Several  times a year, Succeed and Soar offers Wordsmith Stars, which provides insights and information for those write and enjoy reading.

Each year, the Associated Writing Programs’ conference offers fantastic, carefully curated panels and workshops. Several years ago, I attended one titled, “Writing About Ghosts and The Undead.” Phantoms, ghouls and things that ‘go bump in the night’ had never been of interest until I learned they could be frightening in ways I hadn’t expected. Here are my notes about the ways spooks and spirits can be haunting:

• Writing about ghosts can be hopeful because the stories suggest that there is something more
• Ghosts are spirits without bodies. The zombie is a body without a spirit. [Can ghosts resume physical form? What happens if zombies receive souls?]
• The ghost can serve as a metaphor for loss [something lost]
• There are times when a loss haunts
• The death the ghost represents could be of an idea or culture
• These stories can present a crossroads, a choice of direction

I did watch an episode of Ghosts, and found the show adorable. Plus, the programs provides a great example of how variety [different types of personalities] makes the character interactions more interesting. But I have not watched the show enough to understand the characters as metaphors. Perhaps, they’re merely entertainment. What do you think?

I also hope you’re thinking of writing a ghost story. If so, here are six tips for writing modern ghost stories, which include deciding what your ghost looks like and what they can do. What fun! See more.

Best of all, magazines exist that will pay for these stories. Here are ten.

Worth considering are these words from Laurie Halse Anderson’s Wintergirls, “In one aspect, yes, I believe in ghosts, but we create them. We haunt ourselves.”

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