Eight frightful writing prompts to ignite the imagination
Sarah Austin | Lifestyle Editor
During the stressors of fall term, it can be rewarding to sit down and write something creative. Celebrate this Halloween season by crafting up a chilling short story. Listed below are eight spooky ideas to help ignite the imagination. Take the prompts below and morph them into any horrific desire.
- Todd Hall — previously a women’s dorm — is rumored to be haunted and feed on the fear of men. Halloween night a group of men walk by the three story brick building. They hear/see….
- After talking to someone on “Tinder,” they say something disturbing and get blocked. The next morning they are reported missing and there are flyers around the city.
- While sweeping the living room, a dark stain is noticed near the carpet. After lifting to investigate, a hidden door is discovered.
- It’s the day after Halloween. Nobody shows up to the 8 a.m. lecture besides the professor and one person. Campus is empty….
- During an all-nighter at the Hamersly Library, a strange sound is heard. It repeats every five minutes….
- While at a pumpkin patch, three close friends decide to enter a corn maze and ignore the closed sign across its entrance. After twenty minutes of wandering, they realize one friend is missing….
- Using “Bumble BFF” a friend-date is made. After meeting and having dinner together, they offer a ride home. Instead of home, they pull into….
- The main character is driving to the coast when they pull off onto a dirt trail, in hopes of a short cut. It seems to work until they see a tree fall on the road behind them, trapping them in. Forward is the only way to go on this unknown and unmarked trail, and the sun sets in two hours.
For a chance to be featured in Student Media’s art and literary magazine, “The Northwest Passage,” submit stories via email to northwestpassage@mail.wou.edu.
Happy haunting, writers.
Contact the author at lifestyleeditor@thewesternhowl.com
