How a Halloween Decoration Inspired a Haunted House Story
By Dawn Colclasure
Ever since we moved into the house we have now spent 13 years living in, I have made good
use of our hallway. It was our first hallway, so it had many different uses:
* It was a place where my kids could hang out on a long fluffy area rug
It was a source of fun since my kids often slid through it in sock-covered feet on the
hardwood floor or ride their scooters (!) and skateboard (!!)
*It was a showcase for family photos
* It was a place I could put a couple of bookcases
* It was a “hallway of horrors” every Halloween
That last one was my favorite, because even though our “hallway of horrors” was not open for
public viewing and the decorations were fake, I loved walking through our spooky hallway,
imagining that the monsters were real.
This had a lasting effect on me. So much so that I started to wonder: What if such a hallway
really existed? That could make an interesting story!
At the time I started thinking of using our “hallway of horrors” for a story, I was busy putting
together a collection of YA horror stories for a book titled The Worst Thing You Ever Did.
And since the stories in this book featured male teen characters, I decided that the characters in
my “hallway of horrors” story would be male teens.
But how was I going to do this? I had the hallway and I had the horrors. But how would it all
become a story?
I decided to write each scene of the story using one decoration at a time, starting the story with
an “introduction” scene about how my character even ends up in that hallway, then moving on
with each decoration as I moved through the hallway. I took pictures of each decoration that I
passed in our spooky hallway and came up with ideas for each one as I wrote the story.
It took several weeks for me to write that story, which actually turned out to be a good thing.
Later that month, I came across a fake dagger that was being sold at a department store for
Halloween, and I loved it so much, I decided to use it in one scene of the story. Even after I
finished writing the story, I kept that fake dagger, just because it reminded me of the story!
Alas, however, the hallway of horrors did not last for very long, as our hallway once again was
changed and there was no longer any room for all of the decorations that I normally used for it.
Still, I wasn’t too upset about this, because now our “hallway of horrors” would live forever in
the story I wrote.
A story that is now in a book of stories that is now being published. After several rounds of
rejection, my collection of YA horror stories, The Worst Thing You Ever Did, was accepted by
PsychoToxin Press, and the book’s release date is December 12 th.
I am beyond thrilled that my book of stories finally found a home, and even more pleased that
I was able to feature our “hallway of horrors” in a story. It just goes to show that the next time
something tickles your muse and you think it can be turned into a story, pay attention to that
feeling. Write notes, take pictures, and work your way through that story idea one step at a time.
BIO: Dawn Colclasure is a writer in Oregon. She is a freelance writer, book reviewer and
columnist. She is the author and co-author of over four dozen books, among them her horror
novel, Shadow of Samhain. Her forthcoming titles from PsychoToxin Press include the YA
horror story collection, The Worst Thing You Ever Did, and the psychological horror novella,
All the Beautiful Things. Her work has appeared in magazines, websites and anthologies. She’s on Twitter
@dawnwilson325 and @dawncolclasure.
Visit Dawn's Books and DMC Writer for the rest of the story!
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