A Writer's Tale

So whatever is in house, only bothers people at night. (Maybe use Winchester house as loose model for it.) Climax, main character(s) enter at night to find out secret.

Best if there is real person inside. But is the person the beast? Make it real, not a spirit.

What has it been doing during the twenty years since it killed the kid? Maybe it’s something that sleeps in the house, only kills people when they enter at night and wake it up.

Most logical, it’s a real person. Hey! It is an entrepreneur, who wanted house to be legendary, wanted tourists.

Could be a family tradition. It is responsibility of current generation to keep the legend alive by occasionally eating someone in the house at night. Maybe only needs to do one per generation, to keep legend going.

Place is actually called HOUSE OF THE BEAST. Has been an attraction in the town for as long as anyone can remember.

Owners of HOUSE must arrange for someone to enter it at night, once in a while. As kid, main guy was unwitting partner in the plot. He was curious, talked to owner (at ticket window). So owner knew he was thinking about entering. Maybe he enters with another kid. They get separated. He finds body, runs in fright.

Must be very careful not to let this stuff get too much like Salem’s Lot. Which also has guy returning. What was his motive for returning?

Maybe go goes back for different reason. A friend is getting married, maybe, and he’s to be best-man. Maybe it’s his brother. Somebody else shows up for wedding, a friend of the bride. They start seeing each other. For fun on an afternoon, they enter HOUSE OF BEASTS.

People come from all over country to see the famous house, and tour it. Tickets about five bucks apiece. A real goldmine.

Souvenir shop, etc. Maybe even restaurant.

He is reluctant to enter, but goes ahead. This is point at which reader finds out his involvement with house. His name is in there, at an exhibit. “This is spot where body of young ____ was found. He and his friend, (our hero) entered on Halloween night 1961… ”

New owner, about his age, is a friend. Not friend, acquaintance. Always a weird kid. His father still runs the place. Maybe has a large family, and they’re all in it together. When hero starts snooping, they take steps to eliminate him.

Chapter One: Main character enters town, sees House of the Beast.

Has been expanded since he saw it last. Now has restaurant and gift shop. Makes him sick to see people capitalizing on tragedy but also makes him sick because he had special situation with house. Don’t tell yet. Is in town for his brother’s wedding.

Meets girl.

Possible Scenes

Boys enter house, when hero is kid. Make this prologue, maybe.

One kid comes out alive. He turns out to be guy who is returning to town.

Tour of the place. Guy takes his new girl friend, at her insistence, into house. A guided tour led by a charming young gal. Very professional. Like Winchester tour. I’ll need to create an entire history of the house, so we can have a good tour. At one point of tour, guide brings up his name in connection with the boy’s death.

Girl asks him how it all came out. He tells her. Tell story like flashback, not in dialogue.

Maybe have a few chapters, while he’s telling her in detail. This takes away need for prologue. Maybe get it 20 pages or so.

IDEA! Interest in tour maybe dropping off, so owners decide to stage a “night in the house.” This could be first, or maybe it’s an annual event. People come from all over country for the night in the house. Cost is very high, like $1,000 per person. Say, only five allowed. Maybe they have auction! Five or ten available tickets, they auction them off on a certain day each year. Maybe this is the first and only time. Or first annual. Owner gets idea for it after the night watchman is killed.

Prologue Night watchman hears sound from inside the house.

Goes in, for first time at night. Fright! Is killed.

Night Hero and girl friend allowed as part of the tour free because of his intimate knowledge of the place. He decides to go, hoping to learn something about his friend’s death, and maybe expiate his guilt.

Climax of book could take place during the night.

Have auction scene.

Maybe get viewpoints of several characters, all who will be staying the night. They could all be pov characters.

Characters

Hero who was part of house’s history. He’s invited to enter free, as part of the attraction.

He goes out of curiosity, and also hoping to breech secret of the house. Though he doesn’t really hope for much.

Hero’s girlfriend She thinks he should go in house to help rid himself of the guilt. She insists on entering with him.

Possible idea he won’t let her, but she makes special arrangement with owner to go in.

Her appearance at The Night is a surprise to him.

Old Owner Guy who ran the place when hero was young. He still runs it, with help of his family.

Owner’s Son Contemporary of our hero. Always a bit weird. He is main business man of organization. Maybe he is participant in the Night.