Hi, A Lot Of You Need A Perspective Reset

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31 Horrific Days [October Writing Challenge]

So it’s still September, BUT the month of Halloween is quickly approaching and I figured some people may like to get a head start on this so they have things to post! Here are 31 prompts for writing, one for each day of October. Skip any days that irk you or that you just don’t have the time and energy for, but feel free to use the tag #31horrificdays so others can see your work! As always, the prompts are up for interpretation and are meant to inspire a plot rather than dictate how it goes - all fandoms, original characters, or even a changing cast is more than welcome! [I may do a part 2 of vague, one-word prompts for those who want something more flexible].

The character goes out on a date (or an outing with a friend) and comes home late that night to see all of their furniture moved/stacked oddly, rotten food in the fridge, but no signs of entry or security issues.

The character learns through conversation that one of their friends hates Halloween.

The character is distressed from several nights of nightmares/sleep paralysis, all of which leave them waking up terrified. Eventually, what they see in their dreams start to blend into reality.

Write a story about supernatural happenings.. from the POV of a character’s pet.

Write a story about a character receiving threatening letters in the mailbox that keep getting scarier and more dangerous every day through the month.

The character, along with one or more others, decide to visit a local haunted house attraction that’s just opened up.

Halloween is rolling around and an odd fair has come to town with all manner of old-fashioned clowns, fire-eaters, and jugglers. The character(s) get their hands on tickets to see the show and cannot resist.

After hearing about an abandoned house in the neighborhood that was supposedly the scene of a gruesome crime years earlier, the character and a friend or two decide to explore the property.

A fun, creepy night of urban exploration gets the character(s) into trouble.

While spending some time at the beach at night, the character comes across something else moving near the shore, something that may or may not be human at all.

The character didn’t plan on any costume for Halloween this year, but their best friend/partner wants to go shopping for the perfect costumes, perhaps even as a themed pair.

Write a plot about a character meeting a fae creature, but realizing they aren’t as pretty and delicate as the fairy tales made them believe.

After watching a horror movie, the character claims there weren’t scared at all. However, once the house is quiet and dark, they’re suddenly hiding under their covers in fear.

With Halloween approaching, weird people have been hanging around town. Very weird people. ‘People in masks standing outside of houses’ weird people, including the character’s house.

Two character end up in a battle over which is better: ghostly horror movies or monster movies?

After the death of a friend or family member, the character (and possibly one or a few others) finds a hidden trap door in their home while cleaning out their belongings. Inside, they uncover secrets the deceased was hiding.

The character makes a new friend who claims to be an actual witch. They end up proving it to them with an impressive display of magic (if the preferred character is actually a witch, feel free to change the POV)

The character ends up locked in another reality where everything around them is just a bit ‘off’, as well as the fact that no one seems to recognize them. Then they meet one other character who does remember them, and appears to be going through the same thing.

The character has a run-in with someone from their past; someone they know for a fact has been dead for years.

The character has had a near-death experience, and is seeing a few moments between worlds before they’re brought back to life.

The character(s) have a run-in with an odd trick-or-treater a week before Halloween, but the eerie child refuses to leave their doorstep

The character, along with one other, travels to the Suicide Forest in Japan (or another famous haunted wilderness of writer’s choice) and uncovers something grisly, or perhaps even gets lost and disoriented. 

The muse meets up with an old friend or family member, and together they find home videos from their childhood Halloweens. This could be either a heartwarming experience, or an eerie one if they see something spooky they didn’t remember from their past.

The character starts a brand new job, but quickly learns that there are warnings that come with the job. No wonder they can’t keep employees for more than a few days.

The character (one or more others are optional as well) has been kidnapped and locked in a cellar, trying to find the means of escape.

Write a ghost story including any characters of your choice, with one twist: the story takes place in a past decade or century.

The character has just moved to a new city and isn’t familiar with anyone or anything. As they’re taking a walk late at night to relieve their stress, they have an eerie feeling that they’re being followed down every block.

Write a horror plot centered around a gas station (petrol station).

The character lost a beloved pet a year earlier, and finally decides it’s time to bring home a new shelter pet to love. They’re magnetically drawn to one animal in particular, but once they take it home, they start to suspect that this animal may not be ordinary at all.

Write a story from the perspective of a legendary monster (lagoon creature, zombie, sea monster, yeti, etc)

It’s Halloween night - write a story about a costume party or get-together going terribly wrong.

2021 really said yes to books with:

sports sapphics,

time traveling wlw,

murderous sapphics + dorian gray

bi women dating soft boys,

fake dating desi lesbians,

great gatsby retellings with queer asian girls,

f/f slavic enemies to lovers,

gay women + peter pan retellings,

grumpy/sunshine + lesbians of color,

bisexual con artists & trauma recovery,

queer tsoa inspired fantsay set in china

happy summer to dykes in tank tops and basketball shorts, goths who's makeup is melting, little kids catching frogs and fireflies, guys who just bring their guitar everywhere now, 13 yr olds very obviously in their emo phase during a family vacation, gas station employees, old people sitting on porches, and dogs swimming at the beach

People talk a lot about how reading is necessary for writing, but when you really want to improve your writing, it’s important to go beyond just simple reading. Here are some things to do when reading:

Note how they begin and end the story. There are a ton of rather contradictory pieces of advice about starting stories, so see how they do it in the stories you enjoy. Don’t only look at the most popular stories, but look at your more obscure favorites.

See what strikes you. Is it fast or complicated scenes with a lot of emotions? Is it stark lines? Pithy dialogue? What do you remember the next day?

Pay attention to different styles. It’s not just whether they use past or present tense, first or third person. It’s whether the writing is more neutral or deeper inside character’s heads. Do they use italics? Parentheses? Other interesting stylistic choices? Take the ones you like and try them out in your own writing. See what works and what doesn’t.

Keep track of how they deal with other characters. Do we see a lot of secondary character each for very brief periods of time or are there a couple that show up a lot? How much information do we get about secondary characters? Do they have their own plots or do their plots revolve entirely around the main characters? 

Count how many plots there are. Is there just one main plot or are there multiple subplots? Are the storylines mostly plot-based or character-based?  

Pay attention to what you don’t like. If you don’t like what’s going on in a book or even just a scene, note what it is. Does the dialogue feel awkward? Are the characters inconsistent? Does the plot feel too convenient or cobbled together? Does the wording just feel off? See if you can spot those issues in your own writing, especially when reading a completed draft or beginning a later draft.

(yearns for a past that does not exist) (yearns for a past that does not exist) (yearns for a past that does not exist) (yearns for a past that does not exist) (yearns for a past that does not exist)

The 12 full moons of 2022 by loonarpix

they literally created a place where you can go and learn about something that really interests you and they fucked it up by inventing ASSIGNMENTS

i still believe that i can hear the ocean when i put a seashell to my ear. i still believe that the moon is following me when i'm in the car. i still believe there are fairies living in the garden. i still believe in those fabled creatures from my old storybooks. i still believe in true love. i will carry the magic of my childhood with me forever and it will keep me gentle.