1. What creates a ghost? Is it a tragic event, an unsolved mystery, or a human tethering them to the mortal realm? Are they demonic or manifestations of someone's mind or guilty conscience?
2. When, where, and how did they die?
3. Do they know they are dead?
4. Can they possess a mortal human, animal, or object?
5. Are ghosts free-roaming or tethered to a specific place or object? Can they operate or use their power or influence in any location, no matter how far?
6. Can they move around the building, town, or wider locations? Can they move through solid structures?
7. Are they invisible, opaque, or fully corporeal? How do they manifest?
8. What do they look like? Do they resemble the person as they last appeared in life or as they appeared in death or in their coffin? Are they trapped in a specific outfit? Can they shift appearance?
9. Are they always present or triggered by specific people, dates, or events?
10. Why are they present at that place and time?
11. Can they be summoned by ritual, spell, ouija board, or presence of a specific person?
12. Are they telekenetic or can they physically impact their surroundings?
13. Are they telepathic or can they control other people's minds? Can they cause hallucinations?
14. What other types of powers do they possess, if any?
15. What are their vulnerabilities and how are they vanquished?
16. Where do they go when banished?
17. Can anyone or everyone see, feel, hear, sense and/or communicate with them?
18. Are they well-meaning or evil? Does it depend on who interacts with them?
19. Do they have a goal or purpose other than to terrorize?
20. Is there a moral to their story, a secret to expose, story or message they need to share?
You can design ghosts any way you want. Just keep the world rules consistent.
Next week, we look at crafting Witches.
Further reading:
Horror Writers Association
Worldbuilding: Myths and Legends
The Fantasy Skeleton
The Horror Skeleton
The Thriller and Suspense Skeleton
You might also be interested in:
Story Building Blocks Build A World Workbook in print and ebook,
Story Building Blocks Build A Plot Workbook Fantasy in print and ebook
Story Building Blocks Build A Plot Workbook Horror in print and ebook
Story Building Blocks Build A Plot Workbook Thriller & Suspense in print and ebook
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