So I don’t know if my idea is decent or total trash and unoriginal. The story will take place in either Finland (Kiitos ) where there’s heavy snow or in South Texas during the summer. Either setting would feature a cedar log house/cabin. The former would be on a small piece of property surrounded by trees and the latter would be on an 11,000 acre ranch of brush country (mesquite trees, cactus, etc) For one, I can’t decide which setting to pick. The story would be as goes, the main character and his queen (the main character being me) go on a romantic trip the cabin and enjoy the outdoors together until the main character hears a monster outside at night one evening. He is awaken by the noise and tries to wake up his queen and tell her but she insists it’s nothing. Next day comes and goes, a day full of activities. Then around midnight when both are lying in bed, only the main character being awake, he hears the noise again and this time looks out the window and sees the beast lurking in the moonlight just outside the house. He wakes her up and he finally gets up to see, only to be frightened. From there, they’re in a panic as to what to do. Instead of leaving, they opt to stay so they can get rid of it. Good? Bad? Terrible?
The idea itself is fine. You'll have to develop the story and make me interested in reading it though. The questions I have that come to mind are whether this creature is a wild animal such as a hungry Polar Bear searching for food, a supernatural creature like the Wendigo (see: https://www.legendsofamerica.com/mn-wendigo/) or something that is solely in your character's mind. Also......the setting you pick will bring some intriguing environmental possibilities to life. Finland, you could be battling the elements and the hungry wildlife. Texas, you could be battling floods, droughts, wildfires, infections of termites or murder hornets, etc.
Yes it will be a creature like that! What it will be depends on the setting I decide to go with. I also look at the Urayuli monster too. Whichever one, it will only come out at night in the story. Here are some other ones I found that I believe fit the bill of "terrifying" and unique (when compared to the usual sasquatch and werewolf-type creatures).
Note that there will be no ranges of tall trees in any of the settings. And the snow monster will only be used if the story takes place in Finland (or if it takes place in the New Mexico one and it snows).
Instead of leaving they decide to stay to get rid of it is a bit weak I’d be inclined to find a more compelling reason why they can’t leave beast has destroyed their car and there’s no phone or cell service or the road out is blocked by snow or fire or whatever. The only bridge is down. They have to stay to find a missing child. A magical power prevents them leaving by doing xyz and like that
What if they are called to kill the monster...so every time they fall asleep they wake up back in the cabin until the job is done...
Is that where the story ends—they decide to stay to try to get rid of it? That's an extremely open-ended story if so. If that's not where it ends, then you haven't given a full plot. There isn't much happening—from what you've said they hear a monster, then see it, are frightened, and then decide to stay rather than leave. Not much of a story really. Sounds more like just the setup for one.
I'd pick the setting you are most familiar with or the one you are most interested in researching. Sounds like a great horror or mystery start. You just have to work it so you draw the reader in.
Oooh...not just a missing child. He grabs their child, somehow calling so the little one wandered out. That would be a great opening!
Okay, everybody is picking apart the plot. The question you pose has to do with the setting. One of the very few things I can still remember and actually APPLY that a teacher told me in high school is "write what you know." It's such a simple statement. Have you BEEN to either of those locations? Because if you have, it will help you greatly. I have found it best to combine many places that I have been before and mold into one location, picking out different aspects of that locale that fit into the story. Anyway, once you decide, with the location being somewhat of a character in itself, that will fill in much of the story for you.
They're not going to Finland or South Texas any more. The OP decided they were going to Neptune instead.
It is hard to acclimate as a new member not knowing what all the acronyms are. I guess original post? But I don't see anything about Neptune in the thread, so I really don't know. Neptune was featured in Ad Astra with Brad Pitt. Good to see Neptune get its just due on the big screen!
Yes, but it can also mean original poster, depending. It's not specific to this site, it's a general forum thing.
Here is the link to the thread that explains the Neptune thing. Naomasa is referencing a thread the OP (original poster) posted after this one regarding the same story. https://www.writingforums.org/threads/i-have-hit-a-brick-wall-trying-to-pick-a-setting.172633/#post-1963595
Haha you guys are funny. I don’t mind being poked fun at, I find it funny too (I know my posts and ideas are ridiculous ) So I did decide to go with Neptune, but I am in South Texas now until Sunday for the 20th (literally) time since 2000. Way more story potential plus I love it here. You have brush made up of cactus and mesquite trees, deer and wild boars that run the pasture, insects that you never see in the city (Tarantula Hawk wasp, Black Widow Spiders, Indigo snakes, and scorpions), ponds with Bass fish, and grounds littered with magnificent rocks and artifacts (I have found numerous arrowheads over the years). Furthermore the house here is built of cedar wood, so staying here is quite comfortable especially with 11,000 acres surrounding you.
Oh man, those are some bad m-f'ers!! The ones that lay eggs in tarantulas, and have one of the deadliest stings in the world! Hell yeah!! Stung by a tarantula hawk I live in Illinois, we don't have wasps that big, but we have their smaller cousins, that I call Wolf Hawks, because they lay their eggs in the massive wolf spiders we have all over the place. My friend was smoking on the front porch one day a few years ago and called me out to see a tussle—there was this weird looking wasp with metallic blue wings and a metallic red body that had already stung (paralyzed) a wolf spider (these things get as big around as the palm of your hand!) and was dragging it toward my house across the porch, pulling it by the mouth-parts, so the poor spider had to stare with all 8 eyes directly into the eyes of its tormentor the whole time, helpless to react. So weird. We really had no idea what was happening at the time, afterwards I did some googling and learned all this. The sting paralyzes the spider for months, the wasp drags it into an already-prepared little alcove or hole (under the bricks of my house, a little hole in the mortar) where it spends the rest of its days, totally paralyzed. The wasp then lays a single egg on its back, and when the larva hatches it eats its way in, around, and out, saving the vital organs for last so the spider remains alive as long as possible. What a freakin' nightmare!! Here's a framegrab from a video I shot of it: The next year he was smoking on the rear deck and saw another one, that might have been the offspring of the first unholy union on the front porch. This one wasn't so smart—its den was up on the ledge of a 2nd floor window (a hole in the mortar again) and it had to try to drag the paralyzed spider all the way up the wall. A spider like 5 times its size! We watched for a long time, but it never got the spider all the way up there and never modified its plan and made a new torture-room lower down. Sorry, didn't mean to hijack your thread—and I certainly didn't mean to actually poke fun at you or your ideas earlier, we were just having some fun! I know you understand that, just wanted to clarify. It wasn't intended to be at anybody's expense. We just need to blow off some steam in here every now and then!
Indigo snakes are good citizens and don't belong in the same category as the other creatures you mentioned. If you want venomous snakes, start out with coral snakes and who knows how many different species of rattlesnakes, then add water moccasins and copperheads unless you are waaaay down in south Texas. May I ask where you are? South Texas was my childhood home and I have plenty of family down there.
That is super cool! Wasps are so fascinating! Would be cool to see one of these one day, I had never heard of this wasp before. And definitely not hijacking my thread! I appreciate all kinds of good discussion, especially over insects which I find quite interesting!
Oh I didn’t mean to group them as if they’re dangerous like the others, it was just a list of creatures I have seen around here. I’ve seen rattlesnakes, jackrabbits and mountain lions (although rare) have been spotted here. Haven’t seen a Coral Snakes. We’re just outside of Laredo, on a big ranch. More 18-wheelers here than anywhere lol. Been coming here every year (except 2021) since 2000. Where in South Texas are you from? I’ve also been to Alice, Freer, Beeville, George West and have seen the road signs of Carrizo Springs and Crystal City.
If you've been to Alice, you were really leading the high life. I lived in Brownsville and Kingsville. My brother is in Mission. I went down for his daughter's wedding in March; first time in 15 years I'd been that far south.
Also from a supporting or bit character perspective there are many eccentrics you imagine in south Texas.
