Can You Pack A Spooky Story Into 20 Words?
Six fun 20-word stories (with dialogue) for Halloween
In honor of Halloween, I’m finally facing the intimidating challenge of writing 20-word stories, suggested by Nikolaos Skordilis. 10-worders are fun to write, but 20 words? That seemed scary. With the spookiest of all holidays fast approaching, I mustered the courage to give it try.
You’ll notice my stories include dialogue. I adapted this idea from a variation on the 10-word story challenge from Jim McAulay🍁 and Carolyn Hastings. (See Jim’s and Carolyn’s posts for details.)
Here are my 20-word stories for Halloween:
- “You lied in your online dating profile!” “I said spirited and transparent.” “Yeah, but you didn’t mention you’re a ghost.”
- Her second head cackled as she dismounted her broom. “Bartender? Whiskey please, make it a double!” “One glass or two?”
- “No treat? Then here’s your trick!” They pulverized the pumpkins adorning her porch. Resourcefully she inquired, “Who wants pumpkin pie?”
- The skeletons left his party early. “He was rude!” “I hated that stupid joke about getting back in his closet.”
- Something crossed their path before lightning struck. “Was that a black cat?” “Help me extinguish my burning hair, will ya?”
- “What’s that eerie crowing near the graveyard?” “It’s the crack of twilight. Did you think the dead had alarm clocks?”
If you especially like any of these, please leave a comment saying which and why. I’m also interested if you dislike any, and why. Are there any you don’t “get”?
Which of my 20-word stories do you think Carolyn Hastings won’t prefer? :) See her good-natured critique of my 10-word story:
A wonderful thing about this challenge (with or without dialogue) is that the sky’s the limit for topics and writing style. I invite everyone interested to join the fun, especially: Kaori, Patrick, Thomas, Kitty, Mia, Karen, William, Joseph, JessiKa, Toni, Madelyn, Andy, Lo, Kathy, and Terry.
Are you in the mood for some great 20-worders? Read Nikolaos Skordilis’ Ten 20-word stories of dubious literary value, Krystal Morgan’s My Mind’s a Scary Place, Susan Wheelock’s Are You Thinking of Getting Married?, Mike Knittel’s Five 20-word stories, Sara Larca’s The 20 word story challenge(Woot Woot!), Benighted’s Six 20-Word Stories, and Patricia Haddock’s 20 Word Challenge.
