Nighthags Writing Corner: Horror Writing Prompts

Horror Writing Prompts

Horror Writing Picture Prompt
Artist

When writing horror there are so many things to consider. What are your readers meant to be afraid of? do your readers care about your characters ? and what is truly scary?

Horror writing legend Stephen king has stated in the past that there is only three types of terror.

“The 3 types of terror:
The Gross-out: the sight of a severed head tumbling down a flight of stairs, it's when the lights go out and something green and slimy splatters against your arm.
The Horror: the unnatural, spiders the size of bears, the dead waking up and walking around, it's when the lights go out and something with claws grabs you by the arm. And the last and worse one:
Terror, when you come home and notice everything you own had been taken away and replaced by an exact substitute. It's when the lights go out and you feel something behind you, you hear it, you feel its breath against your ear, but when you turn around, there's nothing there...”

When writing Horror remember what it is that scares you, what makes your heart pound a little quicker in the dark. What makes you hesitate.What sense's do you r

R.L Stien Said
“There’s no formula. I think you have to create a very close point of view. You have to be in the eyes of the narrator. Everything that happens, all the smells, all the sounds; then your reader starts to identify with that character and that’s what makes something really scary.”

Horror can be one of the most rewarding genres to write for, with so many twists and turns and emotional range to choose from it gives us writers immense range to draw from

Story starters for writing horror

Write a short horror story of at least 750 words inspired by one of the story starters below

“You don’t have to do this...”

Hitting the ground hard, he stared to crawl...

The ship horn sounded loud in the fog...

The cot was empty...

The dress was perfect...

The door buckled...

Staring into the camera she smiled...

The rocks cut into her feet as she climbed...

My grandmother had always had the painting over her bed...

The gun clicked empty...

Coffin, I was in a coffin...

All he had to do was knock...

I never believed the story's about the old man...

My family has a secret...

The house remembered everything...

"I cant marry you"...

Funerals on sunny days were his favorite...

The book was the only thing left...

The camera never lied...

The radio blared to life...

Horror writing prompts...theme ideas

Write a short horror story or a dark poem inspired by one of the themes below

Delivery Boy

Caged Romance

Woven Nightmares

Sedated

Forgotten Lies

Deaths Kiss

Yesterday's Memory

Father's Soul

Broken Cross

Robotic Eyes

Half Sister

Nana's Recipe

Poisoned Lamb

Falling Petals

Dirt Poor

Neighbors Gift

Underneath

Nun's Habit

Spider's Eye

Radio Death