Topic Brainstorm: Narrowing Down the Overwhelming

(Pixabay)

Legendary Creatures - The first topic that I became interested in, during my brainstorming session, is legendary creatures. Of the ones that interest me, this is perhaps the one that I'm most drawn to, because it allows for so much variation. My story could lean towards the fantastical and incorporate unicorns, a phoenix, or griffins into my story. I could explore the darker, gothic legends and focus on vampires, werewolves, and the undead. Then, there is a cryptozoological approach that incorporates things like bigfoot, chupacabras, or Nessie. In addition to offering an immense range of possible topics and approaches, this topic is the one that I am familiar with, but would enjoy digging deeper.

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Irish Ghost Stories - I like the idea of focusing my project on Irish ghost stories, particularly on a sort of survey of haunted locations throughout Ireland. There is a sort of gloomy ambiance in Ireland that I think amplifies a romantic, somewhat forlorn way of looking at the world. This provides an ideal setting for ghost stories to flourish.

Celtic Creatures - Focusing my project on the topic of Celtic creatures has a lot of the same appeal that the ghost stories had. However, it has a bit more room for variation. The frightening aspects of a banshee story can either be balanced by a mischievous leprechaun tale, or highlighted by a more morbid version of that same legend. It also allows a wider geographic pool of stories to pull from, including Scotland and Wales, rather than a more specific focus on Ireland.

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Japanese Ghost Stories - The topic of Japanese ghost stories piqued my interest for two reasons. The first, I simply like ghost stories of all kinds. The second is that, unlike the others that drew me, this is a topic that I am almost completely unfamiliar with. It allows an opportunity to dig deeply into something that I have no casual knowledge about, thus providing a blank sleight. During my initial research, I particularly liked reading about Onryo, or vengeful spirits. Such stories would provide excellent inspiration for a darkly atmospheric storybook.