avatarJF Danskin

Summary

The website provides six spooky writing prompts for authors to create haunting prose in time for Halloween, ranging from haunted house encounters to cursed characters.

Abstract

The undefined website has released a collection of six writing prompts themed around Halloween, inviting authors to delve into the realm of spooky storytelling. These prompts encourage creativity in various horror subgenres, from gothic to dark humor, and include scenarios such as travelers discovering a haunted house, a vampire's hunt, and the unleashing of a monster from an ancient item. The prompts also suggest writing from unique perspectives, such as that of a spider or a haunted location, and exploring themes like curses and lycanthropy. Authors are encouraged to share their work and consider submitting to the Fiction Writer’s Den.

Opinions

  • The website expresses enthusiasm for the Halloween season as a prime time for sharing new, spooky fiction.
  • It suggests that horror can manifest in different forms, from psychological terror to supernatural entities, and even humorous misadventures.
  • The prompts imply that the setting or entity (like a haunted house or a spider) can be a character in itself, with its own backstory and emotions.
  • There is an open invitation for writers to engage with the community by tagging the author and sharing their stories, fostering a collaborative environment.
  • The website acknowledges the potential for these prompts to inspire either stand-alone short stories or the beginning of longer works like novellas or web-novels.

AUTHOR TOOLS | PROMPTS

6 Spooky Writing Prompts 👻

Show us your most haunting prose

Image by the author and FreePik

Hallowe’en is almost upon us, and what better time to share a new set of writing prompts! Authors, lick your gothic quills, stroke your black cats, and get ready to craft some suitably spooky fiction! 🎃

Idea 1

Write a short story or piece of flash fiction in which one or more travellers stumble upon a haunted (or at least creepy and dilapidated) house. What kind of horrors lurk within — or is it all in their mind(s)? Are we witnessing their final moments, or do they escape? If they do get out, are they changed in some way?

Idea 2

Write a drabble which involves spiders or bugs. It could be a brief encounter, some dark humor, or even an observation from the perspective of the spider itself.

Idea 3

Pen a flash fiction story about a vampire on a hunt. It’s up to you how dark to go with this one! Are they devouring the innocent without remorse, or are they more of a bumbling failure of a blood-sucker, never quite sure who to prey on, or how?

Idea 4

Craft a fiction piece in which where your protagonist explores an ancient item of some kind — a book or treasure, perhaps. But things go horribly wrong when a monster or creepy ghoul is unleashed! Perhaps this is the inciting incident for a longer story — chapter 1 of a novella/web-novel — but it could work as a stand-alone short story as well.

Idea 5

Some LitRPG stories are written from the perspective of the dungeon — for this prompt, you are asked to write from the perspective of a haunted house, cave, or some other spooky location. How does it feel about its current state of affairs? Does it miss the happy days of old, or does it enjoy luring in and devouring plucky explorers?

Idea 6

Write a double-drabble involving a curse that changes a character’s fate. Perhaps they are cursed never to be restful in death, or with lycanthropy…? Or maybe they just have a really unlucky day one Hallowe’en!

I hope found some inspiration from these prompts. And if you use any of the ideas above, why not tag me, and also share a link to your writing in the comments? And consider submitting to the Fiction Writer’s Den.

Tagging our most recent contributors: Alec Zarenkiewicz, Ulf Wolf, Summer Daze, H.R. Parker, Andrew Crocker, DW Davis, Aaron Michael Thomas.

Writing Prompts
Creativity
Ideas
Halloween
Writing Challenges
Recommended from ReadMedium
avatarDerek Hughes
How I Got Paid To Write (With Only 9 Month’s Experience)

3 tips anyone can use to earn money writing

4 min read
avatarEsme Harlow
Little Things That Destroy How Good Your Writing Could Be

Spotting the small errors that undermine your narrative

5 min read
avatarHannah Greer
Find Her

The forest is hungry

2 min read
avatarStephen Rowledge
Prologues: What Are They, Why Do We Need Them, and How to Write Them Well.

A prologue provides some background information, context, or introduction to the characters, setting, or theme. They can have both benefits…

5 min read
avatarJF Danskin
The Moment When Stories Pivot

Where is it in your fiction? Creative Writing Workshop, week 1

3 min read
avatarThe writer's path
We Lived In A Dystopia And Everyone Seems To Have Forgotten About It

Where Were You Four Years Ago?

5 min read