My writing prompt about a haunted house gave me the scariest feedback I ever got

I wrote a prompt for a short story contest last month about an old farmhouse where doors open by themselves at night. My plan was to get people to write ghost stories. But the feedback was wild. A lady said the prompt made her actually feel unsafe in her own home because her house had the same floor plan. I never thought a simple description of creaky stairs and a cold hallway could hit someone like that. It taught me that even a small detail can be too real for some readers. Now I test my prompts on a friend first to see if they sound harmless or unsettling. Has anyone else had a prompt go sideways because of something you didn't expect?

3 comments

3 Comments

matthewsullivan1mo agoTop Commenter

Think about it the other way though. That lady's reaction means your prompt did exactly what a good horror prompt should do. It made someone feel something real and strong instead of just reading words on a screen. That's not a problem with your writing, that's a sign you hit a nerve. I've had a similar thing happen with a prompt about a child's bedroom at night and a parent said it reminded her too much of her own childhood nightmares. You can't control how every reader will connect to your words, and trying to make everything safe for everyone just makes it boring.

robert_hayes1mo ago

My buddy wrote a prompt about a creaking floorboard at 3am and some guy commented that it brought back his childhood sleep paralysis episodes. He felt guilty for a week until I told him the same thing you're saying - that's the whole point of horror, it's supposed to tap into something real.

charlesanderson1mo ago

Three years ago I wrote a prompt about a closet door that slowly opens at night and a guy messaged me saying his wife left him because she thought he was messing with her sleep. He had sleepwalking problems and my prompt made her paranoid he was faking it for fun. I felt like garbage for about two months until I realized the same thing you did, you can't predict how people will grab onto your words. My cousin still uses that prompt for his writing group and swears it gets the best responses every time because it hits that real nerve. I stopped second guessing myself after that and just started writing what felt true even if it might bother someone. The uncomfortable ones are usually the ones that stick with people the longest.