Wednesday, June 25, 2014

What do you Fear?

We've all heard it: "Write what you know."  It seems like a lot of people interpret that as you should write about what you do, or what you've learned, as though everyone's life would make good fiction fodder.  That's not what I'm talking about here; there's no chance in hell I'm writing a book about working medical claims.  I don't think anyone would want to read that, and I'm not writing it even if they did.

But writing what you've done, what you've experienced, what you've been through - that, I think, is what "Write what you know" really means.  And today, I'm talking about what we all know whether we want to talk about it or not: fear.

I've talked about my fear of failure before, of knowing that it's possible I'll never make it as a writer and I'll die with dozens of stories that no one ever read and dozens more I never wrote; that's not what this entry is about.  In the sequel to TAW, I'll get to touch on the feeling of waking up lonely and alone, and the cold anxiety that comes with wondering if every single morning will be the same; I've dealt with that my entire life.  But that's not what this entry is about either.

I'm talking about my overwhelming fear of things with way too many legs crawling on me.  *shudder*

It's not that I'm afraid of insects.  At a distance.  If I see a spider or some other large bug in my home, I might freak out a little at first glance, but I'll usually trap it under a glass or something and set it free.  (Unless it's near the bed.  Then it dies as a warning to others.)  But few things put me on edge more than feeling something crawl across my skin, tiny legs pricking with every step, its path wavering back and forth as though it's searching for something--

By this time, I've freaked out and either shaken it off or swatted it so hard I bruise whatever part of myself it landed on.

This reaction is precisely why, for one of my plots in progress, I'm basing the otherworldly antagonists off of insects and their ilk, all the things that crawl and skitter and stare at you with way too many eyes.  I figure that if this stuff creeps me out, it'll creep out my readers as well, and there are all kinds of frightening things you can do with bugs.  Bites, stings, wrapping in webbing, crawling into ears and noses and worse orifices, laying eggs inside so the young have to chew their way out, so on and so forth.  Giant hives.  Hurricanes made of bloodsucking bugs.  Apple spiders.  I could go on, but I suspect I'm losing readers with every word.  ^_^

Oddly enough, I'm looking forward to fleshing out this plot, if only to see just how much I can freak myself out.  Bonus points if I feel something crawling on me while working on it.  How about the rest of you?  Anyone else working a potent fear into their stories?  And if you've done it already, how did it go?

14 comments:

  1. Fortunately bugs don't bother me, but they do creep out a lot of people. They'll be an effective critter in your story.
    Write what you fear. I guess to an extent I've done that in all three of my books - fear of losing someone I love.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. *nod* There are very different kinds of fear. Love lost is going to be a fear that comes up in the sequel to TAW, but it's a distinctly different circumstance than all the bug stuff. Heh.

      Delete
  2. Oh, I love the hive mind set. There's a great epic fantasy set about them by Janny Wurtz. The first one is Daughter of the Empire. It's a spin off of the Magician apprentice/master series by Raymond Feist. Good stuff. I recommend it for a read, but you'll have to find it at a used bookstore (out of print for a while).

    And, of course, I only mention it for research purposes, so you know what's already been done etc., etc.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll take a look at that, thanks. The insect-things are still in the early planning stages, so I don't know if they'll have an actual hive mind or just a hive. ^_^ But it'll help to see how someone else has done it.

      Delete
  3. "Unless it's near the bed. Then it dies as a warning to others."
    LOL
    This is why I love visiting your blog. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Bugs scare the crap out of me. I usually don't write about things that I'm afraid of because I don't want to think about them! Just reading about "crawling into ears and noses and worse orifices, laying eggs inside so the young have to chew their way out" and I have the heebie-jeebies! If that's the effect you're going for then you are well on your way!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Eh heh heh... I didn't mean it to be quite that effective. Thanks, I think. O_o Maybe I should have put a warning label on this entry?

      Delete
  5. Ok, I'm really creeped out by just your description, so yes, I think you'll definitely creep your readers out!! I sudden;y feel itchy... EW!!

    I like this approach though - it's almost like a way of taking charge of your own fears. As the writer, you have full control over these creepy crawlies, and that's empowering. I like it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, definitely should have put a warning label on this entry. >_< And I hadn't thought of it as taking control, but that's a good way to look at it.

      Though I think not even writing this story could get me to be okay with something crawling on me...

      Delete
  6. I'm claustrophobic, so maybe it's no coincidence that my WIP involves characters regularly finding themselves locked in a madman's trunk!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ...eep. >_< I'm not claustrophobic, but I'd think being locked in a madman's trunk would scare most anyone.

      Delete
  7. I used to write horror a long time ago. Yes, I wrote every fear I could imagine into those stories, and they were pretty darn freaky if I do say so myself--so freaky I don't write horror anymore.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And now I'm curious if you stopped because you'd conquered the fears by putting them into your writing, or if because writing that got too difficult. Or any other reason. Hrm.

      Delete