Horror Story Prompts for Writers
Forty original horror story prompts for writers, sorted by theme: technology, home, small towns, family, travel and first lines, plus tips for building dread.
Submit a Story: Reader Submission Guidelines
How to submit your original horror story to Terrible Stories: what we publish, word counts, content ratings, rights, AI use and how to send your story to us.
On this page
Terrible Stories is opening its doors to readers. If you’ve written an original scary story, we’d love to read it. Here’s what we’re looking for and how to send it.
What we publish
| Type | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Micro-horror | One or two sentences, up to 50 words | A complete story with a twist |
| Short horror stories | 500–3,000 words | Original fiction for teens or adults |
| Campfire and kids’ stories | 300–1,200 words | Spooky, not scary, for ages 6 to 12 |
For examples of each, read our two-sentence horror stories, The Last Passenger and our scary stories for kids.
What we don’t publish
- Gore, graphic violence or cruelty for its own sake
- Sexual content
- Hate speech, or stories that target real groups or individuals
- Stories about real, identifiable people or real crimes
- Work that isn’t yours, including fan fiction and retold creepypasta
Ratings
Tell us who your story suits: kids (ages 6 to 12), teens (13 and up) or adults. We may adjust the rating when we publish, and we’ll tell you if we do.
Originality and AI
Your story must be your own original work and not published elsewhere, including on your own website or social media. If you used AI tools to help you brainstorm or edit, tell us how. We don’t accept stories written wholly or mainly by AI.
Rights and credit
You keep the copyright to your story. By submitting, you give Terrible Stories permission to publish it on our website if we accept it. We’ll credit you by name or pen name, and we’ll confirm all terms with you before anything is published.
How to submit
- Send your story by email through our contact page, with the subject line “Submission: your story title.”
- Paste the story into the email. Please don’t send attachments.
- Include your name or pen name, the word count, your suggested rating and a one-line bio if you’d like one published.
- One story at a time, please, and wait to hear back before sending another.
We read every submission. We’ll get in touch if we’d like to publish your story or if we have suggestions.
Tips before you send
- Read your story out loud; you’ll hear what needs cutting.
- Start close to the scare, and end soon after it.
- Check spelling and punctuation, and give your story a strong title.
- Need an idea? Try our horror story prompts.
Frequently asked questions
Can I submit a story I’ve posted online?
No. We’re looking for stories that haven’t been published anywhere else, including on social media.
Can I submit a true story?
We only publish fiction. You’re welcome to write a story inspired by a feeling or place from real life, as long as no real people can be identified.
Will you edit my story?
We may suggest light edits for length, clarity or rating, and we’ll always agree changes with you before publishing.
Every article is edited by a human and checked against our editorial policy. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
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