Happy Spooktacular Halloween

Ghosts & goblins all around

Jack-O-Lanterns light up the town

Candy corn & fairies too

Skeletons, black cats, & witches brew

Watch for bats, ghouls, & fiends

Trick-or-treat

Happy Halloween!!!

Incorporating holidays into fiction writing is a creative way to mark the passage of time in your story. Not only does it move the narrative along, but it also establishes a relatable passage for readers. The writer has an opportunity to portray real-life past experiences or bring an entirely new and exciting element to a holiday.

Weaving Halloween into your story can generate a spooky or creepy scene. Think Twilight Zone or your favorite horror flick. Using that premise for a moment, imagine including a scary Halloween scene to advance the narrative or delve more deeply into the protagonist’s fears, weaknesses, or even strengths. There are many ways to bring Halloween essentials into a story. Build a frightening scene to introduce a character who passed away. The presence of their spirit is a great way to tell a new part of the story or explain how things transpired. Catch the reader up and let them in on the juicy secret they’ve been missing.

Halloween doesn't need to be eerie graveyards and unnerving gore. Writers can also choose lighter aspects of the holiday by discussing more neutral pieces of the days leading up to trick-or-treating. Think pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns, colorful leaves of red and gold, sweet desserts and savory foods, costume parties, and haunted hayrides. These make for fantastic descriptive scenes but must tie into some facet of the story.

Another avenue for writers is to discuss the protagonist’s feelings on the subject. For example, I brought Halloween into my WIP, a paranormal romance, but focused on the main character’s dislike of dressing up in costumes and her negative experiences associated with her childhood memories. Her love interest helps her get over these issues with creative yet simple costumes along with an invitation to a holiday party. The scene brings to light her inner turmoil and offers a resolution. In doing so it drives the couple closer together.

If Historical fiction is your jam, remember to research the Halloween topic and how it relates to the era your story takes place in. Allhallows Eve was a very different holiday a century ago or even several decades ago. Be sure to do your due diligence so your passage reflects the atmosphere and features of that time period.

Perhaps you’re a Fantasy/Science Fiction writer. Think about how cool it would be to totally revamp Halloween into a futuristic holiday or to add a fantastical twist to depict it in a fresh and thrilling manner.

Writers may also choose to go all in and create a spooktacular work of fiction around the holiday itself. Many children’s books have been written with a Halloween inspired theme and all its ghoulish characteristics. Seeking an adult audience? Gather around the figurative cauldron and set your dark imagination to work. Spin a spine-chilling adult tale as intricate as a silky spider web and lure the reader in. Use Halloween as a backdrop with supernatural creatures as characters. Try your writing hand at reimagining a Halloween story with your own special twist.