I’m a mystery writer, but my books are only minimally scary. They’re more about the puzzle and the characters.
But I think it would be fun to try something different.
The other day I was doing some yard work and noticed a HUGE spider. It was one of those zipper spiders, the kind that’s pictured above. The funny thing is that I’m not even scared of spiders. But I was scared of him. He was beautiful, but I didn’t realize he was so close to me. I had accidentally bumped his web and for a split second he raced down it, thinking he had a goody in there. I don’t think he’d have been able to handle me, but he was big enough to have considered it.
Cozy mysteries don’t ordinarily have a lot of scary scenes. But I’d like to incorporate something frightening with one of my next books. To me, the scariest things are the things we’re suddenly startled by—like the huge spider in the bushes that I didn’t realize was there.
One of the scarier movies to me was the first Halloween movie. The part that scared me the most? When Michael stood on the sidewalk and watched the girl he was stalking in broad daylight, then slipped behind the bushes when she spun around to see if he was there. It was scary because it was a sunny, beautiful fall day…and there was a psychopath right there in the middle of it.
Hitchcock was a master at making ordinary things frightening. The Birds was one of those movies. And Rear Window, where a bored voyeur spots a horrifying crime (or the evidence pointing to one having been committed.) Vertigo took a fear of heights to a whole new level.
Clearly, thrillers are best at delivering fear to the reader. But that’s not appropriate for my genre. I’d like to do it more subtly and work it in. Have a scary surprise.
What ordinary things do you find scary? Do your books have frightening aspects to them?
Ooh, I love your subject matter. First of all, I have to say, I was at a pool party many years ago, and when I moved my chair close to an iron fence in order to seek a little shade under an out of the way umbrella, I had an encounter with the strangest spookiest spider, IT WAS THE SAME KIND AS YOUR PICTURE SHOWS! I have not seen one since and did not know that it was called a “zipper spider”. I’m not that frightened of spiders, but that one freaked me out for some reason. I guess because it was so other-worldly.
The scariest scene in “Rear Window” was when Jimmy Stewart’s character has to witness Grace Kelly’s character snooping around in the Raymond Burr’s character’s apartment, and he comes home. Yikes!
I’m scared of people that lead secret lives. People that seem normal but are really monsters. Shudder.
I love trying to incorporate some fear in my novels too. It definitely helps build the tension. Thanks for this reminder as I’m plotting my next novel!
Clowns/Mimes frighten the spit out of me.
(Don’t get me started on IT.)
I have way too active of an imagination to read horror or graphic suspense. That’s why I love the cozy mysteries!
And I HATE spiders…I nearly jumped out of my seat when your blog came up and there’s that big ol’ spider! ugh!
Great point. The scariest thing I’ve seen in the news recently (and there’s been a lot in there to scare me) was that story about the sick man and wife who abducted that girl and held her captive–in a neighborhood!–for so many years. But everyone actually knew he was a bad guy (registered sex offender.) So he didn’t seem normal. Maybe more of a Ted Bundy (serial killer) type? Of course, my book wouldn’t have a serial killer in it, but I love my characters to have secret lives.
I’ve just started a series of short scary stories. Not horror, mind you; just good old scary stuff.
I love a good mystery with a ghost story twist. I love psychological thrillers like The Sixth Sense. The element of fear is such a driving force in real life and in fiction. It makes our characters do things we never planned, never dreamed.
My first trilogy is filled with the ominous cloud of fear and unknowing. It’s what drives my plot along.
And p.s., spiders seriously fighten me. I have a phobia. No exaggeration. I see a spider bigger than my thumbnail and I have a mild anxiety attack. Not pretty.
Have a great weekend!
Jen
Since I don’t write mysteries or horror, my writing doesn’t have that kind of thing. And I can’t see scary movies any more. The dark images seem to stay with me and I don’t sleep well and I’m a nervous wreck.
I am afraid of spiders and snakes. And people who lie. And people who aren’t what they seem. And…oops this could get long-winded. I’ll stop here.
Karen
I do want scary and suspenseful things in my mysteries. Maybe that’s why I’m trying to move from amateur sleuth to suspense/thriller in my new project. I love the chilling feeling in a book that something bad is about to happen.
I do not like that feeling in real life, however. I am afraid of bats (and vampires) and people who give off bad vibes (if I get a gut feeling the person is not what he pretends to be or I feel threatened in his presence).
Hi, Elizabeth!
I do enjoy mysteries, but I can’t do scary. My mind is so overactive that I end up having nightmares. Unfortunately, I learned that the hard way. But I love a good puzzle!
Have a great weekend!
My WIP is suspenseful (I hope) but not out and out scary. There’s a mystery (of course) but the story is more ‘why’ then ‘how’.
Scary stuff for me? Snakes. Don’t trust ’em. Hate ’em. Hate ’em hard. Spiders aren’t my favourite creature either. As for movies – ohhh, nothing beats the last few minutes of “Silence of the Lambs” when Jodie Foster is down in that dark basement. The first time I saw it I closed my eyes, plugged my ears and hummed. Really.
Elspeth
I’m not a very scary person in real life. I CAN get scared with a well written scary book, though. The Shining had me grippin’ for sure. A little touch of fright in a cozy mystery could work, I think. Just stay away from gory.
BTW, awesome pic of spidey!
Marvin D Wilson
Since I don’t do mysteries or horror, my books don’t have those kind of frightening aspects. But they do have scary moments in terms of the human condition and situations out of control.
BTW – I have one of those spiders outside my office window. I love the web-weavers!
And Poltergeist was scary, because it was a NEW house, not an old house, that was haunted.
L. Diane Wolfe “Spunk On A Stick”
http://www.circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com
I think what’s scary in mystery books is the unexpected in an ordinary day. The character is caught up in his own ordinary day when something happens. It’s like the scary guy jumping out at you in the horror book.
Helen
Straight From Hel
I think some of the scarier scenes are those in which a character is sure something is going to happen and you’re tense waiting for it and just when you start to tell yourself it’s safe, you can breathe again, that something finally happens. And, anything with spiders or snakes scares me to death, too!
Jody–I’m going to have to figure out how best to write it. I do write some scary scenes, of course, but they are heavier on action (believe it or not!) than the unexpected scare.
Marvin–The Shining…whew. THAT was scary. Nothing like a deranged writer! :) I think about that a lot, though, when I’m busily typing away “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.” Scary!!!!
Diane–You’ve brought up a really interesting point with your Poltergeist reference. THAT was a cool twist. My kids always ask about whether our house is haunted (they, clearly, are blessed/cursed with big imaginations) and I always say it’s a new house, so it can’t be haunted. Guess I’ll have to make sure they don’t want Poltergeist anytime soon!
Alan–Ohhhh. “It.” I still have nightmares about that clown. Ugh.
Sharon–That’s what I stick with, too, since I don’t like being scared a lot. But I’m thinking about a little fright being introduced into my next book. I can’t go very far with it, though–not the right genre for it.
Helen–You’re absolutely right. It’s chilling.
Jen–I’m really interested in the ghost story mysteries, too. I’m going to have to check into those. Your books sound intriguing!
Karen–I’m not a big fan of snakes, either, Karen. They jump out of pine straw at me.
Jane–Like the movies where the bad guy LOOKS dead. But he’s just waiting to grab you and try to murder you again? SCARY. That might be something interesting to play around with.
Patricia–I can’t go too far with fear in cozies, but I’d like to spice it up a little. Maybe you should blog a bit on your different mystery genres. I’d be interested to read it. I’m tied to cozies now, but…
I have to admit I have a fear of walking outside at night where its dark and unlit, then feeling my body passing though the thick sticky web. What’s worse is hearing the noise. You just know a web that big, that sticky, and that loud must have one very large ugly spider that may be crawling somewhere on me.
Fear is one of the most important elements a writer can weave into their story. Greed too. There’s just something about reading a really good, scary story at night when its raining.
Stephen Tremp
http://stephentremp.blogspot.com/
I’m a much bigger fan of mystery (puzzle) than suspense/thriller (scary). Of course, in a mystery, if the character is frightened, I’m likely to be frightened as well, and I try to convey that emotional response when I write, but I’m definitely more in the Sherlock Holmes camp, not Stephen King.
No, nothing scary in either of my books…save maybe the writing. (Grin) Hoping you and your family have a great holiday weekend, Elizabeth.
Best Regards, Galen
Imagineering Fiction Blog
Kristen–I’m with you on that one. If I read or watch something that’s scary before bedtime, that’s all I dream about!
Stephen–That’s true…not knowing *where* the spider is. That’s scary.
Elspeth–That movie was the last scary film I’ve seen. You’re right about that scene in the basement. Too frightening!
Galen–Your book is well-written!
Have a great holiday weekend, too…
I don’t do scary books or scary movies. My imagination is all to vivid and the images don’t like to leave my brain.
So I’ll stick with reading your cozy mysteries :) And I’ll probably keep the fear out of my stories as well. (or at least the scary stuff…)
Make Alan Orloff a character in your book. That’d be pretty darn scary. ;0)
For me? Needles scare me. Any kind. They’re creepy. Also, porcelain dolls. *shudder*
Marybeth–I promise I won’t get too scary. Maybe just a *little* scary.
Terry–That’s a good point. Conveying a character’s fear to the reader gets them emotionally invested, too.
Just that picture freaks me out!
Jack–That WOULD be scary! Maybe I’ll have to work Alan in. ;)
I conveniently don’t remember getting stuck with needles. That would be because I pass out. Yes, it’s a phobia, I guess….one of my many neuroses. Oh well. Porcelain dollies I’m fine with, though.
Excellent post! Spiders never bothered me until I was a teen on a camping trip. Woke to find I had three spider bites around my knee and my leg was roughly the size of a giant redwood. I never knew until then that spiders bit. Snakes. Snakes terrify me – no idea why. They don’t have to be big. Or poisonous. I can’t even get near them when they are safely contained in a zoo or something. I literally start shaking in fear. And I live in Florida and they are everywhere. Gulp.
I love the reference to Hitchcock – he was definitely the great master of suspense and I love his work.
I like the subtle twists best, Elizabeth. They sneak up on you.
Nancy, from Realms of Thought…
Nancy–I’m a fan of subtle twists, too. One of the times I was most scared while reading was with an Agatha Christie book–when I realized the narrator was the killer. Chilling!
Tara–Imagine having that big guy just inches from you! I was quite surprised…