I am laughing about this now, but half an hour ago it was scary. I was just settling in to my research on nasty ghosts (as you do) and I got distracted by clips from "Ghostbusters" on YouTube. Particularly I found myself hooked on the scene where the Terror Dog, Zuul, pins Dana into the chair in her apartment, drags her into the kitchen and possesses her.
Unfortunately, right at the moment when I have a wide-mouthed, red-eyed, snarling Terror Dog filling my widescreen monitor, the fuse box decided to blow, plunging the whole house into darkness and leaving that image seared on my head. The fuse box is in the cellar.
I have never been more scared to go and change it. Even with a torch and a quick step in my feet, the hairs on the back of my neck were standing up all the way. That blooming Zuul didn't leave my head until I logged back on with all lights restored.
Have any of you managed to scare yourself like this when researching? Just curious really.
Victoria W, I like your research style. I think I shall have to adopt it from here on in. I have been known to wander off to the Isle of Wight and Loch Ness for "research" trips before now, but being out of work at the moment has sadly curtailed that habit.
"Did you check that Zuulhadn't been gnawing at your cables?" - David, that probably chilled me more than the incident. It made me laugh though.
It also made me invent "Authous Protectivum", a general purpose fantasy incantation that protects the writer from the nastier monsters they are writing about. Now I just need to add it into a story somewhere. :)
I've not had that but I understand why you'd be scared. I scare myself with what I write sometimes if something happens that is similar to what I've written but I don't think thats the same thing aha :)