 Horror/Scary: June 25, 2014 Issue [#6393] |
  Horror/Scary
This week: Your worst nightmare Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon  
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Quote for the week:
"There are many who don't wish to sleep for fear of nightmares. Sadly, there are many who don't wish to wake for the same fear.”
― Richelle E. Goodrich |
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A nightmare is any disturbing dream that leaves the dreamer with feelings of fear or dread. In spite of the name, nightmares have nothing to do with horses.The word "nightmare" is actually based on a Middle English word for an evil female spirit who smothered sleepers during the night.  This legend probably arose because even the strongest person is vulnerable when sleeping.
Nightmares are a great basis for horror stories, because they are born from our greatest fears. What is your worst nightmare? No matter how fantastic and unrealistic it seems, it is probably based on something you fear or dislike in real life. I have a recurring dream that I am in a play and don't know my lines, probably because I hate situations for which I am not prepared.
Some nightmares are exaggerated and surreal, while others are so realistic that you wake up believing they really happened. In a dream, events may happen at lightning speed, or everything may slow down to a crawl. Even innocent situations and objects may take a sinister turn in a dream. My daughter once dreamed of a cute little teddy bear with fangs.
Objects, places, and people might suddenly change form or disappear in a nightmare. In one dream, I was in a hospital bed surrounded by doctors and nurses who looked normal at first, but suddenly their faces started contorting and twisting into monstrous forms. I haven't thought of a story based on that dream yet, but there has to be one!
In dreams, people have abilities that are not possible in real life. I've dreamed of flying and diving through ocean waves like a dolphin. That was actually lots of fun, but what if the bad guy in your story had those powers?
You may want to make a nightmare a part of the plot of the story, as in "Nightmare on Elm Street" or "Inception". Maybe characters are all having the same nightmare, or are able to move in and out of each other's dreams.
Dreams may not have any coherent structure, but remember that a story based on a nightmare still needs a well developed plot. Use the strange and fantastic elements of the dream, but don't throw them together at random.
Something to try: Write a horror story based on a nightmare.
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| Question for next time: What is more important to you as a reader, plot or character? |
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