: Re: How can I Avoid Being Frightened by the Horror Story I am Writing? Yes, I have to admit it. I don't like horror movies because (shocker) I find them scary. Unlike other people in my house,

@Murphy332

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This is really a psychology question, so there wont be a one-size fits all answer which a random individual on the internet can provide you. However, one of your quotes suggests to me a direction:

I do not, as has been speculated, fear death. I am a Christian, and death holds no fear for me. What I fear is the unknown. The darkness can hide anything. When I watch a horror movie, if the 'horror' element is not explained, it's more frightening because I don't know what it is.

This is an interesting phrasing, given that many consider what happens in death and afterwards to be "the great unknown." And yet little unknowns like "what's in this shadowy corner" distract you. If I may read into your statement (again, as a random individual on the internet who doesn't really know you), this suggests to me that you don't fear death because you know what comes after.

However, anyone with a little inductive logic can show that this should also be enough to not be frightened of the shadowy corner, but from your question, that is clearly not the case. There must be some other logic which we can apply.

I would postulate that you have a division in your worldview. There are the present things, like what you're writing, what you are having for lunch, etc. Then there are the eventual things, like death and all that holds from your religious beliefs. You do not fear the eventual things, because you can intellectually rationalize that you shouldn't be afraid of them because you know what comes after those eventual things.

However, there may be a gap in your worldview between the present things and the eventual things. For some reason "what's in the shadow in the corner" can't link up with your faith in the eventuality of everything. Thus, the fear of the unknown can manifest in present events.

If this is accurate (again, I'm just a random individual on the internet), then you might benefit from creating your own "eventuality" for writing. Focus on something that should be an eventuality that's fully in your control (perhaps "I will feel like getting up from this seat, and all will be right with the world"), and tie that eventuality to your confidence that everything will be all right for other reasons (such as your religious beliefs). You may have to play around a bit with it to find the best anchor for you (by all means, find your own, don't borrow a random internet stranger's!). Eventually you'll find something that's close enough to present events to provide you comfort in your certainty and immunity form the unknown, but something far enough out that you can tie it into your general sense of confidence that you know all that matters.

Of course, I would recommend seeking a happy medium: find something that takes the edge off of the fear of the unknown, but doesn't insulate you from it. The fear of the unknown is a powerful force in the human mind. Why miss out on an opportunity to improve yourself. Stare into the unknown, and smile at it. Who knows, something may smile back.

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