Board Thread:Writer's Workshop/@comment-28627943-20160602094024/@comment-27838637-20160603023013

Unfortunately it seems that most of the other comments are pretty accurate. This story is cliche and I can't really add anything that hasn't already been said.

But I would like to tell you why it is important to stay away from the cliche, overpowered, deformed killer.

Think about history's most prolific serial killers: Gary Ridgeway, Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy. They were all pretty average looking people, and they could assimilate well into society.

Now think about some of media's most known serial killers (excluding supernatural entities such as Freddy Krueger and Jason Vorhees). The best characters are those who look normal, and assimilate well into society, such as Hannibal Lecter and Dexter Morgan. Even watch CSI and Criminal Minds, and you will see 90% of the killers are people who assimilate well into society.

This is because the monster you don't know is more terrifying than the monster you know. By making your OC deformed and overpowered, you are dehumanizing them. Not only does this make the story less realistic, but it also makes it a little less scary. The human killers who you couldn't pick out from a crowd are the scarier characters, and they are also the ones that the reader is more likely to empathize with.

I highly suggest that unless you are going for a deformed and overpowered supernatural entity, that your orgiginal serial killer characters be more realistic in motivation, appearance, and actions.

A_O.