Fear of strangers or aliens is the dictionary definition of
this word! And what a fabulous word it is to use when writing thrillers. I
think it could almost be a spark for a damn good plot just on it’s own…
Fear, whichever way you use it has been the engine for many
a good thriller story. And it never matters whether the fear is real or
imagined. If it is what the character feels then it is ‘real’. In fact, all the
phobias are rich pickings for thriller writers. I can think of many stories where
you never really know whether the character’s fear is justified or not until
well into the tale or even at the absolute end.
What it actually means is that fear is an overwhelming
emotion that we all recognise and indentify with. Who hasn’t imagined all sorts
of creepy things when alone in the dark? And phobic fear is just as powerful to
the person who suffers it. The outcome for both types of fear in a story is
good old fashioned suspense! It is the stuff that keeps people turning the
pages and biting their nails! And of course it is Halloween this week and what better time to get the brain cells going and turning our innate human fear of the unknown into a story.
And keeping readers guessing is never a bad thing...
So do you have a phobic-type fear? Do you use it in your
writing?
Phobias are excellent things to put into writing. I don't do it enough. I make my characters have quirks but I don't give them phobias. Good reminders.
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