The Halloween Shapeshifter
Every Halloween, your character can see their parallel lives across different dimensions. This October, they glimpse into a life where they are madly in love with a shapeshifter fighting an eternal war between supernatural factions. Driven to find this soulmate in their current world, they embark on a spellbinding journey, drawing ancient symbols and joining forbidden rituals to cross the veils of worlds.
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.
- Write the first meeting so it goes badly, in a way they'll laugh about later.
- Show the moment one of them almost walks away.
- Give them a deadline: the contest, the wedding, the last train.
Writing romance books
Not whether they end up together, but how.
Romance puts a love story at the center and promises a happy ending: happily ever after, or at least happy for now. Readers know where it's going. The pleasure is in the obstacles, the banter and the moment the two leads finally stop fighting it.
What readers expect
- Two leads the reader roots for
- Obstacles that keep them apart
- Emotional growth, not just attraction
- A happy ending, guaranteed
A tip before you start
The happy ending isn't optional. Without it you've written a love story, and romance readers will tell you so.
More Paranormal Romance prompts
- The Ghost at the Scottish CottageOn a trip to Scotland, a writer discovers an old, untouched cottage and decides to stay there to find inspiration. During their stay, they meet a…
- The Siren's Lost SongAfter a near-death experience, your character develops the ability to communicate with mythical creatures. On a retreat to reconnect with nature and…
- Letters in the LibraryIn a quiet town known for its unexplainable phenomena, your character, a local librarian, discovers a series of ancient letters between star-crossed…
- Love in the WindowpaneAfter a bizarre electrical storm, your character, a barista, begins to experience flashes of someone else’s life through reflections in mirrors and…
Fifteen minutes in? Keep going.
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