After months spent knee-deep in horror shorts for my upcoming collection, Dreadful Delights, I floated an idea on X: what if I wrote a horror short live?
At least one reader said, “Yes,” and honestly, that’s all the encouragement I needed.
Now, the thought of recording, editing, and listening to my own voice? That’s more horrifying than anything I’ve ever written. So instead, we’re meeting in the middle—with a blog post.
Structure
In the interest of time, readability, and meeting my Dreadful Delights deadline, we’ll keep this story tight: 500–1000 words max.
The Premise
When I write horror shorts, I usually start with a shocking ending. But this time, let’s work with something familiar—a classic monster we all know: the werewolf.
I’ve never written a werewolf story before, so this could be fun. And with the recent Wolf Man remake dropping, maybe werewolves are ready for a comeback.
Of course, a monster alone isn’t a premise. Let’s dig deeper.
Werewolf stories usually revolve around isolated towns, a string of killings, and a mystery identity that’s revealed by the end. Unfortunately, with only 500–1000 words, we don’t have the space for a drawn-out mystery—but we can still deliver a solid reveal.
Here’s the basic idea:
Disturbia meets The Wolf Man.
A teenager sees something he wasn’t supposed to, and now he’s obsessed with catching the monster in the act.
Theme
I like to include themes in my stories—not just to give readers something to chew on, but to keep myself grounded during the writing process.
For example, The Echo, one of my shorts from Dreadful Delights, carries the theme “Appreciate the life you have.”
This one? Well, it’s a classic horror setup, so we could go without a theme. But if we want one, let’s go with:
“Curiosity kills.”
It fits the premise and gives our story a little moral edge.
Rough Summary
Here’s the skeleton of the story:
A suburban town is plagued by killings.
Our main character—a teenage boy—claims he saw the killer: his neighbor (or at least someone living in the neighbor’s house). No one believes him.
So he sets up a camera to catch the monster in the act.
Every full moon, the neighbor’s garage opens. A hairy, monstrous beast darts into the night. The next morning: another victim.
The teen is determined to expose the killer, but there’s one thing he doesn’t know: the werewolf isn’t working alone.
His fatal mistake? Trusting the wrong person.
Brainstorming Details
Now, we have some bones. Let’s flesh this out:
The boy is driven by obsession—and a crush on the girl next door. Maybe she’s the neighbor’s granddaughter, niece, or live-in caretaker. That explains why he’s watching the house... and adds emotional weight to his investigation.
Here’s the twist: she’s the accomplice.
Every full moon, she opens the garage door for her grandfather to hunt.
At the climax, the boy finally invites her over to “prove” he was right. But she already knows.
Possible last line: “Who do you think opens the garage door?”
Characters
Main Character:
A curious teenage boy named Hunter (yes, it’s on the nose—but I’ve met a few kids with that name lately, so it works). He’s the POV character, driven by a mix of suspicion, fear, and teenage infatuation.
The Werewolf (Neighbor):
An elderly man living alone. Once a loner, now sharing his home with his granddaughter for the summer. For flavor, we’ll give him a Romanian surname that ties to the werewolf mythos: Mr. Lupu (literally means “wolf”).
The Girl Next Door:
Teenage, clever, and from a line of werewolves. She’s moved in for the summer and has learned the art of deception well. We could stay in the werewolf trope and name her Bella (a reference to Twilight), but I can't do it—I just can't. Instead, let’s name her Abby (Abigail)—a modern, classic name with some subtle horror roots (and a few metal songs to match).
Setting
Easy one. This takes place in a fictional suburban neighborhood on the American West Coast. Think fences, garages, quiet cul-de-sacs... the kind of place where nothing bad is supposed to happen.
Let’s name the town Creekside—generic enough to feel real, but vague enough to exist anywhere.
Title
I always start with a working title—it helps me stay anchored during drafting. Even if it changes later, it’s nice to have something on the page.
Right now, I’m going with:
The Creekside Terror
- Creekside grounds the story in suburbia.
- Terror evokes monsters more than crime or thriller.
- I’ll avoid the word “killer” to keep it squarely in the horror space.
What’s Next
And that’s it for the prework! We’ve got a monster, a setting, a twist, and a cast—more than enough to kick off a punchy little horror story.
In the next post, I’ll start drafting the actual short. Let’s see how this ends..