monster description creative writing examples

How to Write a TERRIFYING Monster

Writing a monster that’s actually scary to read is not easy.

So let’s go over some examples of terrifying monsters from books, talk about why they work, then practice writing some of our own together!

During the last stream, a subscriber requested that we go over how to write a terrifying monster.

You can watch the video here to or scroll down for notes/highlights.

How to Write a Terrifying Monster

• Writing a monster that is actually scary to read is not easy
• Most of the terror that a monster brings is in the buildup to it: the anticipation and suspense is quite often scarier than the creature itself
• So if you want to make sure that your monster lives up to its hype, be sure to follow these four points:

#1. Make The Monster Interact  Example: “Pickman’s Model” by H.P. Lovecraft

(In this story, a man makes terrifyingly realistic paintings of monsters, which the twist ending shows are not from his imagination, but photographs.)

It was a colossal and nameless blasphemy with glaring red eyes, and it held in bony claws a thing that had been a man, gnawing at the head as a child nibbles at a stick of candy. Its position was a kind of crouch, and as one looked one felt that at any moment it might drop its present prey and seek a juicier morsel. But damn it all, it wasn’t even the fiendish subject that made it such an immortal fountain-head of all panic—not that, nor the dog face with its pointed ears, bloodshot eyes, flat nose, and drooling lips. It wasn’t the scaly claws nor the mould-caked body nor the half-hooved feet—none of these, though any one of them might well have driven an excitable man to madness. It was the technique, Eliot—the cursed, the impious, the unnatural technique! As I am a living being, I never elsewhere saw the actual breath of life so fused into a canvas. The monster was there—it glared and gnawed and gnawed and glared—and I knew that only a suspension of Nature’s laws could ever let a man paint a thing like that without a model—without some glimpse of the nether world which no mortal unsold to the Fiend has ever had.

• The description of the creature itself here isn’t too scary, but what it’s DOING is terrifying: eating the person and driving the narrator to madness
• Having the monster interact with people in blood-curdling ways is a great way to show why it’s horrifying
• It can interact with the main character, or others, depending on the type of story you want to tell

#2. Make the Monster Unpredictable/Uncontrollable Example: In the Tall Grass by Stephen King/Joe Hill

(In this scene, main character Cal has wandered into a field of very tall grass with his sister, and despite the two of them shouting for each other and not moving, they seem like they’re getting further apart. Cal decides to stand still for thirty seconds, jump as high as he can, and see what happens.)

Thirty. He had been standing in this one spot for thirty seconds. He thought he should wait a full minute, but couldn’t, and so he jumped for another look back at the church. A part of him — a part he had been trying with all his will to ignore — already knew what he was going to see. This part had been providing an almost jovial running commentary: Everything will have moved, Cal, good buddy. The grass flows and you flow too. Think of it as becoming one with nature, bro. When his tired legs lofted him into the air again, he saw the church steeple was now off to his left. Not a lot — just a little. But he had drifted far enough to his right that he was no longer seeing the front of that diamond-shaped sign, but the silver aluminum back of it. Also, he wasn’t sure, but he thought it was all just a little farther away than it had been before.

• Fields of grass aren’t scary by themselves, but a field of grass that is unpredictable and uncontrollable is terrifying
• Defying logic, going against human intuition, these are all scary things for a monster to do
• The less control your character has over the situation/monster, the scarier it will be

#3. Make Its Appearance Based on Primal Fears Example: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

(In this scene, the main character has come back home to his family’s wagon train to see them all murdered, seeing a group of spirit-like murderers sitting around a fire.)

The voice came from a man who sat apart from the rest, wrapped in a shadow at the edge of the fire. Though the sky was still bright with sunset and nothing stood between the fire and where he sat, shadow pooled around him like thick oil. The fire snapped and danced, lively and warm, tinged with blue, but no flicker of its light came close to him. The shadow gathered thicker around his head. I could catch a glimpse of a deep cowl like some priests wear, but underneath the shadows were so deep it was like looking down a well at midnight.

• Humans have many natural fears: the dark, spiders, drowning, vomit, etc.
• Don’t try to go against human nature, go WITH it by using those to make your monster scarier
• In that scene, darkness played a huge role and made the creature far scarier than if it had been hairy or rubbery or puffy or something else

#4. Leave Some to the Imagination Example: A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin

(In this scene, the men are far north, attacked by a group of strange creatures from the woods.)

A shadow emerged from the dark of the wood. It stood in front of Royce. Tall, it was, and gaunt and hard as old bones, with flesh pale as milk. Its armor seemed to change color as it moved; here it was white as new-fallen snow, there black as shadow, everywhere dappled with the deep grey-green of the trees. The patterns ran like moonlight on water with every step it took. Will saw its eyes; blue, deeper and bluer than any human eyes, a blue that burned like ice.

• Note how in that scene, we don’t get a ton of details about the monster. In fact, it even seems to change halfway through. 
• It focuses more on conveying a FEELING of the monster, rather than what it specifically looks like 
• Less is more when it comes to describing a monster, limit yourself to only showing exactly what is necessary for the story, and focus on the important stuff (ie: the eyes)
• Nothing you ever describe will be scarier than what the reader imagines for themself, so give them enough to form an image in their head, but not enough to draw it perfectly for them

After that, chat voted on some monsters that we wrote descriptions for. You can read what they voted for in bold below, and then what we came up for them

#1. Sentient darkness

I was tossing and turning all night after Maddie had told me the stupid ghost story about The Sorrow. Yes, I was twenty-four years old, living on my own with a roommate, and shouldn’t let stupid stories get to me anymore, but I’ve always been weak when it comes to the spooky stuff. I remember when I watched The Ring with some friends in high school and I had nonstop nightmares so bad I had to go to the doctor. It was my first and last horror movie. So now I lay in bed, staring up at the dark ceiling, sweat covering me from head to toe, wishing I could just fall asleep and let it be morning.  It’s not like the story about The Sorrow was even that scary. The only reason I even listened to Maddie tell it was because I thought it was a real story at first, something about that girl who had gone missing in the apartment above us. But then came the part about her curling up in the tub and her depression squeezing her so hard as she wailed and screamed that she collapsed into living darkness, now only existing to suffocate those who she happened to drift onto. Of course, it was that ridiculous part that kept me up all night. “Kelly!” came Maddie’s voice from down the hall. What the hell was she doing up this late? It was the middle of the night. “Do you want pancakes? I’m making some.” I shot a look over to the clock on my nightstand. The bright red numbers read eight in the morning. That was impossible. My windows were open, but there was nothing but darkness covering them. My room was filled with the thick shadows of nighttime. My mouth opened to shout back at Maddie, to cut it out with trying to scare me, but the sound was sucked away, tinny like it was only in my head. Maddie warbled something back, but I couldn’t even hear her anymore. The air gooped and clawed, distorting the sounds as I struggled to breathe in, tasting mold and metal, thick as spoiled pudding. Shooting up in bed, I reached over for my bedside lamp. The red numbers on the clock were only a dim crimson now, gashes in the heart of the pulsating darkness. Unable to see anything, I groped for the lamp’s pullchain, my sweaty fingers relying on muscle memory alone. When they wrapped around the cold metal beads, I yanked it hard. No light. Only a sound. A soft, sorrowful whimper in the blackness. “Don’t do that.”

#2. A creature that once you lose sight of it, appears to you again with a different face.

Dustin pulled on his jeans after he climbed out of the bed from last-night’s catch. What was her name? Anna? Laura? They all blended together the same way that nighttime desserts probably blended together for other people. A nice, sweet snack before bed, but you can’t recall any of them individually. “Hey,” came the voice of what’s-her-name. “Are you leaving already?” Dustin groaned as he zipped up his pants and looked around for his shirt. He was hoping to get out of here before she’d woken up. “Yeah, I’ve got work early,” he lied. “But I’ll call you later.” Not seeing his nice turquoise polo anywhere, Dustin turned back to the bed. Maybe it was lying on her side, thrown off in a fit of dessert-loving rage last night. His eyes landed on something else. The girl’s face, something about it was off. He couldn’t remember exactly what she’d looked like, it was all a blur of thrusting and grunting, but he was at least pretty sure she was blonde. He liked to get a nice variety of hair colors, you know, all the food groups. But now she was full brunette. And it seemed shorter than before. Had she given herself a bob cut between passing out last night and now? “Where’s my shirt?” Dustin asked. There was something familiar about the girl, besides the obvious, that made him tingle in a sickly way.  She didn’t reply, only smiled at him, sitting cross-legged on the bed in her oversized nightshirt with her hands tucked in her lap. Dustin peered past her, but there was no turquoise in sight, so he gave up and turned back to the other side. “Your shirt’s here,” she said from behind.  You couldn’t have said that a second ago? Dustin grumbled internally. He spun around. A different girl was looking back at him. She was still sitting in the same position, hands in lap, nightshirt oversized on her small frame. But her hair was curly and red, dangling past her shoulders, and freckles dotted her pale skin. Dustin stumbled backward, blinking hard. As soon as his eyes opened from the brief respite of darkness, a new girl was sitting there. This time dark-skinned, straight black hair, with a mole on her cheek.  She was still smiling. “What the…” Dustin barely choked out. The girl slowly sat up and walked toward him, placing her fingers on his bare chest. They were so cold it stung his heart and lungs with ice. Dustin groaned in pain and clenched his eyes shut. When he opened them, yet another girl was there. This time dyed blue hair done up spiky, with red lipstick the color of fresh blood. This one, Dustin recognized. Even when you eat the same dessert every night, you remember the time you doused your ice cream in blue syrup. Her name was Spyke, but he hadn’t seen her in months. Then the memories crashed open. The brunette, the redhead, the black hair… they were all girls he’d been with before. “I’ve been trying for so long to get through to you,” the girl spoke in a slow voice, trailing her icicle fingers along Dustin’s shoulders. “So many different forms, and yet.” Dustin snapped out of his shock. He shoved whatever this thing was away from him. Screw the shirt, he was getting the hell out of here! He turned to run, but something clasped him from behind. This time not cold, but sharp, digging into his sides. Dustin cried out and collapsed to his knees on the floor. Squishy, wet footsteps crept in front of him. Something throbbed in the corner of his eye. “I was a fool,” came a voice from all around him now, a horrific choir of all the girls he’d been with. “You don’t love anyone but yourself. But that’s okay.” A pink tumor riddled with popping veins and arteries slowly descended into Dustin’s vision. A dozen faces protruded out of it, each one a different expression of agony, speaking in perfect unison. “I will just take your face now, Dustin,” they spoke. “And I will finally become the person you love.”

#3. “The thing that pretends to be a door”

The thing that pretends to be a door is at the front of the thing that pretends to be a house. It waits, silently breathing in the sweet giggles and laughs of the children running up and down its street. Drinking in their cries of scraped knees and sunburns. Listening carefully to their whispers about the house that no one has lived in for a long, long time.  And it waits. It waits for a child who pretends to be brave. Who pretends to be older. Who pretends to not believe. It holds back the tremors of pleasure as its overgrown walkway is trod upon by small, dirty shoes. It does not cry out for joy at feeling a sleeved elbow bounce across the handrail of its rotting staircase. It does not say anything as the child stands on its dusty welcome mat. There will be plenty of time for talk later. The child who pretends to be brave puts their hand on the doorknob of the thing that pretends to be a door. At that touch, the warm flesh wrapped around its appendage, it cannot take it anymore. The child cries out, not squeezing cold metal like they expected, but something soft and beating.  The thing that pretends to be a door grins at the child — neither of them have to pretend anymore.

Be sure to check out the video for dramatic readings, and for more examples!

If you want to join us and help write a story by trolling in chat, or share your own writing for feedback, then we’d love to have you join us on Twitch .

And you missed the stream, you can still watch them on the  YouTube channel  or  watch the full stream reruns .

• Demons/Devils

• Conjunctions
• Prepositions

Describing Words for Monsters: Examples and Tips

Monsters have always fascinated us with their terrifying presence and mysterious nature. From ancient myths to modern-day movies, these creatures have captured our imaginations and sent shivers down our spines. But how do we effectively describe these monstrous beings? In this article, I’ll be sharing a range of adjectives that will help you vividly depict these creatures in your writing. Whether you’re a writer looking to create a spine-chilling monster or a storyteller aiming to bring your audience to the edge of their seats, these adjectives will add depth and intensity to your descriptions. So, let’s dive into the world of adjectives for monsters and discover how to bring these fearsome beings to life with our words.

When it comes to describing monsters, the right choice of adjectives can make all the difference. From their physical appearance to their behavior and characteristics, these words will help you paint a vivid picture in the minds of your readers. Imagine a towering, hulking creature with glowing red eyes and razor-sharp teeth. Or perhaps a slimy, tentacled beast lurking in the shadows, ready to strike. By choosing the right adjectives, you can create a sense of fear, awe, and fascination that will keep your readers hooked. In this article, I’ll be providing you with a comprehensive list of adjectives for monsters, along with examples of how they can be used effectively in your writing. So, let’s get started and unleash the power of words to bring these monstrous beings to life on the page.

Table of Contents

How to Describe monsters? – Different Scenarios

When it comes to describing monsters, it’s important to choose the right adjectives to create a vivid and engaging description. Whether you’re writing a story, creating a game, or just trying to spark imagination, here are some different scenarios and examples of how to describe monsters effectively:

When describing a monster’s appearance, it’s important to provide details that paint a clear picture in the reader’s mind. Here are a few adjectives to help you describe a monster’s appearance:

• Gigantic : The monster stood tall, towering over everything in its path.
• Hideous : Its twisted features and grotesque form made it horrifying to behold.
• Serpentine : The monster slithered effortlessly, its scales glistening in the moonlight.

Describing a monster’s behavior can help convey its nature and evoke emotions in the reader. Here are some adjectives to describe a monster’s behavior:

• Terrifying : The monster roared in fury, sending shivers down everyone’s spines.
• Sly : It moved with cunning and deceit, always one step ahead of its prey.
• Ravenous : The monster’s insatiable hunger drove it to devour everything in its path.

A monster’s abilities can add an element of awe and fascination to your description. Here are a few adjectives to describe a monster’s abilities:

• Monstrous Strength : The monster effortlessly lifted cars and demolished buildings.
• Ethereal : It possessed supernatural powers that allowed it to phase through walls.
• Venomous : Its venomous bite sent its victims into a state of paralysis.
• Environment

Describing the environment in which a monster resides can help set the mood and enhance the reader’s experience. Here are some adjectives to describe a monster’s environment:

• Eerie : The monster’s lair was shrouded in darkness, with whispers echoing through the air.
• Desolate : The monster wandered through a barren wasteland, a solitary figure in a world devoid of life.
• Otherworldly : The monster emerged from a portal, its surroundings pulsating with strange energy.

Describing Words for monsters in English

When it comes to describing monsters, choosing the right adjectives can bring your writing to life. These descriptive words help paint a vivid picture in the reader’s mind, creating a sense of excitement and intrigue. Let’s explore some powerful adjectives that can be used to describe monsters in English:

• Terrifying : These monsters evoke fear and dread. With their menacing appearance and eerie presence, they strike terror in the hearts of those who encounter them.
• Monstrous : This adjective emphasizes the sheer size, strength, or grotesque nature of a monster. It implies that the creature is beyond human comprehension and can create a sense of awe.
• Fierce : If a monster is described as fierce, it suggests that it is aggressive, ferocious, and ready to attack. This word conveys a sense of danger and power.
• Hideous : When a monster is described as hideous, it means that it is extremely ugly or repulsive in appearance. This adjective emphasizes the grotesque and chilling nature of the creature.
• Sinister : This word is used to describe monsters with a sense of evil or malevolence. It conveys the idea that the creature is up to no good and may pose a threat to those around it.
• Otherworldly : Some monsters are so unlike anything we’ve ever seen that they seem to come from another world. This adjective highlights the mysterious, alien nature of these creatures.
• Unstoppable : When a monster is described as unstoppable, it suggests that it cannot be defeated or overcome. This word is often used to convey the immense power and resilience of the creature.

These adjectives provide just a glimpse into the vast array of words that can be used to describe monsters. By choosing the right adjectives, you can create a captivating description that engages your readers and brings your monstrous creations to life on the page.

Examples of Describing Words for Monsters:

• Otherworldly
• Unstoppable

Adjectives for monsters

As a seasoned writer, I understand the importance of using accurate and descriptive language to bring monsters to life in our stories. In this section, I’ll provide you with a selection of adjectives that will help you create vivid descriptions of these mythical creatures. We’ll explore both positive and negative adjectives and provide example sentences to illustrate their usage.

Positive Adjectives for Monsters

When describing monsters in a positive light, we can use words that evoke a sense of admiration, awe, or fascination. Here are 12 examples of positive adjectives you can use:

Example Sentences:

• The majestic monster towered over the city, its presence commanding attention from all who beheld it.
• With its powerful claws and sharp fangs, the monster struck fear into the hearts of its enemies.
• The graceful monster moved effortlessly through the forest, its movements a symphony of elegance.
• The enchanting monster cast a spell on the crowd, mesmerizing them with its charms.
• The courageous monster faced its fears head-on, always ready to protect its loved ones.
• The noble monster acted with integrity and honor, setting an example for others to follow.
• The mystical monster possessed powers that defied explanation, captivating all who encountered it.
• The legendary monster’s tales have been passed down for generations, inspiring awe and wonder.
• The ferocious monster unleashed its fury, leaving destruction in its wake.
• The resilient monster faced many trials and setbacks, but it always managed to bounce back stronger.
• The indomitable monster stood its ground, refusing to be defeated by any adversary.
• The wise monster imparted its knowledge and guidance to those who sought its counsel.

Negative Adjectives for Monsters

On the other hand, negative adjectives can be used to evoke fear, disgust, or horror when describing monsters. Here are 5 examples of negative adjectives that can be used:

• The monstrous monster’s appearance sent shivers down the spines of all who caught a glimpse of it.
• The sinister monster lurked in the shadows, its presence foreboding and unsettling.
• The ghastly monster’s twisted visage haunted the nightmares of those who crossed its path.
• The hideous monster’s distorted features repelled all who dared to look upon it.
• The terrifying monster’s roar echoed through the night, striking fear into the hearts of anyone who heard it.

Remember, choosing the right adjectives is crucial in capturing the essence of your monsters and engaging your readers. Experiment with different combinations and let your creativity guide you as you bring these creatures to life on the page.

Synonyms and Antonyms with Example Sentences

Synonyms for monsters.

When it comes to describing monsters, having a variety of synonyms at your disposal can make your writing more engaging and descriptive. Here are some synonyms for the word “monster” along with example sentences to help bring your creature to life:

Antonyms for monsters

While synonyms can help you provide a range of descriptions for monsters, antonyms can provide a contrast by highlighting the absence of monstrous qualities. Here are some antonyms for the word “monster” along with example sentences:

By incorporating synonyms and antonyms into your writing, you can build a more nuanced and vivid portrayal of monsters. Experiment with different combinations to find the perfect words that capture the essence of your creature.

Describing monsters in writing can be a challenging task, but by using adjectives effectively, we can bring these creatures to life on the page. Throughout this article, we have explored a variety of synonyms and antonyms for the word “monster,” each offering a unique perspective and adding depth to our descriptions.

By incorporating synonyms like beasts, creatures, fiends, monstrosities, and abominations, we can tap into different aspects of a monster’s nature, whether it be their physical appearance, behavior, or inherent evil. On the other hand, antonyms such as angels, saints, heroes, humans, and protectors provide a contrasting view, highlighting the absence of monstrous qualities and offering a glimpse of light in an otherwise dark world.

Remember, a well-crafted description is crucial in captivating readers and immersing them in the world of your story. By utilizing synonyms and antonyms, we can create a more nuanced and vivid portrayal of monsters, allowing our readers to truly experience the terror or awe that these creatures evoke.

So, the next time you’re writing about monsters, don’t forget to harness the power of adjectives to paint a picture that will leave your readers trembling with fear or marveling in wonder.

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Tim Kane Books

Strange is the new normal, how to write creepy scenes to make your readers squirm.

Most writers who delve into horror hit the prose with a bag of clichés and heavy handed stage props—swirling fog, glowing eyes, wicked laughs. Don’t get me wrong, camp can be great (if it’s intentional). However, a more subtle approach can work wonders.

Add Details One by One

Use disturbing details or reversals when describing your scenes. Each one, taken by itself, does little, but in combination, they imbue the reader with unease. Consider Cold Skin by Albert Sánchez Piñol. Here an unnamed narrator just inhabited a weather station on a deserted island.

Just then, I heard a pleasing sound far off. It was more or less like a heard of goats trotting in the distance. At first, I confused it with the pattering of rain; the sound of heavy and distinct drops. I got up and looked out of the closest window. It wasn’t raining. The full moon stained the ocean’s surface in a violet hue. The light bathed the driftwood lying on the beach. It was easy to imagine them as body parts, dismembered and immobile. The whole thing brought to mind a petrified forest. But it wasn’t raining.

Reversal : The narrator thinks it’s raining, but then there’s no rain. We wonder what’s creating that pattering sound, and the not knowing makes us uneasy.

Disturbing details : The water is stained violet, a bloodlike color. This idea is cemented in the reader’s skull with the driftwood, described as dismembered limbs.

Let the Character Freak Out

Nothing creeps out a reader faster than letting the protagonist freak out. Ever wonder why there are so many screams in horror movies? It’s the same thing. As an author, you must find the written equivalent to the scream.

In Bag of Bones by Stephen King, the protagonist, Mike Noonan, begins to believe that his house is haunted. He’s in the basement and hears the sound of someone striking the insulation, but no one else is home.

…every gut and muscle of my body seemed to come unwound. My hair stood up. My eyesockets seemed to be expanding and my eyeballs contracting, as if  my head were trying to turn into a skull. Every inch of my skin broke out in gooseflesh. Something was in here with me. Very likely something dead.

King lays it on thick here. Instead of one physical reaction, he dumps the whole bucket on us. He doesn’t dazzle us with a etherial decaying corpse. We won’t even see the ghost till the final chapters. No. He tells us how Noonan feels just in the presence of the thing and that’s what creeps us out.

Another example of the character freaking out can be seen in Shirley Jackson’s  The Haunting of Hill House .

Now we are going to have a new noise, Eleanor thought, listening to the inside of her head; it is changing.  The pounding had stopped, as though it had proved ineffectual, and there was now a swift movement up and down the hall, as of an animal pacing back and forth with unbelievable impatience, watching first one door and then another, alert for a movement inside, and there was again the little babbling murmur which Eleanor remembered; Am I doing it? she wondered quickly, is that me? And heard the tiny laughter beyond the door, mocking her.

Here the character doubts herself and what she sees. This is essential to any horror story. When weird things happen, the character mysteries react accordingly. The stranger the situation, the stronger the reaction. And most of us would doubt our sanity in creepy situations.

Let The Reader Do the Imagining

Why should you, the author, do all the heavy lifting. Your reader’s imagination will often fill in the blanks for you. Take this example from Stephen King’s The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon .

As she reached the driver’s door of the cab, which hung open with vines twisting in and out of its socket of a window, lightning flashed again, painting the whole world purple. In its glare Trisha saw something with slumped shoulders standing on the far side of the road, something with black eyes and great cocked ears like horns. Perhaps they were horns. It wasn’t human; nor did she think it was animal. It was a god. It was her god, the wasp-god, standing there in the rain.

Notice that the monster is only vaguely described. It’s called “something” twice. This lets the reader fill in the blanks. There is enough description that we at least know it’s a big hulking creature. This is the literary equivalent of when Ridley Scott only showed glimpses of the alien in Alien .

Use Strong Verbs

Finally, strong verbs will help any writer to shine, but they can also allow one character to shine over another. Take this excerpt from William Blatty’s The Exorcist .

Regan’s eyes gleamed fiercely, unblinking, as a yellowish saliva dribbled down from a corner of her mouth to her chin, to her lips stretch taut into a feral grin of bow-mouthed mockery.

“Well, well, well,” she gloated sardonically and hairs prickled up on the back of Karras’s neck at a voice that was deep and thick with menace and power. “So, it’s you … they sent  you !” she continued as if pleased. “Well, we’ve nothing to fear from you at all.”

“Yes, that’s right,” Karras answered; “I’m your friend and I’d like to help you.”

“You might loosen these straps, then,” Regan croaked. She had tugged up her wrists so that now Karras noticed they were bound with a double set of leather restraining straps.

“Are the straps uncomfortable for you?”

“Extremely. They’re a nuisance. An  infernal  nuisance.”

The eyes glinted slyly with secret amusement.

Karras saw the scratch marks on Regan’s face; the cuts on her lips where apparently she’d bitten them. “I’m afraid you might hurt yourself, Regan,” he told her.

“I’m not Regan,” she rumbled, still with that taut and hideous grin that Karras now guessed was her permanent expression. How incongruous the braces on her teeth looked, he thought. “Oh, I see,” he said, nodding. “Well, then, maybe we should introduce ourselves. I’m Damien Karras. Who are you?”

“I’m the devil!”

Notice the verbs that Blatty uses with Reagan — gleamed, dribbled, gloated, croaked, rumbled. In contrast, the more calm individual in the scene, Karras, responds with simple verbs like “answered” and “saw”. The contrast allows the reader to see Reagan as disturbing.

If you want to make your readers squirm, reading only in daylight hours, shy away from the obvious gore and claptrap. Rather, take the quieter road of tiny disturbing details built up over pages and chapters. Show how your character reacts to what’s happening, and the reader will feel it too.

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Embodiment of Horror: How To Write a Monster Story

Have you felt something drawing you to the dark side of literature? Do you see stories in the shadows that keep you company when you wake in the dark at night? If so, then you might be ready to embark on the journey of writing your own monster story. Don't be frightened of the work that lies ahead of you; there are endless opportunities to stitch together your own unique, terrifying monster that will both delight and intrigue your readers.

It can be easy to categorize anything scary or fear-inducing as a monster, but not every fictional creature can be classified as a horror monster. Let's define monster horror and consider the parameters for a creature to be considered a horror monster.

Monster horror definition

Monsters can be found within several horror subgenres, including:

Body horror

Extreme horror, lovecraftian, science horror.

What do monsters from all of these subgenres have in common? Horror monsters are characterized by their strange or grotesque appearances, signifying them as "the other" and something to be feared. These plots are typically centered around the protagonist's efforts to defeat or escape from these dangerous creatures whose purpose centers around creating chaos and danger. Fear of the unknown and the perversion of the mundane are common themes throughout monster horror stories.

Making a horror monster

If you think writing a good monster horror is a walk in the park, you've got it wrong. Writing cheesy and cliché monster horror can be easy, but if you want your monster to stand out from the existing pool of creatures, then you're going to need to take on a unique perspective. Here are three main factors that define a horror monster:

• Strange or grotesque appearance : We're often afraid of the unknown or the unfamiliar. This includes physical features we are not accustomed to seeing, especially if they suggest some kind of mutation or potential danger. For example, a rotting face, such as you would see on a zombie, would cause revulsion and discomfort, making us fearful of interacting with the creature.
• Dangerous : If a monster is not dangerous, then there's no real, rational reason to be afraid of it. If it's not going to cause us harm, then we can simply avoid it and move on. A true horror monster needs to act as a threat against us.
• Part of a horror narrative : If the monster is not written into a horror narrative, then it does not count as a horror monster. Take Sesame Street for example. Oscar the Grouch or The Count are monster-like creatures, particularly the vampire, but they don't exist as horror monsters. They are playful characters meant to educate the youth. So, although The Count is a vampire, he does not count as a horror monster.

Although these are the three main components in creating a horror monster, these are not the only things you want to include in your writing. Here are some other necessities to keep in mind as you develop a good horror monster:

• Motive : Motive is possibly the most important thing to consider as you write your monster. Maybe your monster is a killing machine, ripping apart their victims limb by limb (yikes, am I right?). Or maybe your monster hunts their human prey under the cover of night, feasting on their flesh (gross). But why? Why is your monster feeding on humans? Is it because they have no other food resources and are desperate for survival? Why is your monster ripping apart humans? Are they trying to protect their environments from human trespassers? Treat your monster as a character in your story, because they are. This means giving them motivations just as you would for any other character in your story.
• Strengths : What are your monster's strengths? Are they extremely strong with multiple limbs that allow them to multitask in their pursuit to kill a human? Are they like chameleons, able to camouflage themselves into their environments, so they can hide from their prey and perform a successful sneak attack? Does your monster have supernatural abilities beyond the scope of human understanding? Even more interesting, is your monster intelligent? We're so used to reading monsters as these strong beings that use their bodies to inflict fear and pain. Consider making your monster smart. Although your monster may appear unthreatening, it could possibly become the most powerful monster ever if it adheres to human logic.
• Weaknesses : Even though your monster is the ultimate villain for your hero to defeat, your hero is going to repeatedly fail. In fact, your protagonist(s) may endure pain and suffering at the hands of your monster before it is defeated. So, how does the protagonist defeat the monster if it's so strong? Every single monster has one (or a few) major weakness. Consider the werewolf. What kills a werewolf? A silver bullet. What defeats a vampire? Holy water, a wooden stake, or sunlight. It may take time and trial and error, but your protagonist will eventually discover your monster's one weakness they can exploit to triumph over the monster in the end. Make sure you keep this weakness hidden until you approach the end of your story.
• Unpredictability : If your characters and readers know everything there is to know about your monster, then there's very little point in writing a monster horror story. Part of the fear comes from the unpredictability of the monster. Can the monster be exposed to sunlight, or are they allergic to it like vampires? Can your monster camouflage themselves to hide from your protagonist? We shouldn't know what your monsters can and cannot do for the majority of your story. This way we'll be left on the edge of our seats. A twist on this unpredictability trope is to make the mundane unpredictable or to pervert the mundane. This goes beyond your monster character and can include environments and inanimate objects. We're used to the dark being scary, but what if you make the light frightening? Cell phones are normal devices that almost everyone uses, but some people get frightened or wary when their phones start listening to them. Play up on these fears and make the non-scary, scary.
• Make the monster symbolic : What's scarier than a man-eating monster or being buried alive? Realizing that the thing you've been afraid of all along exists in reality. In fact, you may already be a victim to it. Perhaps your monster is never satiated and that's why its constantly killing humans and feasting on them. This can symbolize greed and society's ever-increasing need for more . If your monster represents a larger theme from the real world, it might be even scarier than if it were just a simple scare because it makes readers question their own ideas and livelihoods.
• Enclosed spaces

Of course, there are plenty of other phobias for you to use in your writing. Do some research and find one that fits your story.

Now that you know what defines a horror monster, let's examine the nine most popular horror subgenres that include monsters. These are sure to keep you and your readers awake at night.

The body horror subgenre is characterized by the grotesque and disfigured appearance of the monster(s) in the story. Popular sources of disfigurement are diseases, mutations, and scientific experimentation. The terror in these stories comes from the thought of your body betraying you, causing you to lose any sense of agency. The most recognizable figure in body horror is the zombie with its rotting flesh. Here are some components of successful body horror:

• Evoke intense emotional reactions : As opposed to other subgenres of monster horror that seek to scare readers with violence, body horror is frightening because it is gross and disturbing. It evokes feelings like paranoia, disgust, and anxiety.
• Perversion of the mundane : The main reason why body horror is so anxiety-inducing is because it perverts the mundane. Mutated faces and bodies make us turn our faces away in fear. We fear what we don't know, and this fear becomes multiplied when it applies to the human body, something that everyone relies on to survive.
• Invasive : Body horror is, by nature, invasive. This may mean a pest or disease has invaded your body and caused your body to mutate. For example, one trope in these stories is a woman being impregnated by a horrifying host. The lack of control over your own body is what makes body horror so horrifying.

Extreme horror is characterized by its lack of limitations. These stories will showcase extremely graphic and horrifying acts of violence. The terror comes from knowing, in detail, exactly what is happening between the monster and the protagonist(s). There is particularly a lot of blood and gore. For example, Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th is a serial killer who brutally murders camp counselors. Saw is also considered to be an example of extreme horror. Here are a couple common tropes found in extreme horror:

• Sexual violence, abuse, torture : This subgenre is not for the weak of heart. These are pretty self-explanatory, but they will be graphically depicted in extreme horror stories.
• Emotional consequences : Because of the sensitive and oftentimes triggering content found in extreme horror, readers will have very emotional reactions. The plot will examine the emotional consequences of horrifying acts of violence and make the readers consider emotional trauma.

Gothic horror is most commonly associated with the classic setting of the sprawling, old-fashioned manor with a vampire hiding in its depths (hey, Dracula !) Much of the terror in these stories comes from developing a mysterious atmosphere full of dark, long-forgotten secrets, madness, and quiet hauntings. Many gothic horror stories are allegories for psychological themes or the fall of the aristocracy.

Here are some of the most important factors to consider as you write gothic horror:

• Establish rules : You should set up rules for your antagonist. They should not be entirely separate from human understanding. Instead, these characters should have moral beliefs surrounding who they are and what they do, so the protagonist can seek out tangible ways to attain knowledge and understanding and to understand the antagonists' purpose.
• Setting : Gothic horror is known for its settings, particularly the sprawling horror castle or the mansion full of secrets (we'll get to secrets in a moment). This is because using small settings allows you to isolate the horror, making your characters and readers feel more claustrophobic. Treat your setting like a distinct character, because it is. You can use literary devices to bring your setting to life. Some of the best ones to include in your gothic horror are metaphors, imagery, foreshadowing, allegory, and personification.
• Secrets and mystery : Leaving your characters (and readers) in the dark about certain settings and secondary characters will enhance the horror in your story. Think about using those literary devices we mentioned to build a sense of mystery and suspense in your horror story. However, be sure to provide answers to your readers' questions by the end of the story. The horror is meant to eventually be understood.

Historical horror stories can use settings and events from an already dark period of time from the past, such as the Donner Party , and make it even more horrifying by juxtaposing real historical figures with monsters and new characters. The protagonist usually gives a first-hand account of what actually happened during that event, according to their perspective. These stories can also take inspiration from any time period, such as 536 AD , and use it as a backdrop for a horrifying tale. Consider how many books and films have been written in historic Egypt with the mummy as the main horror monster.

• Accurate language and voice : We know you want to focus on the intricacies of the plot for your historical horror story, but part of that story is the historical aspect. If your story is set during WWII, your characters aren't going to be up-to-date with current slang and terminology. They also won't be aware of modern discoveries or technologies that did not exist during that time period.
• Pervert the history : If you're writing during a specific historical time period, such as ancient Egypt, take something already creepy from that time period and make it terrifying. For example, ancient Egypt is known for its mummies. Mummification was a popular and normal practice, yet many writers turned mummies into monsters by making them come to life and terrorize the living. This practice can also be applied to specific historical events.

Also known as cosmic horror , these stories feature Lovecraftian god-like monsters that exist beyond our reality and comprehension and have little to no regard for human existence. Human beings are insignificant creatures in the face of the larger universe. The protagonists' insatiable curiosity of the secrets of the forbidden cosmic knowledge is essential for these stories and results in the horrific realization that such knowledge is beyond their human-constrained capabilities. They are left with little to no answers, and any answers they do receive are tainted by the bleakness depicted through these monsters.

• Setting : You should take mundane settings, depicted as decrepit, poor, and bleak (gee, we wonder why!) and introduce entities that are capable of breaking them. Doing this will make both your characters and your reader uneasy because they are aware there is something lurking beyond the mundane, but they are unknowing.
• Unreliable narrator : Since most Lovecraftian stories are told after the discovery of a cosmic horror, the the unreliable narrator relies on fleeting images and moments of their encounters, making them unreliable. These protagonists are also faced with insanity or death because their curiosity drags them in over their head and their lack of agency leaves them helpless and lost amongst a cosmic horror.
• Make everything horrifying : Drawing on Lovecraft's fear of well, lots of things, you should make the mundane scary. Suddenly, the water bottle you've been carrying around and drinking out of is looking suspicious. Practicing this method will add unease to your narrative.
• The ending : Cosmic horrors should not wrap up neatly. The genre is about asking questions and receiving answers which are partial, dangerous, impossible, or create more questions or any combination of those.

Man-made horror stories feature man-made monsters (the proof is in the pudding!). This monster horror subgenre veers away from supernatural creatures and plots. Instead, these stories tend to explore the limitations of human curiosity and ability, making us question our own selfishness and humanity in the face of progress. One of the most popular examples of this subgenre is Mary Shelley's cautionary tale Frankenstein , a book that helped introduce the mad scientist trope. However, these stories do not have to include this trope and can include hazards like pollution, disease, or genetic mutation.

• Curiosity : Your protagonists should be driven by their curiosity for knowledge. This knowledge should seem dangerous and unattainable, but your protagonist refuses to give up on their pursuit of it. They can't have it, but they want it anyways.
• Unintended consequences : Since your protagonist wants to uncover seemingly unattainable knowledge, they may go to great lengths to do this, including performing dangerous experiments such as raising the dead (hey, Frankenstein !) This leads to unintended, often harmful, consequences for all parties involved.
• Theme of humanity : Man-made horror stories present the fear of human nature and our capabilities. We are selfish creatures who crave knowledge but cower in the face of consequences. We do not like to see the humanity in the monster because then we would have to recognize our own flaws.

Mythic horror stories feature gods, goddesses, and other popular figures and settings from Greek and Norse mythology, folklore, or legends. Mythic horror seeks to emphasize the more terrifying and disturbing aspects of myths, using well-known stories and figures (such as Medusa ) to create different, more terrifying tales with additional layers.

• Alter a pre-existing story : Mythic horror is one of the more straightforward monster horror subgenres. There are plenty of horrifying mythic creatures that already exist, so you have lots of potential. Your goal is to change the original narrative of the mythic story to make it more horrifying.

The occult horror subgenre is most commonly associated with witchcraft, but it is not limited to this practice. These stories incorporate an exploration of non-conventional religions that are typically associated with dark practices and demonic energy. As such, the protagonist, sometimes a witch or human looking to experiment, should end up entangled in dark magic, curses, and the occasional undead or demon summoning (fun!).

• Protagonist : Choosing your protagonist will greatly impact the plot of your story. An occult story about a witch will be much different than an occult story about a religious dissenter. Your protagonist should be someone with some kind of magical ability or the desire to break away from the norm. The irrational becomes rational, for your protagonist.
• Enforcing and breaking rules : Speaking of breaking away from the norm, your story should have set rules. If you're writing a story about a witch, make sure there are limitations to her power. Part of the horror in these stories is the protagonist's desire to break the rules and the consequences that result from this disobedience.

The science horror subgenre combines elements of science fiction and horror. Much of the science in these horror stories comes from medical research and experimentation in the name of progress. This is not to be confused with man-made horror. Although there are similarities between the two monster horror subgenres, not all man-made horror is also science horror and vice versa. For example, Frankenstein is a man-made monster, but the story is not science horror. Likewise, alien monsters are not man-made monsters, but they are science horror monsters because aliens exist in the sci-fi realm.

• Realistic fears : Successful science horror incorporates real fears and anxieties we have regarding things like technological advances, scientific research, and other life. Many of us have imagined about a future in which we lose control of our technical accomplishments as they turn against us. So, when these fears are realized, it resonates better with the audience, making it a truly frightful horror story. The same can be said for our fear of aliens from outer space and the possibility of being invaded by another species.
• Suspense : Suspense is a key feature to science horror. Your characters and readers' anxiety builds as they realize that the things they're familiar with are capable of creating dangerous consequences for mankind or that their mundane world is not so normal, after all.

Monster madness

We know we've just thrown a lot of material at you. You may be scratching your head, wondering if a vampire or demon would be a better fit for your story. Don't worry! You have plenty of material to work with, and you can even try experimenting with mixing monsters. Don't be afraid to embrace the monster madness!

Header photo by plus69 .

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Walking by the Way

the road to inspired learning

Monster Creative Writing Prompts

September 22, 2021 by ami Leave a Comment

Do you need a fresh  creative writing activity  for your students?

Motivate your students to think and write creatively with these  monster creative writing prompts .

The monster writing prompt cards include these twelve imagination-boosting writing prompts:

• You visited a castle and found a monster in the dungeon. Record your conversation with the monster.
• You need to disguise your pet monster as a human. What will you use for its costume? Remember, you need to cover it from head to toe. How will you hide its smell?
• One of your monster’s yellow fangs is infected and your monster needs to visit the dentist. Write about what happens at the dentist.
• If you meet a monster, what are three rules you should follow?
• Write a description for your monster’s favorite sandwich. Use details.

• Cyclops the monster is going to visit his cousin, Splonk. What is Splonk’s house like? Describe one of the rooms at Splonk’s house.
• You go out into the woods to find Bigfoot. What do you discover?
• Write about four things that scare monsters.
• Your pet monster isn’t tired and won’t go to bed. What will you do to get your monster to sleep?
• You draw a monster with a box of magical crayons. It comes to life. What does it look like? What does it act like? Will you use your magical eraser to erase your monster, or will you keep it?
• Write about a monster who ate everything in your refrigerator! Use details for the sights, smells, sounds, and tastes.
• A funny monster lives under your bed. What does she do every night to make you laugh?

How to Use the Monster Creative Writing Prompts

You can use these monster writing prompt cards with a variety of ages.

Directions:

• Print the word bank card and prompt cards and cut out the cards.
• Laminate the cards for durability. If desired, hole punch the cards and add them to a metal ring .
• Consider reading a monster book (or books) to your student.
• Let your student choose a card. (If you are homeschooling, you could add a bit of mystery by putting the cards in a jar and letting your student draw a card.)
• If your student has a hard time writing, ask questions and dialogue ideas together before your student begins.
• Decide if you want to give your student a guideline (This needs to be at least four sentences.) If you do, be clear about your expectation.

Inspire Creative Writing with These Monster Books

To give your students extra inspiration for their responses to the monster writing prompts, try reading some of these picture books before writing time.

• I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll
• There’s a Monster in Your Book by Tom Fletcher
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
• How to Catch a Monster by Adam Wallace
• The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson

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Monster Writing Prompts: Craft Tales of Creatures

My name is Debbie, and I am passionate about developing a love for the written word and planting a seed that will grow into a powerful voice that can inspire many.

Monster Writing Prompts: Craft Tales of⁤ Creatures

Unleash ⁣your creativity with​ monster writing​ prompts, discover the world of‍ monsters and unleash your imagination with these writing prompts, why choose our monster-themed⁢ writing prompts, explore the origins of monsters: digging into mythology⁤ and folklore, delve into the rich origins of creatures: unveiling the depths of ⁤mythology and folklore, delve into the fascinating world of mythology and folklore to find inspiration for your creature ‌creations, creating compelling monster characters: tips⁣ and⁢ tricks, learn the art⁤ of crafting captivating ‍monster characters that will leave your​ readers ‌enthralled, unleash your creativity with captivating monster characters, creating vivid ‍monster‍ characters, utilizing metaphors and similes, master the art of descriptive⁤ writing to bring your monstrous creations to life on the page, building suspense and tension: keeping your⁣ readers on the edge ‌of their seats, creating unforgettable⁣ suspense: engaging⁢ your‌ audience ‍from start to ‌finish, learn⁤ how to build suspense and tension in your monster tales, keeping your readers engaged and intrigued, conquering​ writer’s block: overcoming challenges in monster writing, overcoming challenges in monster writing, discover effective⁣ strategies to overcome writer’s block and unleash your creativity when writing⁤ monster stories, polishing your monster masterpieces: editing and revising tips, refine your monster tales with expert editing ​and ⁢revising tips to create polished and captivating stories, crafting‍ memorable‍ endings: leaving a lasting impression, explore techniques for crafting‌ satisfying and memorable endings to your monster tales, leaving your readers wanting more, master⁤ the​ art of⁢ crafting irresistible⁣ endings for ​your monster tales, frequently asked questions, to conclude.

There’s an entire⁣ world of monsters‌ waiting to be unleashed from the depths of your imagination! With our collection of‌ monster writing prompts,​ you have ⁤the chance to create captivating tales of creatures that will leave readers on the⁢ edge of their ⁢seats. Whether you’re a ​seasoned writer or just starting ⁢your ⁢literary journey, these ‍prompts will inspire you to craft ⁤unique and ‍unforgettable monster stories.

In this⁣ collection, you’ll find a vast array of creature-inspired writing prompts that will‍ push your creativity to new heights. From mythical beasts to modern-day monsters, there’s no limit to the terrifying and fascinating creatures you can conjure. Dive into the⁢ world⁤ of monster writing ⁤and let your imagination run wild as you explore⁢ the depths of the supernatural and the unknown. Unlock the potential ‍of‌ your storytelling⁤ abilities and bring to ⁣life creatures ​that haunt nightmares and captivate imaginations.

Embark on an adventure ⁢where mythical ​beings clash, legendary monsters ‌roam, and‌ terrifying creatures lurk in the shadows.⁣ Explore the challenges these monsters face, the emotions they ‍evoke in others, and the‍ impact they have on their surroundings. With our carefully curated prompts , you’ll have the opportunity to develop unique storylines, intricate character backgrounds , and thrilling plot twists. Whether you choose to create a monstrous protagonist or a fearsome antagonist, these prompts‌ will ensure that your tales of creatures ‍are nothing​ short of extraordinary. So grab your pen, embrace the unknown, ⁤and ⁤let the world of monsters⁣ inspire you to craft captivating tales that leave readers both⁣ trembling in fear and longing for more.

Are you ready to ⁣embark on an epic journey of imagination? Look no further than our collection of Monster Writing⁤ Prompts! ‌These prompts ​are designed to inspire and challenge your creative abilities, ‌allowing you ​to⁣ create fantastical stories that will captivate readers of all ages.

With our Monster Writing ‌Prompts, you have ⁣the power​ to​ conjure ​up creatures that dwell in the deepest corners of‌ your mind. From fearsome dragons to ⁢mischievous goblins, each ‍prompt presents​ a unique opportunity​ to bring your​ wildest ideas to life. Let ‌your imagination⁣ roam free as you⁤ venture‌ into uncharted realms, where anything is possible.

• Challenge yourself with prompts that delve into the origins and characteristics of mythical beasts.
• Explore⁣ the untold stories of legendary creatures⁢ that have been ‍passed down through generations.
• Imagine encounters with extraordinary monsters in unexpected places, like bustling ‍cities or serene landscapes.
• Craft⁣ tales of unlikely friendships or epic battles between powerful creatures.

Dive deep into the realm of‍ fantasy and let the magic of storytelling take hold. Our Monster Writing⁣ Prompts will push the ‌boundaries of your creativity,​ encouraging you to⁢ think outside the box‍ and weave narratives that will leave readers craving more. So, ⁤grab a pen, summon your imagination, and let the monsters come to life on the pages of your stories.

Are you ‍ready‍ to embark on an⁤ extraordinary journey into the ‌world of monsters? Prepare to let your imagination run wild as we present you with a collection of ​captivating writing prompts. These prompts are designed to transport you to mysterious realms where fantastical creatures ⁣roam, igniting your creativity and allowing you to⁢ weave ‌tales beyond your wildest dreams.

Delve into the depths ⁢of your imagination⁢ and conjure ⁣up epic stories featuring mythical beings such⁣ as⁢ fearsome ​dragons, mischievous sprites, and enigmatic sea monsters. With these writing prompts, ​you have the power to bring ‌these creatures to life, giving them unique personalities and captivating backstories. Unleash your storytelling prowess as⁣ you ‍describe their appearances, habitats, and even the interactions they have with​ humans.‍ Whether‍ you choose to craft a thrilling adventure or a heartwarming⁣ tale, the possibilities are endless.

• Unlock unlimited creativity: These writing prompts act as a portal to a world limited only ⁤by your ‌imagination. Let your creative juices⁤ flow and discover new realms ​of storytelling.
• Enhance writing ‍skills: ‍ By engaging with these prompts, you’ll improve your ​ability to create compelling characters, build intriguing plotlines,​ and develop immersive settings.
• Explore diverse monster archetypes: From ⁣legendary⁤ creatures ingrained in folklore ⁢to ⁤entirely original monsters of your own creation, you’ll have the⁤ chance to invent and explore a wide variety of captivating beings.
• Ignite your ‌passion for storytelling: These prompts are ‌sure ​to⁣ reignite your​ love for writing,‍ allowing⁣ you to escape into a‌ world where anything is⁣ possible.

So, what are you waiting for? Grab your pen ‌and paper, or fire up your computer, and‌ immerse yourself in a captivating adventure through the realm‍ of monsters. Unleash your imagination and let your⁣ creativity soar!

Embark on a captivating journey where the boundaries between reality and imagination blur ​– a ‍realm where mythical creatures⁤ roam and tales from ⁤ancient ⁣folklore ⁤come alive. Prepare to immerse yourself⁣ in the enchanting universe​ of monsters, ‌as we dig deep‍ into the realms of mythology to unveil their fascinating origins.

Mythology and folklore from cultures across the globe offer​ a tapestry of captivating stories⁤ about creatures⁢ that ‌have⁢ both terrified ⁣and captivated⁤ humanity for centuries. From majestic dragons and mysterious sphinxes to mischievous ‍spirits and fearsome giants, ‌each ⁣culture has its own unique set of legendary beings ​that ‍have ⁢left an indelible⁤ mark ⁣on their collective consciousness.

Uncover the astonishing connections⁣ between these mythical creatures and the cultural ‍beliefs⁤ that shaped ⁤their existence. Discover how ancient civilizations wove tales of monsters into their religious practices, moral teachings, and even explanations for natural phenomena. ⁣Traverse through the intricately woven tapestries of myth and folklore, where each tale carries​ hidden meanings and insights into the human ⁣experience.

• Gain profound insights into⁣ humanity’s collective imagination and ⁢the archetypes of fear⁣ and‍ wonder that have given birth to a myriad of legendary monsters.
• Unravel the colorful threads of​ mythology and witness how these ancient tales continue to influence popular culture today.
• Explore the symbolism⁢ behind ⁣each⁤ creature, delving into the cultural contexts that imbue⁤ these mythical ​beings with both awe and terror.
• Unearth the underlying messages and teachings‌ hidden within the folklore-rich stories, providing valuable lessons that ‌can still ​resonate ‌with​ modern society.

Prepare to ‌ignite ‌your curiosity and​ awaken your inner explorer as we embark upon this ‍extraordinary ⁣expedition into the origins of monstrous creatures. Are you ready to unravel the​ secrets behind the‌ legends?

Exploring the rich tapestry of mythology and folklore can‍ unveil a treasure trove ​of inspiration when it ⁤comes to​ crafting⁤ your ⁢own unique ‍creatures. From ⁤the ancient Greek legends of fearsome beasts like the Hydra and Chimera, to the enchanting creatures of ⁤Norse mythology like the mighty Jormungandr or cunning Valkyries, the possibilities are ⁣endless.‌ By immersing yourself in these captivating tales, ⁢you can tap into a wellspring of ideas⁣ and breathe life into your creature designs. ⁣

‌ Each myth and‍ legend ⁣offers a ‌unique perspective on creature creation, providing you with ​a diverse array‌ of traits, attributes, ⁢and stories ⁢to draw‍ upon. By drawing inspiration from these ⁤mythological ⁢beings, you can ‍infuse your own creations with fantastical elements that⁤ resonate with readers or viewers. Perhaps you’ll be inspired by the majestic winged Pegasus, known for its elegance and speed,​ or the mischievous ​shape-shifting kitsune from Japanese folklore.

• Unveil the mysterious allure⁤ of the sphinx, combining the body of a lion with the ‌head of ‌a human.
• Embrace the power and strength of the thunderbird, a legendary creature that controls‍ the ⁣forces of ​nature.
• Delight ‌in the charm of the kelpie, a shape-shifting water spirit capable of​ luring unsuspecting victims into its watery domain.

⁣ Throughout history, mythology and folklore have captivated humanity’s​ imagination, revealing extraordinary creatures ​that have ⁤stood the test of time. By⁤ embarking on this mythical journey, you’ll open yourself up to endless possibilities, breathing life into ‌your creature creations ⁢and infusing them⁢ with a touch of magic and⁤ wonder. ​

When it comes ‌to⁣ crafting monster characters for your stories, it’s⁤ all about making them captivating ⁣and unforgettable. Whether you’re writing a spooky horror novel⁣ or creating a monstrous antagonist for your video game, here are some tips and tricks to help bring your creature to life:

• Start‌ with a strong concept: ⁢Before diving into details, have a clear idea of what your monster represents. Is it a‍ physical ⁣manifestation ‍of fear, a mythical creature, or perhaps ⁣a result of a terrifying experiment? Understanding the core concept will guide your decisions throughout the creation process.
• Design distinctive features: Give⁤ your‌ monster a standout appearance that will leave a lasting impression​ on your audience. This can include ⁤unique physical attributes, ​such⁢ as glowing eyes, sharp claws, or⁤ grotesque ​mutations. Incorporate elements that make your monster‍ visually intriguing ⁣and instantly recognizable.
• Develop a compelling backstory: Every great monster needs a compelling backstory that adds depth and‍ intrigue. Consider ⁣their origins, motivations, and how they fit into‍ the larger narrative. Are they seeking revenge, driven by an insatiable hunger,‌ or simply ⁢misunderstood? A well-crafted backstory ⁢will make your monster​ more relatable to your audience, even⁢ if they are inherently frightening.

Remember, ⁣the key to creating compelling monster characters lies ⁢in their uniqueness and the connection they establish with your audience. By starting⁣ with a strong concept, designing distinctive features, and developing a compelling backstory, you’ll create monsters that will both send⁤ shivers down spines‌ and resonate ⁣with readers and players‌ long after the final page or game over screen.

Monsters ​have⁢ always captivated the imagination of readers throughout history. From the ⁤terrifying creatures lurking in the shadows to the misunderstood creatures seeking​ redemption,⁢ crafting compelling⁤ monster characters can⁤ take your storytelling to the next level, leaving your readers spellbound.

So, how can you master the art of creating captivating monster characters? Here are a few key tips to get you ⁣started:

• Research and Inspire: ⁣Dive into ⁣mythology, folklore, or even nature to ‌discover unique characteristics and traits ‍that can make your monsters truly stand out. Draw inspiration from existing monsters, but don’t ‌be afraid‍ to add your own twist.
• Develop ​Unique Backstories: Give⁤ your monsters a rich history and background that influences their behavior and motivations. This will add depth and complexity to your characters, making them more relatable and intriguing.
• Create Physical​ and Emotional Appeal: Design visually striking‌ features for​ your‍ monsters, be it fearsome fangs, luminescent skin, ⁢or mesmerizing eyes. Additionally,⁢ explore ‍their emotional range,‍ from rage-filled​ roars⁤ to fragile vulnerabilities that evoke empathy.

Becoming a master of captivating monster character creation is⁤ a journey that requires⁣ practice, experimentation, ⁤and ​a​ sprinkle of‌ imagination. So, embrace⁣ the challenge, let your creativity run wild, and⁤ unlock an⁣ enthralling world of mythical‌ creatures that will leave your readers awestruck.

Mastering the Art of Descriptive Writing: Bring Your Monsters to Life

When​ it⁤ comes to descriptive writing, adding life to your monsters is a crucial element ​in captivating ⁤your readers and immersing them in your story. By mastering​ the art of descriptive writing, you possess the power to bring your monstrous‌ creations to life‍ on the page.

To​ create vivid monster characters, consider the following tips:

• Imagery: Use rich⁢ and evocative language to paint a vivid image of your monster in the reader’s mind. Describe ‍their appearance, movement, and ‍unique characteristics in detail to make them visually come to life.
• Emotional Impact: Monsters aren’t just about their physical attributes; they also evoke strong emotions in readers. Describe the fear, awe, or disgust that your monster’s presence brings, allowing ​readers to feel a connection to your creation.
• Sensory Details: Engage your readers’ senses by incorporating sensory ‌details into your descriptions. Describe the sounds, ⁤smells, and tactile sensations associated with your monster, enhancing the realism of their existence.

Metaphors and similes are powerful tools in descriptive ‌writing that can add depth and complexity to your monster characters. By comparing your monster to something familiar or creating a striking visual⁣ image , you can convey a deeper understanding of their ⁣attributes and behavior.

Consider the⁣ following examples:

• Metaphor: ⁤”Her clawed hands were as sharp ​as daggers, tearing through the ‍darkness like a tempest ⁢in the night.”
• Simile: ‍”The monster’s bloodcurdling roar echoed through ‌the forest, reverberating like thunder on a moonlit night.”

By‍ incorporating metaphors and similes into your descriptions, you enhance ‌the reader’s experience, making your monsters more memorable and captivating.

Descriptive writing has the power to make your monstrous creations⁣ leap off the page and captivate your readers’ imaginations. By mastering this art, you can breathe life ⁢into your characters, settings, and creatures, making them​ come alive in vivid detail.‍ Here are some essential tips​ to enhance‌ your descriptive writing ⁣skills and ‍create a ⁣thrilling experience for ⁢your readers:

1. Engage⁢ the senses: Appeal to your readers’⁤ senses by vividly describing the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures ⁢of your monstrous creations.‍ Use creative metaphors and similes to evoke specific sensations, transporting ​your readers into the heart of ⁤your narrative.

2. ​Harness the power of ⁤vivid⁤ language: Choose your words carefully‍ to ⁢paint a powerful image in the reader’s mind. Opt for strong and specific adjectives to⁤ create a clearer picture. Instead of saying your monster is scary, describe the jagged fangs, blood-red eyes, and menacing growl that send shivers down the spine.

3. Show, don’t⁢ tell: Instead of simply telling ​your readers about your‍ monster’s‌ appearance, let them experience it firsthand. Describe the grotesque features, the slimy touch, or the bone-chilling⁢ roar, allowing the reader to form their own emotional connection with your creations.

4. Create a well-rounded monster: Give⁣ life to your monstrous creations beyond their ⁢physical attributes. Develop their personalities, motivations,⁢ and quirks to make them multi-dimensional. Consider their history, desires, ⁤and fears, allowing the reader⁢ to understand⁣ and‌ relate to ⁤them in a ⁢unique way.

When it ⁣comes to storytelling,⁢ building suspense and tension⁢ is key to​ keeping‌ your readers captivated and eagerly⁤ turning the pages. Whether you’re crafting a thrilling mystery, a spine-chilling horror, or a gripping psychological drama, there are several techniques ‍you can employ to maximize the suspense‌ factor and ensure⁤ your audience remains ‌on the edge of their seats.

1. Intriguing Openings: ⁤Begin⁤ your story with a ​bang! Hook your readers ​from the ⁢very first ​line with ‍a shocking revelation, an unexpected event, or a perplexing ⁤question. By immediately plunging them into the heart of the action, you⁢ set the stage for an intense and⁣ suspenseful ⁣reading experience.

2. Masterful ⁢Pacing: ​Control the rhythm and tempo of your narrative to build tension effectively. Alternate between moments of high ‍intensity and slower, thought-provoking passages. ⁣Allow your story to ⁣ebb and‍ flow, creating a rollercoaster​ of emotions that keeps readers engaged while giving​ them moments⁢ to⁣ catch their breath and process the suspenseful events.

3. Foreshadowing and Red Herrings: Plant hints and clues that suggest potential⁣ outcomes ‍or ‍future dangers, creating an intriguing sense of anticipation. However, don’t​ make it too obvious. Throw in clever red herrings to mislead your audience and add an extra layer of suspense. Just⁤ be sure to tie all loose ends‍ together ​by the story’s end to⁢ avoid frustrating your readers.

4. Deep Character Development: Make your readers ⁣care deeply about your characters. By creating multi-dimensional and relatable protagonists, you establish an emotional⁣ connection between readers and the fate of your characters. This investment intensifies⁤ the suspense, as readers become truly invested in the outcome of the story.

5. Cliffhangers⁣ and Unexpected ​Twists: Keep your readers guessing with strategic cliffhangers and surprising plot twists. Leave them hanging at the end of chapters, creating a burning desire to know what happens next. Twist⁣ the plot ​unexpectedly, subverting their expectations and ⁣injecting a surge of adrenaline into the narrative.

By incorporating these techniques into your writing,‍ you can effectively ⁣build suspense and tension, leaving your readers on the edge of their seats and hungry for more. Remember, it’s not only about the destination but the ​journey itself, and creating an unforgettable⁢ suspense-filled ‌journey⁤ will keep your readers coming ⁢back for ⁢more.

Tips for⁤ Building ‌Suspense and Tension ⁤in Your Monster Tales

Do you⁢ want to captivate your readers with spine-chilling monster tales that keep them ⁤on the edge of their seats?‌ Building suspense and⁤ tension is ⁣key to creating‍ an engaging and intriguing story. Here are some valuable tips on​ how to masterfully infuse suspense and tension into your monster tales:

• Create a Mysterious Atmosphere: Set the stage for suspense by establishing an eerie and ‌foreboding environment.​ Describe the ⁢sinister shadows⁢ lurking in the darkness, the creaking⁢ floorboards, or the distant howls of ​unknown creatures. Engage your readers’⁤ senses to make them ‌feel like​ they ‍are part of​ the eerie world you’ve created.
• Develop Intriguing Characters: Introduce complex characters​ that readers can root for or be wary⁣ of. Make their motives unclear, their pasts hidden, and their actions unpredictable.​ Incorporate unexpected twists and turns ​in their personalities ‌to keep readers guessing.
• Employ ‍Foreshadowing: Drop subtle⁢ hints⁤ throughout your⁣ story that something ominous ‌is looming. Foreshadowing can create⁢ anticipation and build tension as readers try to decipher the hidden clues. Whether it’s a cryptic ‍message on a torn ​piece of paper or a chilling‌ encounter with a mysterious figure, small ‌hints can leave ⁤readers yearning ⁢for answers.

By implementing these techniques, you can successfully craft monster tales that leave your readers craving more. So,⁣ grab your pen‌ and let your ‍imagination unleash a world filled with suspense, tension, and ‍horrifying creatures.

Writing about‍ monsters is a thrilling endeavor, but​ sometimes, even ​the most seasoned writers can ​encounter the dreaded writer’s block. It can be challenging to conjure up unique and captivating creatures from the depths of our imagination. However, ‍fear ⁤not!​ We have compiled some ⁤effective strategies to ⁢help you conquer writer’s block and breathe life into your monster writing.

1. Dive into research: Immerse yourself in the⁤ world of mythology, folklore, and literature.‍ Uncover intriguing tales⁤ and⁢ legends related to​ mythical beasts and supernatural creatures. Not only⁣ will this‌ provide you with inspiration,​ but it can also spark new ideas and fresh perspectives for ⁣your monster creations.

2. Embrace brainstorming: Set aside dedicated time for brainstorming sessions. Grab ⁣a pen and paper,⁢ or use a digital tool, to jot down any and every idea that comes to mind.‍ Don’t worry about the feasibility or quality of the ideas initially; the goal is to ​generate a ⁣pool of potential​ monster concepts. Later, you can sift through⁤ and​ refine these ideas, combining different ‍elements to form​ unique and captivating creatures.

Are you struggling to find inspiration when it comes ⁤to writing⁤ monster stories? Writer’s block can be a formidable foe, but fear not! We ⁢have compiled a list of⁣ effective strategies that will help you overcome this hurdle​ and unleash your creativity like never before.

• Dive into the world of mythology: ‌ Explore various⁣ mythologies and legends from different cultures. Ancient‍ tales of monsters can ‍be ⁤a⁣ wellspring of inspiration ⁤for your own creations. Whether it’s the terrifying creatures from⁤ Greek mythology or the mystical beings of folklore, immersing ⁣yourself in these fantastical narratives can spark ⁢fresh⁤ ideas and breathe life into ⁣your own⁤ monster stories.
• Experiment with ⁤different perspectives: Sometimes, taking a break​ from focusing solely on ⁤the monster‌ itself can provide a new perspective.​ Try⁢ writing ‍from the point‌ of ‌view of a​ monster hunter or a terrified victim.‌ By exploring diverse angles, you can deepen the complexity of your stories and reveal ‍unique​ aspects of your monstrous characters.
• Embrace ⁤the unknown: Monsters represent the mysterious ⁤and unknown, so embrace the uncertainty. Allow your imagination to roam free and create monsters that defy expectations. ⁢Tap into your deepest fears⁤ and uncover the darkest corners of your mind. ‍By⁣ delving into the unknown, ‍you’ll ‍unlock a plethora of ideas that will make your ​monster ‍stories truly captivating.

Remember, writer’s ⁣block is just a temporary setback. By incorporating these strategies into your writing‌ routine, you will conquer the blank page and unleash a world of unimaginable creatures.⁤ So,​ grab‍ your pen, let your‌ creativity flow, and prepare to​ captivate ⁣your readers‌ with your unique monster stories!

When it comes to writing, the‍ real​ magic happens during the editing and revising process. Just like polishing a rough gemstone into ​a sparkling jewel,⁢ editing ⁣and⁣ revising can⁢ transform your monster masterpiece into a flawless ⁣work of art. Here are some tips to help you refine your writing and take it to the next level:

• Step‌ away and take a breather: After completing your first draft, it’s essential ​to give yourself​ some distance from your ⁢work. Take ⁤a ⁣break, indulge in a‍ different activity, or focus on another project. This break allows you to approach your writing with fresh eyes and a clear mind during the editing⁣ process.
• Start with the big picture: Begin by⁢ examining the⁤ overall structure and flow of⁤ your piece. Look for‌ any plot holes, ‍inconsistencies, or sections that could benefit from restructuring. Check if ⁤your ideas are communicated smoothly and​ effectively. ⁢Remember, editing is not just ‌about ‍catching‌ typos but also about refining the core aspects‍ of your writing.
• Refine your⁢ language: Now that you’ve​ assessed the bigger picture, it’s time​ to focus on the smaller details. Pay attention to⁣ grammar, punctuation,⁤ and sentence structure. Eliminate unnecessary words or phrases that hinder clarity. Use tools like a thesaurus⁢ to enhance ⁤your vocabulary or a‌ grammar checker to catch any overlooked​ errors.

Editing and revising ‍can be a daunting⁤ task, but the rewards are worth it. It allows you to transform a‍ good story into an extraordinary‌ one. Remember, the editing process is not​ about criticizing your work but rather about refining it. Approach it with‌ passion and persistence, and soon you’ll breathe life into your own monster masterpiece.

Welcome to⁢ our comprehensive guide on refining your monster ‍tales⁤ with expert editing and revising tips! Whether you’re a seasoned‌ writer or just starting out, we’ve got you covered. Crafting a captivating story about monsters takes creativity and skill, and with our expert advice,⁤ you’ll be⁣ able to bring your spooky creatures to ⁣life in a polished and engaging manner.

Here are some invaluable tips⁤ to help you refine your monster tales and make them truly ⁤captivating:

• 1. Develop your monster’s backstory: ⁤Give your monster depth and complexity ⁤by exploring their origins, motivations, and history.‌ This ⁣will add richness to ‍your tale and make your readers invested ⁢in the creature you’ve created.
• 2. Streamline your plot: Make sure your‌ story ‌has a clear and concise structure that keeps readers engaged.‍ Eliminate unnecessary subplots or ‌characters that distract from your monster’s narrative.
• 3. Edit for⁢ pacing: Consider​ the pacing of your story to maintain ⁣reader interest. Build tension by strategically placing suspenseful moments and balancing them with moments⁢ of resolution.
• 4. ⁤Refine your descriptions: Use vivid and⁢ evocative language to bring‍ your monster to‍ life on the page. Engage all the senses and describe​ its appearance, sounds, smells, and physical sensations to immerse your readers in⁤ your world.

With these expert editing and revising tips, you’ll be well on your way to creating⁣ polished and captivating monster ‍tales that⁢ will leave your readers on the edge of their seats. Don’t ‌be afraid to experiment, revise, and seek feedback to truly ‍refine‌ your storytelling skills. Happy writing!

When it comes to storytelling, the ⁢ending ⁣is⁤ just as important as the beginning and middle. Crafting a memorable ending ‌is what leaves ⁢a lasting impression on your audience, ensuring that they will continue to think⁤ about your story long ⁤after it has ended. Here are some tips to help you create endings that will captivate and resonate with your readers:

• Create a⁢ sense of closure: A satisfying ending ties up ‍loose⁣ ends and provides resolution‌ to the main⁣ conflicts in your story.​ It gives your readers a sense of fulfillment and completion, leaving no ‍unanswered questions or unresolved plot points.
• Embrace the‌ unexpected: Surprise your ⁤readers⁢ with an unexpected twist or revelation in the ending. This can add a sense of excitement‍ and intrigue, forcing your audience⁣ to reevaluate everything they thought they ‌knew ⁢and leaving them wanting more.
• Evoke emotional impact: Endings ⁢that make ⁤your readers‍ feel ​something ​are the ones they will remember.⁤ Whether it’s joy, sadness, or even shock, aim to evoke⁤ strong emotions in your audience through the final ⁢moments of your story.

A memorable ending ⁢is also characterized by ⁣its ability to leave room for interpretation and reflection. Instead⁣ of presenting everything ‍on a ⁤silver platter, consider leaving some aspects open to interpretation, allowing your readers to draw their own conclusions and‍ engage in post-story contemplation. By keeping your audience‍ guessing and encouraging them⁢ to ⁤reflect on‌ your ​story, ‌you ⁢create a lasting impression that ⁣lingers far beyond the final page.

As ⁢a ‍writer, one ‌of the most powerful tools you possess is the ability to leave your readers​ craving more. The⁤ ending of your‌ monster⁢ tale is your chance to make‌ a lasting impression, to captivate your audience and ensure that they’ll eagerly anticipate your next installment. Here, we ‍delve into a variety of techniques that ​will help you create endings that are satisfying, memorable, and ⁣that will leave your readers begging for the next chapter:

• Embrace​ the element ⁢of ⁤surprise: ⁢ Keep ‌your readers on⁢ their​ toes ⁣by subverting their expectations. Consider a twist ending that reveals ⁣a hidden truth about ​your monster or​ introduces a ‌new and unexpected danger.
• Create a sense of resolution: While leaving room for future stories, ⁢it’s important to provide ⁢closure to specific elements of your monster tale. Tie up ⁢loose ​ends, answer ⁣lingering questions, and give ⁣your readers a⁣ sense‌ of satisfaction.
• Leave unanswered​ questions: Balance closure with ​a touch of mystery. By leaving‌ some questions unanswered, you can​ pique your readers’ curiosity and ensure they’ll ⁢yearn for⁣ more stories in your monster universe.
• Employ foreshadowing: Plant subtle hints throughout your ⁢tale that allude to future events or storylines. This not only adds depth to your ending but also sets ⁢the stage for future adventures with your captivating monsters.

Remember, the‍ ending of ‌your monster tale is your chance to leave your readers in awe, eager to know ‌what happens next. By employing these techniques, you’ll not only craft satisfying endings but also create a devoted following of readers who can’t⁣ get enough of your ‍monstrous tales.

Q: What are monster ⁢writing prompts? A: Monster writing prompts are creative cues or ideas that inspire writers ⁣to craft imaginative tales featuring‌ various⁤ creatures and monsters.

Q: How can monster writing ‌prompts enhance our storytelling abilities? A: ⁢Monster writing prompts ​encourage⁣ us to ‌think outside the box, allowing us to explore different ​worlds and develop​ storytelling skills. They ignite our imagination ‍and challenge us to create unique characters, settings, and narratives.

Q: Are monster ‍writing‌ prompts‌ suitable⁤ for writers of all levels? A: ⁢Absolutely! Monster writing prompts cater ‌to writers of all⁣ levels, whether you are a beginner or a ⁢seasoned writer ​looking for⁤ fresh inspiration. They​ offer a platform to practice creativity and can be adapted to fit any writing skill level.

Q: Can you give ​us some ‍examples of monster writing prompts? A:‌ Certainly! Here are a few examples: 1. Imagine a friendly monster who ​helps children with their fears. 2. Create a story about a mischievous creature who‍ loves to play tricks on‍ unsuspecting townspeople. 3. Write a tale about a legendary⁣ beast that ‍guards ‌a hidden ⁢treasure deep within a‌ mystical forest.

Q: How do these prompts help ⁣generate story ideas? A: Monster writing prompts​ provide a starting⁢ point​ for generating ‌story ideas by presenting a theme or concept. They spark​ our creativity and act as a springboard⁣ for character development, plotlines, and unique ⁤challenges for our ​protagonists to face.

Q: Can monster writing ⁤prompts be used for ⁤specific genres, such as horror or ⁣fantasy? A: Absolutely! Monster writing prompts are versatile and can be adapted⁢ to various genres, including horror, fantasy, science ⁢fiction, ​and even comedy. Writers can infuse‌ their own personal style and preferences to tailor the prompts to their chosen genre.

Q: Are ⁤there ​any tips for effectively using monster writing prompts? A: ⁢Yes! Here are ⁢a few tips: 1. Allow your imagination to run wild, and explore unconventional⁢ ideas. 2. Don’t be⁣ afraid to ⁤ combine multiple⁢ prompts to create‍ a rich ⁤and⁢ intricate story. 3. Use the monsters as metaphors to explore deeper themes and emotions within ‌your writing.

Q: Can we share our stories based on​ these monster writing ‍prompts? A: Absolutely! ‌Sharing your stories‌ is highly encouraged. Whether ⁢it’s⁣ among friends,‌ writing communities, ‍or online platforms, sharing your work can ⁣provide ‍valuable feedback and​ foster ⁢a​ sense of community among​ fellow writers.

Q: Where can we find ⁤monster writing prompts? A: Monster writing prompts​ can be found in various sources, such as writing websites, books‍ on creative writing, or even by simply​ using search engines. Additionally, many writing communities and social ⁤media platforms offer regular writing prompts to inspire creativity.​

In conclusion,​ “Monster Writing Prompts: Craft Tales of‍ Creatures” provides⁤ a fun and creative way ‍for writers to unleash their imagination and bring mythical beings to life.⁣ Get ready to dive ⁤into a world of monsters and let your storytelling⁤ skills shine!

Black History Month Writing Prompts: Celebrate Diversity

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19,890 quotes, descriptions and writing prompts, 4,964 themes

Monster - quotes and descriptions to inspire creative writing

• a devil of a game
• apex predator
• archangel-monster
• demons with halos
• devil of the damned
• dog-eat-dog society
• emotional giants
• Ghost behaviour
• Ghost look and feel
• gothic horror
• halloween costumes
• monster attack
• Monster Look and Feel
• monster smell
• Monster Sounds
• monster trap
• silver tongued devil
• vampire council
• zombie masters
• zombie skittles

We opened the head of the totalitarians and found two distinct species. One was recoverable and the other was not. The recoverable one loved their nation and was in a bind. If they loosened their grip the coming chaos lost lives and became a threat to internal peace and external security. With assistance, they had a future as a great and peaceful nation. The other kind lacked all empathy and love. Any such statements from their lips were no more than a fig leaf, words spoken for purpose of manipulation. They had become the monster of lore, all hate, all greed, all ego... we cannot rehabilitate such a leader. Yet the abused often find it challenging to acknowledge that they are abused. The bad leader can be as a bad spouse. All we can do is pray their nation gains a new leader of at least the first kind, one who can love them and see them through into an integrated world of kindness and trust. One love. One world. Infinity cultures welcome. Diversity a strength. Noble dark is very different from evil. This is the lesson of opening these heads. This is what we learned.

The basic see 'monster,' the evolved see biology, neurology and need. Move on from 'monster' and then more patients will emerge.

The aliens offered us two monsters and we had to host one of them. The first would only eat bees, the second would only eat gold.

All monsters are losers, for a winner harnesses the dark self to become a hero.

A monster has let their inner evil wolf take over and have thus lost the most important battle every soul was born to conquer.

To trust yourself when all doubt. To lead from a danger only you can see clearly. To explain enable the blind to see. To give people the power to hear the extraordinary in the ordinary, the everyday and normal encryption of the spoken word. To show them the messages and conversations that happen all around us to different levels of the brain. That's quite the challenge. That's quite the challenge when until you can prove it they will think you mad and threaten you with the consequences that come to the insane. To speak and risk the twisting of the knaves of sophistry. That is what they ask. Last time I complied I almost died. I almost lost everything for nothing. So, tell me again why, tell me why this is the time, because even if it is now or never I won't unless I can win. I know more than most what these adventures into the world of the saviours costs... and the cost is never to myself alone. You know what? I do trust myself. I do. It's every other bastard out there I don't trust. This is a world of monsters. So many monsters.

Monsters are too cowardly to face the pain of lost love, to risk an injury in the courthouse of ego, and instead become tools for the creation of hell on Earth.

To the monster I was meat he was meeting, a simple matter of matter to be consumed once the fear had consumed me. That is a monster. That is all of our monsters. They see us for a utility, to meet an addiction or need they have and to them our needs are nothing. So when we are regarded this way we re-guard, and we should. What and whom we love is worth protecting, including the self.

In that empty scream is the pain of the indifferent, of a monster who sold its soul for ease and instead found hell. It can wrap itself in beautiful skin or the rancid hide of the decaying creatures of the abyss, yet I see it regardless of disguise.

The monsters were harnessed up to pull the food supplies through the war zone and they were better than any tank of the modern era.

The monsters who could not bow to the angel voices were slain - not for their mercy yet for ours.

The choices to become a monster are all far more fun and simpler than to become an angel, yet the difference for the effort is night and day.

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Powerful Writing: Description in Creating Monster Trading Cards

• Resources & Preparation
• Instructional Plan
• Related Resources

Students discuss types of monsters they know from literature, comics, cartoons, and trading-card games, generating a list of descriptive words and phrases to describe them. Students then use a template to create their own monster trading cards using "powerful," vivid language to describe their creatures. Descriptive imagery and word choice combine with visual elements to create a cross-disciplinary menagerie in your class.

Featured Resources

Monster Trading Card Template : Students can use this template to create their own character trading cards.

From Theory to Practice

Word play allows students to learn language in a creative environment. Moreover, allowing students to play with the language opens up opportunities to increase their vocabulary and extend it to other disciplines. As Nilsen and Nilsen (2000) point out, "[W]e are suggesting that it's time to develop a process approach to teaching vocabulary. Because of international communication and new technologies, the English language is changing faster today than it has at any time since the Norman conquest. . . . We need to give students experience not just in memorizing words and their meanings, but in synthesizing, analyzing, and interacting with words" (32). This lesson asks students to play with words by creating original names for monsters of their own creation while also stressing the use of vivid details in their description of their creations.

Further Reading

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

• 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
• 4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
• 5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
• 6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
• 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Materials and Technology

General Classroom Materials (crayons, markers, pencils)

• Monster Trading Card Template
• Rubric for Monster Trading Cards
• Monster Trading Card Example

Preparation

Print out the Monster Trading Card Template and, if desired, the Rubric for Monster Trading Cards for each student and provide them with drawing materials. If students have access to computers, they can type in their monster descriptions directly on the template before printing it out.

Student Objectives

Students will

• self-edit to see what kind of details they currently use in writing and revise for clarity and creativity.
• give feedback to their peers on use of descriptive language.
• improve the amount and quality of description in their writing based on feedback from their peers.
• make the connection between graphical elements and use of details in writing.

Session One

• Begin with a whole-class discussion on the types of monsters students would know from literature, comics, cartoons, and trading-card games such as Yu-Gi-Oh!®. Ask them what characteristics they like or dislike about them, why, and how they might change them if they had the chance.
• Write on the board a list of the words and short phrases the class uses to describe their likes and dislikes. This should not merely be a litany of adjectives; note how they allude to active characteristics such as a monster's manner of speech, its weaknesses, how and what it eats, and so on, allowing for reference points for when they create their own monsters.
• Pass out copies of the template (have many extras on hand for those who want to start over) and tell the class that they have an opportunity to be the creator, both artist and writer, of an altogether new monster.
• Have the kids draw whatever type of monster they choose, giving it a name, type, description, etc., following the template. They should be free to go back and forth from the drawing to the writing, adding details to each to enhance their creature's uniqueness. This Example Monster Card could serve as a model to get them started.

Session Two

• Have groups of three to four share their cards, giving feedback on how the details can be enhanced by adding more "powerful" (i.e., vivid and specific) words to describe each monster. You may choose to let each group use the Monster Trading Card Rubric to facilitate their feedback.
• Students then revise their written descriptions and drawings, if necessary. New templates can be used if the students desire, or if they are happy with their drawings but need to rewrite, they can cut on the fold and keep the drawing but tape or glue a revised description to the back of the original drawing.
• Students can create multiple cards, and their peers (or themselves) can give them "values" based on the Monster Trading Card Rubric or other criteria to trade or compete with each other.
• Have students write a fairy tale featuring their monsters. Encourage them to be creative with place names and other characters' names, employing similar strategies they used to describe their monsters in this lesson.
• Extend your study of descriptive writing using these Descriptive Writing Techniques and Narrative and Descriptive Writing Prompts .

Student Assessment / Reflections

The Monster Trading Card Rubric can be used to assess the students' final cards. Observation of small-group feedback and individual revision strategies could also play a part in the assessment.

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jackratko New Member

Monster description help.

Discussion in ' Character Development ' started by jackratko , Apr 10, 2012 .

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_4411941eb9c49bb002c630c6b69576e1'); }); I guess this would be put here? idk. sorry if its the wrong place. anyway, im writing a horror story... kind of. its complicated. BUT i wrote a description for a creature and i felt it to be bland and poorly written. here it is: "A large mass of some thick, heavy, whitish liquid fell onto my shoulders and drenched me. Above me, on the ceiling, rested a menacing, slavering creature. It was large with bony limbs. The creature’s forelimbs were rather lanky compared to the rest of the body, and the back legs were short. The creature had what appeared to be two long, clawed fingers at the end of its forelimbs, but it crawled on its knuckles. It had tiny hair on its knuckles and backs of its fingers, which were covered in smaller hairs. It also had small spikes extruding from the knuckles and the base of its hind feet. From its stomach grew two more arms, probably used for actually eating the prey. The head appeared to be a solid sphere, but it opened its jaw extremely wide to let out a snarl, unfolding its head almost like an onion and revealing rows and rows of yellow teeth. Its eyes appeared soulless, as they glowed a white color." Help would be appreciated on making it truly horrific. thanks!  

jazzabel Agent Provocateur Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_4411941eb9c49bb002c630c6b69576e1'); }); Ok, the visual aspects of the description are not too bad but you are right, it is rather poorly written. Main issues are: 1. Repetitive sentence structure to the point that eventually you just give up and say "It also had", not good because it reads as a shopping list. 2. Repetitive phrases - you use "the creature" the creature" twice in a row, bad idea. 3. Undetermined and hyperbole words such as "some", "it appeared to be" "probably" "extremely" etc, all of which dilute the narrative and distance the reader. Remove them all and write definite sentences such as The head was a solid sphere, but it opened its jaw wide to let out a snarl, unfolding itself like an onion and revealing rows and rows of yellow teeth. Its eyes were soulless, as they glowed a white colour. Click to expand...

Z. C. Bolger New Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_4411941eb9c49bb002c630c6b69576e1'); }); jazzabel said: ↑ Ok, the visual aspects of the description are not too bad but you are right, it is rather poorly written. Main issues are: 1. Repetitive sentence structure to the point that eventually you just give up and say "It also had", not good because it reads as a shopping list. 2. Repetitive phrases - you use "the creature" the creature" twice in a row, bad idea. 3. Undetermined and hyperbole words such as "some", "it appeared to be" "probably" "extremely" etc, all of which dilute the narrative and distance the reader. Remove them all and write definite sentences such as Click to expand...

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_4411941eb9c49bb002c630c6b69576e1'); }); thanks for the tips! i remade it to describe it in action. tell me what you think now: "A large mass of some thick, heavy, whitish liquid fell onto my shoulders and drenched me. Above me, on the ceiling, rested a menacing, slavering creature. It was large with bony limbs. The creature’s forelimbs were rather lanky compared to the rest of the body, and the back legs were short. From its stomach grew two more stubby arms, which were completely caked in blood. From its stomach grew two more arms, probably used for actually eating the prey. The head appeared to be a solid sphere, but it opened its jaw extremely wide to let out a horrifying, slavering snarl, unfolding its head almost like an onion and revealing rows and rows of yellow teeth. I could only think of one thing to do: run. “Dmitri! Run!” I yelled, sprinting away in the same direction as the Creeper. Dmitri was close behind. The creature crawled after us in long strides, keeping our same pace. It clambered toward us on its knuckles, which were covered in tiny hairs similar to a spider’s. Beneath the hairs were small, thick spikes, which it stabbed into the ceiling to stay up. It left a trail of saliva on the ground over which it moved."  

Dan Kirkalnd New Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_4411941eb9c49bb002c630c6b69576e1'); }); I think what might help you to (besides the already mentioned repetitive nature of the description) is to basically cut some of the emphatic statements. You can describe something without repeatedly being directly stating in your descriptions. Instead of saying "It had teeth like a wolf" you could say "It's wolf-like teeth" Basically instead of always "prepping" your descriptions, you just describe it. here's a little description of a monster, let's call the main character Robert, Robert encounters a monster that is living in his basement. Robert eased open the door, the noises from the basement had been growing louder as of late. They were unnatural, as if something demonic was purposefully torturing Robert by robbing him of his sleep. As he descended his flashlight cut a swath through the darkness. Then he stopped, his hands clamped onto the flashlight with vice-like strength. In the corner, hunched over a dead animal was a monster. It turned to face him, it's eyes small and black, with blood dripping from it's long sharp teeth. It's body was shaped like a wolf, except it's flat face resembled a human, but with skin covered with patches of black hair and a nose that wasn't present. Robert backed away, his hands shaking like a tremor. The monster dropped down on it's forefeet, it's long claws dripping in blood. Everything in Robert's body was screaming "Run!" but his fear froze him in place. The monster leaped, lunging through the air, it's fangs beared as it sought Robert's throat. Robert fell back on the stairs, grabbing for anything to be used as a weapon. His hand met a crowbar in the struggle, the beast biting and clawing at Robert's soft flesh with ferocity as a mountain lion strikes at it's prey. Robert gave the crowbar a desperate swing and struck the creature across the face. It retreated and ran back through a small window near the ceiling of the basement. See what I was trying to do there? Instead of stating something descriptive as a "matter of fact" make it congruent with the reading. Take a statement like this... "It was large with bony limbs. the creature's forelimbs were rather lanky compared to the rest of the body, and the back legs were short. From it's stomach grew two more stubby arms, which were completely caked in blood" I would write the sentence like this (just my opinion FYI) "It stood up, it's long bony limbs grabbing onto the wall to balance itself. The long and slender forelimbs poked out from the rest of the body, which sat on stout back legs. It let out a menacing growl, it's stubby arms on it's stomach lashed out, seeking blood, as they were already covered in it" I realize that this adds words, but in my opinion it streamlines the writing and makes the reader feel like they are reading an active description. You keep the action flowing while simultaneously describing the creature. Hope that helps, just my 2 cents  

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_4411941eb9c49bb002c630c6b69576e1'); }); Dan Kirkalnd said: ↑ I think what might help you to (besides the already mentioned repetitive nature of the description) is to basically cut some of the emphatic statements. You can describe something without repeatedly being directly stating in your descriptions. Instead of saying "It had teeth like a wolf" you could say "It's wolf-like teeth" Basically instead of always "prepping" your descriptions, you just describe it. here's a little description of a monster, let's call the main character Robert, Robert encounters a monster that is living in his basement. Robert eased open the door, the noises from the basement had been growing louder as of late. They were unnatural, as if something demonic was purposefully torturing Robert by robbing him of his sleep. As he descended his flashlight cut a swath through the darkness. Then he stopped, his hands clamped onto the flashlight with vice-like strength. In the corner, hunched over a dead animal was a monster. It turned to face him, it's eyes small and black, with blood dripping from it's long sharp teeth. It's body was shaped like a wolf, except it's flat face resembled a human, but with skin covered with patches of black hair and a nose that wasn't present. Robert backed away, his hands shaking like a tremor. The monster dropped down on it's forefeet, it's long claws dripping in blood. Everything in Robert's body was screaming "Run!" but his fear froze him in place. The monster leaped, lunging through the air, it's fangs beared as it sought Robert's throat. Robert fell back on the stairs, grabbing for anything to be used as a weapon. His hand met a crowbar in the struggle, the beast biting and clawing at Robert's soft flesh with ferocity as a mountain lion strikes at it's prey. Robert gave the crowbar a desperate swing and struck the creature across the face. It retreated and ran back through a small window near the ceiling of the basement. See what I was trying to do there? Instead of stating something descriptive as a "matter of fact" make it congruent with the reading. Take a statement like this... "It was large with bony limbs. the creature's forelimbs were rather lanky compared to the rest of the body, and the back legs were short. From it's stomach grew two more stubby arms, which were completely caked in blood" I would write the sentence like this (just my opinion FYI) "It stood up, it's long bony limbs grabbing onto the wall to balance itself. The long and slender forelimbs poked out from the rest of the body, which sat on stout back legs. It let out a menacing growl, it's stubby arms on it's stomach lashed out, seeking blood, as they were already covered in it" I realize that this adds words, but in my opinion it streamlines the writing and makes the reader feel like they are reading an active description. You keep the action flowing while simultaneously describing the creature. Hope that helps, just my 2 cents Click to expand...

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_4411941eb9c49bb002c630c6b69576e1'); }); first of all, id like to thank you so much for the advice. its really helpful and will help me in future writing. second, once again i re-wrote it. here is my next draft of the description: "A large mass of some thick, heavy, translucent slime fell onto my shoulders and drenched me. Above me, on the ceiling, rested a menacing, slavering creature. It stood to its hind legs, its long, bony limbs grabbing onto the wall to balance itself. The long and slender forelimbs poked out from the rest of the body, which sat on stout back legs. Its stubby arms on its stomach lashed out, seeking blood, as they were already covered in it. It dropped from the ceiling and opened its jaws extremely wide, unfolding its spherical head almost like an onion, letting out a horrifying, slavering snarl and revealing rows upon rows of razor teeth. I could only think of one thing to do: run. “Dmitri! Run!” I yelled, sprinting away. Dmitri was close behind. The creature crawled after us in long strides, keeping our same pace. It clambered toward us on its knuckles, which were covered in tiny hairs similar to a spider’s. Beneath the hairs were small, thick spikes, which it stabbed into surfaces to scale the tunnel walls in a spiral formation as it pursued us. I would not be able to keep up this pace for long."  

SeverinR New Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_4411941eb9c49bb002c630c6b69576e1'); }); My thoughts were along the line of telling rather then showing. This last rewrite is much better at showing rather then telling. Use descriptions in the action to avoid the grocery list description. "seeking blood,as they were already covered in it." "seeking blood" is telling, since there is no way to know without you telling us. But shouldn't that be "seeking more blood"? Since it was already covered? It did alot, might try to reword so "It" isn't written so much. Just removed the its: It stood, its limbs, itself, its stubby arms, it dropped, its jaws, its head. Note to the character, you don't have to outrun the monster, just outrun the slowest person.  

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_4411941eb9c49bb002c630c6b69576e1'); }); This is LOADS better than the first draft. Good job on the pursuit of better writing. I'll just post what I think could make it flow even better, feel free to take or leave it as you have definitely improved it already. Besides the above corrections I would suggest this for the first line. "A large mass of some thick, heavy, translucent slime fell onto my shoulder s and ,drench ing ed me.  

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7 Ways To Write A Damn Good Fight Scene

• by Bronwyn Hemus
• January 21, 2014
• 79 Comments

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Fight scenes are the single hardest character interaction to write. Many authors who know their craft in every other respect can’t write a fight scene to save their (or their hero’s) life. But don’t despair. There are a few strategies you can use to ensure you write the kind of fight scene that grips a reader from start to finish. Let’s take a look at seven of them…

1. Detail is a dirty word

It’s a general rule in writing that you should leave as much to the reader’s imagination as you can, and this is doubly true for action scenes. The choreography of the fight may be exact in your head, but you can’t force readers to see the same thing.

While describing a fight scene is a great way to paint an accurate picture, it’s not a great way to communicate a compelling experience. A lot of poorly written fight scenes read like this:

I stepped back, balancing my weight on my left foot, and threw my right fist out in a curved punch at his temple. Turning ninety degrees to the side, he brought his right forearm up to counter the blow, formed a fist with his left, and threw it at my outstretched jaw. I was in trouble.

This might be exactly what you imagine happening, but the excessive stage direction stretches the moment out, turning a frenzied series of blows into a dissection of body language and intent. This fight feels slow, and that feeling is paramount – if your reader is instinctively bored by a fight, you can’t convince them it was exciting by describing more of it.

Instead, let them know the outline of the fight and they’ll imagine the rest. Counter as it is to a writer’s instincts, ‘they struggled’ paints a far more vivid picture than describing the exact position of each combatant’s arms.

So, if you’re not describing what your characters are doing, how do you communicate the action?

2. Pace is everything

Intensifying the pace of your writing can communicate the immediacy and suddenness of conflict. Short, simple sentences keep the reader on their toes. Fights happen quickly and your description needs to match that. In The Princess Bride , William Goldman writes a brilliant sword fight, and perhaps the most enjoyable fight scene ever put to paper:

The cliffs were very close behind him now. Inigo continued to retreat; the man in black continued advancing. Then Inigo countered with the Thibault. And the man in black blocked it.

Each sentence is short, the written equivalent of a sudden move. Every time a new person takes an action in this passage, Goldman starts a new line, making the reader encounter each attack as a sudden, vital event.

This ‘new line’ technique is pretty cheesy – it works for Goldman because his story is a deliberate homage to adventure yarns – but short, to-the-point sentences are a must for any fight scene. Clarity is important in many areas of writing, and it’s not something to wish away in a fight, but the energy of a fight scene is more important than its details, and that comes from pace.

Of course, pacing works best when it’s combined with perspective.

3. Perspective defines experience

It’s difficult to communicate excitement when you describe something objectively. This is another reason that hovering around the fight describing the actions of both characters limits how gripping the experience can be. The key is to thrust the reader into the thick of the action, and to do that they need to experience the fight through a character.

That’s not to say that you have to suddenly adopt the first person. In Gregory Mcdonald’s Carioca Fletch , the protagonist attempts to get his bearings as he is set upon by unseen assailants. Mcdonald mimics this experience for the reader by having longer passages between the single sentences of violence:

Instead of looking who had pushed him, Fletch tried to save himself from falling. The edge of the parade route’s pavement shot out from under him. Someone pushed him again. He fell to the right, into the parade. A foot came up from the pavement and kicked him in the face.

The writing, and thus the reader’s experience of events, conforms to Fletch’s experience: the attempt to right himself interrupted by sudden acts of violence. You can also write to match the perspective of the attacker: there’s something especially brutal about a villain methodically taking an opponent apart.

The opposite can also be true

Of course, as with all the advice in this article, there are reasons to do the exact opposite. Mimicking perspective leads to a more energetic, visceral experience, which tends to make a fight more compelling, but perhaps you want the opposite. A detached, distanced perspective saps the energy and involvement from a fight, but if you’re trying to horrify the reader rather than energize or entertain, this is a valid technique.

For instance, a ‘cool’ fight would benefit from a close perspective, whereas an upsetting beating would likely benefit from distance. In this way, there are few ‘bad’ writing techniques – just different effects that either work with or against your intent for a scene. Keep in mind that your actual first step to improving your fight scene is understanding how you want your reader to feel about it.

4. Verbs not adverbs (and avoid passive voice)

Energetic fight scenes demand brevity, and adverbs are the opposite of that . Instead of ‘Adam hit him hard in the chest, again and again’ use ‘Adam pounded at his chest’.

The occasional adverb might have its place, but you want the punch of the sentence to come with the character’s action, not lagging after it.

There are a few exceptions. Variations on ‘She hit him. Hard’ have currency because they’re purposefully simplistic. They embrace guttural simplicity to communicate that same quality in the action, but this trick only works once before you start sounding like a caveman.

Why the passive voice won’t work

A similar technique to avoid is the use of passive voice. This is where the person or object performing an action is absent from the sentence in which it happens, as in ‘he was kicked in the face,’ where the person doing the kicking isn’t mentioned.

This is a technique you’ll see in a lot of news coverage, since it deliberately saps energy from an otherwise startling event. In a story, however, it’s the most roundabout way to communicate an action, and it’s best avoided. Even when the attacker is unseen (and therefore can’t be named), Mcdonald goes for ‘A foot came up from the pavement and kicked him in the face’ as opposed to ‘he was kicked in the face.’

Try to err on the side of ‘person, action, effect,’ since this most closely recreates the experience of watching things in real time. Agency – a person’s ability to effect the world around them – is a huge part of compelling fight scenes, and the passive voice is all about ignoring agency.

5. Sensory information is relatable

Another reason description doesn’t work in fight scenes is that immediate, physical situations aren’t characterized by a heightened degree of analytical thought. In contrast, physical situations do tend to come with a lot of sensory information. The taste of blood, the ringing in their ears, the ache of their injuries.

Evan Hunter wrote fantastically brutal fight scenes by stating a simple, physical act and then following it up with evocative sensory information:

He pulled him to his feet, almost tearing the collar… He heard the slight rasp of material ripping.

That description, from his short story collection Barking at Butterflies , adds more physicality to the encounter than any physical description could.

Sensory information is also more relatable to readers. Not everyone has been held up by the collar, but everyone has heard fabric tear and tasted their own blood. You can summon incredibly detailed information through these minor descriptions: the pull needed to tear a collar is something most people can appreciate, so they understand the violence of the grip without ever consciously considering it.

6. Make the result clear

The opposite of writing a fight scene, but something worth considering in many cases, is to skip the violence entirely. It depends whether you’re trying to provide action or communicate violence, but for the latter this can be incredibly effective.

Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club isn’t about fight scenes or action, but communicates physical violence fantastically:

I asked Tyler what he wanted me to do. Tyler said, “I want you to hit me as hard as you can.”

At this point a new chapter begins:

Two screens into my demo to Microsoft, I taste blood… My boss doesn’t know the material, but he won’t let me run the demo with a black eye and half my face swollen from the stitches in my cheek.

Here, we don’t get any details of the fight, don’t even have it confirmed that a fight took place, and yet the visceral nature of the missing scene is more powerful because of it.

You don’t have to skip the fight completely, but remember that you can create a powerful sense of what’s happening by referencing the results. While the reader can’t call to mind the exact experience of the fight on the page, fear of injury is something everyone understands.

7. Context is key

The written word is capable of many feats other types of media can’t match, but one thing it isn’t is visual. This matters because a lot of writers take their fight-scene cues from visual media, attempting to mimic the visual bombast of movie shootouts or martial arts.

In a movie, it’s easy for a fight to be impressive all on its own. We can see the people taking part, appreciate their emotions, witness their speed and flexibility, even wince at their pain. In books, fights don’t bring so much of their own context, and if a reader doesn’t understand who is fighting, why, and what the consequences will be, they’re far less likely to be thrilled.

Your fight scene as an action scene

It’s useful, in this sense, to understand your fight scene as just one type of action scene, similar to chase scenes , arguments , and even sex scenes . These scenes are interesting because they’re interactions with consequences, and those consequences are usually what makes the action exciting.

If Character A is chasing Character B, the scene is fine enough. If we know the stakes of Character B escaping, the scene is much better. If we care about Character A and Character B, and have a preferred outcome to the chase, now the scene matters.

Without context, the most an action scene can hope to be is titillating, and it’s unlikely to achieve even that. Many first-time authors begin their stories with a fight scene because it’s the most exciting thing they can think of, but without characters or stakes, it’s hard to be excited by this non-visual style of action.

If you want to write a fight scene, make the stakes clear to your reader and make sure they care about at least one person in the fight. Otherwise, you’re just trying to ‘show’ them something they can’t see, which is what drives a lot of authors to fall back on all the harmful techniques we’ve already covered.

Fight for your write

So, those are our seven tips for writing great fight scenes. Choose pace over detail, don’t get bogged down by adverbs and passive voice, draw on sensory details and results as needed, and give the reader the context and perspective they need to get invested.

What other tips do you think writers should know when dealing with fight scenes? And what is the best fight scene you’ve ever read? Let me know in the comments below.

If you want to work at a larger scale, check out How To Write An Epic Battle Scene , and I also recommend Everything You Need To Know About Writing Fantasy Weapons and What You Need To Know About Writing Injuries for more insight on this topic.

Bronwyn Hemus

79 thoughts on “7 ways to write a damn good fight scene”.

I find that writing from my own experiences help the flow. I got beat up a lot in elementary school. when I write a fight scene, I focus on the emotional aspects ad well. the rushing flow of my blood as rage sweeps through me. the nauseous wave that cramps my stomach as pain ripples from my jaw from rock hard hit. It helps me to place myself in the heroes shoes and try to feel, physically and emotionally, what the hero would.

I’m sorry to hear you had that kind of experience but it’s great that you’ve taken ownership of it and used it positively in your art.

I think you’re completely right about linking the sounds and physical experiences of injury to the emotional experience of it. When you have a personal experience of this kind it can be applied to many different stories; no matter how outlandish the conflict the resulting physical and emotional reactions remain the same.

Best wishes, Rob

Yes, less is more, exactly: even in fight scenes. I especially enjoy your examples, like Palahniuk’s one. Very interesting article, fight scenes fit with fantasy novels, which are my favourite. Thanks

Hi boostwriter,

Thanks very much. Fight scenes do seem particularly at home in fantasy novels, often as part of a larger ‘battle’ scene. Battles are incredibly difficult to write, and often done best through smaller fight scenes that represent the battle as a whole.

ha ha that part about cavemen x) i read a start to a book whose cover was very interesting, but it was written in caveman the whole first paragraph and it aggravated me so much that i didn’t give a unicorn about the story, i just closed the book and looked for a new one. Indeed, all of your points are spot-on and very helpful. Thank you, please keep posting =) Best wishes!

Thanks so much for your feedback and kind words. Yes, caveman style gets old very quickly. There’s also the fact that, generally, starting a book with that kind of action tends not to work. People are keen on it because it’s common (and works) in movies and television, but that’s because action is visceral and thrilling to WATCH. When we read action scenes more of our reaction comes from the context – we worry about a character we like getting hurt – than the action itself. Consequently if a book begins with action that might grip us if we cared about the characters, the gap between how we feel and how the author wants us to feel becomes very apparent.

I am writing a screenplay and led beautifully into a fight scene, but I came to a dead end when it came to the writing the scene itself. So, I didn’t write it at all 🙂 Here’s what I ended with: note: Ben was kicked out of a fictional high school gang called The Boys. Most names are standing names, not finalized.

The Boys arrive at an open field, the gang The Saints are waiting. Ben, in bandages and on a crutch, limps past The Boys. The Boys freeze in shock at his arrival.

BEN (to the Saints): Your two best against me decides the fight.

SAINT ALEX: The Saints don’t make deals with The Boys.

Ben cracks his neck and throws down his crutch.

BEN: Good thing I’m not one of them.

Two Saints sprint toward Ben, one two steps ahead of the other. Ben engages. A single blow. First one down. Impact. The second tackles Ben with brute force. They land with an audible thud.

CUT TO BLACK, FADE TO:

Ben wakes up in a hospital bed. His breath is shallow, his face swollen. Ben wares more bandages than clothing. Ben rolls his head and looks at the table next to him. A note on the table beside him reads: “You saved our asses. Thanks -The Boys” Ben smiles.

Leaving room for the actors and the director to choreograph a fight scene is a great idea when writing a screenplay, and even translates to novels – the reader is a fantastic director, you just need to give them enough information to play out their own idea of how it happened.

A warmth filled johns belly. It trickeled down his leg. “Have I pissed myself again?” Johns legs went numb as he sat down in the grass. His sword became heavy so he let it slip his grasp. “No one can know I’ve pissed myself again.” A shriek rang down from above.John stared into the cloudless sky. He knew that sound. The cry of an emperial falcon.He had seen many of them during his training at the battle camps. He promised his mom, a lover of winged creatures, he would buy one for her. The bird faded from his vision, but he continued searching for it in the greysky which he could have sworn was blue moments ago. A faint sound crept up from behind the young boy. “amazing, I can hear the flaping of your wings great bird.” A shadow slowly grew in front of john. A grin surfaced beneath the dried blood on John’s face. “ve never had a bird fly so close.” A thumping sound filled johns ears as theshadow began moving. Johns vision began to blur. “are you flying away great bird? Please take me with you.” Cried the boy as the ground raced towards his face. He felt a strange peace as his vision blackened. John smiled as he envisioned flying away towards his mother’s cottage. Slowly his eyelids lowered and he flew away from the nightmare of war.

Can u tell me what you think this scene is about. I try to evoke the readers emotion without being direct. I’m practicing lol. Want to be a writer, one who makes people cry, cheer, throw my book at the wall in anger and pick it back up again in curiosity.:)

it’s about a boy who dies after fighting in a war?

Would you say these same tips apply for fights that are rather supernatural? Eg. One with a trident vs someone weaponless that doesn’t stay down

Hi Rebekah,

In a word, yes. The style of writing is meant to evoke the threat and pace of the situation, so it would be applicable to the kind of fight you describe.

Hi Antonio,

I read it as a death on the battlefield scene, a soldier reflecting on his life before the conflict.

i am looking forward to writing one… https://www.wattpad.com/myworks/36246660-mayday

All my books include at least on fist fight between two people who know little about fighting (or at least one knows little.) One or both characters are afraid of fighting and generally will do just about anything to avoid getting in a fight. You tips are very helpful. I failed at the less is more rule in the beginning, but caught on and I think those scenes are not only strengthened, but easier on the reader. I find spending a bit more on the characters experience with the unexpected adrenaline rush, emotions, fears and anger is better. I actually received some feed back from readers who felt for the characters who were more or less trapped into a fist & wrestling fight. That my characters are mostly not skilled in fighting helped win reader sympathy. I managed to stay out of fights, though as human nature goes, I was very close to not being able to get out of close encounters as a teen and young adult. That experience of fear, trepidation, excitement along with some degree of wanting to hit the other person I wanted to bring out in my characters.

You’re right, those visceral feelings are really compelling and the reader is far more likely to back a character who’s been forced into a fight. I think one of the best ‘trying to avoid a fight’ scenes is Romeo and Juliet, act 1 scene 1. The whole idea of bravado versus the reality of injury is really strong, especially in the hands of directors like Baz Luhrmann. If you haven’t seen the opening scene of Romeo + Juliet (by which I mean the 1996 movie) I’d recommend it as great research.

Well Im writing a mystery novel with a touches of paranormal themes. My books always have an immense focus on fights because of the violent nature of one of my characters. I am having trouble with these because I personally have never been very descriptive in my writing. But this Article really helped me understand more of what to do and how to write them. Thanks

I’m really glad this article has been useful to you. Don’t give up on trying to nail your fight scenes – it’s a genuinely difficult subject to get right.

So i have attempted to use this guide to write my first battle scene i will actually use in a story if its ok i would love abit of feedback.

[This scene has been removed by a moderator. Please don’t post entire scenes into comments. For extensive feedback on your writing please refer to our editing services .]

Thanks in advance

It’s really gratifying that you’ve got such immediate use out of the article, so thanks for sharing this part of your story! You’ve completely understood what I was writing about, and all the techniques described are used to great effect in your writing.

If I was going to suggest anything it would be more sensory information in the final section – the more you can put the reader in the cramped, deafening midst of battle the better. Also a proofread would be necessary before including this in a larger work, to catch any errant spelling or grammar issues.

If you want feedback on any more of your work, or to talk more about your story, please feel free to contact me via //www.standoutbooks.com/contact/ .

Hi, I’m writing a fantasy novel and I’m trying to give my character a specific fighting technique. Basically I’m in love with Japanese style Niten Ichi-Ryu, a style that uses both the katana and the smaller wazitashi and I want my character to use this technique. But since it’s set in a fantasy world that knows nothing about Japan or another other country, how would you incorporate it? Or should I just leave it out altogether? The fighting style that is?

Hi Bexter08,

There are a few options for how to handle the fighting style you’ve mentioned. First of all, you could have the character use the style, but not refer to it as Niten Ichi-Ryu – either not naming the style or else inventing an in-world name for it. Second of all, you could simply use the correct name and brazen it out – fantasy worlds are full of terms that can’t realistically, linguistically have developed there (‘katana’ is one of these), and with confidence and skill it’s possible to win the reader over to accepting them. This option would be made easier if the narrator refers to the style by name, but it’s not used in dialogue. Thirdly, you could use the English translation (which I believe is along the lines of ‘the school of the strategy of two heavens as one’), or some variation of it. Finally, you could lose the style altogether, but that would be a shame over what’s a tricky but minor issue.

My advice would be to keep the style and give it an in-world name. This could be a variant of its translated name (‘the school of two heavens’, for example), or a new term that works in your world. The only drawback to the latter option is that those familiar with the style may feel irritated, as if you’re trying to pretend you’ve made it up. This could be solved with a note in the foreword – ‘the style used by _________ and referred to as _________ is Niten Ichi-Ryu’ – or by somehow referencing its actual name – perhaps the person who taught it to the character/the place where they learned it has a name that’s phonetically similar to the style. ‘Nyten’/’Niton’, for example.

I hope that’s useful.

Dear Robert.

I am in amidst of writing a story, and a lot of fight scenes are potentially involved. In regards to leaving much of it to Reader imagination and keeping pace … What if the fight was written like boxing commentary? Think that would work due to short and fast paced that is in real life?

Trying to find that balance between what I would like the reader to see versus what they will conjure up. Got some intricate stuff in mind and I do not want to lose all of it. Thanks for writing this article! It has come in handy. We need more like it.

That sounds like an interesting device – would the narrator be the ‘commentator’, or would one of the actual characters be describing what took place?

It would be the narrator. That way not all the choreography would be lost if done right.

Thanks again.

Sounds like a smart device. My only recommendation would be to ensure you lay the groundwork for that device before jumping into it, so it doesn’t feel forced in execution.

Hello Robert.

I must say, that I find your advice spot on. In my writing I have used all of these techniques – but I wish I had read your advice first – it would have saved me a bloody lot of time. Instead of hammering it out for myself, I could’ve relied on your expertise.

The think there maybe one exception to you words of wisdom: space battles (yes, I know. I am one of those). The quiet majesty of space I believe requires more description rather than less. The vivid scenes of destruction with lasers and missiles and plasma beams play well against the void of space. That being said, I have also finished off ships and their entire crews in a short paragraph.

I am most curious. Although this is a bit outside the parameters of your well-written article, what are your thoughts on fights between vessels, (sailing vessels, modern warships, tanks, starships) both terrestrial and non?

I would like your

Thanks for commenting – I take your point about space battles. Description can lead to detachment in fight scenes, but as you say, sometimes that works well with the sterility and isolation of space. An odd example, perhaps, but the videogame ‘FTL’ is about minutely managed space battles, and the bare-bones story really works with that approach – you’re on the run from a much larger force, adrift in hostile space, so knowing every little thing that can go wrong heightens that narrative tension.

As far as battles between machines of war go, I think the key is to focus on individual experience. You can, of course, write about tank vs. tank and armada vs. armada (you can write about anything, with enough skill and drafting), but it’s usually more effective to communicate that battle via the experiences of a single crew member. A huge indent being punched into a tank’s wall, or someone burning their hand on a gun that’s been rattling off rounds, can convey the experience of this type of fight without getting lost in technical details.

It’s not a perfect example because there are visual aspects to the medium, but Garth Ennis’ ‘War Stories’ comic book series does this really well. For him, it’s all about the individuals, but he also uses their relationship to their vehicles to anthropomorphize tanks and planes. There’s one story where a huge tank takes on a sort of ‘monster’ role in the story, emerging from the undergrowth just when the protagonists think they’re safe. Certainly a good place to start if looking for examples.

Okay, so my story is about superheroes and villains. Also, I don’t really like short fights but I understand I shouldn’t have 5 pages of fighting. How could I make the fight seem longer but use less pages?

Also, grammar question, can the whole fight be in one paragraph or no?

Thanks for your questions. You can make fights feel longer in a variety of ways. One really effective device is to cut away for a while – perhaps to a character witnessing the action from afar, or someone elsewhere. This lets the fight keep going while the reader is ‘away’, allowing you to extend it for however long suits your needs. In a similar vein, showing the consequences of the fight – the collateral damage – can add to the perceived duration, as the reader has to justify how so much damage has been done.

You can also sidetrack the reader with a few details. If your characters topple a building then let them fly away for a moment, but stay with the building, describing how people escape and how it eventually falls down completely. This is a combination of the devices above, and works as a kind of illusion for the reader – if such a passage is presented between when the fight starts and when it ends, the reader will include it in the duration of the fight afterwards, even if it was really more of an aside.

You could also break the fight up over time – having the fight begin, flashing back to its cause, and then rejoining it – again, this stretches out the reader’s perception of how long the fight has been going on.

In terms of directly witnessing the fight, there are fewer options. As tempting as it can be to show the reader a huge, prolonged fight scene, they rarely translate to the less visual medium of writing. Really, the only thing that justifies a huge fight scene is making the reader really, really want to see the outcome – having built up the animosity between the characters, or the desire to see one of them bite the dust. That kind of build-up takes time, so it’s probably only going to be possible to ‘earn’ two such fight scenes in a story.

Whether the whole fight is in one paragraph or not depends on your writing style and the way you’ve treated paragraphs elsewhere. That said, it would be unusual to turn such an action-heavy scene into a single block of text. We’ve got an article on paragraphs coming up soon, including when it’s best to break them, so that should answer your question in more detail.

hi my names alexis im wriitng a 30,00 word novel for nation novel writing weak im in 8th grade and this is what i got so far————————. The loudness of the room was getting louder and louder until everyone knew that there was gonna be a big huge staring contest that was going to happen during lunch. But when Michaela arrives with Elizabeth they sit down in the chairs that were blue, clean,shiny,and had a new smell to it but those blue shiny chairs where by the cafeteria table that they were sitting. All the sudden they see that Maddie was already there with her boyfriend and her friends,which they didn’t care. but when Michaela and Elizabeth discovers that Maddie, her boyfriend, and her friends are staring at them, and they immediately get mad at maddie so Michala and Elizabeth start staring at them and maddie saw that they were staring back so maddie gave michaela and elizabeth weird looks. And everyone out of nowhere was just staring at Michaela,Elizabeth,Maddie,her boyfriend,and her friends. But as soon as they left the cafeteria it was really quiet but when everyone left the cafeteria, they said there was staring contest, but no fight.

Thanks very much for sharing your NaNoWriMo writing. I’m afraid it’s had to be cut down, as we can only accomodate so much text in the comments. Beginning writing so young is a sure path to future brilliance, so congratulations on your work and be sure to keep at it.

Hello Mr. Wood I don’t know if you’ll see this, but I had a question. I’m now writing a fantasy book where the characters can influence gravity around them and practically fly/jump great distances at great speeds. I’m now struggling in a scene where one of the characters is chasing a bad-guy (who also has those powers). How can I write a chase scene that doesn’t actually get boring? Would really help if you’d share some advice on this matter. Thanks

Thanks for the great question. I think the key thing to keep in mind is that a chase isn’t inherently interesting. Almost no physical competition is – it’s the potential outcomes that interest the reader, and then the chase (or fight, or race, or argument) becomes interesting for how likely a specific outcome seems at any given moment.

To that end, the key to a great chase scene is how worried the reader is that someone will be caught/will get away. Every stumble or shortcut makes one of those outcomes more likely, and that’s something to keep in mind when writing them. This should guide what you focus on – is someone feeling tired, is there an obstacle coming up, is there a point the character can reach where they’ll be impossible to catch?

All the tips above apply – keep it basic, let the reader choreograph the scene, and keep your focus as the author on potential outcomes. As the reader, all the excitement and intrigue of a chase scene comes from who’s going to win. Strip away incidental dialogue, set-dressing, and anything that isn’t about that. Also, try to vary which outcome seems more likely. If it feels like a character is about to be caught and they escape, or it looks like they’re about to get away and then they stumble, that’s the moment where the reader’s heart really starts beating.

Hope that’s what you were looking for.

Hello Mr. Wood

I need advice how to write an aerial, ground and naval battles. When I’m writing a fight scene it look simple and doesn’t excite the readers. This caused me to lose motivation on writing a decent story if I can’t excite the readers.

I’m currently writing two story. The first one is where a large military base was transport to a messed-up fantasy world where magic exists. They trained the peasants to fight against their tyrannical rulers and the corrupted nobles. The second one is a massive denizens went to the another world but find out that the world is controlled by a corrupted Empires so they decided to start a bloody world revolution.

I have a wild imagination so I want to write a good fight scene.

Hi Michael,

Thanks for your comments. In terms of writing huge battles, I’d suggest utilizing some of my advice to Edward (above), and also keeping your eyes peeled, as we have an article on writing battle scenes in the pipeline that should provide more comprehensive information.

In your particular case, though, I’d suggest caution. You say that your scenes fail to excite readers, and I wanted to check that this conclusion is a result of consulting with beta readers. The reason I ask is that there’s a definite tendency to overwrite fight and battle scenes for authors, specifically because it’s impossible to get down on paper the complexity and scale that’s in their heads. Feeling that a scene doesn’t live up to the vision can lead authors to scrap something that’s working.

The key is not to try and chase the vision – to write in such a way that the reader is brought in as a partner, filling in details and choreographing their own most exciting scene. I think in most cases I’d argue there’s no way to write an objectively great battle scene (by which I mean a battle scene that, in and of itself, grabs and excites the reader regardless of everything else about it). Instead, it’s about building up the context of the battle beforehand, communicating it as a web of individual experiences, and leaving space for the reader. As with any action scene, it’s also advisable to focus on the potential outcomes. For example:

A scene where 127 men are blown up = boring. A scene where 127 men are blown up, but where the reader knows that 400 men will be needed to storm a fortress, and there are only 568 left = tense and exciting.

Really, it’s about making the reader do math on the fly. They need to know the ‘win’ and ‘lose’ conditions and then understand every event as a new variable. That way, they’re constantly thinking ‘oh no, now they’re more likely to lose’ or ‘that means they COULD still win’. Once you’ve got that, then it’s time to dress it up a little so the whole process seems a little more natural and less like an equation – battle estimates provided through a commander figure via dialogue rather than narration, taking enough time over a moment that it doesn’t feel perfunctory, that kind of thing.

I hope that’s useful, and please let us know what you think of the battle article once it’s up.

Hello and thank you. I’m writing a story that I most say is writing itself. But two of my characters have been snipping at each other for so long and the testosterone has finally hit its boiling point and there is no alternative, they have to duke it out. I have never written a fight scene. Your blog was the first one to catch my eye in google search. Thanks to you I now know how to proceed. I love the idea of putting the five senses in instead of description. Show don’t tell 😉 I’m very excited.

Fantastic, I’m really glad the article was so useful. I’ve also written specifically on sense writing, and have included a link to that article below:

//www.standoutbooks.com/sense-writing/

I dread battles… I hate them. For some of my earlier attempts I relied on character emotion but seeing as how I’m writing the last book of my series right now though, I am under alot of pressure to offer a lot of action especially since the whole series is leading up to this final fray. I’ve been building the action/tension through small skirmishes for the last while but I will admit it is wearing me down. My fear now is that my reserves will run dry and spoil what I hope to be an awesome climax. One thing I do find to my benifit is that, over the course of seven books, I was able to introduce a wide variety of characters slow enough for the readers to form a strong relationship with them all. Whenever I do tackle the final battle, having so many characters (I don’t know if it’s a good practice) it allows me to write several mini battles in the war, jumping between the characters I use that as my primary tool to offer more action/longer battles. Keep in mind though, this whole jumping between characters style I subtly introduced in book one and by book two I was using it constantly so my readers are used to that style. I find it helps keep the action up so if a character is doing something boring like learning or traveling etc I usually always have another engaged in more entertaining tasks. Just offering a tool that helps me… I wish I could say the same with battles though. I’m hopeless when it comes to them. 🙁

Hi Breanna,

Thanks very much for your thoughts, and a method that will help other writers with their stories. I’m happy to say we also have some advice specific to battles – I’ve included the link below.

//www.standoutbooks.com/write-epic-battle-scene/

Thanks Rob that made my day, it’s nice to know that I was able to offer something of use thay may help someone. I did check out the resource you offered, it is certainly informative. I find I need reprieves between the action both for my creative juices to recover and rest from the high points but also it is in these breaks that I bring back purpose of these fights, whether it is the character navigating the dungeon, redefining what he was looking for or regrouping after an ambush I need these lulls, they are my pillars of grounding, a chance to remind myself and readers what we’re there for. I’ll offer a quick example specific to my plot. Like with Harry Potter, my main character is the Chosen One destined to fulfill a prophecy. They are right now camping near the dark city assembling siege weapons preparing for the fight. The Bad Guy, so to speak, gets this bright idea that if he is able to kill the Chosen One this battle won’t happen and the lands will remain shadowed so he sends an ambush, waits for the main character to be seperate from the main army gathering wood for instance and then attacks. (High action scene) though the catch is that the ambush is made up of undead to increase the chances of the ambush being successful (it was only called off because the leader of the ambush was human and died properly telling his men to retreat). So now, in a lull the main character realises that there are undead he must face in the battle and is talking with any one he can trying to find a way to defeat them else every good folk will be killed by them. I am sorry it’s a bit long but again the ambush had purpose, it created further conflict forcing the Chosen One to adapt. I see no reason to add action with no purpose. One of my first writing lessons was that character and plot are so intertwined remove one and the other falls apart. For a good story they must alter each other in some way. On the flip side I remember reading this novel (which wasn’t very memorable) and in it there was one quote I recal rather vividly as it offers a perfect example of what not to do; Character One: “…we are battling, do you love battles?” Main Character: “Sure I love battles, who are we battling exactly?” Hope I helped.

Thanks for the great examples. I promise not to reply to everything you post with another article, but you reminded me of something we posted on ‘eulogizing’ characters prior to their deaths (though it works just as well for places or even states of being, like innocence or love). It works exactly as you say – in the lull – and lends the forthcoming battle meaning and poignancy.

//www.standoutbooks.com/how-to-kill-character/

Heres one im proud of about a barbarian sort of character winning a duel

The axe came downward and cut through the man’s right shoulder stopping at the first , second , third rib. The man inhales , no air comes back out. The bull puts his foot under the blade and with a single motions pulls it out , dragging a gore of dark flesh and pale organs out with it

Hi MadBull,

Thanks for sharing! There’s definitely some excellent stuff in there – ‘first, second, third rib’ is compelling writing. One thing I would suggest is that ‘came’ isn’t doing enough work for you, at the moment. A more descriptive verb such as ‘sliced’ or even ‘swept’ would tighten this up, and maybe even do enough work to take the place of the whole ‘came downward and cut’.

I’m working on writing with elements that I haven’t read about in a book before, attacks that haven’t existed before (at least in what I’ve been exposed to). Is it harmful to provide a lot of information about the way a person attacks if it is cerebral or indirect. I don’t want my audience to see the play by play, but I want to give them the resources, so when they inhabit the flesh-suit of my characters, they experience combat the way my characters are designed to.

The rule of thumb is that the form of action writing should match its content – if the fighting is meant to be fast-paced and violent, the writing should be staccato. It’s therefore fine to write detailed, cerebral action, but that’s likely to then be the way the reader experiences it. This can work for balletic, graceful action, but it means the reader is unlikely to worry about the character in the same way that brisk writing encourages.

One technique that might work is to write some early, cerebral stuff, to cover the key ideas for the reader, and then move towards more intense fight scenes later.

I’m revising my chapters, I write in deep pov, (or at least I try hard too,!) so yes “the man” is actually needed as she doesn’t know who he is. xD anyway, this has some action to it.

How is this?

The man walked down the darkened hallway, the candles on the wall reflected off of the blade of a thin long handled battle axe that he welded in hand like one would a wand. Maybe Olnenus would grant some luck for a change and he’d miss… that thing surely was flimsy. His features were hidden in the deep hood as he came up to the cell door. She quivered with the pressure struggling to keep from lunging, sweat wet her palms. This had to be a joke right? He’s so tall and skinny, honestly, Kar should’ve sent down someone with more oomph! Still all the better to get out fast. Thank you, Olnenus!

He unlocked the cell door it creaked as he pushed it open, a shining stand of curly red hair fell out from the hood, a hawk like nose jutted out before those hateful green eyes.

The pot clattered as it dropped, she backed away everything was sour again, must have displeased Olenus again. “Damn you Kar.”

He grinned, rolling the axe in his hand, it shrunk and thinned back into a wand. “Good morning pet, not amused hum?” He giggled that freaky giggle again.

A cold streak ran up her neck, she suppressed a shiver. “I won’t be mocked!” She lunged at him, her arm pulled back into a sweaty fist, aiming for his adam’s apple. That’ll shut him up.

Hum.. dialogue still needs work, well, never mind I think the action stuff is better so thanks. ^-^

One more time.. He grinned, rolling the axe in his hand, it shrunk and thinned back into a wand. “Good morning pet, want some kibble?” He giggled that freaky giggle again.

(To lame? or funny? I think it’s hella funny, though my humor is a little odd and might not work for others. Sigh.)

Thanks for sharing – there’s some great, engaging narration in there. If you’d like detailed feedback on a project, you can click the blue button in the top right of the page to contact us directly.

Thank you, you’re kind to say that! I’ll check it out. 🙂 Though, it’s probably too early to have it evaluated yet.

Hello, Mr. Wood? I am a 14 year old aspiring author. So far, my only means of writing my stories is by school-provided computers and/or smart device. Anyways, I am currently writing a story about a group of aliens that crash-land on Earth. These aliens have supernatural abilities, such as cryomamcy and reality warping. There is about to be a fight scene between two aliens. (It should be noted that these aliens have horns that are extremely sensitive to any contact.) One of these aliens has the ability of electrokinesis, while the other has the ability to possess others. Also, their height is very uneven, one being 5’10, the other being 5’2. What do you suggest for this type of scene? I apologize if there was too much to read! I can get a bit wordy at times.

Hi Rebecca,

Thanks for commenting. It really depends how you want the scene to play out – for example, is either of these characters the protagonist, or are nearby civilians how the reader sees things unfold?

The articles below should be useful; the first is about writing battles, which might be useful when one character can be multiple people, and the second is about the characteristics that readers expect from certain fictional weapons, including types of magic and supernatural powers.

//www.standoutbooks.com/write-epic-battle-scene/ //www.standoutbooks.com/writing-fantasy-weapons/

Sir, I want a little bit help in writing a fight scene between my characters who have powers in fire and water.

Hi Adyasha,

I think the article below should be useful in thinking of ways to characterize and write supernatural powers:

//www.standoutbooks.com/writing-fantasy-weapons/

I’ve looked everywhere for an example of a good old fashioned bar/pub shootout. I’m writing a screenplay and originally I planned on just showing the aftermath of said shootout, but I thought why not show it? However, I’ve never written one. You wouldn’t write it like a fist fight or a cage match… so, what’s out there that would be a good model? My mind is blank!

Great question – thanks for commenting. I think a lot of the bare bones logic of a fight scene remains – there are still ‘moves’, ‘reactions’, and a need to contextualize consequence – but shootouts are often more about tension than one constant ‘fight’. The articles below should help with that, and for inspiration, I’d suggest most anything Tarantino.

//www.standoutbooks.com/10-facts-tell-how-use-tension-your-story/ //www.standoutbooks.com/george-orwell-writing-advice/

I do not completely agree. Sometimes the use of detail is helpful because you want to lengthen a particular part of a scene rather than shorten it. You want your readers to get stuck on a certain, and realize how important it is. Rather than have it pass quickly with not as much thought. Right?

Obviously, with art, there are barely any absolute rules. Most advice is more along the lines of what is likely to create a certain effect than what absolutely has to/can’t be in a certain scene. So, yes, there are lots of occasions where you’d want to use detail to lengthen a moment, but that technique is still likely to sap momentum, and therefore to make the fight less visceral and compelling.

It’s like saying ‘don’t stick your hand in a lion’s mouth’ – it’s USUALLY true, but if you WANTED to get your hand bitten off for some reason, it would no longer apply, even though the actual logic (that it’s an action that will get your hand bitten off) doesn’t change in itself. A more applicable version might be ‘try to use speech identifiers or it will be unclear who is saying what’. Good advice usually, but applied differently if you’re in the rare situation of actually wanting the reader to be confused about who is speaking.

Of course, creating art creates such ‘rare’ situations with surprising frequency. The shorter version: absolutely, there can be a benefit to deliberate use of detail, but that benefit should still be weighed against the drag it imposes on the surrounding action.

I am not very good at writing the actual fight part of it, I use a lot of detail and I have been told I am good at arguments. I am not sure where to go with my battle though. I am at the climax of my story and the antagonist is supposed to die. Both of my characters in the fight have magical powers. The Protagonist can use shadows to give her energy to fight things and can shape the shadows to do certain tasks like lift her up into the air or burn out torches. My antagonist uses light for energy and counters the shadows but I am not sure how to write it. This is what I have so far:

[Comment shortened by moderator]

From there I am not sure where to go. The father is supposed to die, I am thinking that somehow he needs to be absorbed by the orb of light so that the protagonist’s town doesn’t crumble, but I do not know how to get there does anybody have any suggestions?

I apologize; I’ve had to cut down your comment to keep our comments section manageable. If you’d like detailed feedback from an editor, I recommend our manuscript critique or editorial consultation services.

As for general advice, I’d suggest the article below, which discusses using the assumed ‘character’ of weapons to write them consistently. It’s something easily applied to types of magic.

Hello! This article really helped me with a part of the book I am writing, and just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed it! If I could add one thing, it would be (if the fight is written through first person, or an omniscient) Is the characters thoughts, what has helped me a lot is to not just making it a physical battle, but emotional as well, ie, “He is saying something to me, but I cannot hear it over all the angry voices in my own head. Suddenly, I forgot my own pain, and lunged forward. I slammed into him vehemently, he tumbles back and crashes into the wall. I begin pummeling his chest and neck with my fists, screaming and ranting. My hatred for him, and what he did, is powering each blow…” (A recent segment from what I’m writing) I guess this really wouldn’t apply to everyone though, and would really depend on what your writing. Again I really enjoyed reading this, and your article has helped my writing improve so much! Thank you!

Hi Equinøx,

Great point – a character’s mental state should definitely be part of a great fight scene. A lot of authors leave emotion at the door when the action starts, but it can prompt a lot of decisions that are otherwise hard to justify (plus, it’s interesting in its own right.)

What a useful resource! I’ll be checking out more articles. 🙂

I was wondering if you have any advice on scene cuts or changes mid fight. I could see how breaking away could add tension, lose it, or just be annoying.

I’m towards the end of a long, involved fight scene in my sci-fi/fantasy novel. Currently, my main character is being hunted by a 60ft long, alien snake, and I kinda love the idea of punctuating the last line by ending the chapter on it. But would that be superfluous if the next chapter dives right back into the action? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

“Wren didn’t see it. He was distracted by the four golden eyes now focused on him. Drawn by his noise and movement, the snake rose like a pillar of shadow and let forth a bassy growl that thrummed through Wren’s bones.

Wren didn’t wait for further commentary. His hand whipped forward. His knife flew like an angry wasp into the face of the lunging snake as he rolled to the side and dashed along the beam. He leapt for a low hanging limb, swinging up into a tree just as the beam behind him was encased in tentacles. He scampered along branches and ducked into cover, chancing a glance downward at Rory and Whispering Cloud as the beast disentangled itself to strike again.

He needed Cloud to get the cable back up to him. Once he had it, Wren could free Rory, trap the snake, and get them all to safety – but he was out of tricks, and he could hear the purr of the snake’s breathing as it searched for him, smell its musk as surely as he knew it could smell the blood soaking the bandage on his hand and dripping down the cuts of his arms.

He hoped Cloud had used his distraction to get the cable into position, but all he’d seen was the monk rifling through his backpack. He hoped Rory was still alive. He hoped Cantis was still waiting for them, even though he doubted they’d make it back. It occurred to him that the tree he was pressed against was immense and was something he had never, and would never see again on White Cloud. All these things played through his mind as he waited, silent and breathless for the “collection of problems” that would be his death.

The snake’s golden eyes came into view, and its face unfurled like a velvet flower. Wren had enough dignity not to scream. “

Sorry. Also wanted to mention, as a side note, that setting always makes a huge impression on me. Not stuffing the scene with details, but making sure your characters aren’t just fighting in a vacuum.

A fight being on top of a train, or the deck of a storm tossed pirate ship, or next to the Cliffs of Insanity sure does ratchet up the tension. Even something common place, like a fight next to a swimming pool or in a muddy parking lot can be full of sensory information that add extra grit to the scene.

Hi Caroline,

Thanks for commenting. Your point about setting is a great one – such an easy way to provide oneself with a host of options.

As for ending a chapter mid-action, pretty much anything can be forgiven if it works for the reader. So long as you don’t end up with two noticeably shorter chapters, this is likely to add enough tension to justify any sense that a technical rule has been broken.

Thank you! 🙂

I found this article so helpful, considering I’m bad at fight scenes. Though, I do ask for more advice. How would you write a scene where one character is far more crazy than the other? The stereotypical insane character infatuated with the other losing, a sadistic villain hellbent on destroying the stubborn hero who won’t give up. Yes, the advice above helps, but do you have any examples of these types of fights? How do you write a fight between characters that are on different sides of the mental stability chain?

Thanks very much for the kind words. There are a lot of ways to approach what you describe, but the one I’d suggest playing with first is contrasting experiences. For instance, if the more stable character is hurt and recoils but the less stable character is injured later in a similar way and it doesn’t even slow them down, the reader can see (even without being told) how differently these two people experience the world. It’s the gulf between their experiences that does the work, here, so you can use one character to make the other look unusual just by comparison, and this can work with pain, fear, reluctance to hurt someone else, etc.

There are more straightforward examples you could check out, but I’d actually suggest trying ‘A Clockwork Orange’ to really dig into this idea. The book is full of people with very different approaches to different types of violence, and those people grow and change (or don’t) as the book progresses. In terms of density, you’ll get to witness a lot of interactions predicated on drastically different attitudes to a bit of the old ultraviolence.

This article was honestly one of the most helpful I’ve come across. I’m writing a novel based around pirates and some supernatural elements, and I’d written so much until it led to a fight scene. Action is a giant obstacle for me because I’m terrible at writing it without feeling like it’s choppy and repetitive. Especially since, when it comes to pirates, it’s a lot at once. You have the ships firing their cannons and causing damage while the actual pirates have guns, swords, and fists. I find it very difficult to start writing a fight, let alone finish one successfully.

My sympathies – big battles can be incredibly hard to write well. I’m glad this article helped, and I’ve suggested a couple below that should also be useful.

What Authors Need To Know About Ships And Spaceships How To Write An Epic Battle Scene

How about writing space battles that take place around planets? I feel stuck trying to narrate in third-person limited.

I wanted to zoom in and out of the battle to show what the weapons do, but my editor said my story isn’t working in third-person omniscient.

There are a few ways to do this. The easiest is to add some way for the characters to see more of the battle – a camera drone, some kind of remote-viewing power, or just a weapons/tactics expert telling them what’s happening. This way, the reader is still just seeing what your characters are seeing.

That said, the deeper issue is that leaving the characters behind to go exposit on weaponry is unlikely to be compelling. The characters are what the reader cares about, so this type of exploration is best done through their experiences. I’d therefore suggest writing the scene such that we see the weaponry as it affects the characters. A certain weapon is locked onto them, but they’re buffeted to safety as a nearby ship is blown up by another weapon. Dazed, they’re contacted by another ship with an enemy on its tail, but before they can take action, it’s downed by something else, etc. Not only does this let you explore everything going on, but it makes everything relevant, and the weapons are more interesting because the reader encounters them as threats to the thing they care about. Obviously, you can blur the lines a little, and throw in things they see in the distance or are contacted about so it doesn’t feel like they’ve been personally attacked in every possible way. Finally, be sure to remember that books aren’t movies – spectacle isn’t as inherently impressive in this medium.

I hope that’s useful, and I’d also suggest the articles below for more insight: How To Write An Epic Battle Scene What Authors Need To Know About Ships And Spaceships

Of all the articles I’ve read about the topic, this is the one that I’ve found the most useful, with very good examples to illustrate very clear and sensible advice. I just wanted to thank you for it.

hello. I am writing a training scene. My protagonist learns how to fight. The problem is that I don’t know how to bite that… help!

Robert can you give me tips on how to write a fight against monsters that can’t talk back. Do I just do the perspective of the character during the fight scene or should it change to a 3rd point of view in between the fight. This article has also been very helpful

I find it hard in constructing fight scenes some times. its easy to think about a scenario but to describe it to the readers, I always end up stuck and my last resort is to sleep. This article has been really helpful ! . Thanks to it, I know I’d improve.

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Ks3 Creative writing: Description - Monsters, close focus.

Subject: English

Age range: 11-14

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

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3 January 2022

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