Oh, the horror . . .

Tonight was a great night.

I rode my bike to every single corner of the town, and then some. Down main street, which was brightly lit and empty. Down to the city park which was deserted and dark. To the edge of the town, past the last street light, and into the blackness of the rolling hills.

Why is it that my mind automatically turns to horror and zombies when I venture out at night? I'm not kidding, first step out my door and it's zombies on the brain. I rode down Main Street tonight, which is about three times as wide as the  normal street--perfect for a shot of zombies stumbling toward the camera. The buildings are all at least 40 years old, the wood is grey and brittle, and the street lights cast a very weird orange glow over everything. Come on. What would YOU think about?

The city park also brought images of classic horror into my mind, though not necessarily zombies. Allow me to set the scene for you.

Cut to City Park, ext. Midnight. The park is located at the far East edge of town in a natural valley. The one road into the park slopes steeply down into a single, circular route around the park area. Various park equipment is scattered across the grass in no particular order or grouping. A flat tire swing. A merry-go-round. A spaceship. Digging shovels. Horseshoe pits. Picnic benches. Giant oaks overshadow the entire park, and the light from the street lamps barely filters through the trees. The locusts sing as the wind pushes the rusty and creaky equipment around. Dogs howl in the distance.

Come on.

That's straight up horror, yo.

I wonder. If my mind constantly goes to these things, does this mean that I should try my hand at writing horror, or things with elements of horror?

The fact that I'm a scaredy-cat means that I actually have a wellspring of material floating down in my brain. I mean, really, I don't have to dip the bucket very far to come up with some pretty scary stuff.

If a humor writer is supposed to write things that makes her laugh, does a horror writer need to write things that make her terrified?

Because I could totally do that.