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The best vampire writing prompts
Grab your garlic and don't go out after dark — there are vampires about. Vampire stories are a staple of our literary diet, whether we're talking about the kind of undead creatures thirsting for blood that are the stuff of myth and legend, or the dreamy hunks in Twilight. We've put together our collection of vampire writing prompts to give you a whole host of ideas with bite.
Here are our top ten vampire writing prompts:
- Write about a vampire who hates the taste of blood.
- In the form of letters, write a love story between two vampires.
- Your favorite coffin has been stolen. What do you do?
- Write a short story about a vampire hunter on a mission to kill the last remaining vampire in the world.
- Write a story from the perspective of a third party who witnesses the moment that someone gets turned into a vampire.
- Write a short story that ends with the question: "Will you join me?"
- Write a story that details the rise and fall of a vampire clan.
- About six years ago, he was turned into a vampire by his best friend. This is the story of everything that happened since.
- Write about a vampire or werewolf who moves into a quiet suburban neighborhood.
- You are a bat, and you and your bat friends are annoyed when some noisy vampires rudely move into your cave.
Want some more help writing your vampire story? Here are some free resources:
- The Ultimate Worldbuilding Guide (free resource) — When writing vampire fiction, you'll want to get your lore right. What are your vampires' strenghts and weaknesses? How does the transformation happen? Do they sleep in a coffin and have to aboid the sun, or are they able to move among us comfortably? To help iron out these details and make sure you have all the information before writing, try filling out our worldbuilding guide.
- How to Write a Horror Story: 7 Tips for Writing Horror (blog post) — Our horror writing bible. If your story leans on the side of scary, you can learn how to terrify you victim — and your reader — with this handy guide.
Want more help learning how to write a vampire short story? Check out How to Write a Short Story That Gets Published — a free, ten day course guiding you through the process of short story writing by Laura Mae Isaacman, a full-time editor who runs a book editing company in Brooklyn.
Ready to start writing? Check out Reedsy’s weekly short story contest, for the chance of winning $250! You can also check out our list of writing contests or our directory of literary magazines for more opportunities to submit your story.