16 September 2012

What Are You Afraid Of?

So, I realise I'm a little early for Halloween - but it was actually Michelle Muto's Facebook status that inspired this post (So, thank you, Michelle)!

Currently, I am writing/researching a project which involves monsters. Well, I'm writing about monstrous creatures in any case. A while back (as I was getting ready for bed), I was getting some ideas and sorting out scenes in my head, some of which involved these monsters attacking my main character in her bedroom. Naturally, that exact moment would be the perfect time for my brain to go into overdrive and imagine those monsters sitting in my bedroom, waiting until the lights were out to attack me. It took me about an hour before I could relax and stop scaring myself stupid.

When I was a child, though, I was deathly afraid of dogs. It was all my mother's fault, really. In order to coerce me into bed (and stay there throughout the night), she would warn me: Don't get out of bed or the scary dog will get you and my imagination would suddenly see two red eyes in the darkest corner of my room, just waiting for the chance to snap if I dared leave my bed. Only during the desperate bladder-bursting moments did I, too.

That fear of dogs went well into my adulthood (I'm actually a cat person). Didn't take me too long to overcome that fear, at least, knowing that my fear was really unfounded. Besides, how can anyone be afraid of this face?
A face everybody should love: our pirate dog, Bonny

I'm sure as I continue writing my monster story, I will have irrational moments where I may have to check under my bed/in the closets before going to sleep.

A few years ago when Ju-On was playing in theatres, we went - despite my aversion to scary things. I had nightmares for an entire year. I'm hoping writing this story won't be as bad because, ultimately, I figure I will finish this story in five books. That's a long time to have nightmares. Yikes.

Your turn! What sort of things scare you? Are they irrational fears from childhood? How did you overcome them or are you still afraid?

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