Daily Cascade

Why Ghosts Haunt the Writer’s Muse

Prompt:
Ghosts and the paranormal provide a bottomless source of inspiration for writers.
Why do you think that is?

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Why are writers so taken with the paranormal? I believe it is because the ghost story and the paranormal in its varied forms stay around the longest in our culture. What is paranormal also lies between the known and the unknowable. What it is not, is not the cheap thrill of a sudden scare. This, I mistakenly had thought much earlier and I looked down at all "boo" producers; however, after reading the many works of WdC writers on the subject, I'm reformed now.

In essence, when I think about it, a writer's main task is to explore emotion, trauma, and consequences. Truly, ghosts are consequences, when it comes down to it. They are the residue of injustice, grief, guilt and love, which refuse to die.

Also, this enables a writer to bypass that internal thought, which is often shown in a live character. I don't ever recall a reading about a ghost's internal monologue. Instead, the ghost belongs, usually, with a setting. This setting is mostly a historical place, an old structure. Yet, a haunted house or place preserves time inside it. What we think are random details, like the scent of lilac, the creaky door to the attic, or that cold spot in the library, can be clues left from the past life of a ghost. This allows the writer to look deep into time, possibly the ghost's time, which should reveal itself somewhere in the plot.

Still, the most inspiring quality of the paranormal is its use as a tool for psychological suspense. In short, it tests our perception as humans. It makes what we call reality an iffy idea.

Then, for the writer who is versatile, (not yours truly), the paranormal is flexible and can be used in several genres. "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" comes to mind, for example. Then, how about the comedic, "Beetlejuice"?

At the end, the true power of the ghost is in its humanity and not in its ability to frighten. And this makes a good writer become interested in only what prevents the ghost or a similar spirit from leaving. This is the ultimate dare of the story writing. This is where the writer's muse always finds its own special voice.