There comes a time when every writer stares at a blank screen and asks, "What am I going to write about?"
You finally got a little free time to begin working on your children’s story, but as soon as you sit down to write, your mind goes blank. Now what?
Well, if you’re feeling a bit spooky, here are some classic setups that should get your fingers tapping in no time. Just read through each setup and the questions until you come across one that attaches itself to your imagination.
The Walk in the Woods
Your character is taking a walk through the woods. Is he lost? Is he there on a dare? Is it daytime or night? Is he strolling along and suddenly the woods grow dark? Does he live by the woods? What could live in those woods? Ghosts? Wood nymphs? A werewolf? Does your character find something odd in the woods? Could it be a cave? Is it an old and rundown shack? Does he see strange lights? Think of when you were young and walking in the woods. What scared you? Were you afraid of walking into a bear? A rabid dog?
The Lone House
Almost every neighborhood has a spooky house that stands out as being odd. Imagine that house and give it a history. Did someone die in that house? How? Was there an unsolved murder? Flash forward to your character. Is your character new to the area? Has she lived in the neighborhood all her life and heard stories about the place? Did she stumble upon the house’s history while researching local history for a social studies report? Perhaps children are going into the house and never coming out again. Or, maybe, the children who go in are never the same again.
The Eerie Sound
You remember how hearing a strange noise at night conjured up all sorts of terror, don’t you? What fear will you give your character? Will he hear an eerie howl in the distance? Will he hear an awful screech that gives him shudders down his spine? What could be worse than the sound of footsteps on the stairs when no one else is home?
Haunted Cemetery
The haunted cemetery is a classic dare situation. It is also a favorite hangout for teens in some rural towns. Some children also cut through the cemetery to get home from a friend’s house. What goes on in the cemetery late at night? Is there a statue whose eyes seem to follow your character? Is there a troubled soul crying out for help? Perhaps there is something more sinister going on in the small town, such as bodies digging their way out of the grave (zombies).
What’s in the Attic?
Of all the creepiest places, an old, creaky attic has to rank in the top ten list of spookiest scares. What’s in the attic? Or better yet, who used to live in the house before your character moved in? Are there eerie looking manikins covered in white sheets? Perhaps a ventriloquist once owned the home and the attic is littered with old and broken dummies. Maybe there is only an trunk in the attic, filled with strange papers, maybe a journal.
Lost
Being lost is a scary situation that nearly everyone can relate to. Where does your character get lost? It could be in the mall right at closing time, the woods, or a campground.
Be Merciless
Whatever scary situation you choose for your character, be merciless. Make things go wrong. Make your character the unluckiest kid on the planet, and then have Lady Fortune frown on him some more. And should your decide to give your character a tiny ray of sunshine, diminish that lucky break with a large heaping of misfortune so that it seems impossible that your character will ever escape your story alive.
