Readers don't need to know every single detail of your character's life. They're not interested in the name of his first pet or whether he eats peanut butter or not. Neither are they concerned about the name of his favourite singer or the make and model of his first car. But YOU - his creator - need to know these facts in order to create a character to whom your readers can relate. Jessica Amanda Salmonson's short story "And of Gideon" features the title character as a murderous psychopath. Salmonson says:

"I wanted readers to fear Gideon, to realize anew that such human aberrations do exist. I wanted my readers to pity him as well, this loser who'd been "programmed for pathology." But more than that, I wanted readers to see Gideon as a credible human being, one who would elicit the wide range of emotional response that only real people can evoke. Here is some of what I knew about Gideon and what I wanted readers to know: '...my father was a drunk, had no love for my mother, another drunk, she none for him, and neither for me. (From) my early years, I cannot recall a single hug ... My father would beat me, not with the flat of his hand or a belt but with his fists. In kindergarten, I could not colour within the lines, could not catch a basketball thrown to me from a distance of two feet, nor hang by my knees from the monkey bars ... I was always in trouble: for not coming to school on time, for not even trying on tests, for not doing this, for not doing that, always in trouble with the teachers, those despairing head-shakers: 'Gideon, don't you want to learn? Don't you want to amount to anything? Don't you want to grow up and be somebody?""

There are a few stereotypes in modern horror writing that have been written about with great success, but the second time around is one time too many. Unless you have a unique take or situation on one or more of the following treat these three stereotypes very carefully:

The shy, plain, quiet girl with a paranormal gift. Stephen King's "Carrie" a disturbing and brilliant character, has been copied many times - but all are a pale imitation of the original.

The twins, identical and similar in every behavioural characteristic bar one... again this was detailed very descriptively in Bari Wood's "Twins", where both identical male siblings work as gynaecologists and share identical traits and patients. However when the shy twin (who usually picks up the conquests his more confident brother no longer wants) falls in love with a patient before his bolder brother the pair face a terrible decision.

The priest suffering doubt about his faith who is forced to confront his doubts in the face of terrible evil. William Peter Blatty's "The Exorcist"{ was the prototype of this character, and the book resulted in the production of one of the most terrifying films ever made. Yet the sequels, particularly 2004's "Exorcist:The Beginning", failed dismally to reach the heights of horror of the original.

Use these three stereotypes at your peril:

The preacher who, despite his limited knowledge and understanding of the Bible, speaks in tongues and holds incredible power over his followers.

The helpless businesswoman who, despite controlling a business worth billions of dollars, is incapable of dealing with a supernatural curse or menace. The handsome, reserved hero who saves the helpless businesswoman before falling in love with her and retiring from his security company/the police force to live with her on her yacht...

About the Author

The writer was born in Africa, and lived there for the first 38 years of her life. She worked in the world of public relations for over five years, running her own PR company and dealing extensively with the world of journalism and the print media. She is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/, a site for Writers. Her blog can be visited at: http://www.writing.com/authors/zwisis/blog