Go Ahead — Write This Story: Evil is as evil does

What are the aesthetics of evil?

"The purpose of horror fiction is not only to explore taboo lands but to confirm our own good feelings about the status quo by showing extravagant visions of what the alternative might be," says Stephen King.

Joyce Carol Oates offers a different view: "This is the forbidden truth, the unspeakable taboo — that evil is not always repellent but frequently attractive; that it has the power to make of us not simply victims, as nature and accident do, but active accomplices."

Chose your own evil; if you need a story idea, here are a few:

• This is a story of religious suspense in which prayers to bring evil upon opponents of the pious seem to succeed.

• This is a humorous horror story about a human who tries to ensure a place in heaven by befriending the devil — Satan wouldn't want a friend to be damned, would he?

• This is a very dark fantasy movie about the suddenly failed disarmament talks between the cynical but well-read imps of the public library and the insular gnomes of the park next door.

— Sue Burke