How To Write A Holder Story

There is a basic formula. Think of it as instructions in story form. You can loosely follow the formula, but try to include as many elements of the formula as possible.

Use these elements in general order of appearance [by general I mean, usually]:

• In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. [You can change this up a bit, but don’t get too crazy, vato. For example, “In any city, in any country, go to any visitor information center you can get yourself to.” Just remember the object and its Holder need to be in a ‘place’ that you insert within these parameters.
• Attendant/clerk/receptionist, ect. Basically this is the Holder’s minion of some sort. They respond to your question in various ways, but it reflects that they know that you are a Seeker. They might not know that they are a ‘minion’, but when you speak the name of the Holder, the person will ‘become’ manipulated if they are not already a direct servant to the Holder.
• The Big Announcement. Who do you seek? What is he/she/it called? What are they the Holder of? Go through the list HERE and CTRL+f (that’s CTRL and then the F key which will bring up a search feature at the top right of your screen which you can use on any site or document ever to search for any letter, word, phrase or symbol) to search to see if the Holder title you wish to use has been taken. If there IS a Holder with the name you desire and that Holder’s story involves killing babies or shooting up elementary schools, you can let me know that you’d like to provide one in its place. You never know. We have only replaced one original object which required the birth of a baby and the subsequent brutal stabbing in the head and murder of that baby and we went ahead and submitted another users story in its place. We will gladly do this, should you see a story that is just as low class and tasteless as the one I just mentioned. These may be unique faucets of expression, but if you want to express something with such little taste as stabbing a newly born baby in the head with a sharp object in front of its screaming mother then you should choose another forum. 

Putting the intro all together! Look at these examples:

1. In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. When you reach the front desk, ask to visit someone who calls himself “The Holder of Eternity”.  A sigh might escape the worker as they look upon you with the utmost pity. They will take you down a flight of stairs that you might expect to lead to the basement. 
2. In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. When you reach the front desk, ask to visit someone who calls himself “The Holder of the End”.  Should a look of child-like fear come over the workers face, you will then be taken to a cell in the building. It will be in a deep hidden section of the building. All you will hear is the sound of someone talking to themselves echo the halls. It is in a language that you will not understand, but your very soul will feel unspeakable fear. 
3. In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. When you reach the front desk, ask the clerk for permission to visit someone who calls herself “The Holder of the Beginning.” A small smile will work its way over their mouth, almost as if to say, “You fool.” 
4. In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. When you reach the front desk, ask to visit someone who calls himself “The Holder of eternal night.” You will not have to worry about whether or not the desk clerk is truly the Holder’s caretaker. The Holder of eternal night knows of everything around himself at all times. You will find yourself in the dark the moment you speak the Holder’s name. Lightening will appear above you, and a dark sky will take the ceiling’s place. 

Piece of cake, right? Feeling inspired yet? But wait, there’s more!

• Add in an element that could break a person’s will. They must overcome something in order to continue on. It should be scary, and the scarier the better! Try listening to THIS or THIS. There should be something to prepare the reader for as if the instructions were a warning.

 For instance:

1. “It will be in a deep hidden section of the building. All you will hear is the sound of someone talking to themselves echo the halls. It is in a language that you will not understand, but your very soul will feel unspeakable fear. Should the talking stop at any time, STOP and QUICKLY say aloud “I’m just passing through, I wish to talk.” If you still hear silence, flee. Leave, do not stop for anything, do not go home, don’t stay at an inn, just keep moving, and sleep where your body drops. You will know in the morning if you’ve escaped. If the voice in the hall comes back after you utter those words continue on.”
2. “They will hand you a key and tell you to wait some time in the room until you hear a bell ring. When it rings, you have to lock the door through which you entered, wait until a second ring, and unlock it. Once those instructions have been carried out, the door will open all by itself and reveal a long hallway, with every conceivable color painted onto the walls, ceiling and floor. Follow the hallway until you hear a little girl singing. Stop, close your eyes, and stay where you are until the girl finishes the song. If you fail to remain perfectly still, run. Run back to the door through which you came, as fast as you can. Jump through the window of the room where you waited earlier, and you might live. Should you be unable to reach the window in time, you will be dragged back into the hallway by something that is definitely not a little girl. You will be pulled by this horror until time itself ends, forever feeling the pain of every soul dragged to an early grave. If, on the other hand, you manage to remain perfectly still until the song ceases, you will be free to either turn around and leave forever, or venture further into this realm. If you prefer the latter course of action, walk deeper into the hallway until you reach a human-shaped door. Open it with the same key that was given to you earlier, step inside, and close the door behind you.
3. In all likelihood, you will encounter a shadow that moves along the wall. Do not follow it, for it is the one thing that will lead you to a place you do not wish to go; a place filled with your silent fears and failures, from which you cannot return. No matter what shape the shadow takes, and no matter how it eases and taunts your dreams with the greatest of your desires and hopes, do not even let it tempt your gaze, let alone your feet. 

You can tell by the examples that some artifact instructions are complex while others are more simple. Some require action while others require non-action. You decide. It is your object to create.

• Try and fit in a question to engage the Holder.

example:

1. The only thing you may speak without being beheaded is the question, “What will they bring?” The executioner will laugh an inhuman laugh, and then the impaled heads will begin to speak. They will speak of horrors, of executions, of their individual ends, but you must not move your gaze from the executioner, or you too will be speaking of your death. Eventually, he will speak of his own end, of what they brought to him. 
2.  A man will be facing you, sitting in a chair on the opposite end of the room. He will speak on a cell phone dripping with blood, but his voice will be nonexistent. However, once you ask him the question, he will pause. “Why have I been chosen?” He will then hold out the bloodied phone to you. Take it, and listen. A raspy voice shall describe the purpose of the objects, and why you have been chosen, and you shall shake uncontrollably. 
3. [A NON question example] After three days, sit on your bed at midnight. Wait there quietly, turn off your cell phone, TV, anything. When you hear a growl, get out the blue ticket. The growling will get louder, and soon you will see a strange creature in front of you. It will try to lunge at you, but when it does, rip the ticket. Rip it in front of the creature’s face, and it will let out a horrible screech, die after a few minutes, then disappear, as will the torn ticket. On the spot the creature disappeared, there will be a ticket stub. 

Now it is time to finish up by telling us what the item is and if it ‘does’ anything, grants the Holder or Seeker powers or curses, and a possible finishing sentence of dread. Really, the best way to grasp all of this is to read the first ten or fifteen Holder stories. Here are some endings.

1. That knife is Object 144 of 538. It will cut anything, but with every use, you will feel its bite. 
2. This tumor is Object 162 of 538. Keep it quarantined or it will spread. 
3. The Diary is Object 165 of 538. Its final page contains the one way science can stop them. 
4. The parasite is Object 169 of 538. Keep it away from your stomach. 
5. That tattoo is Object 4 of 538. 
6. The music box is Object 6 of 538. 
7. The clump of sutures is object 10 of 538.
8. The marble is Object 64 of 538. You control the elements now.
9. The uterus is Object 18 of 538. It has one child left to bear.
10. Her tears are Object 182 of 538. 

So, to sum it all up. Check to see if you have the following details in your story. You do not need them all, just as many as possible.

• Intro sentence defining it as a Holder story.
• Meet the attendant. Ask about the Holder you seek.
• The attendant reacts/doesn’t react.
• Stuff happens that’s all freakish and weird.
• You are challenged, or face some feat or fear.
• (remember these should read like instructions)
• Describe how to overcome the feat or fear or obstacle or whatever it is you must face and beat to continue. Basically you are being tested.
• Find the Holder.
• Confront the Holder in some way.
• Discover the object.
• Name the object.
• Finishing tagline of doom.