“Now,
about those ghosts... I'm sure they're here and I'm not half so alarmed at
meeting up with any of them as I am at having to meet the live nuts I have to
see every day.” Bess Truman
As a writer
of paranormal thrillers, the world of the occult fascinates me. On
looking at the dictionary definition of the word occult, I can see that it can
mean esoteric knowledge, secretive mystery and supernatural.
To me the
world of occult is mainly associated with the supernatural. It can include such
things as Extra sensory perception, spirits, special powers, demons and devils,
doppelgangers, possession and special powers ( such as telekinesis, telepathy
etc). All these things are great fodder for the supernatural thriller writer.
However one thing that is uppermost in my mind when I write is that,
irrespective of the supernatural elements, the story must still hold together
as a well plotted tale with good, believable characters. It must have the elements
of a thriller with rising tension, conflict and suspense and a character in
jeopardy.
I also do
believe that stories centred on the occult world should grip readers and the
supernatural element should be unnerving, scary and even a little terrible.
Readers of these kinds of stories expect to be transported to an alternate
reality where supernatural abound and yet are still pretty scary.
In the
readers mind a little voice poses the question, at least for the duration of
the story, “could this possibly happen?”
Suspension of
disbelief is what keeps horror and supernatural writers going, as well as the
enjoyment of heightened sensations if the story scares as much as it should.
The fear, I believe comes from the not knowing.
After all, we
really don’t know what awaits us in the afterlife and the possibility of
spirits, ghosts etc is not that unbelievable to many people. And lots of
perfectly rational folk do indeed believe in the Devil and Demons (for that
matter many religions do too). I guess it is this notion of belief and the
outside possibility of these things actually happening that captures the
imagination of so many supernatural thriller readers – including me!
Does the occult world scare you? Or are you
more scared of the nuts you meet every day?
I don't have any encounters with the occult world, so it's definitely the nuts who frighten me. Bess Truman was a wise woman.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
I have seen a ghost and had a few supernatural experiences and they didn't scare me half as much as some people! Having said that, I do get very scared reading about fictional scary-things - which just goes to show how good writing really gets under your skin :-) x
ReplyDeleteAgree that regardless of having supernatural events or characters, your story can't have huge holes in the plot and can't leave readers thinking, "Oh come on!"
ReplyDeleteThat "could this really happen" part is the scariest part of a good paranormal thriller!
ReplyDeleteAn element of truth is why supernatural novels scare the beejees out of me. Pat, check out Keith Pyeatt's work. I think you two have much in common.
ReplyDeleteI think real people can be more scary - we know for sure they're real and that some are bad and/or intend to cause others harm.
ReplyDeleteAnother great post, Pat. I fear occults and real people. YIKES!
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I wanted to let you know that I have awarded you with The Sunshine Blog Award. If you want to know what it's all about, stop on by my blog to find out.
Hope your holiday season is bright.
Congratulations on the Sunshine Award Pat.
ReplyDeleteNot into horror stories, movies per se but have had a few personal experiences with supernatural if you could call it that. It is interesting and intriguing to think of the possibility of the other side and making connections. Perhaps, there's more going on than what the eye can see or mind understand.
Both scare me just as much.
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The occult world definitely scares me. I try not to think about it too much!
ReplyDelete