To summarise:

How to Write a Monster

1. Provide a little background. Your monster may not exist in the real world, but it still needs some logical follow-through.
2. Leave space for the imagination.
3. Give it a name.
4. Make it hard to kill.

Our 10 Favorite Monsters

• Monster madness. An artist’s interpretation of a swimming Plesiosaur. (
• Bigfoot. Shot from the Famous Bigfoot Film.
• Vampires. Vampire Fangs.
• Werewolves. Werewolf Mask.
• Loch Ness Monster. An artist’s interpretation of a swimming Plesiosaur. (
• Sirens. A Computer Generated Siren.
• Chupacabra.
• Champ.

1. Incorporate basic fears into the monster.
2. Make it unknown.
3. Make it unpredictable.
4. If the previous two are applied correctly, then the observer (audience, character, whatever interacts with the monster) will image the monster to be much scarier than it really is.
5. Make them uncontrollable and powerful.

Here are the best story ideas:

• Tell the story of a scar, whether a physical scar or emotional one.
• A group of children discover a dead body.
• A young prodigy becomes orphaned.
• A middle-aged woman discovers a ghost.
• A woman who is deeply in love is crushed when her fiancé breaks up with her.

101 “What If…” Story Writing Prompts

• What if a nuclear submarine was ordered to launch their nuclear arsenal onto the world? ( Crimson Tide)
• What if a little boy could see dead people when nobody else could? ( The Sixth Sense)
• What if the world we live in is actually a computer simulation? ( The Matrix)

17 Ways To Make Your Novel More Memorable

1. Your protagonist drives the story.
2. Structure your book as a roller-coaster ride.
3. Tell the story in a linear way.
4. Write from your heart.
5. Start your novel at the end of the backstory you’ve created.
6. Include only the most important parts of the story.
7. Always remember the end.

This is the number one reason a story is boring. A story has to have conflict. But the conflict has to escalate in each scene, or the story gets old fast. For example, if a killer with an axe is chasing a girl around in the woods, that’s a good conflict.

Find out which starter makes your partner most interested in reading your story.

1. Start with action or dialogue.
2. Ask a question or set of questions.
3. Describe the setting so readers can imagine it.
4. Give background information that will interest readers.
5. Introduce yourself to readers in a surprising way.

EXPOSITION

3 Steps to Find Your Story’s Ending

• Crush With Consequences. Every major story choice is fraught with risk.
• Surprise With the Protagonist’s Reaction.
• Conclude With a Denouement.

A Checklist For Writing A Great Happy Ending

1. It’s positive, but not perfect.
2. Loose ends are tied up neatly.
3. No last-minute entanglements or distractions.
4. Hint at things to come.
5. No deus ex machina.
6. Happiness happens in context.
7. There’s A Difference Between The Right Ending And The Happy Ending.

It’s not always going to lead to a happy ending. Just like every other element, the ending must serve the story. That means there won’t always be a tight solution. One of my favorite movies ever is Stranger Than Fiction.

9 ways to end your stories

1. Closing the circle: The ending reminds readers of the beginning by returning to an important place or reintroducing a key character.
2. The tie-back: The ending connects to some odd or offbeat element earlier in the story.

The six types of story endings include:

1. Resolved ending.
2. Unresolved ending.
3. Expanded ending.
4. Unexpected ending.
5. Ambiguous ending.
6. Tied ending.