What Story Ideas Come to You at Night?

Do you have ideas of death, ghosts, and vampires?

Photo by Vitaliy Shevchenko on Unsplash

The night has always been associated with the Moon, the darkness, the black skies, evil, and horror in all shapes and forms. I have often wondered if horror writers sit at their desks at night, drawing inspiration from their dark surroundings as they weave their tales of vampires and other ghosts and ghouls. Perhaps, these horror writers, sit in their gardens bathed in sunlight as they write their horror stories, because they are secretly afraid of the night, the darkness, and those evil creatures that lurk in the closet and under the bed.

As a writer, what does the night signify to you and do you feel that it is the perfect time to write stories of death, mayhem, and evil? Ideas are always on the prowl, and I feel that the deadliest story ideas come during the night and the environment does have a major role to play when creating such horror stories.

I can well imagine creators of dark materials like Poe and Mary Shelly writing about their characters during the nights, by candlelight, as they overlooked dark, deserted streets of the city of London, as they saw shadows of walkers illuminated by the faint glow of the lamplight, during the cold wintry months, as the mist and fog hung over the city.

I am writing this short piece, during the night, as I sit by my desk, while the city outside is dark and deserted. I can imagine ghosts gradually rising from their resting places to interfere with humans and to visit those who have wronged them in life. I can see vampires perched atop buildings, looking down at warm humans, as they rush home from work, or visit cafes and social clubs in the cities. 

I can see Dracula, rising out of his black polished coffin, ready for the start of a brand-new night of hunting and feasting. I can see fresh new stories taking the shape of evil coming out to taunt us, as the city is enveloped in darkness and the shroud of Morpheus engulfs this city and every city in the world.

Photo by Oxana Melis on Unsplash