The Book of Madness
In an ancient library, a librarian discovers a forbidden book that is said to be written in the language of madness. Curiosity leads them to read it, unleashing psychological horrors that manifest physically in the library as they dive deeper into the text.
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.
- End before the danger is over.
- Tell it as a story someone is begging the reader to believe.
- Give the reader one moment of relief, then take it away.
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 Talisman That SpeaksDescribe the chilling occurrences when an amateur archaeologist unearths an ancient talisman that whispers secrets about the past, and summoning…
- The Mansion MirrorsWrite a story where a family inherits an old mansion, only to discover every mirror in the house shows their reflection with someone else standing…
- The Reflection's WarningImagine a world where reflections have an agenda of their own. One morning, a character notices their reflection attempting communication, leading to…
- The Mirror at the Estate SaleAfter purchasing an old, ornate mirror from an estate sale, a couple notices that their reflections begin to display actions and emotions that they…
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