The month of October is full of all things related to Halloween: witches, zombies and ghosts. Everyone is talking about spooky things. Everyone loves a good zombie story, mainly due to the success of The Walking Dead, but where did the ghosts go? They're not as popular as they used to be. Now is the perfect time to get out your best ghost stories and find something unique among the zombies. It can be something cute and charming like Casper the Friendly Ghost, or even a morality holiday tale such as A Christmas Carol.

People often think of ghosts in terms of horror stories, but they can also be a way to explore what happens after death, what it means to have an afterlife. Ghosts don't have to be scary, but if you wish to dip your toes into a horror story, the best place to start is to ask yourself what frightens you about ghosts? Think of how you can use your fears to scare others. Your story can take on a more modern approach with people that are able to see ghosts as in Maureen Johnson's Shades of London series. For a lesser done approach, try telling your story from the perspective of the ghost, in a way similar to Jim Butcher's Ghost Story, that picks up with the death of his protagonist and follows his adventure as a ghost.

Some tips for writing your own ghost story:

Start with folklore. Every place you go has its own folklore, haunted buildings, and truly scary stories. You can draw inspiration, or even retell a story that you love.

Then decide how your ghosts will be. If they can be seen, decide why that is and who can see them. Can everyone see the ghosts or only a select few? How do your characters feel about seeing ghosts?

Then think about how much they can interact with society. Can they move things around, or touch objects? Are they going to be the bad guy or will they be complex characters?

Decide on your setting. If the ghosts are attached to a specific place, then that place will be the key to your whole story. If you're revolving it around a haunted house, then you won't be able to tell your story without the house. Then think about why your characters are at this place? Did they just move there? Is it some sort of dare? How do you want this place to affect them in the end?

Decide on the genre. This will help set the tone and will help determine how your story will end. If your story is supposed to be funny, then it's less likely to be tragic. Though if it is scary, then it will most likely have a tragic ending. You can also have a paranormal romance similar to Meg Cabot's Mediator series which saw a romance between a mediator and a ghost. Then it'll most likely go toward a bittersweet ending, and will require you to think about the difficulties of dating a ghost.

With these tips in mind, go out and discover your ghost story.