Pumpkinspiration
There's nothing like writing in October when ghosts and goblins come out to inspire the imagination.
Every October, I psych myself up for the holiday season so that I can inspired to bring the magic of the season into my stories. I start with the Halloween decorations. I tend to stay on the cute side of the holiday, with the pumpkin and ghost themes and the fall flowers. Then I break out all the same Halloween movies I've watched every year since high school and I watch them through the month. These include the kiddish ones like Hocus Pocus, the comedies like Dracula: Dead and Loving It, and the classic scares like Aliens. I watch Halloween episodes of shows like Psych, Monk, and Murder She Wrote. Last, but not least the scent of pumpkin spice fills my kitchen in the form of cookies and coffee creamers.
The best part of the magic of the season is sharing it with others. The community of writers and content creators online whose work I watch all year round include those whose stories I particularly enjoy at this time of year. For anyone looking to get into the Halloween mood, here are some spooky videos, podcasts, and blogs I watch that
Youtube
Buzzfeed Unsolved
Like ghost hunting and paranormal investigations? I enjoy watching skeptic Shane and believer Ryan as they try to answer the question of whether ghosts and other phenomena are real. They also have true crime videos, where they summarize crime mysteries and discuss their personal theories as well as sharing audience theories, which are always fun. Their new season just started.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKijjvu6bN1c-ZHVwR7-5WA
Scary Fairy Godmother
I've been listening to this channel for over a year and always enjoy the tales of faerie encounters. There's also a fairy bestiary, with all the basic information on each type of fae in alphabetical order. It's a wealth of knowledge for anyone who likes fairy legends. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPsYi00ktTQ4JhChquuW3RQ/featured
Hailey Reese
Like psychic phenomena, ghost stories, and paranormal mysteries? I enjoy this channel by Hailey Reese and you might too! Her community is known as the Reeses Pieces and a she shares personal stories as well as reading some fictional ghost stories and urban legends from several sources around the net. She has a 31 days of Halloween video series.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN98LE3TS8BTZUZYC3uEX8A
Podcasts
The Paranormal Podcast + Jim Harold's Campfire
Jim Harold is one of the first podcasters to tackle the unknown. His Paranormal Podcast explores any and all mysterious topics from reputable sources in the paranormal community. His Campfire series allows everyday listeners like you and me to call in and share their personal stories of encounters with the mysterious.
https://jimharold.com/category/the-paranormal-podcast/
Mysterious Universe
Ben Grundy and Aaron Wright explore the mysteries of the universe with laughter and a skeptic eye. Their plus editions delves deeper into the realm of the unknown.
Mysterious Universe has its own blog to accompany the podcasts. If you like the podcast, I'd recommend checking out the website.
https://mysteriousuniverse.org
Stuff They Don't Want You To Know
Scientific American hosts several podcasts of note, among them is the Stuff They Don't Want You To Know podcast. With a detective-like quality, this program tackles paranormal cases to investigate the truth behind each claim.
https://www.stufftheydontwantyoutoknow.com
Blogs
Scientific American
Scientific American not only has interesting science news, but with plenty of odd and mysterious content. Odd but trues and other mind-boggling info is found on this intriguing website. And, why not? After all, fact is stranger than fiction!
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com
Thanks for reading!