Halloween Flashback | Writing Prompt
The Jumpoff: Issue #4
Welcome! A cute lil springboard for writers, The Jumpoff will be serving up bi-weekly creative prompts to get you out of your head and onto the page.
To “jump off” means “to set off quickly, usually with success; a point of departure.” And that’s what we’re doing here, folks—we’re dolling out exercises to jolt your brain, jog your memory, spur inspiration, stimulate that genius wit of yours, cue the masterpiece!
Whether you’re writing fiction, poetry, nonfiction…what even is genre anyway? Who cares! The Jumpoff doesn’t, and you shouldn’t either…so whatever the prompt is giving, feel free to take and interpret on your own terms. Jump in…the water’s fine!
PROMPT
We are knee deep in spooky season, friends! So, let’s embrace it. Some of us absolutely LIVE (or should I say DIE!) for Halloween– costumes, candy corn, and cinema! While others are not so fond of all the frightful festivities. Either way, let’s recall a Halloween and summon it forth in our memories…
Write a scene from Halloween! Maybe you center your piece around a costume, or maybe it’s the year you shed your costume and became too cool to Trick-or-Treat.
This year, my daughter is dressing as Snow White. So for me, I will be jumping back in time to Halloween of 1993 when I donned the same Disney Princess costume. I want to see what lies in the parallels between these seasons, these years.
If you want to add more writing to your spooky season, check out this Write or Die workshop on Saturday, October 26!
👻 Gays & Ghouls: A Generative Queer Horror Workshop with Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya
Explore queer horror and craft your own stories using classic tropes like curses and monsters. Leave with fresh ideas, new writing, and a list of films and prompts to keep creating.
*this will be recorded and sent out the following day, if you can’t attend live
Twas a spooky night. I dressed in a black cat costume, but the mask kept slipping down and I couldn’t see well. I lagged behind my friends and tried to catch up after my last treat. Turned to fast,didn’t look where I leaped right into a tree. Bug bloody bump. I ran home. Left my treats and got tricked with a concussion to stay awake until Halloween was over and I had a big black cat eye.