Writing prompts | Themes

Let The Darkness Fall at The Narrative Collective

Our monthly writing theme to get your creative juices flowing

Brrrr!

My world just got cold and it’s already in my bones.

Here in the South West of the UK, we had a mostly beautiful and warm September.

Right up until a few days ago, I was basking in the sunshine as much as possible. Loving those pleasant September walks with the dog when all you need to take is an additional thin cotton layer, just in case.

And then the wind rose and the temperature fell, reminding me that summer really has come to an end.

But autumn, or fall as you lot over the pond like to call it, is a time for all kinds of fun, scary, cosying-around-the-fire kinds of experiences, not to mention some great eating to be had. So there’s a lot to get excited about.

Maybe not this cold rain that’s currently lashing down on the skylight above my desk, but plenty besides.

And, with October just about here, it’s time for an October theme at The Narrative Collective.

This month’s theme is… “In The Dark of Night”

October is the month of Hallowe’en.

This can mean many different things to many different people.

For those who follow the pagan calendar and the traditions that come with it, you will know that Hallowe’en, or Samhain, as it is called in the Celtic tradition, is when the veil between our world and the spirit world is at its thinnest.

It is the night that the ancestors can most easily find their way home, and so we light lanterns to help them find their way.

The introduction of spirits has paved the way for traditions involving ghouls, ghosts, and skeletons that come alive again. Chilling ghost stories are murmured across the land and terrifying jack-o-lanterns glow in the gloom.

For others, it’s simply a chance to dress up and eat too much candy.

Whatever your preference when it comes to Hallowe’en, it always happens in the dark of night.

The dark of night lends itself to spooky goings-on and unknown paths ahead, leaving you shivering with...

Perhaps your story has an unusual twist in the dark of night.

Or perhaps your “dark of night” story is not scary at all. We don’t care — we just want something juicy.

So hit us with your stories and let the dark months begin.

Don’t forget to tag your stories with “In The Dark of Night” so that they will join all the other themed responses for the month.

Now, get writing…quick, before this guy comes after you.