Scary New Year
A new holiday horror story challenge
Ringing in a new year is so much more than watching a ball drop and sharing a kiss. It is a blank page. A fresh start.
In Macabre Monday land, it’s also a season for new scares.
New Year’s resolutions typically fall by the wayside after a few weeks. People give up on keeping their resolutions. Sometimes, they forget why they made those resolutions in the first place.
With this in mind, we have a new story challenge for you:
Write a story where the main character faces frightening consequences when they stop trying to keep a New Year’s resolution. Story length can range from 500 to 1,500 words. Short, sweet, and scary.
Post your terrifying tales on your Substack newsletter and tag the Macabre Monday crew (Shaina Read, Jon T, John Coon) in the story and/or on Notes when you share it. Feel free to post in our weekly chat thread as well.
The Weekly Digest
A selection of last week’s memorable Macabre Monday offerings:
Getting a song stuck in your head takes a creepy turn in a new flash fiction tale from Jeanona Dias that features a haunting twist.
A mysterious badger shows up as an unwanted dinner guest in a surreal tale from Mata Haggis-Burridge told in the form of a letter.
Scars become words imparting an ominous message in Susurrant Horror’s haunting new tale.
The In The Bleak Midwinter story series from Wendy Cockcroft gets off to a dark and twisted start. Check out her substack throughout January for other stories from this month-long challenge.
Thanks for sharing my story 💜
Yay, thank you for mentioning Holidays 🥹