10 Halloween Writing Prompts

It's spooky day! Which (hopefully) means a lot of candy, a lot of fun, and some very eery make-believe. In the spirit of make-believe, I've made a list of 10 spooky and mysterious prompts to use for your fiction writing today. These are geared toward short stories; but, if you want an extra challenge, try to write a rhyming story!

Bonus points to anyone who uses theirs as a ghostly Halloween tale to scare their friends and family tonight!

1. Lacy comes from a seemingly normal family. She goes to work, comes home, and goes to bed like everyone else. Over the last two weeks, she's noticed more and more things out of place when she wakes up. The police don't believe that someone is breaking in. Could she somehow be doing this to herself?
2. Everyone loves going down Main Street to trick-or-treat. That's where the nicest houses are - full-size candy bars for every kid. At the end of the street, however, is Mr. Jorgan's house. A once nice house, now run down with weeds everywhere. And he always gives out the weirdest candy (if any at all). He's one of the wealthiest people in town. If he's not spending his fortune on his home or community, what strange things could he be doing with all that money?
3. Windows let us see outside, usually. Sometimes, they let us see into another world. If you're really lucky, you might even catch someone looking into our world. That's what happened this morning. You caught a glimpse of an evil witch from another world peering into ours. And it looks like she's trying to create a portal! How do you stop her from the other side?
4. Jake's birthday is on Halloween. And each year, his wish seems to come true, but no one believes him (you can't tell anyone your wish before you blow out the candle!). He turns 15 this year, and has the perfect wish in mind that'll really show them it's true - but it comes with a devilish twist. What did he wish? And who granted it?
5. A prisoner has escaped from the local prison. One night you start to hear movement in your home. Is it just nerves? Family? Or a dangerous man out on the loose?
6. Michael jumps out of a 15-story window, hoping for the best. "Even the worst is better than...that," he thinks. What is Michael running from?
7. We all know the phrase "good cop, bad cop." This cop is actually bad. Tell a story about his worst offense.
8. Dust settles on everything. It's impossible to keep it out of every corner of your home - that's the plan. There are now enough dust particles across the planet to form one big monster and take over! Write a story from the Dust Monster's perspective, who's seen every aspect of the human life - and decided it should be destroyed.
9. Between each tick of the clock, there's a milisecond where time stops just long enough for a time locked creature to move a teeeeny bit toward its target. What happens when you're the target?
10. "This is Halloween" rings over the store's speakers. "But it's the middle of the Spring," you think. "Who's controlling the music today? - Wait. Why am I on the floor, and with such a bad headache?" You stand up, and notice the leaves falling outside the window. You stumble to the office to check on the music, and no one's around. What's going on? Where is everyone? And how were you knocked out for months in a grocery store?

Hopefully, that’s enough ideas to get your writing going for the day. If you decide to write one, send it this way! I'd love to see it. Happy Halloween!

Did you like this? Share it!

Not signed up for our emails? Click here.