We’ve all heard the stories. The hook in the car handle. The man in the bathtub with no kidneys. Rod Stewart… never mind.
In an article for CrimeReads, Celso Hurtado talks about the power of urban legends and what writers can learn from them. “We’ve all heard stories like this, passed down through generations, delighting and frightening eager listeners who lean forward to hear the rest of the macabre tale,” Hurtado writes. “But from where do these urban legends get their power, their unique ability to spread widely and to stay in the hearts and minds of believers, year after year? The fascination that these stories elicit, and their incredible longevity, are the very qualities that writers yearn to capture when creating their own stories.”
Hurtado says urban legends offer five specific lessons:
- They lure the audience in right away.
- They create sympathy for the monster.
- They keep it simple.
- They make the reader curious about what happens next.
- They are plainspoken, told from friend to friend.
