74+ ‘Paranoia’ Writing Prompts
-
Possessed Object
Write a story where a benign everyday object becomes a source of horror for the protagonist.
-
The Unseen Predator
A character realizes they are being followed, but has no knowledge of their pursuer.
-
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.
-
Frigid Shadows
Imagine a story where dark figures are noticed by campers, appearing only in the periphery of their vision at night in the freezing wilderness.
-
Icebound Echoes
Imagine a campfire story about a group of friends who hear eerie voices echoing through the frozen forest at night.
-
Digital Ghost
Write a tale about a malevolent digital entity haunting the protagonist through different technological devices.
-
Mysterious Pursuer
Imagine a story where the protagonist feels they’re being constantly watched or followed, but can never quite prove it.
-
An Unseen Presence
Write a short story centering on a mysterious, unseen force that only the protagonist seems to be aware of.
-
Mysterious Mansion of Malice
Describe a dilapidated mansion where a wealthy family mysteriously vanished, leaving it haunted.
-
Shadow Stalker
Write a story where the protagonist is not sure if they are being followed or it’s just their paranoia.
-
Paranoia and Walls
Narrate a tale where the protagonist is convinced they are being monitored and adapts drastic precautions.
-
Letters from The Void
Write a sequence where a character keeps receiving disturbing and threatening letters from an anonymous source.
-
Lingering Shadows
Craft a tale where a person becomes aware of a shadow that persistently follows them, causing a sense of rising dread.
-
A Fearful Feast
Come up with a detailed account of a meal that starts off pleasant but ends in creating dread.
-
Enveloping Paranoia
Write a thriller with a primary character who starts to believe everyone around them is part of a vast, sinister conspiracy.
-
Evil Twin
Spin a story about a person who discovers they have a doppelganger with sinister intentions.
-
Creeping Shadows
Write a suspenseful narrative about someone convinced they’re being followed by an unexplained shadow.
-
Escape from an Unseen Menace
The protagonist lives in a society where people disappear mysteriously, and now they suspect they are the next. Every abnormal situation seems to draw them closer to the impending danger, and they have to devise an escape plan.
-
The Unseen Stalker
Create a chilling story about a protagonist being stalked by an unseen, unknown figure.
-
Mysterious Strangers in Town
Write a tale about an unfamiliar face in a small town, and the strange events following their arrival.
-
Doppelgänger Among Us
A woman, distraught by a sequence of murders happening around her, clings onto sanity when she begins to spot her doppelgänger at each crime scene.
-
The Stranger in Town
Describe a mysterious stranger arriving in a small, close-knit town and strange events occurring soon after.
-
‘Serial Killer Neighbour’
Your next-door neighbour is a seemingly friendly individual, but you suspect they’re a serial killer.
-
Echoing Whispers
Explore a narrative portraying a character who starts receiving cryptic messages, seemingly from their future self.
-
The Virus Within
Create a premise where an epidemic emerges but is only transmissible through emotional stress.
-
Behind the Mask
Craft a narrative where the protagonist’s friendly neighbor is hiding a dreadful secret.
-
Edge of the Battlefront
Detail the life of a soldier based on a remote war-front, dealing with the paranoia and uncertainty of imminent danger.
-
Lost in the Fog
A small coastal town is suddenly plagued by an unending, eerie fog which seems to have a mind of its own.
-
The Haunting Tune
Compose a story about a haunting melody that you hear every night at 2.00 am that appears to call your name.
-
Charmed, I’m Sure
Craft a story where a charming, charismatic person actually uses their allure to draw victims into a deadly trap for their own sinister purposes.
-
Slow Burn Descent
Write a story where the characters’ reality slowly begins to unravel and they are the only ones who seem to notice.
-
Fragments of Past Unfolded
Pen down the story of a group confronting their darkest secrets amidst a zombie apocalypse.
-
Silent Whispers
Write a story about a person who starts hearing whispers that no one else can hear, and they hint towards a horrifying event awaiting them.
-
Ensnared in Conspiracy
Develop a narrative where a young, naive character is unknowingly framed for a complex conspiracy plot.
-
Elizabethan Witch Trial Survivor
Create a narrative about an individual accused of witchcraft who manages to escape the notorious witch trials of the Elizabethan era.
-
Mirrored Delusions
Explore a story where the character believes they’re constantly being watched by their reflection in the mirror.
-
Silent Pandemic
As a new pandemic sweeps the globe silently affecting people’s minds, a psychologist races against time trying to find a cure.
-
Unseen Predator
Write a story where the villain is an entity or force rather than a person, creating a chilling, omnipresent threat.
-
The Next Message
Write a suspenseful narrative in which an unknown number keeps sending cryptic texts to your protagonist’s phone.
-
Muffled Whispers
Pen an intense story about a character who starts hearing whispered plans of their own assassination.
-
Deceitful Reflections
Tell a chilling narrative about a character who has a mirror that shows a disturbing, alternative reality.
-
Forgotten Serial Killer
Imagine a world where everyone has forgotten about an infamous serial killer, except your protagonist.
-
Vault of Secrets
Write about a group of people locked in a vault, and as time goes by, they start revealing dark secrets.
-
“Footsteps in the Foggy Night”
Write a short story about a character who starts hearing unexplained footsteps in the foggy nights.
-
The Rear Window
Write a story where the main character, due to their circumstances, becomes a voyeur to an escalating incident.
-
Unrecorded Departure
Devise a tale where people mysteriously vanish leaving no trace, causing paranoia and fear among the remaining.
-
Planetary Parasites
Your exploratory team lands on a new planet, but an alien parasite starts taking over your crew – all while you convince yourself that you’re safe.
-
The Living Jigsaw
Write a story about a seemingly normal jigsaw puzzle that sets off a series of horrifying events once completed.
-
The Phantom Phone
Your character’s phone starts receiving calls, but only dead silence or faint whispers can be heard when answered.
-
The Sinister Playground
Detail an event where a familiar playground transforms into a nightmarish landscape at dusk.
-
The Silent Phone Ring
Imagine a scenario where your character receives disturbing, untraceable phone calls at midnight.
-
The Unfamiliar Mirror
Describe waking up in your house when everything seems exactly as it should, but your reflection in the mirror looks different.
-
Marooned Among the Dead
Construct a narrative about characters marooned in an unknown location that slowly reveals itself to be a graveyard of their predecessors.
-
Hitchcock Halloween
Compose a suspenseful scene that builds on the horror of the everyday as inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho.
-
Echoes from the Past
Write about a character who begins to spot signs of a haunting past wherever they go.
-
Voices in the Airwaves
Your character finds a radio that only plays cryptic messages they believe are directed at them.
-
The Duplicated Existence
Write a story about a person who begins to believe they have a doppelgänger that’s causing havoc in their life.
-
Whispers of Betrayal
Craft a narrative of a loyal companion who begins to suspect their best friend of duplicity.
-
Shadow of Surveillance
Craft a narrative where the protagonist is under constant covert surveillance.
-
Haunted Hide and Seek
A spirit can only be seen in mirrors, and it loves to play a deadly game of hide and seek with its target.
-
Circle of Magi – Society Paranoia
Write a debate between two characters, one favoring the existence of the Circle of Magi, the other defending the regular society’s fear of magic users.
-
Smoke and Mirrors
Write a story about a heist in a city where nothing is as it seems, and trust is a luxury no one can afford.
-
Secret in the Shadows
Write about a character who has noticed someone following them for days and decides to confront them.
-
Shadowy Companions
Imagine a storyline where the protagonist constantly feels watched, yet finds no one when they look around.
