Campfire Ghost Stories

How To Create Perfect Ghost Stories

In his article titled Some Remarks on Ghost Stories, which was published in the December 1929 edition of The Bookman, English author Montague Rhodes (M.R.) James outlines the five major elements of a ghost story.

In essence, James advises:

• Keep the story believable. Almost every ghost story, whether an urban legend or not, claims to be a true account of a real event.
• Create some terror without going too far. The single most important element of a ghost story is that it creates an enjoyable sense of terror in the reader.
• Avoid excess bloodshed or sex. James suggests a deliberate and scarce use of these thrilling elements within ghost stories, for maximum "spooky" effect. Anything in addition turns into nothing more than cheap thrills.
• Maintain the mystery. A good ghost story doesn't explain the source of a phenomenon. Instead, it leaves the reader guessing as to what could have caused such strange events to occur.
• Choose a familiar setting. Most ghost stories are set in the writer's own time; A sense of familiarity makes the story more believable.

If you are planning to write your own campfire ghost stories for your next camping trip, following the structure above will ensure that the ghost story is as scary as it can possibly be.

Finding Campfire Ghost Stories

Whether you are searching in a library or on the Internet, campfire ghost stories are plentiful and easy to find. There are many different types of stories that you can bring with you to the campfire. Some will enthrall listeners, such as urban legends. Others will spook even the most hardened skeptics, such as true ghost stories. There is something about the magical atmosphere surrounding the dancing flames of a campfire that brings ghost stories to life.

True Ghost Stories For Camping

Almost all ghost stories include a claim that they are based on a true event. Unfortunately it's very difficult to determine whether or not a ghost story is really true without experiencing it yourself. The next best thing is to read first person accounts from real people. The majority of ghost stories on the Internet are of this variety.

Sources for True Ghost Stories

• True Ghost Tales is a very large, well organized library of ghost stories submitted by readers. Sample titles include Ghost in the Rocking Chair, and My Hell In A Haunted House.
• Ghost Place is a huge archive of hundreds of ghost stories written by users. However, it isn't quite as well organized and includes some very poorly written stories alongside very good ones, so you will need to sift through them to find the gems.
• This Ghost Stories Blog is an impressive collection of professionally written, short ghost stories. These are longer than the usual camping ghost story, so pick only one or two and warn your captive camping audience that the story will be a little longer than usual. However, the tales are so well written that your listeners will not mind.
• Eerie Tales features creepy stories that originate from all over the world. Bring a little bit of culture into your ghost stories. On the left of the web page you can click on a country and read through ghost stories that originate from that country.
• Archive X is one of the largest archive of paranormal stories on the Internet. You can choose from one of five categories, including stories about angels, channeling, ghosts, near death, out of body or past life experiences. The libraries go back to the year 2000 and include archives of thousands of great stories.
• Ghost-Story.co.uk proves that England has its fair share of spooky ghost stories. Some of the titles on this site include The Ghost of Anne Boleyn, and Epping Forest.

Classic Ghost Stories and Urban Legends

Another category of ghost stories that make terrific campsite storytelling are those stories that no one is sure whether or not are really true. Many of these are known urban legends, and others are simply stories that have been handed down through the generations; no one knows where they originated or how true they are.

Sources of Ghost Urban Legends

• CastleOfSpirits.com is one of the best sources of some of the spookiest urban legends. Some titles from this site include The Legend of Betsy Beaumont and The Hand. This site also includes an archive, started in 2003, of classic ghost stories.
• Urban Legends Online is an authority on the subject of Urban Legends. This website lets you choose from categories such as children, cars, bridges & tracks, bugs & snakes, and more. Each category contains about a dozen related stories.
• The GhostHaunts.com contains a collection of well-written ghost stories, including an entire section devoted to fictional tales.

Camping Ghost Stories From Books

Another excellent resource to find ghost stories for your upcoming camping trip is your local library. Libraries usually have an entire section devoted to the paranormal, and many of the books in that section are filled with fantastic ghost stories.

You can also order books online that contain entire libraries of some of the most fantastic ghost stories found anywhere.

The Moonlit Road Bookshop lists eleven great books for purchase, such as Alligators in the Sewer: And 222 Other Urban Legends by Thomas Craughwell, as well as The Campfire Collection: Spine-Tingling Tales to Tell in the Dark by Eric Martin.

Legends of America offers this three-page list of books about "ghostly legends". Many of these are geographically based, such as Bloody Chicago by Troy Taylor and Coast to Coast Ghosts by Leslie Rule.