 Horror/Scary: April 05, 2017 Issue [#8217] |
  Horror/Scary
This week: Fearless Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon  
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Quote for the week: "Fate loves the fearless."
~ James Russell Lowell |
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Have you ever known a person who had no fear? Everyone is afraid of something, even if they don't want to admit it. Since horror stories revolve around fear, creating a character who feared nothing might be an interesting twist. But what would this character be like? Would he be the hero or the monster? Would he be unstoppable, or the first one to die?
While too much fear is paralyzing, a healthy dose of fear can save our lives. Fear of the dark keeps us from running into the things that might be hiding there.
If you do use a completely fearless character, you will need to come up with a reason for the lack of fear. Maybe the character is unable to feel fear because of a physical or mental condition. These conditions may keep the character from recognizing threats. One strange example from nature is the effect of the disease toxoplasmosis on the behavior of mice. The normal behavior and fear responses of mice help to keep them safe from cats. Normal mice seldom come out in the open, move by hugging the walls of buildings, and avoid any area that smells of cats. Toxoplasmosis is a condition that infects mice but is spread by cats that eat them. When a mouse is infected with toxoplasmosis, the disease organism invades it's brain and alters it's behavior. Mice infected with toxoplasmosis no longer fear cats and are actually attracted to the smell of cat urine. Although the normal hosts of toxoplasmosis are mice, it can affect humans. Some scientists believe it may be involved in some mental illnesses that lead to bizarre or risk taking behavior.
Sometimes lack of fear comes from lack of experience. If you aren't aware that you can be hurt, what is there to fear? For some people, that lack of experience might be the result of always having others to protect them.
Maybe the character has some power, ability, or characteristic that keeps him safe from harm. Nature gives us several examples of "fearless" animals. Porcupines and skunks never seem to be in a hurry because nothing usually wants to bother them. One of the most fearless birds is also the smallest, the hummingbird. It is easy to be fearless when you can move so quickly that nothing can catch you.
The most dangerous character is one who is fearless because he has nothing left to lose. He might know he is dying, or may have lost all the people he cares about.
As you write your story, remember the differences between foolishness, bravery, and courage. Foolishness is jumping into shark infested waters just because you think it will make you look cool or macho. Bravery is volunteering to jump into shark infested waters to save someone's life because you have no fear of sharks. Courage is volunteering to jump into shark infested waters to save someone else's life even though you are terrified of sharks.
Something to try: Write a horror story with a totally fearless character. |
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