  Horror/Scary
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O Death, rock me asleep. Bring me to quiet rest. Let pass my weary guiltless ghost out of my careful breast.
Anne Boleyn, Queen Consort to Henry VIII of England 1507 to May 19, 1536
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Anne Boleyn was beheaded at the Tower of London, accused of being unfaithful to King Henry VIII. It is claimed her headless ghost is just one of several spectral tenants of that famous site. Her distinguished ghostly companions include Sir Walter Raleigh, Lady Jane Grey, Thomas Beckett and Edward and Richard - perhaps more famously known as The Princes In The Tower.
The Tower of London is reputed to be one of the most haunted locations in the world. People claim to have seen a group of ghosts performing the execution of the 8th Countess of Salisbury, troops of phantom soldiers and a lady dressed in mourning black… without a face. As the Tower of London can claim a long and often grisly tradition of imprisonment and execution it’s not really surprising that the unhappy and unpleasant experiences of some of its inmates linger long after their bodies have turned to dust. I have visited the Tower of London some years ago, and although I saw no headless spirits and faceless mourners it certainly reverberates with a sad and disturbing atmosphere.
Definition of a ghost: an alleged disembodied spirit or soul of a person (or sometimes an animal) that remains on Earth after death.
Some beliefs claim a ghost may be the personality of someone after his or her death, so it is not tied to the spirit or soul. Ghosts feature in almost every culture in the world, but stories vary across time and place. Ghosts are also very contentious subjects, and disagreements abound as to their definition, and whether they are figments of imagination or a part of reality. Because there’s no single explanation for their existence writers have great artistic licence and freedom to write stories featuring ghosts.
Buildings are popular venues for ghosts, particularly places where murders have been committed. People claim to feel physical changes in haunted places. The temperature drops, a staircase creaks, a gust of wind rushing through the air, the silence of a menacing presence… all common descriptions of the presence of ghostly manifestations in old buildings like the Tower of London. And the descriptions are not imagined, although there is usually a simple explanation for them. The construction of older buildings means that spaces behind walls cause drafts and invisible currents and sound waves from installation of modern objects like extractor fans. Fortunately for the Horror writer most readers are more interested in the reasons the ghost has remained on earth than early construction flaws! And that’s the focus of this newsletter.
Many western cultures claim that ghosts are souls unable to rest or move on after death, so they linger on earth. They may wander around places they enjoyed visiting when they were alive, dressed in the same kind of clothing they favoured whilst still living. One reason for this reluctance is unfinished business, such as a murder victim seeking revenge or justice for his death. Another belief is that the ghosts of criminals remain on earth in an attempt to avoid hell or purgatory, such as a serial killer whose spirit remains earthbound after his execution. Still other cultures believe that those who suffer a traumatic death, such as a car accident, a suicide or murder, cause mental energy to be released, and this energy is experienced by people sensitive to its presence.
A writer can work an exciting Horror story around a ghost and the reason he has got into that situation. Some of the most successful ghost stories have interaction between the ghostly plane and the living world. Sometimes the living person has to help the earthbound ghost progress, and this might have to be done in different ways. In Stephen King’s Bag of Bones the main character has to find out what happened to the ghost haunting his house and the town, as well as finding and putting her bones to rest. The story of his research into her terrible death and the reasons for hiding her body make this book a very good read, because Mr King manages to combine a ghost searching for vengeance with a seemingly normal, typical town filled with people just like you and me. The main character is a writer suffering with the dreaded WRITERS’ BLOCK (something I think all writers can relate to), and when he goes to his country house in search of inspiration he learns of a terrible act that links the most powerful people in the town to an old murder… and the people involved will do anything to stop him from learning about their crime.
Descriptively ghosts are a wonderful subject, and offer the writer a palate of words to paint a vivid picture for his or her readers. They are usually depicted as being of human or animal size and shape, with physical terms such as silvery, shadowy, transparent, shimmering, hazy, nebulous, ethereal, tenebrous and vague applied to their appearance. Equally the words used to describe ghosts are very illustrative: phantom, spectre, wraith, apparition, spirit and presence are some of the alternatives. The ghost may also exhibit signs of his or her cause of death, such as the headless horseman in Washington Irvine’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Ghosts need not always be evil and out for vengeance. There are many examples in literature where they have helped the living to solve a problem – almost like an ethereal counsellor or messenger from the world beyond this one. An example is Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, where the title character summons the ghosts of former kings and great conquerors. He discovers not nobility, but petty, childish and stupid people with no wisdom who accomplished their great deeds for mean, selfish reasons. Another example just as relevant, although not from the literary world, is the film Ghost, where the spirit of a murdered man remains on earth to find out more about his murder and avenge his killer. With the help of a psychic medium, he contacts his wife and learns the truth while protecting her from the person who killed him.
Proving that ghosts are not restricted to the Horror/Scary genre is Douglas Adams’ science fiction book The Restaurant At the End Of The Universe, where one of the main characters summons his great great grandfather’s ghost to help them stop their ship from being blown up. They also feature in the comedy genre, with the film Ghostbusters being a prime example. The title characters use scientific equipment to hunt, capture and imprison ghosts for their paying customers, ensuring some rather hilarious encounters between the spectres and their hunters.
There are some excellent ghost stories on this website. I’ve highlighted a couple for you below that I hope you will enjoy reading. This subject is a very broad one, and as Horror/Scary writers you may find you have a good ghost story lurking around your subconscious… or in your house… or perhaps even in that antique clock your grandfather so loved! Inspiration is all around you – so let your imagination run riot!
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blush808
Everything about the topic or genre (curses). Where to find ideas, where are some good research places, what is the scariest thing you know, how to bring the plot together, what to do if you get stuck on the beginning, middle or end. Just helpful hints. Try something you would like to know research them and then share. It is kinda like show and tell. Have fun.
I certainly do intend to research the topic of curses in a future newsletter, as I feel it’s a subject rarely visited by writers of the Horror/Scary genre. Thanks for your contribution to the newsletter.
schipperke
Wonderful newsletter on curses. Thanks for researching for us and stimulating us to remember to use them in our horror writing.
I really enjoyed researching it, schipperke. I was disappointed to see how few WDC writers use the word curse to describe their work, because I’ve read some excellent stories about the subject on this site. I just couldn’t find them when entering the word curse/s in the search section.
billwilcox
Heya, Forever!
What an inspiring newsletter. My muse was going crazy as I read about curses on books. You've given me such a great  idea for my next story.
It’s a huge topic, billwilcox, and one around which writers can use to write a truly terrifying and interesting story. I can’t wait to read the story you’re inspired to write!
Mavis Moog 
Great Newsletter. Curses are scary, because they work from the inside out. As you suggest in the case of Howard Carter, those who don't believe in their power are often mysteriously protected. You have inspired me to write a psychological horror story based on this idea. Thank you.
Thank you, Mavis Moog . I’ve had a lifelong fascination with Egypt and its mythology, so researching this newsletter was very interesting for me. You’re so right – the fact that the power of auto-suggestion can cause someone to believe in a curse is scary – a bit like brainwashing, I suppose.
bazilbob
ooooh! curses!
I hope you enjoyed the newsletter, bazilbob. If you ever decide to write about a curse please drop me a line. I’ve been reading some of your portfolio and enjoyed your work.
teapoe
Hi! I would just like to point out that there never was a curse on King Tut's tomb. It was made up by a journalist when nothing spectacular was happening at the digs. There was no tablet -stone or otherwise- that had any curse written on it. Maybe a handful of tombs had anything resembling a curse placed on them. Most relied on the fear of the gods to keep robbers out.
Thanks for the information, teapoe. The research was gathered from a couple of books and websites about Tutankhamen, and it’s probably the most famous curse in the world! I hope readers are able to draw their own conclusions about the story of this curse.
Your comment proves that even then journalists had little integrity, doesn’t it? Not much has changed! It would actually make a great story – the journalist telling the world that the place is cursed, only to find the ruse backfired and the curse worked upon him…
scarlett_o_h
Another very interesting and informative Newsletter Forever. And A HUGE thank you for highlighting my story. I find curses quite fascinating and I'm told there was an Egyptian mummy on the Titanic too. It's a great subject for horror writing and should I ever get round to it, I'm sure your information will help a lot.
I highlighted this story because I remember reading it several months ago, and really enjoying it. The idea of a mummy on the Titanic would make a brilliant story, scarlett_o_h, and I think you could create a wonderful story based on this idea. Let me know when you put pen to paper, or fingers to the keyboard!
maylee
Just recently watched the two remakes of The Mummy, part one and two. Awesome films/stories.
I guess the price for being a tomb raider is having to put up with curses; talk about job stress.
Great newsletter Forever, I think I'm going to try to write something around a curse. Sounds like a neat challenge to me.
Oh, and thanks for the link to the horror contest.
It's a great contest, maylee, and there are many wonderful horror contests on the site. I want to highlight them in future newsletters. Curses are an unbeivable source of information for writers, and I am sure you'll be able to write a brilliant story about a curse. Let me know when it's ready, and I'll highlight it for you!
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Horror/Scary: January 04, 2006 Issue [#774]
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