that helped introduce the mad scientist trope. However, these stories do not have to include this trope and can include hazards like pollution, disease, or genetic mutation.

• Curiosity : Your protagonists should be driven by their curiosity for knowledge. This knowledge should seem dangerous and unattainable, but your protagonist refuses to give up on their pursuit of it. They can't have it, but they want it anyways.
• Unintended consequences : Since your protagonist wants to uncover seemingly unattainable knowledge, they may go to great lengths to do this, including performing dangerous experiments such as raising the dead (hey, Frankenstein !) This leads to unintended, often harmful, consequences for all parties involved.
• Theme of humanity : Man-made horror stories present the fear of human nature and our capabilities. We are selfish creatures who crave knowledge but cower in the face of consequences. We do not like to see the humanity in the monster because then we would have to recognize our own flaws.

Mythic horror stories feature gods, goddesses, and other popular figures and settings from Greek and Norse mythology, folklore, or legends. Mythic horror seeks to emphasize the more terrifying and disturbing aspects of myths, using well-known stories and figures (such as Medusa ) to create different, more terrifying tales with additional layers.

• Alter a pre-existing story : Mythic horror is one of the more straightforward monster horror subgenres. There are plenty of horrifying mythic creatures that already exist, so you have lots of potential. Your goal is to change the original narrative of the mythic story to make it more horrifying.

The occult horror subgenre is most commonly associated with witchcraft, but it is not limited to this practice. These stories incorporate an exploration of non-conventional religions that are typically associated with dark practices and demonic energy. As such, the protagonist, sometimes a witch or human looking to experiment, should end up entangled in dark magic, curses, and the occasional undead or demon summoning (fun!).

• Protagonist : Choosing your protagonist will greatly impact the plot of your story. An occult story about a witch will be much different than an occult story about a religious dissenter. Your protagonist should be someone with some kind of magical ability or the desire to break away from the norm. The irrational becomes rational, for your protagonist.
• Enforcing and breaking rules : Speaking of breaking away from the norm, your story should have set rules. If you're writing a story about a witch, make sure there are limitations to her power. Part of the horror in these stories is the protagonist's desire to break the rules and the consequences that result from this disobedience.

The science horror subgenre combines elements of science fiction and horror. Much of the science in these horror stories comes from medical research and experimentation in the name of progress. This is not to be confused with man-made horror. Although there are similarities between the two monster horror subgenres, not all man-made horror is also science horror and vice versa. For example, Frankenstein is a man-made monster, but the story is not science horror. Likewise, alien monsters are not man-made monsters, but they are science horror monsters because aliens exist in the sci-fi realm.

• Realistic fears : Successful science horror incorporates real fears and anxieties we have regarding things like technological advances, scientific research, and other life. Many of us have imagined about a future in which we lose control of our technical accomplishments as they turn against us. So, when these fears are realized, it resonates better with the audience, making it a truly frightful horror story. The same can be said for our fear of aliens from outer space and the possibility of being invaded by another species.
• Suspense : Suspense is a key feature to science horror. Your characters and readers' anxiety builds as they realize that the things they're familiar with are capable of creating dangerous consequences for mankind or that their mundane world is not so normal, after all.

Monster madness

We know we've just thrown a lot of material at you. You may be scratching your head, wondering if a vampire or demon would be a better fit for your story. Don't worry! You have plenty of material to work with, and you can even try experimenting with mixing monsters. Don't be afraid to embrace the monster madness!

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Free Character Writing Prompts #31:  Monsters, Demons and Strange Creatures

Grr Argh! Have a scare with these 10 character writing prompts about monsters, demons and strange creatures! One of the best parts of action and science fiction shows from my youth like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Xena: Warrior Princess" and "The X-Files" was the monsters that would show up as villains from episode to episode. Of course, there were always occasional monsters as good guys in some of these and other shows. Creating these creatures can give you a chance to really use your imagination to make monsters that illustrate a certain theme or that simply scare the pants off your readers. While there are only 10 to choose from here, feel free to change an aspect or two to create hundreds of different funky beasts.

Free Character Writing Prompts #30: Monsters, Demons and Strange Creatures

1. On an archaeological dig, a kindly professor was cut by a shard of pottery and was immediately infected with a demon spirit that had lived in the broken jar for millennia. The transformation was slow and steady as he transitioned from anger, to violence and finally a destructive rage. The demon who had taken him over still looked human but was resistant to attack and had the strength of many men. After reading through his notes, only his wife knew what to do. A rival demon of the spirit was summoned in an effort to fight and kill her husband. The two met on the streets of New York City. What happens to the archaeologist and would his soul be salvageable after the battle?

2. He was a demon alright, but he had no interest in harming humans. After all, they were his best customers at the night club he ran in the rough part of town. Some demons would attempt to pay with currency from other dimensions and figuring out the exchange rate was a hassle, he said. He'd run the club for about fifty years and hadn't aged a day, thanks to his race being extremely long-living. He loved the social aspect of meeting the strange and unusual people who wandered in, especially those who had traveled from far off dimensions just to get the experience of his little watering hole. How did get to Earth himself and has he ever had to settle any interdimensional conflicts?

3. She looked like she belonged in a dirty magazine or at least a Sears catalogue. Her human features, of course, were extremely deceptive since she was a demon who took the souls of the men and women she came into contact with. She worked hand in hand with the devil to get these humans to take part in sinful activities so that she had a rightful claim to their immortal essence. She wasn't a big fan of being tied down to a job though and so she began doing freelance. She worked as a bounty hunter of the evil and used her feminine wiles to lure them in before sending them to her handler. Does this beautiful creature enjoy her work and what does she do for fun?

4. Her and her family had lived safe for millennia on Earth with little trouble as they resided in one of the far off undiscovered parts of the world. When her son was discovered by an explorer and captured, she went completely off the deep end, declaring war on humanity. It didn't hurt her chances that she could swell to the height and width of about 40 feet in either direction. After weeks of terrorizing the oceans, the explorers realized what they had done, but nobody was willing to listen to their plan of appeasing the beast. They wanted to go nuclear. What will happen to the mother and will she be able to listen to a last second rogue diplomacy push by the explorers?

5. He was one of the scariest looking creatures to ever come to being and his teachers assumed he'd be their best pupil at giving humans nightmares for their entire lives. They were completely surprised then when he went into Monster-Human Relations instead. He didn't want to scare or harm humans in any way, he just wanted them to get along like he and his parents never could. He loved talking with humans before erasing their memories of course, and he knew that there was a way that the two species could live in harmony. He led a band of M-H Relations students who determined to take monsters public. Will he be successful in his quest and what in his relationship with his parents caused him to be a pacifist?

6. Deep below the surface of the ocean, this beast survived on eating the most bottom of the bottom feeders along the ocean floor. When pollution corrupted his once populous food source, he had to move to a more plentiful source of protein and carbohydrates: humans. It turned out, he had much more of a taste for man and woman than he'd ever had for strange looking crabs and fish. He was very quiet about his meals as he didn't need to eat that often to survive. This way he wouldn't cause suspicion. The humans in the area figured him out though and went hunting for him. What will happen to this new human dining enthusiast?

7. In a world where many breeds of monsters had been revealed to the public over 30 years ago, she was the first monster presidential candidate. She had humanoid features, which gave her an advantage over slimier, more monstrous creatures. Years before, she'd won a seat in Congress on a platform of rights for all types and orientations of monsters and humans. Now this brilliant and Harvard-educated beast was moving up in the polls and had a real shot at getting into office. She hoped like hell that her rivals would not pull any muckraking about her parents, who were ravenous, human-killing beasts whom she'd kept secret for years. Will she be successful in her campaign and what qualities does she have that would make her a successful president?

8. During the day, she appeared as a normal human with an average desk job and a loving husband. When she slept at night, she became a grotesque black demon who was tasked with destroying the evil of the world. Hidden cameras in the house had revealed this truth and it took many months of research to determine what exactly was happening. It turned out her grandmother had a similar power and this hereditary ability was meant to balance out the forces of evil and good in the world. As evil began to grow, she started to change earlier and earlier in the night. She soon had to quit her job, for fear that her transformations would ruin her future job opportunities. How does her personality change during her metamorphosis and will she able to balance the two sides of herself?

9. He became infected after an encounter with a meteorite that had crashed to the Earth. As a comic-book geek, he understood that he was changing and sought help to determine why he could now alter time and space. A master of the occult told him that not only would his power grow, but his desires to use the ability for personal gain would increase as well. The geek hoped the master was wrong, but in a short period of time, he began altering the very fabric of humanity to bring himself to prominence. He knew that there was only one way to stop himself before he was completely lost. He had to stop himself from discovering the meteorite, but the infection was very resistant to the idea. Will he be successful and what are some of the things he's done to alter the fabric of reality?

10. During a séance attempting to bring back a deceased loved one for a final goodbye, she was accidentally summoned instead. It's not every day you attempt to contact a teenage girl and get the first and most powerful demon in her stead. The issue for the demon was that she came back in the form of the teenage girl and was mostly devoid of her power. She pretended to be the resurrected girl until she could figure out how to unlock her true evil. Until then, she'd have to take calculus and pretend not to be repulsed by human boys. She learned that her full powers would return after taking the lives of 30 people. Let the games begin, she thought. Will this demon be successful at coming back to power or will her peers be able to stop her?  Did you enjoy these character writing prompts?  Buy the full book of 1,000 Character Writing Prompts on Amazon!   Related Products

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How to Create a Monster

Ali Simpson’s story, “The Monster,” was first published in The   Southampton Review  and recommended to  Electric Literature by Susan Merrell.

Everyone loves a good horror story. But anyone who tries to write such a story quickly discovers that it’s not enough to simply create a monster. You must also create a reason for the monster to exist. Or, to quote the great Albert Camus, who would have turned 100 this year, “A character is never the author who created him. It is quite likely, however, that an author may be all his characters simultaneously.” In all great horror stories, literary or otherwise, the monster is often a manifestation of a character’s inner monstrosity.

Ali Simpson’s story “The Monster” is a terrific example of this kind of character. The story was first published at  The Southampton Review  and reprinted at  Electric Literature , where you can read it now .

How the Story Works

The story introduces the monster in the first line: “Laura was becoming unsure about what to do with the monster in her closet.”

Any reader who finishes that sentence has sentence has two immediate questions:

• What kind of world have I entered? (In other words, are there monsters in every closet? Is there some kind of society of closet-monsters?)
• What kind of monster is it?

Watch how the story clearly answers this first question in the opening paragraph:

“He shouldn’t have been there—she wasn’t a little girl; she was a grown woman with a full-time job and a roof over her head that she paid for herself with her full-time job. She had food in the fridge, dishes in the drying rack and dress pants pressed. Who had time or inclination to deal with monsters when there was work to be done, friends to have drinks with and love to pursue? Besides, the world was filled with enough scary stories as it was. Robbers, rapists, famines, and wars. Every day on the way to work, she passed people more unfortunate than she, and she knew if she stopped for a second, she would become a part of them, hungry all the time. She suspected she had a few scary stories lurking inside her and spent the better part of some nights guessing what they might be.”

So what kind of world is it? It’s a realistic world full of dirty dishes and jobs and wrinkled clothes. It’s a world with characters who have lives that do not involve monsters. This last part is important because it’s not true of all monster stories. Take the vampires out of  Twilight , and the world evaporates. Take Voldemort out of  Harry Potter or the gremlins out of  Gremlins  and you also remove the central conflict—and, to some extent,  only  conflict—facing the characters. But in this world, the narrator has a life and problems (and so does the rest of the world) that existed before the monster arrives.

Now, watch how the story answers the second question in the next two paragraphs:

So the monster came at the right time in her life. She had just put her dog to sleep because of his eye tumors. She had also recently kicked out her boyfriend because he thought she was his mother. She told him he was mistaken, that she was not his mother, and then she helped him pack his things, fed him lunch and kissed him good-bye. After Bumblebee went to sleep and the boyfriend was sent on his way, her apartment smelled empty and her sheets were cold. She lay around on the couch when she didn’t have to be at work and kept telling herself not to feel sad—she had a lot going for her. The loneliness made her sick and pale. Nothing made her feel better and she wondered if the loneliness had been there all along but that she had somehow avoided looking it in the face until now.

So, what kind of monster is it? It’s a manifestation of the narrator’s deepest fears. In fact, we’re not yet sure if there really is a monster or if the narrator has simply conjured it out of her fear and doubt. As you read the rest of the story, though, you’ll see how that uncertainty is quickly put to rest.

The Writing Exercise

Let’s create a monster (real or imagined) using Ali Simpson’s “The Monster” as a model. To do so, we’ll answer the questions, “What kind of world is it?” and “What kind of monster is it?”

• Introduce the monster.  To do this, you’ll need to state the following: Where is the monster? Who sees it? How does that person feel about the monster? (This last part is perhaps the most important. If the character is terrified for her life in the first sentence, the story will proceed much differently than if the character is amused or irritated.)
• What kind of world is it?  Do monsters appear all the time? Is the world under siege by monsters? Or is this a regular world with a very personal monster. To answer this question, you’ll also need to figure out your character’s place in the world. If the world is a stage full of roles that people must play, which roles are being played by your character?
• What kind of monster is it?  Why has the monster appeared to this character at this time? Even less-literary stories, monsters and victims are well matched. So, even in a novel like  Twilight , the monster is a manifestation of Bella’s developing sense of her own sexuality. To answer this question, figure out the character’s life, problems, and conflicts that existed before the monster arrived. In a way, you’re adjusting the telescopic lens through which the story views the monster. If you begin by focusing on Conflict A, then Conflict A will always be present in the story (unless you stumble upon a better conflict; in that case, throw out Conflict A and switch to Conflict B). Regardless, if you make the character’s personal conflict part of the story from the beginning, the monster will naturally be viewed as part of that conflict.

Good luck and have fun! You’re writing a monster story. To paraphrase Kurt Vonnegut, if that isn’t nice, then I don’t know what is.

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Tags: Ali Simpson , character development , creative writing exercises , creative writing prompts , Electric Literature , how to write a short story , Southampton Review , The Monster , writing about monsters , writing horror stories

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4 Responses to “How to Create a Monster”

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[…] (To read Simpson’s story “The Monster” and an exercise about how to create that monster, click here.) […]

[…] Instead, because the story introduces the conflict around the narrator’s gender identity, the story is given a new conflict to develop—and, in this story, that conflict climaxes with the appearance of a ghost. To some extent, the difference between a story with ghosts and a ghost story is when the ghost appears. The earlier it appears, the more likely it becomes that the story adopts a genre structure. (I’ll admit that there are exceptions to this rule, as shown by this story about a monster.) […]

[…] Ali Simpson’s story “The Monster” is a terrific example of this kind of character. The story was first published at The Southampton Review and reprinted at Electric Literature. This article was originally published at Read To Write Monsters. […]

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How to Terrify your readers with a well written Monster!

How to terrify your readers with a well-written monster….

With Halloween on the horizon, now is the perfect time to turn our attention to our notepads and keyboards and use our spooky festivities as inspiration for our writing. 

Monsters have been an integral part of the horror genre for decades, but creating a truly scary monster that will keep your readers on the edges of their seats is not an easy task.

This article will give you practical writing advice on how to achieve a truly horrifying monster in your writing. 

The first thing you need to consider when creating your monster is its functionality.

How does it function within the text? To figure this out, this requires you to make a monster character profile detailing the monster’s key characteristics. You need to consider what actually is your monster. Try to add as much detail as possible to your character profile; you need to be able to give details about what your monster is, what it looks like, sounds like, smells like, and where it comes from.

Your monster doesn’t need to fit logically into the real world, but it needs to be able to function within the fictional world you have created. This means that your character profile needs to add up – if your monster has thick fur does it make sense that it exists within the hot climate of your fictional world? Let’s look at Mary Shelley’s description of Victor Frankenstein’s monster in her famous horror novel Frankenstein : 

“His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun-white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips.” 

In this passage, Mary Shelley provides readers with a very clear description of what Frankenstein’s monster looks like; we know what colour his skin is, what his eyes, hair and teeth look like and not only this, but the description is totally plausible within Mary Shelley’s fictional world.  This is an effective way to create a scary monster, but it can only be achieved through meticulous character planning. 

Another way to effectively scare your audience is by tapping into what people fear.

But using phobias is not enough in order to create an effective monster. You need to combine a common phobia with a typical character trait of monsters; their gruesome capacity for violence. Not only are monsters your biggest fear, but they are capable of destroying you in a particularly graphic and disturbing way.

Let’s look at how Stephen King, a legend of the horror genre, crafts his monster in his short story The Little Green God of Agony: 

“Melissa had seen where the thing came from and even in her panic was wise enough to cover her own mouth with both hands. The thing skittered up her neck, over her cheek, and squatted on her left eye. The wind screamed and Melissa screamed with it. It was the cry of a woman drowning in the kind of pain the charts in the hospitals can never describe.”

This short segment shows how Stephen King has combined a common fear of insects with a particularly gruesome violent act. Monsters don’t have to be big, scary beasts that hide under your bed, they can be something as simple as an insect as long as they tap into a commonly experienced phobia. To practice this technique of monster creation, think about what your biggest fear is. Write it down and try to create a character profile in 5 minutes that uses your own phobias or fears however common or uncommon they may be. If your character is able to scare you, then it might just be a monster worth writing a book about!

Another key element that makes truly terrifying monsters is the unknown.

This technique not only creates suspense but enables us to add depth and character development as the monster might not be as monstrous as it is first made out to be. The perfect example of this is in Beauty and the Beast; at first the Beast is depicted as monstrous and dangerous but as the story develops we see his softer side and the true villain is revealed to be Gaston and not the Beast at all. To hone this technique, treat your monster the same way as you would your people characters; people are multi-faceted with multiple dimensions to their character, so this applies to monsters too. 

If you enjoyed this article and are still looking for your horror fix, check out these articles such as The Redemption of the Monster and How to Write a Ghost Story in Jamesian Style also by The Writer’s Initiative. 

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Walking by the Way

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Monster Writing Prompts for Kids

September 27, 2021 by ami Leave a Comment

I know what it’s like to watch a student stare at a piece of blank paper. And sit. And stare.

It’s painful.

It’s painful for the student, and it’s painful for me, the teacher.

What if I told you I had a secret to help your student get a pencil moving?

Yes, doodling.

That’s exactly what your student gets to do with these interactive monster writing prompts for kids .

He will complete the monster drawing prompts and then use his doodle for writing ideas.

What’s Included in the Draw to Write: Monster Writing Prompts

The printable file includes nine different Doodle Monster drawing prompt pages.

The writing prompt pages include various monster parts–bodies, eyes, horns, accessories, wings, feet, tails, mouths, etc.

The pages will prompt your student to finish the drawings.

The file also contains these eight prompts to help your student write about the doodle monsters:

• Your doodle monsters are going to the zoo. What will they do there? Use details.
• Your doodle monsters are going to a restaurant. Write about the menu items they order. Use details.
• Your doodle monsters are going trick-or-treating. What will they find in their bags? Use details.
• Your doodle monsters are going to make a jack-o-lantern. Describe their design. Use details.

• Each one of your doodle monsters has a special ability. Name your monsters and describe their abilities. Use details.
• Your doodle monsters are going to live with you. Write a How to Care for Monsters Guide. Use details.
• Choose one of your doodle monsters to go into a haunted house. What does he see, hear, and smell? Use details.
• Your doodle monsters are going to the perfume shop. What scents will they choose? Use details.

As you will note, a key phrase in the prompts is “Use details.” Using details will help your student create silly, fun, and interesting writing.

How to Use the Draw to Write: Monster Writing Prompts

The Draw to Write Writing Prompts are easy to use.

• Print the pages.
• Let your student choose a page.
• Encourage your student to doodle to create monsters on the page.
• As your student doodles, encourage her to think about the monsters she is creating. What are their names? What are they from? How do they know one another? What are they like?
• After your student finishes, have her select a writing prompt card.
• Your student will use the prompt card to write about her monster doodles.  

Get Your Free Set of Monster Writing Prompts

Subscribe to the newsletter below in order to grab your free set of Draw to Write: Monster Writing Prompts.

More Creative Writing Prompts

If your student is ready to tackle more creative writing lessons , try these activities:

• Monster Writing Prompt Cards
• Dinosaur Writing Prompt Cards
• Halloween Story Writing Prompts

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Monster Creative Writing Packet (FREE!)

by Liesl - Homeschool Den

This Monster Creative Writing Packet is a fun activity that encourages descriptive writing! This creative writing printable is currently FREE to download!

• Describe the monsters using as many descriptive words as possible.
• Monster Details: Have everyone write a description of a monster and create a matching drawing. Use a lot of descriptive details. One by one, as one student reads their descriptions aloud, the other students draw their own version of this monster.
• Design your monster.
• Write about your monster’s life.
• Draw your monster including its home or habitat.
• Write a story about your monster.

I hope this writing activity is helpful!

Click here to download the FREE PDF:

Monster Creative Writing Packet

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