67+ ‘Nightmare’ Writing Prompts
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Orwellian Surveillance Today
Would our digital society be a paradise or a nightmare under George Orwell’s 1984 ‘Big Brother’ law?
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Psychoanalyst’s Nightmare
Write about a psychoanalyst who unknowingly becomes the object of obsession for a serial killer, who is actually one of their current patients.
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Haunting Nightmares
Dive into the emotions and implications of a nightmare that has significant emotional impact.
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Fantastical Garden Gumption
Craft an imaginative tale about a gardener who plants seeds of dreams that bloom into realities.
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Virtual Nightmare
A technophobe is trapped in a virtual reality game that eerily mirrors their worst fears.
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Puppeteers of Nightmare
Construct a story where an individual can manipulate other people’s fears and uses this power selectively.
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Hyperreal Dreams
Pen a story revolving around a character who cannot distinguish their nightmarish dreams from reality.
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Battle of Hoth: A Strategic Nightmare
Write about the strategic challenges faced by the Rebellion during the Battle of Hoth.
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Doodling Your Dream
Draw or describe a recurrent dream or a very memorable dream from your childhood.
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Cryptic Seance
Write a thriller about a group of friends who inadvertently awaken a vengeful spirit during an innocent game of ‘Ouija’.
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Curse of the Cursed Object
Describe the horrible occurrences that follow after a family inherits an ancient relic bearing a curse.
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The Grimm Cinderella
What if Cinderella wasn’t escaping her stepmother, but a deranged serial killer?
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Nightmare Travels
A couple embarks on a cross-country road trip, but each night brings them terrifying nightmares that begin to spill into reality.
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A Child’s Imaginary Friend
Narrate a chilling story about a child whose imaginary friend turns out to be a possessive demon.
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The Cursed Artifact
Create a story about an ancient artifact that casts a vengeful curse on its defilers.
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Dream Journey
Write about a person experiencing vivid, eerie dreams that appear to transport them to an unknown nightmare realm.
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Looney Tunes Labyrinth
Write about an experience where someone gets lost or trapped in the looney tunes world and their adventures take a ghastly turn.
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The Lovecraftian Nightmare
Write a horror story inspired by Lovecraft’s universe, detailing the encounter of a curious archaeologist with different cosmic entities or deities.
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Nightmare on Loop
Write a horror story about a dream that repeats the same terrifying events every night for a character.
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Dream Eater’s Diary
Imagine a person, who experiences the nightmares of others in their sleep. One night, they stumble upon a terrifying reality.
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Nightmare of the Time Traveler
Your protagonist can time travel, but every time they do, they see horrifying premonitions.
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Shadowy Subconscious
Write a story centered on the protagonist’s worst fear, gradually indicating that the fear is not manifested in real life but only in the character’s mind.
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Nightmare Landscape
Write about a character who lives in the physical manifestation of their greatest fear.
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Shadowy Apparition
Create a story in which a mythical being haunts the dreams of humans, not to scare them, but to warn them of impending doom.
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The Monster’s Perspective
Write a story from the perspective of a monster who is merely trying to exist in a world filled with magic and mythical creatures.
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The Living Nightmare
A character’s worst nightmare begins to come true during their waking hours. Detail their journey of terror and survival.
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Synthetic Nightmare
Narrate a story about a character who decides to replace their organic body parts with synthetic ones, but things go horrifically wrong.
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An Internal Nightmare
Imagine a character who can physically feel their dreams – specifically, their nightmares. Explore this terrifying phenomenon.
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Unexpected Alliance
Write about two sworn enemies who must collaborate to prevent a global catastrophe.
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The Persistent Nightmare
Detail a recurring nightmare that one of your characters is having, hinting subtly at a real horror to come.
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The Cursed Marshmallow
A seemingly innocent bag of marshmallows turns a fun-filled campfire evening into a night of living nightmare.
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Nightmare Festival
Narrate a short story set in an October fair, where the rides and shows take a horrifying turn.
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Familiar Nightmare
Write about a character that begins as utterly ordinary, but slowly starts showing utterly terrifying traits.
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Environmental Fall
Picture a world devastated by environmental catastrophe, turning it into a dystopian nightmare.
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Malevolent Mirages
After various failed attempts to escape a deserted island, your character starts seeing mirages of your deeply feared past, which grow increasingly menacing.
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Pirates Attack
Craft a story of a peaceful voyage in the high seas that turns into a nightmare when pirates attack.
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Within the Mist
Write a story set in a foggy and isolated town, where people are haunted by unseen entities.
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Nightmare in the Attic
Elaborate on an instance where your character hears unusual noises from their attic, intensifying their fear of the dark.
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The Costume Designer’s Nightmare
A costume designer working on a horror movie discovers that each costume they create causes horrifying real-world events to happen.
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The Therapist’s Nightmare
Write about a human psychiatrist who unknowingly starts therapy with a vampire.
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Nightmare Dollmaker
Create a tale about a toymaker-turned-killer who uses his creations as deadly weapons.
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Final Job Redemption
Your protagonist is a hitman planning to retire after one last job, but this mission goes horribly wrong.
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Delicate Boundaries
Write about a seance where the medium accidentally invites a dangerous spirit and the ensuing nightmare.
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Talkative Poltergeist
Write a story where a harmless, yet annoying poltergeist, likes to rant and interact with the living.
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Nightmares Unimagined
Following the theme of ‘The Sandman’, invent a dream or nightmare so potent that it has far-reaching consequences in the waking world.
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Battle Lines Drawn
How do your characters react when they first see the Darkspawn horde and what actions do they take?
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The Nightmare in the Fade
Write about a Grey Warden becoming trapped in the Fade, a realm of dreams and fears.
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Decoding Dreams
Write about a recurring dream or nightmare you’ve had, that you feel is linked to your experience of abuse.
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The Blanket of Nightmares
Write about a recurrent nightmare you experience during depressive episodes.
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Frame the Nightmare
Describe a recurring nightmare or anxiety dream, and attempt to interpret its possible meanings.
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Vivid Dreamscapes
Describe a recurring dream or nightmare you have and try to decipher its significance in your life.
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Portal in Pictures
Your protagonist discovers that they can step into any painting or photograph they own and live within its depicted scene.
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Deconstructing Dreams
Write a free verse poem about a vivid dream or nightmare, presenting it without any context.
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Autumn Aesthetics
Describe a tranquil autumn day that gradually transitions into an unsettling nightmare.
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Interpreting Nightmares
Reflect on a nightmare you’ve had and try to find a deeper meaning within it.
