“Our attitude to the monster is frequently ambivalent: although society teaches us to be morally appalled by its terrible deeds, rarely is the monster presented as wholly unsympathetic. Indeed, part of us takes delight in its actions and identifies with them.”

—Shohini Chaudhuri, The Monstrous-Feminine

Writing Prompt:

Today, we’re making monsters! Monsters vary wildly from humanoid vampires, to eldritch abominations. However, all monsters come from the same place: the human imagination. Some monsters are murderous and unredeemable, but others seem to have a sense of morality. The ghost in Andy Muschietti’s Mama for example, was only trying to protect her daughters, and the female monster in Neil Marshall’s The Descent, was protecting her home and her family. So now it’s your turn. Create a monster, as cryptic or as human as you please, that appears evil and animalistic on the outside, but has a relatable moral dilemma. Is your monster a mother protecting her young? Maybe, it’s a zombie trying to complete it’s dying task. When your monster is ready, write a short story about a person who wanders, unknowingly, into the monsters dwelling only to be attacked. Your human character will get lost or trapped with the monster and somehow learn what the monster wants. When help arrives, they must decide whether they will protect the monster, or let it be killed.

Writing Tip:

Having trouble thinking of your monster? Remember that the monsters we create often correlate to our greatest fears, for example:

• The Babadook in the 2014 psychological horror, represents Amelia’s fear of being a single parent, of raising a good kid, and of losing her child to her growing insanity.
• The Devil and Thomasin in The Witch represent the fear of female power, of losing a child, and losing your mind/ morality.
• The white family in Get Out represent systematic racism and fetishizing black bodies
• Jack in The Shining represents cabin fever and not being able to trust the people closest to you.

Think of your greatest fears and how they may manifest into a monster. How are these fears human and relatable? How can they be defeated?

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Thanks for the read! Remember that if you write based on any of my prompts, you’re welcome to send your writing to me to be posted on the website or for feedback. Check out my YouTube channel for my newest episode of Let’s Talk Tropes, this episode is all about the “Psycho Lesbian” and “Cute but Psycho” Tropes! I discuss the danger of negative language around mental health, how these tropes create harmful stereotypes, and how to deconstruct them. My next episode will be about Female Monstrosity, so stay tuned! Subscribe for daily writing prompts, or check out my social media for pictures of me geckos, poetry, and more! If you want to support me directly, you can buy my poetry book, The Moth that Haunts the Laundry Room, All links are available on my LinkTree. Happy writing!