October and Haunted Houses

It's October and that means at my daughter's high school thoughts in the choir room turn to Haunted Houses. That's because the big fundraiser for the choirs is the Haunted House they stage annually.

And what does this have to do with writing?

The kids team up in groups of about six and have to come up with the "story" for their room in the haunted house. Last year the overall them
e was Circus - so within that they needed to create and decorate and figure out a way to scare the customers.

This year the theme is "expect the unexpected". So each team is going to have to come up with something for their room based on that parameter.

But isn't that simply great story telling. Expect the unexpected.

What is going to happen next? What does the reader expect is going to happen next? Do something different. Keep them guessing, keep them wanting more, don't let the story telling become complacent.

Expect the Unexpected. And maybe throw in some creepy clowns to really get things going.