I love playing with cryptids, fae folk, and other creatures from myths and folklore in my fiction. For one thing, it’s just a ton of fun to research and write about these otherworldly beings or unconfirmed beasties. They’re also versatile in terms of what they can add to a story, as useful as a source of tension, terror, or danger as they are for whimsy and humor.

I recently went to the Albatwitch Day festival in Columbia, PA for the first time, which gave me a whole slew of new ideas for cryptid-adjacent stories (and at a very good time, too, considering I’m about to delve into writing a cryptid-heavy novel that’s been bouncing around my head for the past few months). 

In that spirit—and since we’re now officially in Spooky Season—I thought some cryptid-themed writing prompts might be a fun source of inspiration.

#1: Local legends.

Living in Appalachia means I’m spoiled for choice when it comes to regional legends. Along with critters like the Albatwitch and squonk I’ve written about on the blog before, I’m not far from Kecksburg (with its famous UFO), Point Pleasant (home of the mothman), Loveland (and its frogmen), or Flatwoods (and its monster)—and that’s definitely not a complete list. 

The thing is, I don’t think Appalachia is unique in this regard. The density of strange things varies place to place, but I’ll bet there’s at least one legend to be found somewhere close no matter where you live.
To start this prompt, dig into one of these local legends. If you don’t know of any, you can start with a simple Google search along the lines of “monster legends near TOWN NAME” or “cryptids from REGION”. Local libraries often also have books of local folktales and legends that can be helpful.

Once you find one that interests you, do some basic research into its whole deal—what it looks like, where it came from, and how it came to the attention of humans. Also take notes on how it engages with humans when they come across it. Is it threatening? Elusive? What are the signs one might be nearby? 

Finally, create a character who doesn’t know what this creature is. Write a scene or poem where this character has a close encounter with this local legend—without naming what it is, since that’s something the character doesn’t know. Instead, convey the creature’s essence so that a reader who is familiar with the legend would recognize it in the course of the character’s encounter.

#2: In their own words.

Now that we’ve explored the human perspective of a local legend, let’s flip over to the other side. Sticking with that same creature you used in prompt 1, take a second to brainstorm what their day-to-day existence might be like. Some of this info might be part of the legend but you can use your imagination to fill in the rest (or change the details from the legend, if you want to).

Once you’ve spent some time figuring out these details, write a story or poem where your cryptid of choice is going about their everyday life—only to be interrupted by the arrival of a pesky human. How do they react? What’s their feeling on humans in general? Any things they’d do that a human might misinterpret? Answer whichever of those questions seems to make sense in the scene. 

#3: My very own monster.

One of the categories of cryptid story I’m most amused by are the ones that are obvious, proven hoaxes—but that people just go ahead and keep retelling anyway. The Veggie Man is a good example. It’s utterly ridiculous, and its creator has publicly said he made it up, but there’s still a whole day devoted to it every year in Fairmont, WV.

So let’s tell our own hoax story. Start this prompt by coming up with your own monster. You can have it live in your town or somewhere completely different. It can be similar to something that’s already in stories, but give it some kind of tweak that makes it unique. 

Now, imagine how someone might create a hoax that this creature exists. Would they stage a photo? Create footprints? What kind of signs is the creature supposed to leave behind? Don’t just think about visual clues but also sounds or smells.

For the final step, create a character who perpetrates this hoax. What is their motivation for creating the monster? Who are they hoping to fool with it? Do they succeed? Once you’ve brainstormed those details, write a scene that starts with them in the act of pulling off (or not pulling off) their hoax. 

#4: Cryptid fight!

I love a good versus monster movie. Godzilla vs. Kong, Alien vs. Predator, Megashark vs. Crocosaurus—there’s just something satisfying about watching two big bads going to town on each other.

This prompt starts with the question: “Who would win in a fight between…?” Pick any two cryptids (or more, if you’re feeling ambitious) to pit against each other. Take a second to think about each one’s strengths and weaknesses. Which one would probably be the most aggressive? The craftiest? How would each one attack?

Finally, figure out why these two creatures are fighting. Is it over something animalistic like territory or prey—or do they have beef of a more emotional or intellectual nature? Once you have this last detail in place, write a scene or poem that starts on their first moment of overt conflict.

 

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#WritingExercises #WritingAdvice #Cryptids