tarotea

Some writing prompts I created for myself in the spirit of October/Halloween/all things Fall and spooky. Feel free to use them as you like! I took inspiration from Toasted Cheese’s monthly challenges, and highly recommend them if you’re looking for some inspiration.

1. Write about walking down an empty street
2. “It’s still there, barely visible beneath the water.”
3. Use these five words: jar, talon, tea, laughter, pressure
4. Include an antique mirror
5. Start your story with a dark and stormy night
6. Write from the perspective of a haunted house
7. Describe one of your recurring nightmares
8. Write about the thing in the closet
9. “The monster was old, and tired.”
10. Use these five words: time, footstep, root, familiar, pebble
11. Include a strange object
12. Start your story with someone missing their train
13. Write from the perspective of a night terror
14. Describe your own personal monster, shadow, or great fear
15. Write about a restaurant or bar that serves otherworldly patrons
16. “Something is in the doorway, smiling.”
17. Use these five words: moth, detail, sink, brick, wing
18. Include a forgotten place
19. Start your story with a shadow that’s not quite right
20. Write from the perspective of an unconventional witch’s familiar
21. Take a moment and notice the sounds you can hear – choose one and describe the sound from the perspective of someone who is afraid of it.
22. Write about an old photograph
23. “The house remembers me.”
24. Use these five words: growl, moss, whisper, dusk, teeth
25. Include a broken rocking chair
26. Start your story in a cemetery
27. Does your city or town have any ghost stories? Write from the perspective of one of your local ghosts.
28. Describe the feeling of Fall using only the sense of smell and taste
29. Write about a sculpture of bone and antler
30. “There used to be more people in this town.”
31. Use these five words: orange, twisting, fang, sleep, cinnamon