Creating the Dark Threat
by Rita Marie Keller

In horror fiction, there is always a dark threat, something that goes bump in the night, or whatever else you choose to call what your main character is afraid of. Your Dark Threat may take the form of a ghost, vampire, zombie, or whatever you want. You can use characters from folklore and legends or borrow traditional monsters. The Dark Threat may be a personification of evil, temptation, hate, or any other negative. It may be a shape-shifter, like the monster in Stephen King's IT. His Dark Threat became whatever represented the worst fear of each character. IT became a clown, a zombie, and other forms.

Whatever you choose to be your dark threat, it must be believable and cannot be overcome easily. It must be a legitimate threat, not something that turns out to be just a nightmare or the cat scampering through the house (unless the cat turns out to be possessed). The threat must be real, and you must make it feel real for your reader.

For the purpose of this exercise, we're going to treat the Dark Threat as a character, but it may take on whatever form you choose. Just like any character, your Dark Threat must be three dimensional. There's a motivation and a desire. What does your Dark Threat want and why? Its motivation need not be complicated. Keep it simple. What is the form your Dark Threat takes? Sketch or list physical details about it.

Your Dark Threat must have a weakness. Although it seems indestructible, there must be something to bring it down. For instance, werewolves are killed with silver bullets. Vampires die when a stake is driven through the heart. What is your Dark Threat's weakness? What is the one thing that will bring it down? It doesn't have to be something tangible like the silver bullets or stakes. It could be something like faith, prayer, or a verse. Whatever it is, it must not be too easy to obtain (or figure out), and don't make it so easy your reader figures it out first. The exercise:

Create a dark threat and write a scene where your main character confronts it. If you have trouble thinking of one, look at classic and contemporary horror stories, urban legends, folklore, and fairy tales. Think about your nightmares. Free-write for ten or fifteen minutes using the start line: "I am afraid of ?" or "My worst fear is?"

Spend another ten to fifteen minutes describing your Dark Threat. List physical details. Use all senses. How does the dark threat look? Smell? Sound? Etc. What does it want? What is its weakness?

Now write your scene where your character confronts the Dark Threat. You may do it from the point of view of the hero or from the Dark Threat's point of view. In this scene you may choose to have your hero conquer your DT. As always, use strong verbs and specific nouns, and sensory details. Avoid modifiers. Do not use the words "blood," or "gore" anywhere in the scene. Show the emotions of both through their actions (and dialogue if applicable). Show, don't tell. Use your imagination.

Copyright © 2003 Rita Marie Keller. All Rights Reserved.

Rita Marie Keller founded the CACOETHES SCRIBENDI CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP http://www.cacoethes-scribendi.com  in 1999. She is the author of the novel, LIVING IN THE CITY as well as numerous articles and short stories.