The Uncharted Space Station
Create a horror story set on a space station where the crew members begin to disappear one by one. The remaining crew discovers that the station is moving into an uncharted area of space that affects human perception and reality.
Suggested length: A short story: 1,500 to 5,000 words, or flash fiction under 1,000
Start the clock
Pick a sprint, press start and keep going until it stops. Momentum beats polish on a first draft.
Make it yours
Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- Make the hero's worst fear about themselves come true, not just the monster.
- Use a single repeated sound as the warning sign.
- Start somewhere safe and ordinary, like a kitchen or a school run.
Writing horror books
Something is wrong here, and it's getting closer.
Horror is defined by the feeling it creates: dread, then fear, then the urge to keep reading anyway. The threat might be a ghost, a creature or the person in the next room. Underneath, the best horror is about something real: grief, guilt, the things we can't control.
What readers expect
- Dread that builds
- A threat that can't be reasoned with
- Characters out of their depth
- An ending that doesn't let you off easy
A tip before you start
What you don't show is scarier than what you do. Let the reader's imagination fill in the dark.
More Horror prompts
- The Cabin's Waiting TributeDuring a fierce winter storm, a group of friends is snowed in at an isolated cabin. As they explore the attic to find more blankets, they discover a…
- Footprints in the Blackout SnowDuring a brutal winter storm, the power goes out in a secluded village. Amid the blackout, a family discovers that each snowfall brings a…
- Nightmares at Future ParkCreate a horror tale set in a futuristic theme park where the holograms start malfunctioning, trapping visitors in their worst nightmares.
- Voices in the Winter WindDuring a severe winter storm, a small isolated town loses power. Odd, whispering voices begin to drift with the wind, audible to everyone yet seen by…
Fifteen minutes in? Keep going.
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