What are you afraid of? What makes you scared? Why are you afraid of it? What event shaped your fear? With Halloween less than a week away, I felt exploring our fears and writing a short story about them would be a fun activity.
The Pre-Work
- Pick something you’re afraid of or causes you fear. It can be something as simple as clowns or spiders or something deeper like loneliness or fear of failing. Whatever it is, write it down.
- Now, think about what life was like before you had this fear.
- Next. Think about what led you to have this fear. Was it a specific moment or event? Maybe you saw a movie that affected you psychologically.
- How has this fear impacted your life or the lives of others?
- Do you want to face your fear and overcome it, or do you think it’ll be a part of you for life?
The Exercise
Write a short story (500 to 1000 words) about the fear you chose. You can make it autobiographical or create a fictional character that has to deal with this particular fear. Whatever you choose, try and write the story showing the character’s life before and after the fear impacts them. Then, explore how they conquered the fear or if the fear conquered them.
Using yourself as the story’s subject, you could use this as an opportunity to work through and find ways to overcome this fear.
Final Thoughts
Utilizing your own fears and anxieties when creating stories or characters can help make them more relatable to readers since you have an intimate understanding of them. Whether the fear is rational or irrational, anxiety can help increase a story’s stakes and create suspense for the reader.
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!