Things That Go Bump: Ideas for Horror Writers
- hwaseattle
- 1 minute ago
- 5 min read
An irregular series spotlighting 13 useful and inspirational online reads and resources for horror writers everywhere
Feel free to share your thoughts here or go to the Discord and discuss.
HOLIDAYS 🛜On this Krampus Night, revisit the scariest Christmas book of all
LitHub ||Â 12.5.25
"Tomorrow is the Feast of St. Nicholas, a celebration of the patron saint of children, travelers, sailors, toymakers, broadcasters, the falsely accused, repentant thieves, Greece, archers, unmarried people, and the Russian Navy. St. Nick also inspired Santa Claus, so the night before the Feast is considered Krampus Night, when Santa’s dark shadow bumps around baring its fangs and long tongue, and whipping nasty folks with birch rods. It is Friday night, after all. ... If you’re looking for a quieter but still spooky night, I’d recommend curling up with what is still the creepiest holiday book, Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. To celebrate the book’s dark delights, here’s a list of some scary stuff from its pages."
🛜Welcome to the Creepypasta Wiki! creepypasta.fandom.com || 11.22.25
"A creepypasta is a short story posted on the Internet that is designed to unnerve the reader. The goal of the Creepypasta Wiki is to have a well-stocked library of creepypasta, from obscure stories to very well-known ones."
CHARACTERIZATION
🛜Minor Characters in Horror Movies Who Totally Stole the Show
Looper ||Â 11.11.25
"From chilling ghosts and ill family members to babysitting charges with attitudes — as well as evil doppelgängers and even celebrity cameos — the minor characters who overshadowed their films are an eclectic bunch of sometimes terrifying and always spellbinding personas who often have us wishing the film had spent more time with them. In many of these cases, it's even surprising that these scene-stealers didn't end up with their own spinoffs."
DEEP DIVE
🛜Interview: Fisher the Bookseller Explains How Bookstores Decide Which Books to Sell
Counter Craft ||Â 11.6.25
"There are plenty of articles about the state of literary fiction, the role of MFA programs, or the problems of big publishing. There is much less about how books are actually sold to customers. Even in the Amazon age, many people still browse and shop at bookstores. What books are stocked in stores plays a large role in publishing. (Before Amazon’s ascendance, the book buyers at Barnes & Noble were considered some of the most powerful people in publishing whose decisions could make or break careers.)"
PAGE COUNT
🛜The Case for Shrinking Your Novel
Jane Friedman ||Â 12.3.25
Amy L. Bernstein: "To state the obvious: It’s all about what you write, not how much you write. Quality over quantity—and making every word, every idea, earn its place on the page. ... The revision process has been a powerful journey of discovery for me as a writer. I’m sharing five newfound insights about ruthlessly cutting my manuscript—and why that’s a good thing."
IN TRANSLATION
🛜Chilling Lit: Six Novels in Translation That Blend Folktales and Horror
LitHub ||Â 12.5.25
"Togetherness that’s on the side of suffocating, history that won’t stay put or past, and nature that doesn’t just exist, benignly, but watches and waits… Folk horror deals in dissonance, dread, and moral ambiguity, the land remembers all manner of things (not all of them nice) and safety may be bought but not cheaply."
NARRATIVE STRUCTURE 🛜Writing 101: Popular Structure Models That Work
Writers Helping Writers ||Â 10.23.25
"Every successful story, no matter the genre or format, has some structure at its core. It’s the backbone that provides shape and purpose. Without it, even the most compelling ideas can lose focus and wander off track, making it harder for readers to engage. ... Whether you’re a dedicated plotter or a discovery writer who prefers to see where the story goes, structure still plays a role."
SETTING 🛜How Horror Stories Use Haunted Spaces
Bowdoin ||Â 12.9.25
"For her latest research project, Edward Little Professor of the English and Cinema Studies Aviva Briefel is exploring the literary and cinematic trope of the haunted space and the importance these spaces—be they rooms, houses, or hotels—assume in the plotlines of horror stories." [includes video]
TRENDS 🛜Why is the Horror Genre So Popular Right Now?
The Novelry ||Â 12.7.25
"From bestselling novels to record-breaking adaptations in film and television, horror is enjoying a remarkable resurgence—but why? The answer lies not only in chills and thrills, but in the way this genre speaks to the anxieties of the moment."
INSPO 🛜The Relaxed Author Writing Tips With Joanna Penn and Mark Leslie Lefebvre
The Creative Penn podcast ||Â 12.14.25
"In many ways, writing, or the path that you are on as a writer, is almost like being on a journey with an invisible partner. You are you. But you are also the writer you. And there’s the two of you traveling down the road of life together. And so that same question arises. What kind of writer-self do you want to spend all your time with? ... Do you want to spend all your time with a partner that is constantly stressed out or constantly trying to reach deadlines based on somebody else's prescription of what success is? ...Or would you rather spend time with a partner who pauses to take a contemplative look at your own life, your own comfort, your own passion and the things that you are willing to commit to?"
BEST OF LISTS 🛜2025 Horror Fiction Picks
The Seattle Public Library Blog ||Â 12.8.25
Genesee Rickel: "Explore the world of horror fiction with some of our librarians’ favorites! These titles were chosen as Peak Picks earlier this year and can now be found in our regular collections. They capture a wide range of horror subgenres, from historical to the weird and cosmic. Here you’ll find Gothic tales, witches, carnivals, social and survival horror, and even sporror, or horror involving fungi!"
PUBLISHING
🛜Is getting published the hardest it's ever been? Writer Unboxed || 12.1.25
"For decades, New York publishing houses have been shrinking, the entire field contracting to a handful of major conglomerates with a dizzying array of imprints tucked inside. Independent smaller houses exist, of course, but they too are pinched by budget pressures, scant resources, and never enough people to do the jobs that need doing. ...It isn’t just authors doing the commiserating, by the way, though theirs are the voices we hear most often. Agents and editors feed the beast when they offer rejections that say things like 'ten years ago I would’ve been able to sell this' or 'the market for this genre just isn’t there like it was before the pandemic.' ...So is it really the hardest it’s ever been?"
RESOURCES 🛜'Save the Cat! Writes Horror!' Is the Ultimate Guide to Crafting Scary Stories
Bloody Disgusting ||Â 9.9.25
"Blake Snyder‘s influential Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need was published in 2005, kicking off a series of writing books from industry professionals. ... Save the Cat! Writes Horror sheds light over the secrets to crafting truly terrifying tales."
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