journal writing halloween

100 Best Halloween Writing Prompts to Boost Your Creativity

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A list of the best journal prompts for Halloween

With Halloween right around the corner, I couldn’t help but get into the spirit of the season by creating a blog post about the best Halloween writing prompts.

Halloween isn’t just about dressing up in spooky costumes or munching on candy (though those are definitely highlights!).

It’s also a perfect time to ignite our creativity and delve into some bone-chilling Halloween writing prompts that not only give us a good scare but also help us grow as individuals.

So, grab your favorite pumpkin-spiced drink, cozy up with a blanket, and let’s dive into some Halloween-themed journal prompts that’ll send shivers down your spine and spark some serious personal growth!

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Halloween journal prompts about the holiday in general

• Reflect on your favorite childhood Halloween memories.
• Describe your ideal Halloween costume and why it appeals to you.
• Write about a spooky encounter you’ve had on Halloween night.
• Discuss your thoughts on the origins of Halloween and its significance.
• How do you typically celebrate Halloween? Describe your traditions.
• Write a letter to someone you’ve lost, sharing memories of past Halloweens together.
• Explore the symbolism of pumpkins and jack-o’-lanterns in Halloween folklore.
• Discuss your feelings about haunted houses and whether you’ve ever visited one.
• Describe your favorite Halloween movie or book and why it resonates with you.
• Write about a Halloween party you attended and the memorable moments from it.
• Share your thoughts on the commercialization of Halloween in today’s society.
• Describe the scariest costume you’ve ever worn and the reaction it received.
• Reflect on the role of fear in Halloween and how it impacts your experiences.
• Write a spooky poem inspired by the atmosphere of Halloween night.
• Discuss your superstitions or beliefs surrounding Halloween and the supernatural.
• Describe a Halloween-themed dream you’ve had and its significance to you.
• Share your favorite Halloween recipes or treats and why you enjoy them.
• Reflect on the changing traditions of Halloween over the years and how they’ve evolved.
• Write about a Halloween prank you’ve pulled or experienced firsthand.
• Explore the cultural differences in how Halloween is celebrated around the world.
• Discuss your opinions on the controversy surrounding cultural appropriation in Halloween costumes.
• Describe a spooky urban legend or ghost story associated with Halloween.
• Reflect on the role of community and camaraderie in Halloween festivities.
• Write about a Halloween-themed adventure you’d love to experience someday.
• Share your hopes and aspirations for future Halloweens and how you’d like to celebrate them.

Spooky or creepy Halloween writing ideas

• A group of friends accidentally summons a malevolent spirit during a Halloween seance.
• A trick-or-treater discovers that the house they’re visiting is actually inhabited by monsters.
• A haunted mirror reveals unsettling truths about anyone who gazes into it on Halloween night.
• An ancient curse is unleashed upon a small town during its annual Halloween festival.
• A mysterious stranger offers children candy that has sinister consequences.
• A group of teenagers explores an abandoned asylum on Halloween, only to uncover its dark secrets.
• A child’s imaginary friend turns out to be a ghost seeking vengeance on Halloween.
• A family moves into a new house and discovers a hidden room filled with cursed objects.
• A young girl receives a cursed doll as a Halloween gift and must find a way to break the curse.
• A creature lurks in the cornfields on Halloween night, preying on unsuspecting trick-or-treaters.
• A Halloween carnival is revealed to be a front for a coven of witches performing dark rituals.
• A teenager discovers that their town’s Halloween parade is a cover for a supernatural gathering.

• A family inherits a mansion haunted by the ghosts of its former inhabitants, who died under mysterious circumstances on Halloween.
• A group of friends becomes trapped in a cursed maze while exploring a cornfield on Halloween night.
• A trick-or-treater stumbles upon a portal to another dimension hidden in a pumpkin patch.
• A cursed costume transforms its wearer into a monstrous creature on Halloween.
• A ghostly figure appears at a Halloween party, seeking revenge for a long-forgotten betrayal.
• A cursed book of spells falls into the wrong hands, leading to disastrous consequences on Halloween.
• A child discovers that their town’s Halloween decorations are alive and plotting something sinister.
• A mysterious fog descends upon a town on Halloween night, bringing with it creatures from another realm.
• A vengeful spirit seeks to possess the body of a trick-or-treater on Halloween.
• A group of friends summons a demon while playing with a Ouija board on Halloween.
• A cursed carnival ride traps its passengers in a nightmarish alternate reality on Halloween.
• A family’s Halloween pumpkin comes to life and wreaks havoc on their neighborhood.
• A child’s shadow takes on a life of its own on Halloween night, leading them into a world of darkness.

Halloween-themed writing topics that take place in the fall

• Write about a group of friends exploring a mysterious abandoned mansion on a chilly fall evening.
• Write about a pumpkin carving contest in a small town, where the winner’s creation comes to life.
• Write about a family’s tradition of visiting a haunted corn maze every Halloween season.
• Write about a young witch-in-training who must complete a series of challenges before Halloween night.
• Write about a secret Halloween party held in an enchanted forest, attended by magical creatures.
• Write about a town where the leaves turn blood-red every fall, signaling the return of a vengeful spirit.
• Write about a haunted hayride that takes unsuspecting passengers on a journey through the afterlife.
• Write about a mysterious fog that descends upon a town, trapping residents in a time loop on Halloween.
• Write about a pumpkin patch where the pumpkins come to life and wreak havoc on the town.
• Write about a Halloween carnival where the games are rigged by ghosts seeking revenge.
• Write about a family’s tradition of telling ghost stories around the campfire on Halloween night.
• Write about a small town where the residents transform into werewolves under the full moon on Halloween.

• Write about a group of teenagers who accidentally summon a demon while performing a Halloween ritual.
• Write about a cursed painting that brings misfortune to anyone who gazes upon it during the fall season.
• Write about a town where the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest on Halloween night.
• Write about a pumpkin farmer who discovers a portal to another dimension hidden in their field.
• Write about a ghostly figure that haunts a local cemetery, searching for closure from a past life.
• Write about a family of witches who must defend their home from dark forces on Halloween.
• Write about a Halloween parade where the floats come to life and wreak havoc on the town.
• Write about a group of trick-or-treaters who stumble upon a hidden underground city inhabited by monsters.
• Write about a cursed forest where the trees come alive and snatch unsuspecting travelers on Halloween.
• Write about a haunted amusement park where the rides are operated by ghosts on Halloween night.
• Write about a town where the residents transform into their costumes at midnight on Halloween.
• Write about a cursed mask that grants its wearer supernatural powers but comes with a deadly price.
• Write about a town where the ghosts of past Halloween celebrations return to wreak havoc on the living.

Monster/ghost story writing prompts

• Write about a family moving into a haunted house and discovering the tragic history of its former inhabitants.
• Write about a group of friends encountering a shape-shifting creature while camping in the woods.
• Write about a cursed mirror that reflects the darkest desires of anyone who gazes into it.
• Write about a ghostly apparition haunting a lighthouse, warning sailors of impending danger.
• Write about a werewolf hunter tracking down a pack of werewolves terrorizing a small town.
• Write about a child’s imaginary friend turning out to be a ghost seeking companionship.
• Write about a scientist experimenting with reanimation and accidentally creating a monster.
• Write about a cursed book of spells that brings misfortune to anyone who reads from it.
• Write about a haunted doll that comes to life and terrorizes its owner.
• Write about a vampire hunter facing off against a powerful vampire lord.
• Write about a group of explorers stumbling upon a hidden graveyard inhabited by vengeful spirits.
• Write about a creature lurking in the shadows of a small town, preying on unsuspecting victims.
• Write about a haunted carnival where the attractions come to life after dark.
• Write about a family inheriting a cursed mansion and uncovering its dark secrets.
• Write about a group of friends investigating a series of mysterious disappearances in their neighborhood.
• Write about a ghost ship appearing off the coast every Halloween, signaling impending doom.
• Write about a cursed painting that brings death to anyone who possesses it.
• Write about a creature from folklore coming to life and terrorizing a rural community.
• Write about a haunted asylum where the spirits of former patients seek revenge on the living.
• Write about a group of paranormal investigators exploring a haunted house on Halloween night.
• Write about a cursed artifact that brings about the downfall of anyone who possesses it.
• Write about a ghostly figure haunting a theater, seeking closure for a past tragedy.
• Write about a town plagued by a series of mysterious murders, with suspicion falling on a supernatural entity.
• Write about a creature living in the depths of a lake, emerging to prey on unsuspecting swimmers.
• Write about a cursed forest where the trees come alive and trap anyone who enters.

What are Halloween writing prompts, and why should I use them?

Imagine yourself on a cozy autumn evening, wrapped in a blanket with a cup of hot cocoa in hand.

Outside, the leaves rustle in the cool breeze, and you’re sitting at your desk with a blank page before you, waiting to be filled with words.

Now, why should you even consider delving into Halloween writing prompts, you might ask? Well, let me paint you a picture.

These prompts are like keys that unlock hidden chambers within your mind —chambers filled with stories waiting to be told.

They’re not just about crafting spooky tales (although that’s certainly part of the fun!), but they’re also about pushing the boundaries of your creativity.

Each prompt is a challenge, an invitation to explore new ideas and stretch your imagination beyond its usual limits. And there’s something incredibly liberating about facing your fears through the medium of writing.

It’s a safe space where you can confront the things that scare you most, whether they’re ghosts, monsters, or deeper, more personal fears.

By putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), you’re not only telling a story but also engaging in an act of self-discovery and growth .

So, whether you’re a seasoned writer looking for a new challenge or someone who’s never written a story before, Halloween writing prompts offer a gateway to a world of creativity and personal exploration.

They’re an opportunity to step outside your comfort zone, to embrace the unknown, and to emerge on the other side with a deeper understanding of yourself and your craft .

Will you use any of these Halloween writing prompts?

I consider myself an expert when it comes to positive affirmations, journaling, and inspirational quotes. My blog is all about spreading good vibes and helping you feel awesome! I’ve got loads of cool stuff for you to explore, like uplifting affirmations that can boost your confidence, fun journal prompts to spark your creativity, and inspiring quotes to motivate you every day. Let’s embark on this amazing journey together as we discover more about ourselves, uncover our hidden strengths, and create a life that’s full of happiness and success.

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82+ Halloween Writing Prompts (+ Free Printable)

There are still a couple of weeks until Halloween, making it the perfect time to start writing some Halloween stories and poems. We understand that writing horror stories can be difficult, so here are over 82 Halloween writing prompts to help you out and even a free printable! Whether you only have 20 mins or 2 hours, these Halloween writing prompts should be perfect for getting those creative juices flowing. To get extra spooky with your story writing, you can even try combining some of these prompts into a mega story. Alternatively, why not write a scary story for each day until Halloween? Take a look at these Halloween picture prompts for more spooky inspiration!

For more Halloween inspiration, check out our horror book title generator or our list of horror writing prompts .

Halloween Writing Prompts:

Mu hahaha! Prepared to get creative this Halloween with our writing prompts.

• You’re a mad scientist. Today in your lab you are creating a new monster. Can you describe this monster? What does it look like? What do they eat? What do they smell like? You can use this monster name generator for some cool name ideas.
• Write a spooky story about three ghosts to tell around the campfire. Don’t forget to end on a big finale to scare everyone! (Check out our list of ghost name ideas for possible character name ideas.)
• One night, after carving a pumpkin, the pumpkin starts speaking to you.
• You hear a strange sound from your wardrobe, you open it and see…
• A bat flies into your room and says he needs your help.
• Describe your perfect haunted house . You can even draw a picture of it.
• What is the scariest thing you have ever seen? And are you still scared of it?
• You find some footprints leading into your house. What do you do?
• Your imaginary friend becomes real and starts causing trouble for you.
• Write 10 questions to interview a vampire and then answer them from the point of view of a vampire.
• Write a recipe for a witch’s brew. If you need an awesome name for your witch, check out our witch name generator .
• Write three acrostic poems using the words, Halloween, Witch and Frankenstein.
• Write a poem in any format you like about the scariest monster you have ever seen.
• Write down a detailed description of a recent nightmare that you have had.
• Your name is Connor. You are a troublemaker. What sort of problems do you think you would get into at your school Halloween party? Write about them!
• Write a gothic poem using the words creepy, ghouls, goblins and pitch-black. 
• Write a scary story about a group of friends playing a creepy version of Chinese Whispers, called Black Lotus. What consequences does this game have on their friendship?
• Write a script for a Halloween ghost stage show that includes a musical number.
• What happens when you dream of a creature that never sleeps? This creature is there when you wake up and there when you sleep. There’s no escaping it, or is there? 
• Write a poem that begins with the sentence: This night it’s your turn to die! How will you die?
• Write a ghost story using the book title idea: Catch A Ghost.
• Make a list of three things you love about Halloween and three things you hate about Halloween.
•  Write a scary story where a house does something supernatural and dangerous in order to stay in the Halloween spirit (it can even be a ghost that is haunting your house!).
• Imagine you are throwing the best Halloween party ever! How would you plan this party? Who will be at the party and what will happen at the party?
• Create a wish list of all the items you need for your Halloween party (dress, food, decorations…). How much money would you need?
• Think of 10 scary things that could happen on Halloween and brainstorm the consequences of each one.
• Find a relative of yours from the past who has passed away and imagine a conversation you might have with that person (for example Grandma: “When I was growing up…”).
• Think of a scary place where you would go on Halloween (it could be an old house, a building,…). What makes this place so scary?
• Candy is a huge part of Halloween, so why not think of something scary that you could do with your Halloween candy? Try to think of at least one idea.
• Write a short horror story about an evil, living pumpkin and its past.
• Write a ghost story that sounds like a haunted phone call that you would get if you called a non-existent person.
• Make a top ten list of the best Halloween costumes to wear.
• Make a list of your top five favourite Halloween candy or treats to eat.
• Do you follow any Halloween traditions or something that you do every year? If yes, why is this tradition important to you? Examples of common Halloween traditions include watching horror movies, going trick or treating, wearing costumes etc.
• If Halloween was banned in your town, would you care? Write a letter to your town mayor stating your opinion on Halloween. 
• Imagine you are a new student in school and you have to write a speech about Halloween. Write an interesting speech and share it with your friends and teachers.
• Write a newspaper article about a scary event that happens in your town every Halloween. 
• Make a top ten list of your favourite scary movies.
• Imagine you are a ghost and you want to haunt people. Where would you like to haunt people?
• Monster Mash is one the most popular songs to play on Halloween. Can you write your own spooky song for Halloween about monsters?
• Think of the worst Halloween treat you have ever eaten, and describe its taste in great detail.
• Make a top ten list of the scariest monsters or villains from books and movies.
• Trick or Treating is an ancient tradition that dates back to the middle ages. Back then it was known as mumming where people dressed up as creatures and performed tricks in exchange for food and drink. If you lived back then, what trick would you perform?
• Imagine your life as a ghost and you are chasing people to tell them what happens after death. What are you going to tell people?
• Think of any object in your room right now, and imagine that it was haunted by a ghostly spirit. What would it say or do?
• Write a how-to guide on how to scare people. What is the best way to terrify someone? What are some of the best things to use to scare someone?
• If you walked through a haunted house, what would be the scariest part?
• Do you think that trick-or-treating is just for little kids, or is this an activity that grown-ups should also be able to do?
•  Write a story about someone who gets lost in the woods on Halloween.
• Imagine a world, where instead of dressing up as monsters or creatures on Halloween, people dressed up as each other. Who would you dress up as and why?
• Write a newspaper article titled: The Biggest Trend Coming This Halloween Season!
• Have you ever seen a ghost and even if you didn’t believe in them, do you think they are real?
• Make a list of at least 5 activities to do on Halloween.
•  Think of a scary ghost from history or legend and write a ghost story about it. For example, some of the best ghost stories are based on true events like The Apparition of Madeleine or the Bloody Barrow in West Virginia.
• Write a Halloween story where ghosts and monsters appear and cause havoc all around town.
• Complete the following sentence in at least three different ways: Halloween is a time to…
• Write a newspaper article about the different Halloween traditions that exist around the world.
• Make a list of at least 5 scary words and use each one in a sentence. 
• Think of a time when you were scared of something and it was so bad that you couldn’t think about anything else. Describe what was going on around you.
• Write down a spell for turning people into toads. For this spell to work, it must rhyme. 
• Imagine that a ghost in your home is following you around. What would you do to scare it away?
• Write a scary story about a person who works at a pumpkin farm.
• Make a list of your greatest fears, and explain each one.
• Describe the world’s scariest clown. What would their name be? Think about their appearance and how they talk.
• Research and make a list of 5 interesting facts about Halloween.
• You’re hosting a Halloween dinner party at your house. Make a menu of the food you plan on serving your guests.
• Write a newspaper article about the history of Halloween and how it has changed over the years.
• Pretend you are on a ghost-hunting tour. Write a list of questions you will ask your tour guide.
• Imagine you are interviewing a real-life vampire for your school newspaper. Make a list of 5 questions you would ask this vampire. As a bonus, why not try answering these questions from the perspective of a vampire?
• Make a list of ten words related to Halloween, and use each one in a sentence.
• Complete the following sentence in at least three ways: If Halloween was a person, they would be…
• Would you rather be stuck in a graveyard on Halloween night, or lost in the woods? Explain your choice.
• Create your own Halloween greeting card – What spooky message will you include on the inside?
• Most people are scared of ghosts, but what do you think ghosts are scared of?
• Imagine you are invisible and you can hide anywhere in the world. Where would you hide and why?
• Write a limerick about a boy who drinks blood. You can start the limerick like this: There once was a boy who drank blood.
• Imagine that a ghost resides in your room, and every time you walk by, it laughs and tickles you. What should you do to stop it?
• Describe the monster that lives under your bed in great detail.
• Use the following story starter: A drop of blood, a handful of toenails and a pinch of ground-up teeth.  Timmy smiles and waits for things to come back.
• Use the following sentence to start your story: “Once upon a time, on Halloween night, there lived a guy named Sam…” 
• Use the following story starter: “So, which monster is going to eat you up tonight, little boy?”
• How do you think ghosts pick their victims? Make a list of things they look out for in their victims.
• Imagine you work for a spooky monster agency. Your task is to write up a job description for hiring a ghost to haunt people. What skills and traits are you looking for in a ghost?

For more Halloween writing prompts, check out our 31-Day October writing challenge ! You might also be interested in the list of over 62 fall writing prompts .

Halloween Writing Prompts Printable

Print out our spooky writing prompts to use offline. Perfect for when the electricity cuts off and all you have is the daylight or candlelight to write by. We even included a list of Halloween words to make your stories extra scary!

Share your Halloween stories with us!

Got a funny or scary Halloween story you want to share with us? We would love to read them! Comment your stories below or use the #imagineforest on social media to share them. You can even use the Imagine Forest story creator to publish your own stories online and share them with your friends. If you loved our 82+ Halloween writing prompts for kids, you’ll love our Halloween paper bookmark tutorial !

Marty the wizard is the master of Imagine Forest. When he's not reading a ton of books or writing some of his own tales, he loves to be surrounded by the magical creatures that live in Imagine Forest. While living in his tree house he has devoted his time to helping children around the world with their writing skills and creativity.

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Halloween Journal Prompts

💾 Print or download a free PDF copy of this page:

Explore our Halloween journal prompts and spark your creativity this spooky season. Find new ways to document your experiences, capture eerie stories, and set a chilling atmosphere in your journal entries.

Draped in the hues of orange and mystery, Halloween is a time of costumes, carving pumpkins, and conjuring stories. It’s unique, spooky ambiance offers a refreshing break from reality and a perfect setting for creative introspection.

In this article, we’re going to delve into the world of Halloween journal prompts, providing you with an array of writing inspiration sources. Whether you’re seeking to weave a tale of enchanting witches and ghoulish goblins, meditate on the fleeting beauty of autumn, or simply enjoy the therapeutic process of expressing your Halloween-themed thoughts and emotions, these prompts will be your guide.

So, grab your journal, summon your creativity, and let’s explore the wonderfully eerie realm of All Hallows’ Eve together. 🎃

Spooky Story Prompts

Spooky Story Prompts allow for the exploration of the darker, eerie aspects of Halloween, invoking creativity and inspiration in creepy, thrilling ways. Here are 20 prompts to help kindle your frightening storytelling thoughts:

• Write a tale about a haunted house in your neighborhood.
• Narrate a story of a friendly ghost you encountered on Halloween.
• Develop a plot about a group of friends who play the Ouija board on Halloween night.
• Conjure a story about a magic potion that changes a person's life whenever they consume it on Halloween.
• Craft a tale about a pumpkin that comes to life on Halloween night.
• Write about finding an old, mystical Halloween costume in your grandparents' attic.
• Envision a story where you buy a spell book from an old bookstore that actually works.
• Detail a legend about a Halloween candy that gives those who eat it strange abilities.
• Create a story of a child who can see and talk to spirits on Halloween.
• Compose a tale about the time when all the decorative skeletons in town became animated.
• Pen down about a Halloween feast that forces everyone who eats it to tell the truth.
• Conceive a spine-chilling story on a vampire who falls in love with a witch during Halloween.
• Jot a tale around midnight pumpkin picking in a haunted farm.
• Write a creepy saga about a Halloween prank that went horribly awry.
• Craft an intense story about a Halloween night graveyard adventure.
• Churn out a Halloween story about a town that celebrates every day as Halloween.
• Weave a horror story about the cursed Halloween mask that one should never wear.
• Document a narrative of a scarecrow that comes to life each Halloween to protect the town.
• Scribble a harrowing tale of a child who switches bodies with their pet black cat every Halloween.
• Write about a traditional family Halloween story passed down through your family generations that is more real than you ever imagined.

Frightening Character Development

Frightening character development in spooky narratives, inspires us to create compelling and chilling characters, stirring a sense of intrigue and fear. Here are 20 Halloween journal prompts to help you shape a truly frightening character:

• Write about your character's most chilling fear and why it terrifies them.
• Develop a backstory that explains why your character became creepy or horrifying.
• What are the unusual habits or quirks your persona has adopted, and why?
• Envision a situation that reveals your character's sinister side.
• Describe a location where your character feels most powerful or chilling.
• Flesh out a disturbing dream or nightmare your character often has.
• What does your character look like at their most intimidating?
• Construct a dialogue that discloses the darker intentions of your character.
• Detail a phrase or sentence your character often repeats that unsettles others.
• How does your character react when they experience fear?
• Write about a relationship from your character's life that had a creepy dynamic.
• How would your character react if confronted with their deepest dread?
• Describe an object that holds a sinister significance to your character.
• Illustrate a distressing childhood incident that shaped your character.
• Explore how your character instigates fear in others.
• What characteristics or features make your persona particularly frightening?
• Unearth a hidden fearful trait of your character.
• Describe in detail, a cryptic symbol or sign your character identifies with.
• How does your character cope with their own frightening nature?
• Design an encounter from your character's life that unleashed their chilling side.

Creative Costume Ideas

Creative Costume Ideas are an exciting part of Halloween, and by using journal prompts, you can explore and create unique costume ideas that reflect your imagination. Here are 20 journal prompts to spark your creativity:

• Write about your favorite Halloween costume from the past. Why did it stand out to you?
• If you could design an award-winning Halloween costume, what would it look like?
• Imagine you have unlimited resources to create a costume. Describe your masterpiece.
• What is a Halloween outfit you've always wanted to try but haven't yet?
• Envision a costume that represents your personality. What would it look like and why?
• Create an unexpected costume combo using random household items. What are they?
• Write a description of the scariest costume you can think of.
• Invent a costume based on your favorite movie character. What elements would it include?
• Create a funny costume idea using only things in your kitchen.
• Choose a historical figure and create a Halloween costume idea around them.
• What is a unique twist you can put on a classic Halloween costume?
• Write about creating a group costume with your friends. What theme would you choose?
• If you were to dress up as a scary version of your job, what would that costume include?
• Imagine a DIY costume that you could create with recycled materials.
• Write about a costume idea that involves your pet.
• Design a Halloween costume that pays homage to your favorite book character.
• Create a costume that incorporates your favorite color in a creative way.
• Imagine a costume inspired by your favorite song. What elements would it involve?
• Write about a costume that could represent the year we've been through.
• Invent a costume that integrates a mask in a creative and fun way.

Haunted House Scenarios

Haunted House Scenarios is a compelling subject that adds an element of fright and thrill to the halloween journal prompts, encouraging writers to explore a deeper layer within their minds. Here are 20 prompts that focus on scenarios surrounding a haunted house:

• Describe your first step inside an old, reportedly haunted house.
• What would you do if you heard a whisper coming from a room no one else lived in?
• Write about an encounter with a ghost in the cellar of an old house.
• Describe the time you and your friends decided to stay overnight in a haunted house.
• Recount a story where a benign spirit helped you find a lost object in the haunted house.
• Write a conversation between you and a ghost in a haunted house.
• Describe the eeriest room in a haunted house as detailed as possible.
• Share an experience where you felt a ghostly presence following you in an old house.
• Imagine you’re an investigator in a haunted house. What unusual activity did you record?
• Write about a secret you discovered while investigating a haunted house.
• Create a story around the spirits of a family that once lived in your haunted home.
• Describe what happened when you decided to perform a séance in the haunted house.
• Detail the history of the haunting, as told by the oldest ghost in the residence.
• Write about discovering a secret passage in the haunted house, where does it lead?
• Share an experience where you tried to help a ghost find peace in a haunted house.
• Describe the first time you felt genuinely scared in the haunted house.
• Write about the ghost that only appears in the reflection of an old mirror in the house.
• Imagine a night where all the spirits in the haunted house became visible.
• Describe the unique smells and sounds you associate with your haunted house.
• Write a journal entry detailing your difficult decision to leave the haunted house.

Pumpkin-themed Narratives

Harnessing the spirit of Halloween, pumpkin-themed narratives can summon an array of colorful emotions and thrilling tales. Listed below are 20 prompts to inspire your autumnal musings:

• Craft a story about a magical pumpkin that grants Halloween wishes.
• Write a spooky tale that starts with a pumpkin coming to life at midnight.
• Describe a day in the life of a pumpkin farmer during Halloween season.
• Imagine you participated in a pumpkin pie eating contest. Write about your experience.
• Write a poem about a pumpkin lantern guiding lost spirits on Halloween night.
• Journal the tale of a pumpkin seed's journey from planting to becoming a jack-o'-lantern.
• How would you feel if you turned into a pumpkin every sunset during October?
• Chronicle the adventures of a pumpkin patch scarecrow after hours.
• Describe a 'Pumpkin Parade' in your town and its significance on Halloween.
• Write about a couple carving their love story on a pumpkin.
• Engage in a conversation between a pumpkin and a ghost.
• Pretend you are a detective solving "The Case of the Vanishing Pumpkins."
• Detail a magical ritual that brings pumpkin carvings to life.
• Picture a Halloween where all costumes must be made from pumpkin.
• Create a fantasy world where pumpkins are sentient and rule the kingdom.
• Write about an old family recipe for pumpkin pie that holds a secret ingredient.
• Invent a ghost story told by pumpkins around the pumpkin patch.
• Imagine the fright and fun at a pumpkin's family reunion on Halloween night.
• Create a dialogue between the Halloween pumpkin and the Christmas tree.
• Explain how a pumpkin saved Halloween in your town.

Candy Corn Catastrophes

With Candy Corn Catastrophes, we delve into the imaginative and chaotic world that these tiny, multicolored sweets can bring to life, sparking creativity and jest in journaling. Let these 20 prompts assist you in visualizing and expressing the pandemonium that Candy Corn can cause:

• Write a story where Candy Corn becomes a source of magical power.
• Describe a scenario where Candy Corn replaces money as the global currency.
• Recall a time when Candy Corn caused an unexpected argument or disagreement.
• Create a dialogue between two Candy Corns about to be eaten.
• Write a recipe that unexpectedly uses Candy Corn as the main ingredient.
• Design a Candy Corn inspired Halloween costume and describe the reactions it receives.
• Spin a tale of a Candy Corn shortage that led to unexpected consequences.
• Explore what happens if Candy Corns could converse with humans.
• Invent a Candy Corn flavour that causes strange side effects when eaten.
• Describe a tradition where Candy Corns are deemed sacred or lucky.
• Write about the Candy Corn factory mishap that changed Halloween forever.
• Describe a world where Candy Corn grows on fields instead of corn.
• Explore what life would be if eating Candy Corn could turn one invisible.
• Imagine that all the Candy Corns in the world have suddenly disappeared.
• Write about a character whose allergic reaction to Candy Corn gives them superpowers.
• Imagine a day when it rained Candy Corns instead of water.
• Write a horror story that begins with a bag of Candy Corn.
• Describe a Candy Corn contest with an unexpected twist.
• Create a Candy Corn character and tell their Halloween adventure.
• Imagine a narrative where Candy Corns are sentient and plot a Halloween takeover.

Magic Spell Musings

Delving into the concept of Magic Spell Musings allows us to playfully explore the mysterious and eerie side of Halloween through our journal entries. Here are 20 thought-provoking prompts to guide your magical musings:

• Imagine you've found a spell book, write down the first spell you see and its effects.
• If you could cast any spell, what would it do and why?
• Write a poem about a mischievous spell that backfired.
• Write a story about a witch or wizard who has forgotten their most important spell.
• Describe a magical potion you would like to brew. What are its components and effects?
• Detail a day in the life of a modern witch or wizard.
• Explore the ethics of spellcasting. Are there any spells you believe should never be cast?
• Imagine a conversation between two magic users debating about the best spell for a specific situation.
• You’ve swapped bodies with a magical creature as a result of a spell. Write about your experience.
• Imagine your ideal magic wand. Describe its appearance, its construction, and the spells it seems inclined to cast.
• A mundane chore at home is laborious. Invent a spell to make it easier.
• Explore the idea of magic being a finite resource. What would be the implications and how would you conserve your magic?
• Write a letter to a notable witch or wizard. What wisdom or advice are you seeking?
• Describe the experience of a non-magical person accidentally witnessing a spell for the first time.
• Write the origin story of your favorite spell.
• If you could make one location magically hidden or inaccessible to others, where would it be and why?
• Create a spell to communicate with animals. What are the necessary ingredients or preconditions for it to work?
• Write about an unexpected consequence of a seemingly harmless spell.
• What spell would you cast to solve a significant global problem? Describe how it works.
• Write about a spell that didn’t quite go as planned. How would you modify it for a better result next time?

Halloween Party Planning

Using Halloween Party Planning as a theme for journaling prompts can stir up creativity and help in organizing an unforgettable, spooky soirée. Here are 20 writing prompts related to Halloween Party Planning:

• Describe your ideal Halloween party. What does it look like?
• Write about the theme for your upcoming Halloween party. How does it align with the holiday?
• Illustrate the decor for your planned Halloween party with descriptive words.
• List down the kinds of food and drinks you’d like to serve at your Halloween party.
• Brainstorm on your costume ideas for the Halloween party.
• What kind of music would set the right atmosphere for your Halloween party? Write a mini-playlist.
• Envision and write about the activities or games you want to conduct during the party.
• Who are your guests? Describe why you chose each one.
• Write about why you want to host a Halloween party.
• How do you plan to invite your guests? Design an invitation message or card concept.
• Imagine how you want your guests to feel during the party. What elements would achieve this?
• What are the challenges you anticipate in organizing this party? How can you overcome them?
• How can your Halloween party be different from the ones you attended before?
• Write a step-by-step guide of your Halloween party schedule.
• How does hosting a Halloween party allow you to showcase your personality?
• Describe a successful Halloween party you’ve attended before. What can you draw from it?
• Budgeting is crucial. Write about how you plan to manage costs for the party.
• Your party is over. Write about how you want your guests to remember it.
• Reflect on past Halloween parties. What mistakes did you make and how can you avoid them this time?
• Write about the role creativity plays in planning and executing your Halloween party.

Unforgettable Trick-or-treat Tales

"Unforgettable Trick-or-Treat Tales" delve into your most cherished, unique, or quirky experiences related to the traditional Halloween activity of trick-or-treating. Now, here are 20 writing prompts to jog your memory and inspire your storytelling:

• Recall your first trick-or-treat experience. What made it memorable?
• Describe the most creative costume you've worn or encountered during trick-or-treating.
• Share a story about a time you received an unusual treat or trick.
• Write about your most epic Halloween night. What made it extraordinary?
• Narrate the scariest trick-or-treat adventure you've had.
• Recount a trick-or-treat mishap that you can now laugh about.
• Reflect on a time when trick-or-treating taught you a valuable lesson.
• Write about a memorable character you met while trick-or-treating.
• Describe the longest trick-or-treat route you've ever taken. What was it like?
• Sketch the most beautifully decorated house you've ever seen during Halloween.
• Share the excitement of a "full-size" candy bar victory.
• Recount the story of a Halloween surprise that still makes you smile.
• Describe the sounds, sights, and smells of your favorite Halloween night.
• Share a story when you bravely approached a daunting Halloween house.
• Discuss a community Halloween event that added color to your trick-or-treat tales.
• Write about the time you and your friends pulled off a successful Halloween trick.
• Describe your encounter with a haunted house during trick-or-treating.
• Share a tale of trick-or-treating in a location other than your neighborhood.
• Discuss a memorable reaction from someone when you knocked on their door for trick-or-treat.
• Reflect on how trick-or-treating has changed for you over the years.

Ghoulish Ghost Stories

Ghoulish Ghost Stories provide an excellent opportunity to delve into the supernatural and the unexplained, stoking our creativity and pushing our imagination to its limits. Here are 20 prompts to craft spooky and chilling narratives:

• Imagine you've just moved into a centuries-old haunted mansion. Document your first night there.
• Write a story about a ghost unable to rest because of an unresolved mystery from their past.
• Create a tale about a village known for its annual ghost sightings during Halloween.
• Describe a chilling encounter with a ghost you accidentally summoned.
• Write about a night when you decide to follow a ghost you've seen.
• Document an unusual conversation with a ghost who refuses to acknowledge they're dead.
• Write a story about a child who befriends the resident ghost of their new home.
• Create a tale about a paranormal investigator visiting a notoriously haunted location.
• Describe the unusual activity that happens in a house after its regular inhabitants have gone to sleep.
• Detail a ghost's journey to the afterlife and the characters they meet along the way.
• Sketch out the chilling story about a school rumored to host a spectral prom every Halloween night.
• Write about what happens when you play a supposedly haunted melody on an old piano.
• Describe the journey through a haunted forest filled with mysterious apparitions seen by no one else.
• Write a chilling narrative about a ghost ship that appears on foggy nights.
• Detail how you would establish peace in a house plagued by a poltergeist.
• Create a story narrated by a ghost who lives in a mirror.
• Write about the rituals a ghost performs every Halloween, marking the anniversary of its death.
• Describe how you felt when you discovered a ghost living in your closet.
• Write about a midnight encounter with ghostly figures in a graveyard.
• Detail the adventures of a ghost bound to a haunted item bought from a garage sale.

Zombie Apocalypse Survivals

Engaging with the scenario of Zombie Apocalypse Survivals through journaling can spark creativity and prepare us in a fun, imaginative way for survival strategies, should Halloween actually turn apocalyptic. Here are 20 interesting prompts to encourage exploration into survival techniques:

• Imagine you're witnessing the beginning of a zombie apocalypse. Describe your immediate reactions.
• You're tasked with assembling a survival team. Who do you choose and why?
• Create a list of essential items you'd gather to survive.
• Describe your ideal post-apocalyptic shelter.
• Write about a close encounter with a zombie.
• How would you maintain hope in such circumstances?
• Chronicle a day in your life during the zombie apocalypse.
• Describe the first human interaction you have after the initial outbreak.
• You're facing a lack of supplies. How do you plan to solve this?
• Invent a new method of dispatching zombies.
• Write about an unconventional but effective survival strategy you've thought of.
• You've just formed an alliance with another group of survivors. Describe the pros and cons.
• Describe a heroic act you might do to save a fellow survivor.
• Imagine finding a crucial resource, detail your plan to protect it.
• Write a cautionary tale to warn other survivors about the dangers of zombies.
• You've discovered a potential cure for the zombie virus. Chronicle your journey toward creating it.
• Write about an unexpected positive aspect of life during the apocalypse.
• You're suddenly in charge of your survivor group. Chronicle the first major decision you'd make.
• Share what you miss most about the pre-apocalypse world and how you'd recreate that in your current situation.
• You've found a way to communicate with other survivors. Write your first broadcast message.

Classic Monster Chronicles

The Classic Monster Chronicles allow us to delve into thrilling tales with gothic, eerie elements, perfect for stirring up the Halloween spirit. Explore this theme further with these 20 journal prompts related to Classic Monster Chronicles:

• Imagine if Dracula visited your town today, what would his day look like?
• Describe a meeting between Frankenstein's Monster and a modern scientist.
• Write a possible backstory for the Werewolf, explaining its first transformation.
• The Mummy has awoken in a museum, create a story of its night in the modern world.
• Write a poem from the perspective of the Phantom of the Opera.
• Imagine a conversation between the Creature from the Black Lagoon and a marine biologist.
• Write a diary entry for Dr. Jekyll after a transformation into Mr. Hyde.
• Describe a Nightmare scenario if Medusa escaped into a crowded city.
• Recount a typical evening walk for the Headless Horseman.
• Create a chilling monologue for a ghost from the Victorian era roaming in the present day.
• If the Invisible Man attended a Halloween party, narrate his experiences.
• Write an excerpt from a travel diary of a Gargoyle coming to life and exploring the city.
• Imagine an encounter between a Modern-day child and the Boogeyman.
• What advice would you give to Frankenstein's Monster, who's looking for acceptance?
• Describe a mundane day in the life of a Werewolf between full moons.
• Develop a dialogue between Dracula and a Vampire from a modern movie or series.
• Write a cautionary tale based on the legend of the Siren.
• Visualize a confrontation between the Mummy and an ambitious archaeologist.
• Picture a scenario where a Gorgon is trying to live a normal life despite turning people to stone.
• Recount a hypothetical interview with the Creature from the Black Lagoon about its life underwater.

Chilling Childhood Memories

Exploring Chilling Childhood Memories related to Halloween through journaling offers a unique and spooky route of introspection that allows us to connect with our past in a mysterious and enchanting way. Here are 20 journal prompts to help you dive into your own haunted history:

• Write about the first Halloween costume you remember wearing as a child.
• Describe a childhood Halloween trick-or-treat experience that left you terrified.
• Recall a time when you and your friends explored a supposedly haunted place.
• Describe a Halloween decoration or specific house that used to scare you.
• Write about a Halloween prank that you played or was played on you.
• Recount the scariest Halloween story you heard as a child.
• Reflect on a time when a Halloween trick went terribly wrong.
• Describe your most vivid memory of carving a pumpkin.
• Recount the methods you used to sort your Halloween candies.
• Describe a time you were afraid of a particular Halloween costume or mask.
• Remember a time when a seemingly normal happening became creepy because it was Halloween.
• Write about a Halloween-themed episode of your favorite cartoon that gave you the chills.
• Detail a time when you got lost or separated from your group during trick-or-treating.
• Describe your childhood fear of a specific Halloween monster or character.
• Write about a Halloween night when you swore you saw something supernatural.
• Describe the preparation of your most memorable Halloween party.
• Write about a time you were dared to do something scary on Halloween.
• Describe your reactions when you were told that Halloween candies might contain dangers.
• Remember a time when your parent or guardian scared you as part of a Halloween trick.
• Describe the spookiest Halloween night weather you remember experiencing.

Terrifying Time Travel Adventures

Venturing into terrifying time travel adventures can break the monotony of regular Halloween storytelling, adding an edge of both suspense and fright to the autumn celebration. Here are 20 writing prompts about Terrifying Time Travel Adventures:

• Imagine waking up in Salem during the Witch Trials. Detail your experience trying to prove your innocence.
• You accidentally trigger your time machine and land in ancient Egypt during the peak of pyramid construction. Walk through your first midnight walking through the ominous structures.
• In Victorian England, you witness Jack the Ripper's next victim. Describe how you would attempt to change the course of history.
• You've stepped into Bram Stoker's universe and encountered Count Dracula. How would you escape his grasp and make it back to your own time?
• Write a chilling entry about a time you transported to the catacombs of Paris, and the spectral figures you met.
• Travel back in time to the mysterious Roanoke Island. Document what you believe really happened to the colony.
• Journey into a dystopian future on Halloween night, where the tradition has become something far more sinister. Describe your experience.
• Record your attempted journey to witness the construction of Stonehenge, only to arrive on the eve of a Pagan festival.
• Detail a journey to the future where Halloween has been forgotten and you're the only one celebrating.
• You've travelled to 1348 Europe during the Black Death. Report your efforts of surviving the plague.
• Write about landing in the Bermuda Triangle during the 19th century and encountering ghostly pirate ships.
• What happens when you hop in your machine and travel back to the very first Halloween celebration?
• Go back to the early 90's to visit a haunted house now closed due to horrifying occurrences. Describe your exploration.
• On Halloween night, you are transported to 1980's Camp Crystal Lake. What ensues?
• You've gone back to the era of Vlad the Impaler and landed in his castle. How do you handle the events?
• Traveling back to 1692 Salem, you realize one of the girls accusing townspeople of witchcraft is your ancestor. What do you do?
• Detail a night spent at the Tower of London during 1536.
• You wind up in the crypts beneath the Vatican on All Saint's Eve, surrounded by skeletons. How do you find your way back?
• An unexpected detour takes you to Mary Shelley on the night she first created Frankenstein. Write about your experience.
• After a major miscalculation in coordinates, you end up in Sleepy Hollow on the night Ichabod Crane encounters the Headless Horseman. Share the frightful events that unfold.

Freaky Fairy-tales

Delving into the realm of Freaky Fairy-Tales allows us to put a spine-chilling spin on classic tales, encouraging imaginative exploration and enhancing creative writing skills. Here are 20 prompts to guide you on this enchanting Halloween journey:

• Imagine Goldilocks' story took place in a haunted mansion. What spooky adventures would she encounter?
• What if Cinderella’s fairy godmother were a dark sorceress instead? Describe the eerie enchantments she might use.
• Write about the Big Bad Wolf’s eerie night in the haunted woods. What frightful encounters does he come across?
• Think of Sleeping Beauty’s castle being cursed by a ghoulish entity instead of a wicked fairy. Describe the strange events that followed.
• How would Jack's journey change if his beanstalk led to a land of ghosts instead of giants?
• Retell the story of Hansel and Gretel, but with an abandoned asylum instead of a gingerbread house.
• If the Little Mermaid made her deal with the Sea Witch for ghoulish powers instead of human legs, how would her story unfold?
• What would happen if Aladdin’s lamp housed a phantom instead of a genie?
• Reimagine Mother Goose’s nursery rhymes with a macabre twist. Write a short verse.
• Devise a creepy adventure for Robin Hood and his band of undead outlaws.
• What if the Pied Piper led away not just rats, but souls? Write about the inhabitants' reactions.
• Give the tale of Little Red Riding Hood a chilling retelling, where the wolf is a werewolf.
• Imagine Snow White’s seven dwarfs being goblins in disguise. How would the story progress?
• What would the tale of Rumpelstiltskin look like if he lived in a graveyard instead of a tower?
• Write about Beauty and the Beast, but with Beast as a misunderstood vampire.
• What if the three little pigs had to protect themselves not only from the Big Bad Wolf, but also from a headless horseman?
• Transport Alice from Wonderland to a ghostly forest and describe her experiences.
• Imagine if Rapunzel’s tower was a haunted lighthouse. How would it affect her story?
• How would the Sword in the Stone legend unfold if it took place in a zombie-filled Camelot?
• Reimagine the Frog Prince as a dreadful creature; how would the princess react to this transformation?

Unseen Supernatural Incidents

Unseen supernatural incidents make for thrilling and goosebump-inducing Halloween journal entries, providing an eerily perfect avenue for exploring fear, mystery, and the unknown. Here are 20 writing prompts centered around unseen supernatural incidents that will inspire spine-chilling journal entries:

• Write a story about an ordinary object in your home that suddenly develops bizarre, supernatural abilities.
• Journal as if you just discovered you possess a hidden psychic ability. How would you cope?
• Capture your feelings after witnessing an inexplicable supernatural event in your dreams.
• Chronicle a night when you're certain you heard an unseen ghost whisper your name.
• Share your thoughts if you were to find an ancient spell book in your attic. What would you do with it?
• Imagine you can see spiritual auras. Describe a day in your life from this perspective.
• Describe a Halloween night when the objects around your room begin to move on their own.
• Write about a time you received a message from an unseen entity. What did it say, and what was your reaction?
• Imagine your best friend has been possessed. How would you save them?
• Write as though you're visiting a notoriously haunted location. What eerie occurrences await you?
• Journal about a family heirloom that houses an unseen spirit. What events surround this artifact?
• Describe a chilling encounter with an unseen presence at the end of your bed in the middle of the night.
• If your pet could suddenly see ghosts, pen how you think it would react.
• Write a letter to an unseen spirit haunting your home, explaining why they should move on.
• Chronicle a day when your mirror started showing you scenes from a parallel universe.
• Imagine a constellation of stars suddenly aligns to reveal a prophecy. What does it foretell?
• Detail an experience when you felt an inexplicable cold spot in your home.
• Journal about an instance where you felt a touch by an unseen entity. Was it friendly or menacing?
• Imagine the dead can communicate through electronics. What messaged received would give you goosebumps?
• Write about a Halloween night when the wind carried strange, otherworldly whispers.

Occult Mystery Musings

Exploring the dark and eerie realm of occult mystery through journaling can help us uncover hidden aspects of ourselves and deepen our understanding of this otherworldly universe, perfectly aligning with the Halloween theme. Here are 20 writing prompts to spark your occult mystery musings:

• Describe a ritual that you believe could summon a benevolent spirit.
• What message would you send to the spirit world if you could communicate directly?
• How would you describe the concept of a "witch" in modern society?
• Write a short story about a meeting with a mysterious, supernatural entity.
• If you could cast a spell, what would it be and who would you cast it on?
• Document a dream where you feel you may have experienced a paranormal event.
• Write about a time you felt a presence that you could not see or explain.
• Design an ancient talisman that serves as protection against evil entities.
• Imagine you are a medium for a day, what departed souls reach out to you?
• Detail a secret witch coven meeting, describing the participants and their actions.
• Discuss the influence of the lunar phases on personal mood or behaviors.
• Write a letter soliciting advice from your future self, who has mastered the art of divination.
• Document a séance session and its unexpected outcome.
• How would your life change if you discovered that you are partly a supernatural being?
• Write about receiving unexplainable signs or omens and elucidate their explanations.
• What would you say to a ghost if one appeared before you?
• Write a story about finding a magical artifact – what does it do?
• Imagine you have the power to heal any ailment – who would you help and why?
• Describe an ancestral spirit guide and the wisdom it conveys to you.
• Pen a cautionary tale that warns about the consequences of meddling with forces of the unknown.

Eerie Cemetery Narratives

Eerie Cemetery Narratives are a hauntingly unique way to channel the spirit of Halloween in your journal entries, exploring spine-tingling tales and hair-raising experiences within the quiet confines of a graveyard. To help you materialize these spectral narratives, here are 20 prompts:

• Write a story about an eerie encounter on a late-night visit to a cemetery.
• Describe the scene of an old, forgotten tombstone you've discovered and the life story of the person it belongs to.
• Write a tale about the spirits you believe linger in the cemetery after sundown.
• Journal about a living character's first visit to a cemetery and their feelings of unease.
• Detail the inexplicable sounds and movements you notice in the cemetery when everyone else has gone home.
• Conjure a chilling narrative about an unearthing on the eve of Halloween in a cemetery.
• Write a personal experience about a sudden change in weather during a visit to a cemetery.
• Detail an interaction between a mourning individual and a comforting spectral figure in a cemetery.
• Create a cryptic scavenger hunt that leads to a cemetery's hidden secret known only to the departed.
• Write a tale about a special ritual held in a cemetery under a full moon.
• Journal about the strangest gravestone inscriptions you've come across and build a story around them.
• Write about a chance meeting with a gravedigger who can see and talk to ghosts.
• Detail the chilling atmosphere of the cemetery during a funeral procession and the emotions it stirs in you.
• Concoct a story about a haunted mausoleum and the specter that resides within it.
• Write a detailed account of a zombie uprising from the cemetery right before Halloween.
• Chronicle an unexpected encounter with a spectral animal and how it guided you to a buried secret in the cemetery.
• Journal about the secretive night life of the statues in the cemetery, which only comes alive in the witching hours.
• Write about a spooky message you received from the spirit world during a séance in a cemetery.
• Describe an ethereal love story between two spirits forever bound to the cemetery where they were buried.
• Write about the mysteries and legends that shroud the oldest cemetery in your town.

Creepy Crawly Creatures Conundrum

Creepy Crawly Creatures Conundrum, in the context of Halloween journal prompts, gives writers an opportunity to unleash their creative juices and write about eerie creatures and inexplicable phenomena. Here are 20 prompts to help you explore the vast, peculiar kingdom of creep-crawlies:

• Document your encounter if you came across a mythical creepy creature.
• Spin a tale about friendly Halloween spiders building enchanted webs.
• Write a story about an insect orchestra performing a symphony on All Hallows Eve.
• Create an entry as an anthropomorphic insect preparing for Halloween.
• Imagine and describe a day in the life of Count Dracula's bat.
• If you turned into a Halloween creature for a day, narrate your experience.
• Write a poem from the viewpoint of a solitary scarecrow in a pumpkin patch.
• Design a dialogue between a curious cat and a mysterious mummy.
• Write a story about Frankenstein's monster and his pet tarantula.
• Draft a Halloween peace treaty between feuding vampire bats and werewolves.
• Write a diary entry from the perspective of a witch's familiars finding their human in a strange form.
• Imagine encountering a group of shape-shifting pumpkins, describe your interaction.
• Invent a conversation between you and a ghost who's afraid of spiders.
• Narrate a spine-chilling encounter between skeletons and their pet snakes.
• Write a piece about a goblin who collects insects and uses them to cast spells.
• Paint a picture with words about a ghoul's garden crawling with mystical insects.
• Describe the peculiar dilemma of a zombie scared of spiders.
• Write an account of a haunted house ruled by a mouse.
• Create a spine-tingling story about witches brewing potions with beetle juice.
• Imagine you've discovered a completely new creepy crawly species, describe it in detail.

Alien Encounter Speculations

Crafting vivid and thrilling speculations about alien encounters during Halloween can surely ignite a thrilling twist to your journaling journey. Here are 20 prompts to guide your kernels of imagination into full-blown narratives:

• Envision that you're an alien who has just landed on Earth during Halloween night. What confusions would you encounter?
• Write a story of a Halloween night where all the children who are trick-or-treating are actually aliens.
• Scribble down your strategy if you are to fend off a harmless alien invasion during Halloween.
• If you discovered that your Halloween party host is an extraterrestrial being, how would you react?
• How would you communicate with an alien who landed on your lawn on Halloween night?
• Jot down an imaginative dialog between you and an alien trying to understand the concept of Halloween.
• Describe how you panic, yet curiously unwrap an alien disguise found on your doorstep instead of the usual Halloween candy.
• Imagine and write about how you'd escort an alien through a typical Halloween night in your town.
• Draft a scene where aliens actually started the Halloween tradition.
• Write a story about aliens who came to Earth specifically to partake in Halloween festivities.
• Create a diary entry about explaining the tradition of 'Trick or Treat' to an alien who have never heard about it.
• Write a letter to an alien explaining why humans dress up on Halloween.
• If there was an intergalactic Halloween, how would you and your alien friend celebrate it?
• Scribble about your attempt to carve a pumpkin, which accidentally interests an Alien.
• Draft a short dialogue about an alien who is confused about why people are scared of him, thinking it's just another Halloween costume.
• Write a short entry about what kind of Halloween costume an alien might choose.
• Draft a page of a science fiction story where the main character is an alien trying to fit into a Halloween masquerade.
• Write about your experience of taking an alien through a haunted house during Halloween.
• How would you comfort an alien who can't distinguish between Halloween monsters and real earthlings?
• Write a letter to an alien describing your favorite and least favorite aspects of Halloween.

Black Cat Superstition Stories

Black Cat Superstition Stories spark an intriguing thread of prompts for Halloween journaling, combining cultural folklore with an imaginative exploration of the unknown. Here are 20 journal prompts to get your creative juices flowing:

• Write a first-person account of a black cat crossing your path on Halloween night.
• Imagine a civilization where black cats are considered good luck. Describe their Halloween traditions.
• List three possible motivations for a witch choosing a black cat as her familiar.
• Create a dialogue between a black cat and its superstitious owner on Halloween night.
• Think of a historic event and how it might have turned out differently if a black cat had been involved.
• Describe a day in the life of a black cat who's aware of its superstitions and uses it to its advantage.
• Write about an encounter with a black cat that convinces a skeptical character about the superstition.
• Imagine you could communicate with black cats. What would they say about their superstitions?
• Spin a tale in which a black cat is the hero in a Halloween adventure.
• Write a poem from the perspective of a misunderstood black cat.
• Describe a mysterious scenario involving a black cat and an old, abandoned haunted house.
• Write about a dream in which black cats have a secret society.
• Imagine magic powers bestowed on you by sighting a black cat on Halloween; describe your day.
• Write about a black cat that realizes it's different from other cats due to the superstitions.
• Conjure up a story where a black cat is the keeper of an ancient Halloween secret.
• Write a letter to a black cat reassuring it that superstitions do not change your perception of it.
• Create a narrative where the sighting of a black cat leads to hilarious misfortune.
• Write a scene where a character breaks up the black cat crossing path superstition.
• Describe your feelings when you see a black cat on Halloween, walking under the moonlight.
• Write about a Halloween night in a town where all the black cats have mysteriously disappeared.

Full Moon Madness Dialogues

Full Moon Madness Dialogues offer a unique opportunity to delve deeper into your emotional experiences and personal myths related to the spookiness of Halloween. Here’s a list of 20 writing prompts to explore this theme in your journal:

• Describe an imaginary conversation between you and the full moon on a Halloween night.
• Write a dialogue between two eerie creatures under the full moon.
• Explore a fictional story where the full moon influences your actions on Halloween.
• Script a conversation between you and your shadow under the full moon.
• Describe an encounter with a mythical creature that only appears on a full moon Halloween night.
• Write about how the atmosphere changes in your neighborhood under the full moon on a Halloween.
• Explore a dialogue that happens between you and a ghost under the full moon.
• Write a fictional conversation between two full moons about their Halloween experiences.
• Script how the full moon might conversate with an owl on Halloween night.
• Recount an experience where the full moon's madness made the Halloween more frightening.
• Write about a confession that somebody makes under the full moon on Halloween.
• Embody the full moon and express your feelings about Halloween from its perspective.
• Describe a tricky conversation between trick-or-treaters under the full moon.
• Write a story where the full moon gives you magical powers on Halloween.
• Script a dialogue between the full moon and a Halloween-themed constellation.
• Explore a conversation you'd have with a loved one under the full moon of Halloween.
• Describe a mysterious incident caused by the madness of the full moon on Halloween.
• Write a fictional dialogue about someone turning into a werewolf under the madness of the full moon on Halloween.
• Discuss a dream conversation with a Halloween character caused by the full moon madness.
• Write a dialogue that unfolds between you and the full moon about your fears on Halloween.

Coven And Witches Conclave

Diving into the mysterious realm of the coven and witches conclave through journaling can awaken a spellbinding world of discovery and creativity for Halloween. Explore this enchanting theme with the following 20 intriguing writing prompts:

• Describe your first day as a new member of an ancient witch's coven.
• Imagine you are a witch in a conclave. What kind of magic would you specialize in?
• Write a diary entry about a witch's solemn vow to her coven.
• Pen down a dilemma a young witch faces when she disagrees with her coven's decision.
• Envision a dispute within the witches' conclave and how it is resolved.
• Create a spell that your coven would use to protect their lair during Halloween night.
• Narrate a folk tale passed down within the witches' conclave about the origin of Halloween.
• Write about a magical ingredient that is exclusive to your coven and its uses.
• Detail an initiation ceremony into the witches' conclave.
• Explain the bond that exists between members of a witch's coven and how it affects their magic.
• Recount a day in the life of a mediator in a witches' conclave during a crisis.
• Devise an adventure of your coven journeying to an unseen magical place.
• Outline an experience when your coven faces a betrayal from within.
• Conceive a unique Halloween ritual exclusive to your witches' conclave.
• Write a letter to a departed coven member, expressing your feelings and thoughts.
• Detail the moment when your witch character feels connected to their coven for the first time.
• Conjure a poem that your witches' conclave recites at the start of every meeting.
• Narrate an instance when your coven has to work together to fight a common enemy.
• Discuss the challenges and rewards of leading a witches' conclave.
• Reflect on the changes seen in the coven over centuries and its impact on their Halloween celebrations.

Petrifying Prank Tales

Exploring Petrifying Prank Tales in our Halloween journal prompts can engage a thrilling combination of creativity and spine-chilling amusement, perfect for cultivating a fascinating and frightful Halloween ambiance. Here are 20 prompts about Petrifying Prank Tales ready to fill your journal pages:

• Describe the most petrifying Halloween prank you've ever played on someone.
• Share an experience of a scare prank that backfired.
• Imagine you're planning a spooky prank involving a haunted house; what would it be?
• Write an account of a prank played on you that left you genuinely petrified.
• Describe a ghostly prank that you would plan to scare your friends.
• Detail a prank using a Halloween costume that scared everyone in your neighborhood.
• Write a short story about a Halloween prank that accidentally summons a real ghost.
• Draft an eerie prank where you pretend to communicate with spirits.
• Discuss your thoughts and feelings after being the victim of a scary prank.
• Write about a prank involving Halloween decorations and the surprise twist it took.
• Imagine a prank with a mysterious Halloween candy that caused strange things to happen.
• Describe an elaborate Halloween prank that turned your school into a haunted place for a day.
• Write the most terrifying Halloween prank that one could play at a graveyard.
• Describe your reaction to finding out a scary situation was just a prank.
• Sketch a prank scenario involving a Jack-o'-lantern coming alive.
• Imagine pranking someone with a 'curse' and describe their reaction.
• Share a playful, yet eerie prank set in a moonlit Halloween pumpkin field.
• Outline a prank involving a sudden black-out during a Halloween party.
• Write about the silliest but still scary prank that you've ever seen or experienced.
• Detail a prank that ultimately leads to an unexpected friendship on Halloween night.

Sinister Séance Scenarios

Delving into the eerie realm of Sinister Séance Scenarios, these prompts enable you to scribe haunting narratives, filled with the supernatural and the unknown.

• Set a scene where a group of friends decide to hold a séance on Halloween night. What happens?
• Imagine you've made contact with a spirit during a séance. What does it want you to know?
• A séance goes wrong and results in an unwanted, lingering resident spirit. Describe the aftermath.
• Describe a séance where the spirit contacted is a historical figure with unfinished business.
• Write about a séance held at an ancient, haunted site. What does the spirit that inhabits it reveal?
• You've been given a special medium pendant that enhances your ability in séances. What experiences does it grant you?
• Your pet becomes an unexpected medium during a séance. How do you handle this situation?
• An online virtual séance has devastating, real-life implications. What happens?
• Write a narrative where participants in a séance get trapped within the spirit world.
• An unexpected spirit crashes your séance, bringing both humor and unexpected wisdom. Describe the events.
• A séance is used as a last attempt to contact a loved one lost. What message do they convey from the other side?
• The spirit contacted during a séance warns of an impending danger. How do the participants react?
• You participated in a séance and now see spectral auras around people. What does this new ability mean?
• A séance leads to the discovery of a centuries-old family secret. Write about your character's reaction.
• Journal an instance where a séance conducted to connect with an alien life form is successful.
• Write about the spirit of a famous detective contacted during a séance to solve a cold case.
• A séance leads to a friendly spirit becoming a helpful presence in a character's daily life. Describe their relationship.
• A séance on Halloween night leads to annual rituals to keep a vengeful spirit from wreaking havoc.
• Document a séance where the spirit contacted bargains information for a promise from the participants.
• Journal about a séance where the spirit's prediction instantly manifests, sparking a series of strange events.

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• Write a story about a family that goes pumpkin picking together.

"Wow, great costume! How'd you make it?" you say to the kid dressed as the Grim Reaper, reaching a hand out to test the material of the mask. The mask doesn't come off. It's not a costume.

You are the owner of the best halloween costume store in town. then a rival costume store moves in… and sets up shop right next to you., set your story backstage at the theater., write about someone whose busiest night of the year is halloween., set your story at the boundary between two realms., write a story that involves a secret or magic ingredient., write about a drummer going to a halloween party for musicians..

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The best Halloween writing prompts

Spooky scary skeletons and things that go bump in the night have one favorite night of the year: Halloween. And we love this holiday just as much, which is why we've curated our favorite Halloween writing prompts — the perfect inspiration for any writer who loves the macabre.

The options are endless. A tale of trick-or-treating gone wrong. A haunted house that turns out to be haunted for real. Ghost, goblins, and witches roaming the streets freely. Parties, decorations, costumes and facades all provide ample inspiration for a spooky holiday story. Since you're spoiled for choice, we've narrowed down our top story ideas for you.

Here are our top ten Halloween writing prompts:

• You have a few friends over for a Halloween party. You've just finished watching a scary movie when the power goes out and the door is slammed open. What happens next?
• "Wow, great costume! How'd you make it?" you say to the kid dressed as the Grim Reaper, reaching a hand out to test the material of the mask. The mask doesn't come off. It's not a costume.
• You are responsible for taking your neighbors' kids out to trick-or-treat, but you look outside and suddenly feel scared of the gloomy dark...
• Write a story about someone spending the night in an old Victorian home-turned-hotel on Halloween.

Want some more tips for writing horror stories? You can check out the following free resources:

• How to Master the 'Show, Don't Tell' Rule (free course) — Halloween stories are all about the atmosphere. And to capture atmosphere, you need to evoke all five senses. From the twinkling of a jack-o-lantern, to the scratchy interior of a monster costume, the sweetness of candy on your tongue, the sticky grab of cobwebs, or the chill of a wind whistling through a graveyard lit by the moon — all these sensations will immerse your reader in your story. Show, Don't Tell is the golden rule for descriptive writing, so check out our free course.
• How to Write a Horror Story: 7 Tips for Writing Horror (blog post) — Our horror writing bible. If the story you're writing errs on the side of scary, this is where you'll find the best tips to pull it off.

Want more help learning how to write a dramatic short story? Check ou t 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.

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50 Spine-Tingling Halloween Journal Prompts

Last Updated on August 10, 2023 by Michele Tripple

This post contains affiliate links. If you click and buy we may make a commission, at no additional charge to you. Please see our disclosure for more details.

Add a spine-tingling twist to your journal entries with some Halloween Journal Prompts. These 50 prompts are perfect for you and your kids to make some memories this Halloween!

50 Great Halloween Journal Prompts

One of my best parts of my day is when my kids all sit down to write in their journals. I love seeing the way they think and I sure don’t mind the peaceful minutes I get while they write!

Want to know my secret to getting your kids to journal? Use journal prompts !

A simple question always helps spark my kids’ imaginations, and since Halloween is right around the corner, I came up with some fun Halloween Journal Prompts ! It’s the perfect way to build up some excitement for this fun holiday and to introduce journaling to your kids.

These prompts are a perfect mix of silly questions, spooky questions, and questions that make you think! I can’t wait to see how my kids answer them!

How to Use Halloween Journal Prompts

The first thing you need to do is grab some journals! I love using some simple composition notebooks for my kids, but these adorable pumpkin journals would be extra fun for Halloween!

Grab a prompt from my list and write it at the top of the page. If you want to keep these journals around as memories, make sure to add a date at the top as well. 

You could also put each of the prompts in a bowl and have your kids pick a prompt each day. It’d be a great way to get some more use out of your Halloween treat bowl ! 

Once your child has the prompt, leave it up to them! They may choose to write in paragraphs or just jot down a few thoughts. Your younger kids can draw pictures instead! 

It’s a great quiet time activity, but you could do journaling just about any time!

Journaling for Kids

Other than it just being tons of fun, journaling is also really important for kids! It’s a great way for children to use their imagination, preserve memories, find a love of writing, and build complex thinking skills.

Journals can also help them work through really tricky emotions and practice skills like empathy and communication. 

Don’t worry about having your kids use perfect grammar or writing the perfect answer, just grab these 50 great Halloween journal prompts and let their imaginative minds do the rest. 

• Halloween Journal Prompts
• What is your favorite Halloween memory?
•  What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you?
•  What was your favorite Halloween costume you ever wore?
•  What is something you look forward to during Halloween?
•  What is your ideal Halloween party?
•  Do you like going trick-or-treating? Why or why not?
• Describe what your experience would be at a Haunted house.
• What things remind you of Halloween?
• If you could talk to a ghost, what would you say?
•  If vampires could talk, what would you say?
•  If you could be a vampire or ghost, which would you be and why?
•  What is your favorite book about Halloween?
•  What is your Halloween playlist?
•  If your town became a ghost town, what would you do?
•  My worst Halloween experience was when…
•  The best DIY Halloween costume I have seen is…
•  When I see spiders I…
•  If my house was haunted, I would…
•  Who would you call for help if you got stuck in a corn maze?
•  If you got stuck in a haunted house, who would you call for help?
•  Would you rather eat worms or spiders? 
•  If you could fly on a magic broomstick, where would you fly to?
•  What don’t you like about Halloween?
•  What would you mix in the witch’s brew?
•  What family Halloween traditions do you have?
•  Do you enjoy making Jack-o-Lanterns? Why or why not? 
•  Describe your favorite Halloween dish.
•  What is something your scared of?
•  What is your favorite Halloween movie and why?
•  What would you do if you saw a black cat run across from you on Halloween night?
•  What do you look forward to when picking out a pumpkin?
•  Describe what your monster would look like if you created it?
•  If you could have 3 wishes, what would they be?
•  Do you like mysteries? Why or why not? 
•  Do you look forward to Fall activities? Why or why not? 
•  If you could become a scarecrow, how would you dress? 
•  What is your favorite Halloween trick?
•  What colors remind you of Halloween?
•  If you could cast three spells, who would you cast them on and why?
•  Describe three spells you would cast.
•  What is something you are grateful for during Halloween?
•  Describe your favorite DIY Halloween costume.
•  Write a poem using: Halloween, orange, ghost, bats, and candy.
•  If I were a bat I would…
•  If bats could talk I would…
•  My favorite treat from trick-or-treating is…
•  How would you feel if you passed a cemetery on Halloween night? 
•  On a dark, cold spooky Halloween night, I would…
•  Describe the type of monster you would create for Halloween night.
•  Halloween is best with…

I hope you enjoyed these Halloween Journal Prompts! If you’re looking for even more Halloween fun, make sure to try out Halloween Bingo , Halloween Trivia and Halloween Would You Rather !

Check out these other writing prompts!

• Journal prompts for kids
• August Writing Prompts
• Fall Writing Prompts
• September Writing Prompts
• October Writing Prompts
• November Writing Prompts
• Thanksgiving Writing Prompts
• December Writing Prompts
• Valentine’s Day Writing Prompts
• Gratitude Journal Prompts
• Kindergarten Journal Prompts
• Christmas Writing Prompts
• Couples Journal Prompts

Michele Tripple is a renowned author and expert in the fields of parenting, relationships, and personal development. With her degree in marriage and family studies, her experience as a Family Life Educator, and over a decade of experience as a professional writer, Michele has authored books that provide practical advice and insights into improving family dynamics and personal growth. Her work is celebrated for its blend of research-driven information and relatable, real-world applications. Michele has been a keynote speaker at conferences and has contributed to numerous publications and media outlets, solidifying her reputation as an authoritative voice in her field and helping families build relationships.

1 thought on “50 Spine-Tingling Halloween Journal Prompts”

I love the prompt about describing the monster you would create. I always loved creating/drawing my own monsters growing up! This would be fun to write about and then have an art project with it so they could draw or paint their monster.

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Halloween writing prompts for kids

Autumn is a season teeming with opportunities for seasonal fun and games, and Halloween, in particular, ignites the excitement of children everywhere.

While traditional Halloween activities like pumpkin picking and trick-or-treating hold their charm, creative young minds are eager to channel their creativity onto paper — embracing the season uniquely.

To foster a thrill of delight or perhaps a shiver of fright, we’ve curated a collection of spine-tingling Halloween writing activities to enchant and inspire your child this spooky season.

Unleash their inner storyteller with our eerie Halloween creative writing and journal prompts for kids .

Halloween creative writing prompts for kids

Engaging in creative writing is as simple as breathing with the right prompt, propelling young imaginations into fantastical realms of witches, wands, webs, and werewolves.

Encourage your child to craft stories where the supernatural and the ordinary collide:

• Venture into a haunted house at night and narrate the spine-tingling journey.
• Imagine wielding the powers of a witch or wizard — what enchanting feats would you perform?
• Picture yourself knocking on a looming wooden door while trick-or-treating, only to watch it creak open by itself. What eerie adventures await?
• Witness a mad scientist toiling in a remote laboratory, creating a monstrous masterpiece. Describe the creature’s form and purpose.
• Craft a story using the following words: spell, pumpkin, wand, bat, and weird. Weave them into a bewitching tale.
• For one mystical night, your pet acquires a human voice. What secrets do they reveal, and what conversations take place?
• Imagine a peculiar noise coming from your wardrobe. What happens when you summon the courage to open the door?
• Embark on an unexpected broomstick flight while pretending to fly. Where does your airborne adventure take you, and what do you encounter?
• Chronicle a family’s expedition to pick the perfect pumpkin.
• Step into an eerie, old house and discover a bubbling cauldron filled with mysterious purple liquid. What unfolds in this peculiar scene?
• Craft a tale about a pumpkin lantern that springs to life with a mischievous spirit.
• A bat unexpectedly enters your bedroom through an open window, seeking your aid. What mission lies ahead, and how can you assist?
• Conjure up a whimsical poem about a comical witch.
• Plan and describe an extravagant Halloween party. Who’s on the guest list, what do the decorations look like, and what mystical events unfold?
• Create a detailed description of the monster dwelling under your bed.
• An unexpected sound shatters the silence while you’re wandering through a graveyard. Identify the sound’s origin and explain what happens next.
• It’s been announced that Halloween is being cancelled forever! Advocate for Halloween’s continuation in a letter to the prime minister or local mayor.
• How would you spend Halloween night if you were a werewolf?
• Outline the adventures of a sentient scarecrow.
• Describe the life of a young vampire who hates the taste of blood. What sustenance do they prefer, and how do they occupy their nights?
• As a witch, concoct a potion recipe that transforms cockroaches into beautiful butterflies.
• Uncover the startling truth that your teacher is a vampire. Detail the discovery and ensuing events.
• Gain insight into Halloween from the perspective of a paramedic.
• Document your first Halloween experience as a ghost.
• Describe the secretive Halloween gathering of a group of wizards.
• Find yourself lost in a dark forest with a mysterious follower. Reveal their identity and unravel the unsettling journey.
• Spin a tale about the consequences of a black cat crossing your path.
• Share a school day with a friendly ghost. Describe the extraordinary experience.
• Assume the role of a spider for a week and outline the intriguing adventures you undertake.

Halloween journal prompts for kids

Sometimes, personal experiences prove as enthralling as fiction.

Use these journaling prompts to reflect upon your own Halloween journey:

• Reflect on the most memorable Halloween costume you’ve ever worn.
• Share your aspirations for this year’s costume and explain the reasoning behind your choice.
• Detail your thoughts on trick-or-treating with friends — what makes it fun, or why don’t you enjoy it?
• What might Halloween look like in a century?
• Explain your favourite elements of Halloween parties.
• Explore your family’s Halloween traditions, if any, and describe them in detail.
• Delve into your preferences for Halloween activities and why you love them.
• Share your Halloween food favourites using the sentence, “Every Halloween, I like to eat…”
• List your top five Halloween-themed books and explain what makes them special.
• List five aspects of Halloween you adore and five you dislike.
• Reveal your stance on scary movies — list your favourites if you’re a fan, or explain your reservations if you’re not.
• Express your preference between Halloween and Christmas and explain your choice.
• Paint a vivid picture of your ideal Halloween day — what activities would you partake in, and with whom?
• Dive into the essence of spookiness — what makes Halloween eerie and thrilling?
• Offer your thoughts on spiders — do you love them or loathe them?
• Where would you choose to go if you could trick-or-treat anywhere in the world?
• Share your encounter with the most spine-tingling Halloween costume you’ve ever witnessed.
• Deliberate on your preference between vampires and werewolves.
• Recall and narrate the unforgettable moments of the best Halloween party you’ve attended.

For more seasonal fun, explore our blog post on entertaining Halloween craft ideas .

Lucy is our lead editor and has been passionate about stationery since childhood. She has a particular fondness for rollerball and calligraphy pens and is a keen advocate of snail mail.

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Home » Fun & Activities » Activities » 117 Best Halloween Journal Prompts

117 Best Halloween Journal Prompts

This post may contains affiliate links. If you click and buy we may make a commission, at no additional charge to you. Please see our disclosure policy for more details.

Are you ready to add some spine-chilling twists to your journal entries? How about Halloween journal prompts?

When I was a kid, I used to sit down with my younger sister and write in our journals. And I loved to do that. So, now you know that I was interested in writing even when I was a kid! And did I tell you I have those journals with me still today? Yes, my mom stored all my journals.

Now that I am a mother myself, I really want to introduce journals to my little one once she grows a bit bigger, as she is just a baby now.

Journals are a great way to give your kid’s imagination a boost . And the best time you can introduce it to them is during Halloween. Use Halloween journal prompts. This will give your kid some more reason to get excited in the holiday season .

These prompts are a perfect combination of spooky and silly questions. And there are some good questions that will make your kid think. Just have a look at my prompts list, and you will get an idea of what I’m talking about.

Do you want to store these journals as memories? Then make sure to add the date on top. Or, you can just write the prompt on the top of your journal’s page.

Do you want to make this Halloween more fun for your kids this year? Put the prompts in a bowl and ask your kids to pick up one prompt each day. They will enjoy it a lot. And once your kids have the prompt, let them do whatever they want. They can either jot down a few thoughts or choose to write in detail. If your kid is not that older to write, they can even draw. And when they are busy journaling, you will get some time for yourself too.

Sound good?

Table of Contents

Best Halloween Journal Prompts

If you involve your child in journaling, know that this will help preserve their memories, use their imagination, find a love for writing and grow their thinking abilities. So make use of these Halloween journal prompts and let their imagination fly!

Halloween Journal Prompts for Kids

These Halloween journal prompts are suitable for young minds.

• What, according to you, is the perfect kind of Halloween party?
• What is the one thing that you love to do during Halloween?
• Among so many costumes that you have worn to date for Halloween, which one is your favorite?
• What is the first Halloween costume you have ever worn? Can you remember?
• What is the scariest memory that you have of Halloween?
• What is the craziest prank you have ever played on someone on Halloween?
• What is the favorite memory you have of Halloween?
• Does your family follow any tradition for Halloween? What is it?
• If you were to prepare the witch’s brew, what would you mix in it?
• What is the one thing you don’t like about Halloween? And why is that so?
• Who is the one you don’t want to miss spending Halloween with?
• Who makes your Halloween the happiest?
• What activity during Halloween makes you the happiest?
• If you had the power to fly on a magic broomstick, what is the first place that you would go to?
• Would you rather eat spiders or worms?
• If you go to a haunted house on Halloween and you get stuck, who is that one person that you would call for help?
• If you enter a corn maze and can’t come out of it, who is the first person that would come to your mind for help?
• If I see ghosts in my house, I would…
• When I see big spiders, I…
• Have you ever made a costume for Halloween all by yourself?
• Have you ever worn a homemade Halloween costume?
• What is the best homemade Halloween costume you have ever seen?
• What is the worst memory you have of Halloween?
• What would you do if there were zombies in your town?
• If you get to know somehow that some of your neighbors have become vampires, what would you do?
• What would you do if you saw one of your friends killing a spider and eating it?
• What would you do if there were some vampires in your neighborhood and they wanted to make you a vampire too by drinking your blood?
• What songs do you have in your Halloween playlist?
• Which book do you like to read the most during Halloween?
• Who is your favorite Halloween author?
• Is there any specific dish you like to eat during Halloween, and you wait for the entire year for Halloween just to eat?
• If you were given a choice to be a ghost or a vampire, what would you choose to be? What is the reason?
• If you were friends with a vampire, what favor would you ask from them?
• If you were friends with a vampire, would you dare go on their coven with them?
• If you ever get the chance to talk to a vampire, what would you say to them?
• What would you do if you had the power to see dead people?
• If you could talk to dead people, what would you say to them? And why?
• If you had the power to be invisible whenever you want, where would you travel, or what would you do?
• Is there anything that reminds you of Halloween?
• If you ever visit a haunted house, what kind of experience would you like to gather?
• Is there any specific thing you want to see if you enter a haunted house?
• Have you ever had a paranormal experience on Halloween? What is it?
• Do you wish to enter a haunted house alone?
• Do you like spooky things?
• Do you like to watch horror movies?
• Which horror movie is your favorite?
• Is there any specific horror film you like to watch during Halloween?
• Do you like to go trick or treating with your friends on Halloween? If so, why, and if not, why?
• If spiders could talk, what would you want to talk to them about?
• If bats could talk, what would you like to talk to them about?
• If you were a bat, what is the first thing that you would do?
• If you were a vampire, what would you do? Would you bite anyone?
• If you were a werewolf, what would you do?
• Write a poem using these words: orange, bats, ghosts, Halloween, and candies
• What would it look like if you wore a DIY Halloween costume?
• Is there anything you are grateful for that you can do during Halloween?
• What would you do if you were a witch or warlock?
• Is there anyone that you wish you could cast a spell on?
• If you were a witch or a warlock, what three spells would you like to cast? Describe them
• Is there any color that reminds you of Halloween?
• What is your favorite trick for Halloween?
• If a witch casts a spell on you and you become a scarecrow, what would you do? How would you like to be dressed?
• Do you want to do all the Fall activities? If so, why? If not, why?
• Do you like reading horror stories? What about horror stories excite you the most?
• If God grants you three wishes, what would you ask for?
• If you were a monster, what would you like to look like? Do you have any specific look in mind?
• When you go to a pumpkin patch and choose the pumpkin, what are the things that you look at?
• If you see a black cat crossing your path on the night of Halloween, what would you do?
• What is the best Halloween movie, according to you? State the reason
• What is the craziest thing you like to do during Halloween?
• Is there something that you are scared of? What is it, or what are they?
• How do you feel when you make jack-o-lantern? Do you like it? If so, why? If not, why?
• According to you, the best Halloween is when…
• If you get the chance to create a monster for Halloween night, what would you create? Describe
• On a dark, lonely, cold, and creepy Halloween night, I would…
• If you were to cross a cemetery on the night of Halloween, how would you feel?
• What is your favorite treat from trick or treating?
• If you were given the responsibility to design a haunted house, how would you design it? How many rooms would it have? What would be the theme of each room? Describe all in detail.
• Write a horror story that is perfect for a campfire setting on Halloween. The climax of the story must be such that it scares the listeners away.
• If you were given the responsibility to plan the Halloween party for school, how would you do it? How would you decorate the rooms? What would be the food and the activities? What costumes would you like the students to wear?
• Write a story about a boy or a girl who goes trick and treating. The story shall start from the point when they put on their Halloween costume and end at the point when they take off their costumes. You need to tell everything that happens in-between.

Spooky Halloween Writing Prompts

Don’t be too strict with the grammar or spelling. Just let your kid build their imagination. And who knows, they may come up with some amazing writing prompts!

• My friends and I love to go door to door for trick treating on Halloween because —
• They said that the last house on the street was haunted, but I didn’t get any spooky vibe, so…
• On this cold month of October, the winds at night send chills down my…
• There was a yellow glow coming out of the jack-o-lantern, only…
• I was running down the street with my bag of candies, then I saw…
• The Halloween costume with a white sheet and two holes for the eyes gave no clue about the kid that was wearing it…
• Meow! The cat in black color was scared…
• My friends and I were trick or treating, and we knocked on the door…
• It was a dark, cold, stormy night of Halloween when…
• It was a dark Halloween night when I saw…
• It is fun to plan a Halloween party. And for that, first, you need to…
• I got a bag full of candy on Halloween. I was counting them when…
• On the day of Halloween, my mom, and dad…
• I had the best Halloween of all times when I…
• A strange noise came from the closet, so I opened the door and…
• The black cat crossed my path on the night of Halloween when…
• The pumpkin that we bought for Halloween suddenly turned into a …
• There was a mysterious object flying in the air on the night of Halloween when..,
• I got a spooky feeling when I heard…
• The large cauldron containing purple liquid came to a boil when…
• The silliest memory I have of Halloween is when…
• I entered the haunted house alone, and suddenly the door got shut down behind me, then…
• I couldn’t believe what I had seen. It was…
• Was it my imagination, or the tendrils of my ivy house plant actually kept growing towards my direction when…
• I loved my dog so much. I felt so devastated that I buried it in the backyard so that I could keep it close to me after it died. But I didn’t expect…
• I had to walk home alone from tuition in the evening, and the only way was through the graveyard, where…
• For the past week, whenever I looked in the mirror to see my face, there was something unusual, and I ….
• I got a call from an unknown number. When I received it, I heard a scream in my own voice from the other side, and then the same voice said…
• I was on a road trip with my friends. Little oil was left in the engine, so we had to stop in a dark, spooky town where…
• The little boy was all alone in the home when she heard a scream and went upstairs, only to discover…
• I was on my computer when I heard someone open the main door of our house. I went out and saw…
• I was feeling so excited to inherit the doll collection of my grandmother. When I was a kid and visited her home, I used to play with the dolls for hours. Now that she is no more, I brought all the dolls to my home, cleaned them up, and made their sitting arrangement on a shelf in my living room. The next day when I looked at them, they were not in the location where I made them sit. In fact, they were all at different corners of the living room. This made me think for a bit, but then I forgot as the day went by. But after a week, I discovered…
• They were looking to buy a new home, as the apartment they lived in was not big enough for the three children and their parents. Also, the location of the house was not good. One fine morning, they came to know about a new house on sale. It was in a good location, it was big, and they all fell in love with it at first sight.  They were a bit skeptical at first, as such a beautiful house was available at such a good price. But then they bought it and moved in. Only after that did they hear from the neighbors about the bad history of the house. It…
• Mary was still sleepy, so she0 stretched and sat up in her bed. It was her birthday, and she was super excited, thinking about what surprises her parents had for her. She opened her eyes slowly and screamed. A guy was standing right next to her bed with a smile on his face saying, “ what are your plans for our birthday, sister? ” Mary was the only child. However, her mother…
• When I heard the voice for the first time, I thought maybe it was the new song’s lyrics that were playing on the TV. But then I heard the voice for the second and third time in the shower and in the kitchen, respectively. It was a creepy voice saying, “ I see you. ” After that, I decided to…

Did you like the Halloween journal prompts? Is there anything else that you would like to add to this list?

Let me know in the comments!

Hi, I am Claudia, I run TheQueenMomma’s content creation team, personally focusing on topics which add joy to people’s life. You would usually see me writing on topics like Jokes, Riddles, Truth & Dare as well as Baby Names etc.

In my professional career, I have a Bachelor’s and Master’s in sociology and specialize in media and crime. Once I finished my education, I began my career working as a journalist, reporting on various topics like crime, justice and family law. Even though I valued journalism, I came to the realization that I wanted to have a more immediate impact in people’s lives as well as bring joy to them.

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54 Halloween Journal Prompts For Adults

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BOO! It’s the spookiest time of the year. What better time indeed to pen some spooky , creepy, colorful stories than this period filled with great imagination, rich and magnificent lore, and spectacular creatures which lend to out-of-this-world situations? 

Halloween has witnessed its popularity increasing globally, with many countries celebrating this momentous occasion. 

And it’s a time not just for kids who love to dress up and go trick-or-treating — it’s a time that adults enjoy thoroughly as well, what with all the cool costumes, amazing decorations, and fun events that bring a ton of chills and even more thrills. 

One of Halloween’s main attractions is its eclectic and utterly fascinating mix of ghosts, ghouls, and all things unusual, unexpected, and downright scary. 

All Hallow’s Eve is such a superb, very visual holiday that can spark the imagination and make for many enthralling written works. 

If you are looking to create some engrossing stories but are maybe in need of a little push to get things rolling, these Halloween journal prompts will help pave the way to what will certainly be some of your scariest written creations yet!

What Are Halloween Journal Prompts?

People with active and rich imaginations seek outlets to let their creativity flourish. You are inspired and find it fulfilling to share your thoughts, experiences, and imagined scenarios in writing.

However, sometimes it can be a struggle to come up with an original idea or to find the right words to get things started. 

Many writers have gone through that challenging time when your creative juices are all revved up, but you need a gentle nudge to ignite the spark. 

It’s especially frustrating when you want to write about something that is already so full of imagination and inspiration, like Halloween season, and yet somehow you are struggling with writer’s block. That’s where our Halloween journal prompts come in. 

Halloween journal prompts are tailor-made to save the day when the season rolls around, and writer’s block threatens to keep you from writing some gloriously gory and riveting stories. 

These are designed to help jumpstart your writing and get that creativity flowing. 

Why Are Written Works About Halloween So Appealing?

Readers love devouring works that they can connect to. They gravitate towards the kinds of stories that elicit big reactions from those who read them. For writers, this is a big goal. You write in order to get a reaction from those who read your work. 

Whatever the genre, writers desire to get their readers to feel; you want to incite emotion from them when they read what you have written. 

This is precisely why Halloween stories abound. People find written works that are inspired by Halloween to be so appealing. Scary stories make readers feel. That feeling may be fear, yes. But it also can be so much more than just that. 

Scary stories are layered with imagination and nuance. They are full of twists and turns. They transform the day-to-day into something grander and turn the mundane into something extraordinary and unique. 

And perhaps the most amazing thing is that scary stories also show everyone that these unusual, creepy things can in fact be beaten. Fear can be overcome. Light triumphs over darkness. 

These are what keep readers coming back and clamoring for more. And this is why writers love to write hair-raising, blood-curdling, scream-inducing tales that tickle the fancy like no other. 

So whether you really love writing about this genre or you would like to get out your comfort zone and try your hand at horror-tinged tales, Halloween journal prompts are a very useful tool in setting you on the right track. 

How To Use Halloween Journal Prompts?

Ready to write a spine-tingling story or snippet or two? Here’s how you can use Halloween journal prompts to your absolute advantage!

• Grab your writing tools! Get a journal, a notebook, or even scraps of paper that you have around that you can jot stuff in. Find yourself a good pen too — one that will glide on paper just the way you want it to. The right tools make all the difference in keeping you motivated.
• If you wish to keep your creative entries as a sort of memory keeper, or if you would like to keep track of your progress, make sure that you mark your entries with a date on top.
• Choose a prompt from our list! You may go through the list in order, pick whatever catches your eye at the moment, or you can even make it more exciting and challenging by placing the prompts in a bowl and picking one out each time you feel like writing. This way, you never know what to expect and your creativity will be fueled by the unexpected.

Halloween Journal Prompts For Adults

For those moments when all you need is one quick thought or idea to get your creativity up and running, these # Halloween journal prompts for adults are sure to fit the bill! Set your imagination free and run wild with these!

Some Halloween Themes To Help You Get Started:

• Haunted house
• Spells and chants
• The supernatural realm
• Crypt or tomb
• Coven of witches
• Cute or funny monsters
• Creepy crawlies

Halloween Images That Can Help Spark Your Imagination

• A full moon
• Skeletons or skulls
• Gravestones
• Deserted house
• Old-fashioned clock or staircase
• Dusty old books

Simple Halloween Journal Prompts

These short, basic journal prompts are great for beginners.

• The scary film that affected you the most
• Why are the phases of the moon so intriguing?
• The most memorable Halloween costume you have ever worn or seen.
• A scary novel or character that you just cannot forget 
• A Halloween memory from your childhood that left a big mark
• Thinking of family members or loved ones who have passed over
• Your thoughts about broken mirrors, black cats, or spells and curses
• How do you feel whenever you are visiting a cemetery
• A time that you almost died or someone you love had a near-death experience
• The creepiest superstitions you have ever encountered
• The one thing that scared you the most when you were a kid
• Your chosen Halloween costumes through the years
• Your absolute favorite Halloween memory of all time
• The single most scary thing that you have ever experienced
• Something that you always look forward to when Halloween rolls around
• Do you believe in the concept of trick or treating?
• Have you ever been inside a haunted house? Describe what happened to you.
• What symbols or things remind you of All Hallow’s Eve?
• If you could converse with a spirit or ghost, who would you want to talk to, and what would you say?
• If you could get bitten by a vampire, would you want to, and which vampire would you pick to bite you?
• If you had the option to be a vampire or a werewolf, which one would you want to be and why?
• If the town you lived in became a ghost town all of a sudden, what would you do? 
• Your most horrible Halloween experience
• How do you feel when you see spiders crawling nearby
• Your course of action if you found out that your house was haunted
• If you ever got trapped inside a haunted house or in a vast corn maze, who would you call out to for help?
• If you had to if you really had to, discuss if you would rather eat live worms or live spiders.
• If you had a magic broomstick, where would you fly off to right now?
• The one person you would put a hex on if you were a witch
• The one spell you would cast if you had witch powers
• The thoughts that run through your mind when a black cat crosses your path
• What would your monster like and be like if you could create your own?
• You are granted three wishes. What would they be and why?
• The colors that evoke the mood of Halloween for you
• Make a poem using these words: Vampires, witches, werewolves, tri-brid, curse
• On a still, dark, cold All Hallow’s Eve, I’d…
• All about your greatest fear

In-Depth Journal Prompts For All Hallows Eve

Dig deep and let it all out.

Film fears . Movies are great escapist fare — and if you are looking to delve into realms unknown, the scary stuff is the way to go. 

Horror flicks play on very common fears, from a mysterious figure under your bed to being chased down the street. 

Write about what, for you, is the scariest movie. When did you watch it, and who did you watch it with (or were you alone)? Does it still scare you? What ‘common fear’ of yours does this movie play on? 

Jack-O-Lantern Of All Trades. Jack-o-lanterns are a Halloween staple, right-o? Describe in detail, using words, the masterpiece you could create with a pumpkin if you were an artist. 

Was it an iconic Halloween figure? Are you realizing that it may resemble someone you know? Why do you think did your imagination take you to this particular design for your pumpkin? If your creation could speak, what do you think it would say?

Masks, masquerades, and make-believe. Halloween is so appealing to many people because of the fact that it is the one night in the year that everyone can dress however they want, whether it be a monster or a favorite character, your scariest iteration, or the person you most admire. 

But in real life, however, what are the masks that you sometimes wear? What characters or personas do you masquerade as subconsciously? Why do you use these? 

What instances drive you to cover up your real self and your true emotions? Do you wish you could stop doing this, or do you believe this is necessary for you? Why? 

A truly scary story. You know the classic intro, “Twas a dark and stormy night…”? Use it. Take it and let it begin your own Halloween-inspired tale. You can draw from your own experiences, beliefs, fears, or what-have-yous. 

You can dig deep within yourself or draw from your wildest imaginations. You can opt for hilarity, drama, grief, or bone-chilling madness. Weave a solid scary story that is rich with your creativity. 

Halloween memoirs. Halloween is the spookiest season of the year — and it is a year full of activities, stories, experiences, moments, and memories. Think back to your Halloweens throughout the years. Which for you was the most memorable? 

Was it because you were happy? Because you were with your loved ones? Because you had a fantastical costume? Because you were scared beyond belief??? Remember it. Write it. Record the emotions that recalling this moment now stirs up in you too. 

Halloween Journal Prompts For Haunting Tales

If you are in the mood to really go all out and craft incredible scary stories, here are some situations that can set the scene. 

• “You wake up on Halloween morning to a nasty surprise—an early snow has dumped 2 inches of the white stuff. Even nastier? There is a set of footprints leading up your driveway and into your house. You live alone…”
• “Your wife wakes you up in the middle of the night to feed your baby, who is screaming in the next room. You start to get up but then remember that you don’t have any children…”
• “You wake up on Saturday morning to find you’re alone in your bed. You get up and head downstairs where your wife and kids are already having breakfast. When they see you, they all start screaming and your wife calls the police. None of your family knows who you are…”
• “You call an 800 number for technical support for a new piece of electronic equipment that you bought, and an associate named George helps you out. That night, your sleep is disturbed by the feeling that someone is watching you. Startled, you sit up in bed and see a silhouette in the moonlight. It’s George…”
• “Your grandmother dies and leaves you a treasure trove of family photos. While flipping through the albums one night, you come across a picture of her when she was about your age, standing in front of an old car with a group of her friends. Your girlfriend is one of them…”
• “You’re taking your son and his friends trick-or-treating in the next town. You and the four costumed boys pile into your car and head out. Halfway there, you look in the rearview mirror and find that you now have five passengers…”
• “You’ve heard the old house is haunted, but you don’t really believe it. You go there all the time, and the only people you ever see or hear are the live ones who come looking for a thrill. Strange that they never seem to notice you…”
• “You’re having dinner with your new girlfriend and her parents. Her mother serves a pot roast that tastes strange and is really tough to chew, but you’re polite and don’t mention it. After the meal, her father goes to the front door, engages the deadbolt, and turns back to the family. “I hope this one has better taste than Billy, honey,” he says to his daughter…”
• “You wake up from a nap and reach for your cell phone to find that you’ve been tagged in a Facebook photo. It’s a picture of you while were asleep in your living room chair a few minutes ago, and you live alone…”
• “Someone rings your doorbell just before you head to bed one night. You start to answer the door but then remember that you don’t have a doorbell…”
• “You’re having breakfast with your wife one morning when your cell phone buzzes on the counter across the room. You go to see who it is and find it’s a text from your wife—who is sitting at the table and whose phone is next to yours on the counter…”
• “You’re writing a story late at night and fall asleep in front of your computer. When you wake up, it’s still dark outside, and you find that your story is several pages longer than you remember … and it’s being written even as you watch…”

Halloween journal prompts are a stellar way to get you started with your Halloween-themed creative outputs. Choose among these many prompts listed above. Then just let loose and have a ton of scary, silly, imaginative fun. 

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Journaling Prompts For Halloween

By: Author Tara Jacobsen

Posted on Last updated: August 19, 2023

Categories Adult Crafts , Halloween Crafts & Decorating

Halloween is such a fun visual holiday that can make for amazing written journaling or mixed media junk journaling! Whether you have kids or are dressing up as an adult, or have amazing decorations, here are some fun journal writing prompts for Halloween!

Halloween Themes

• Haunted house
• Tomb or crypt
• Funny or cute monsters
• Monster mash
• Witches coven
• Dracula's or Frankenstein's castle
• Rocky Horror Picture Show
• Edgar Allen Poe (raven, nevermore)

Halloween Colors For Mixed Media & Journaling

Here are the “traditional” Halloween colors:

Here are some “modern” Halloween colors:

Looking for more? Check out the Wicked Cool Junk Journal Kit !

Halloween Writing Journal Prompts

Phases of the moon

Your favorite Halloween costume of all time

Your favorite scary book or character

Your favorite Halloween memory of childhood

Scariest movie you ever watched

Thoughts of family members who have passed over

How you decorated your house this year

How you feel about curses, black cats or broken mirrors

How you feel in a cemetery

Write about a time you almost died

How many trick or treaters came to your home

Your favorite candy as a kid

Creepiest superstitions

What were you most scared of as a child

Your costumes over the years

Who came to your Halloween party this year?

What you carved your pumpkins as

Halloween Images

Here are some traditional halloween images:

• Jack o' lantern
• Spooky trees
• Candy or candy corn
• Gravestones

Unique halloween images:

• Stacks of books
• Old fashioned bottles
• Venus flytrap plant
• Day of the dead (colorful skeleton faces)
• Sugar skull

Halloween Journal Prompts Wrapup

There you have it, all my best tips and ideas for how to have some fun journaling this Halloween season!

I have to say, this is my favorite journaling holiday, since I tend toward the macabre anyways! I have a whole “black and red” journal that I am working on that I love finding spooky bits and pieces to use.

I even have some free Printable Halloween Ephmera for you!

Excellent Halloween Journals for Haunted Scribbles

Nikki DeMarco

The inimitable Nikki DeMarco is as well-traveled as she is well-read. Being an enneagram 3, Aries, high school librarian, makes her love for efficiency is unmatched. She lives in Richmond, Virginia, and is passionate about helping teens connect to books. Nikki has an MFA in creative writing, is a TBR bibliologist, and writes for Harlequin, Audible, Kobo, and MacMillan. Since that leaves her so much time, she’s currently working on writing a romance novel, too. Find her on all socials @iamnikkidemarco ( Instagram , Twitter , Threads )

View All posts by Nikki DeMarco

In October, there are two kinds of people: people make Halloween their whole personality, and then there’s the rest of us. I am not one of those all-consumed Halloween people. But I do enjoy sprinkling a little eerie essence here and there this month. While I don’t want cotton cobwebs draped artfully from my bookcases or 12-foot skeletons towering over people walking their dogs in front of my house, I do love getting in a silly kind of spooky spirit to celebrate. For me, Halloween manifests more as pumpkins, cutie ghosts, Halloween journals, and big witch energy. Less scary, more cozy.

There is one place in my life where I go hard for Halloween, however. A place where nothing is over the top or too tacky. A place just for me where too much doesn’t exist: my journal. My journaling practice is a place I try not to keep too precious. It’s a place for messy feelings, bad doodles, sketchnoting , and detailed to-do lists. My journal is a safe place to let my whimsy run wild. Whether it’s covering my notebook in stickers or dedicating multiple spreads to a holiday, my notebook can hold anything I throw its way, even the sinister stuff. I’ve found a perfect selection of Halloween journals, accessories, and prompts for your Halloween bullet journal starter kit. There’s something the hardcore Halloween freaks will love, and there’s softer, spooky-sweet stuff for the rest of us freaks. Let’s go all out in the places where we feel most comfortable.

The Best Halloween Journals

21 Day Halloween Journal is the perfect guided journal for this time of year. And being only 21 days, the pressure is low since there’s a 10-day grace period rather than something every 31 days of October. $21

The perfect combination of spooky and cozy, this ghost drinking tea in a library surrounded by houseplants is exactly the mood I’m trying to create this Halloween season. $20

Classic horror movie lovers will not be able to resist this clever journal. The Scream villain insisting you hang up first ? Adorable. $19

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I couldn’t NOT include a journal with a witch on it , and this modern take is so chic. $15

A journal shaped like a coffin is good for any time if you’re trying to be eerie all year long, honestly, but especially for Halloween. $43

Halloween Journal Embellishments and Accessories

Washi tape can take any journal page and elevate it from drab to dramatic. This Halloween washi tape set has a style for every Halloween occasion. $19

Stickers are another easy embellishment to elevate my journaling practice to the next level. These October monthly journal stickers are specifically for planner notebooks or bullet journals. $9

Floral ghost pens combine whimsical with ominous $13.

Another ideal combination: glitter pens with spine-chilling (and cute!) designs . $12-13 each

If you prefer pencil to pen in your practice, these sleek pencils with classic Halloween sayings are flawless. $10

Halloween Journal Writing Prompts

Now that you have a brand new notebook with fresh pages and the perfect haunting writing implement, plus a few eery accessories, you’re ready to get started on this month’s journaling practice. Here are a few prompts to guide you further.

• Write about any supernatural experiences you’ve had or what you think a supernatural experience might feel like.
• Write about any superstitions you have.
• Do you believe in ghosts? How many ghosts do you think are in the room with you? If you don’t believe, what kind of experience could change your views?
• Write a letter to your favorite character from a horror novel or movie.
• Do you have any Halloween traditions? Write about your favorites! If you don’t, what traditions would you like to start?
• What books get you in a spooky mood? Make a terrifying TBR list. (Or if you don’t have any, consider asking a TBR bibliologist !)
• What do you do during the witching hour?
• If magic is real, what kind of powers would you want to have, and how would you use them?
• Are you afraid of the dark? Write your way through that fear.

If you’re looking for more Halloween inspiration, check out this list of bookish Halloween decor . You can find your next lighthearted seasonal read with this list of Halloween romances , or you could take this quiz to figure out the next horror novel you should read.

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5 Halloween Journal Prompts (For Treats, Not Tricks)

Halloween is coming up next week, and though this is a holiday mostly for children, that doesn’t mean adults can’t get in on some of the fun. You may be too old to go trick-or-treating, but you can get into the spooky spirit with Halloween journaling. 

Boo! 5 Journal Prompts for Halloween

1.     masks and masquerades.

It’s fun to put on a disguise for a Halloween costume party because you can make believe that you are a terrifying zombie, a mischievous cartoon character or a regal king or queen.

But what about the figurative masks and disguises you sometimes wear in your real life? Think about the occasions when you cover up your true feelings, motivations or characteristics and describe them for your journal. Why do you use these disguises? How do you feel about them? Do you want to change your behavior, or do you think it is necessary? Why?

2.     A Scary Story

Start with the traditional first line, “It was a dark and stormy night…” and write your own Halloween story. Make it bone-chilling, introspective or hilarious, just use your imagination to weave a good tale. If you are inspired to write more, you can use this idea for several journal prompts and create a collection of Halloween stories.

3.     Just Jack-o-Lanterns

Channel your inner artist and carve a masterpiece on a pumpkin. When you have finished, write about your jack-o-lantern creation in your journal. Did you make a creature, a person, a pattern or a different kind of artwork? Why did you choose it? What does it look like? If your jack-o-lantern could speak, what would it say?

4.     Halloween Memories

Think back on all of the Halloween celebrations of your past. Which was the most memorable? Why? Journal about it, describing what costume you wore, what you did, who you were with and what emotions the memory stirs up.

5.     Film Fears

Horror movies often play on common fears, from masked men hiding in closets to deadly creatures attacking in the woods. Write about the scariest movie you have ever seen. How old were you when you watched it? What about it was so terrifying? Would the movie still scare you if you watched it again now? Do you like scary movies or not?   

Which of the Halloween journal prompts did you choose? Share your boo-tiful responses and journal samples in the comments.

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Wall Street Journal reporter loses appeal and will stay in a Russian jail at least through November

FIle - Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands in a glass cage in a courtroom at the Moscow City Court, in Moscow, Russia, Oct. 10, 2023. The Biden administration says its made a new and significant offer aimed at securing the release of American detainees Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich, but Russia has rejected the offer. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands in a glass cage in a courtroom at the Moscow City Court in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. A Russian court on Tuesday is scheduled to hear a defense appeal of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich against the decision to extend his period of detention. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands in a glass cage in a courtroom at the Moscow City Court, in Moscow Russia, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. A Russian court on Tuesday is scheduled to hear a defense appeal of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich against the decision to extend his period of detention. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich reacts standing in a glass cage in a courtroom at the Moscow City Court, in Moscow Russia, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. A Russian court on Tuesday is scheduled to hear a defense appeal of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich against the decision to extend his period of detention. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich smiles standing in a glass cage in a courtroom at the Moscow City Court, in Moscow Russia, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. A Russian court on Tuesday is scheduled to hear a defense appeal of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich against the decision to extend his period of detention. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

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MOSCOW (AP) — Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich lost an appeal Tuesday to be released from jail on espionage charges, meaning he will remain behind bars at least through Nov. 30.

Gershkovich, 31, had a mostly blank expression as he appeared in the defendant’s glass cage in Moscow City Court in blue shirt, T-shirt and jeans. He marked six months in custody on Sept. 29.

It was the second time in less than a month he had appeared before a judge to appeal an August decision to extend his pre-trial detention through November. On Sept. 19, the court declined to hear the appeal, citing unspecified procedural violations.

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow said in a statement that it was “deeply disappointed” that Gershkovich’s appeal was rejected, adding: “Evan should be released.”

The journalist was detained in March while on a reporting trip to the city of Yekaterinburg, about 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) east of Moscow.

The court proceedings are closed because prosecutors say details of the criminal case are classified.

Russia’s Federal Security Service alleged Gershkovich, “acting on the instructions of the American side, collected information constituting a state secret about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.”

Gershkovich and the Journal deny the allegations, and the U.S. government has declared him to be wrongfully detained. Russian authorities haven’t detailed any evidence to support the espionage charges.

He is being held at Moscow’s Lefortovo prison, notorious for its harsh conditions. Gershkovich is the first American reporter to be charged with espionage in Russia since 1986, when Nicholas Daniloff, a Moscow correspondent for U.S. News and World Report, was arrested by the KGB.

Analysts have pointed out that Moscow may be using jailed Americans as bargaining chips after U.S.-Russian tensions soared when Russia sent troops into Ukraine. At least two U.S. citizens arrested in Russia in recent years — including WNBA star Brittney Griner — have been exchanged for Russians jailed in the U.S.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has said it will consider a swap for Gershkovich only after a verdict in his trial. In Russia, espionage trials can last for more than a year.

Biden's latest student-loan forgiveness plan brings questions for borrowers: What to know

Some student loan borrowers may not take advantage of President Joe Biden's final plan to eliminate debt for millions because they don't know if they're eligible, don't understand the process or think it is a scam.

On Monday, Biden promised student loan relief by the fall with his final proposal. This plan comes less than a year after the Supreme Court blocked his initial attempt.

Under the proposed plan, more than 4 million borrowers who have been paying down their student loans for 20 years or more could have their debt completely canceled, according to the White House. The plan would also help more than 10 million borrowers by giving them $5,000 or more in relief, Biden's administration said.

Biden also aims to help 23 million borrowers by eliminating interest past the original loan amounts.

How to apply for student loan forgiveness?

If eligible for debt relief, borrowers should periodically check their emails for updates from their student loan servicers and Federal Student Aid .

Learn more: Best personal loans

While Biden works on his final proposal, eligible borrowers can apply on the Federal Student Aid website for other kinds of relief, including if they have a disability , work for a nonprofit , or are a teacher , government employee or medical professional .

Borrowers repaying their loans for 20 to 25 years can apply for income-driven repayment (IDR) loan forgiveness.

Several other loan forgiveness options are available on the Federal Student Aid website, but borrowers should check if they're eligible by looking closely at each selection. Victims of forgery, borrowers who declared bankruptcy and Perkins loan borrowers are examples of individuals eligible for forgiveness.

What document explains your rights and responsibilities as a federal student loan borrower?

A Master Promissory Note (MPN) is a binding legal document borrowers must sign before they receive a federal student loan promising they'll repay the loans and any accrued interest and fees to the U.S. Department of Education, according to Federal Student Aid.

Student loan debt: Averages and other statistics in 2024

There is one MPN for direct subsidized/unsubsidized loans and a different MPN for direct PLUS loans. All MPNs can be signed electronically.

"You may receive more than one loan under an MPN over a period of up to 10 years to pay for your or your child’s educational costs, as long as the school is authorized to use the MPN in this way and chooses to do so," the Federal Student Aid website says.

Am I eligible for student loan relief?

By checking their emails, borrowers typically receive messages explaining whether they're eligible for relief and what type they can apply for.

If not signed up for emails, borrowers can visit the Federal Student Aid website and check their eligibility by hovering over the "loan forgiveness" tab and clicking "types of loan forgiveness."

Once the borrower clicks "types of loan forgiveness," they will be taken to a page showing the available relief options. Borrowers then can check their eligibility.

Be aware of student loan scams

Federal Student Aid warns borrowers to be aware of scams because they "might be contacted by a company saying they will help you get loan discharge, forgiveness, cancellation, or debt relief for a fee."

"You never have to pay for help with your federal student aid," the office's website says. "Make sure you work only with the U.S. Department of Education, the office of Federal Student Aid, and our loan servicers, and never reveal your personal information or account password to anyone."

The emails to borrowers come from [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected].

Borrowers can report scam attempts to the Federal Trade Commission by calling 1-877-382-4357 or by visiting reportfraud.ftc.gov.

Student loan scam involving 'Mission Hills Federal'

The Federal Trade Commission announced March 13 that it is sending more than $4.1 million in refunds to 27,584 borrowers who "lost money to student loan debt relief scammers who lured consumers with fake loan forgiveness claims and pocketed their money," according to a news release.

The scheme, which "tricked students into paying hundreds to thousands of dollars" since 2014, went by many names including Mission Hills Federal, Federal Direct Group, National Secure Processing and The Student Loan Group.

The group made the borrowers pay "illegal upfront fees and pretended to lower consumers’ monthly student loan payments," according to the FTC. The operators also deceived borrowers into sending their monthly student loan payments directly to them by "falsely claiming to take over the servicing of the consumers’ loans," the agency said.

"In reality, few payments were actually applied to consumers’ student loans and in many cases, none at all," the FTC said. "Instead, the defendants kept consumers’ money for themselves."

The Comprehensive Guide to Moscow Nightlife

• Posted on April 14, 2018 July 26, 2018
• by Kings of Russia
• 8 minute read

Moscow’s nightlife scene is thriving, and arguably one of the best the world has to offer – top-notch Russian women, coupled with a never-ending list of venues, Moscow has a little bit of something for everyone’s taste. Moscow nightlife is not for the faint of heart – and if you’re coming, you better be ready to go Friday and Saturday night into the early morning.

This comprehensive guide to Moscow nightlife will run you through the nuts and bolts of all you need to know about Moscow’s nightclubs and give you a solid blueprint to operate with during your time in Moscow.

What you need to know before hitting Moscow nightclubs

Prices in moscow nightlife.

Before you head out and start gaming all the sexy Moscow girls , we have to talk money first. Bring plenty because in Moscow you can never bring a big enough bankroll. Remember, you’re the man so making a fuzz of not paying a drink here or there will not go down well.

Luckily most Moscow clubs don’t do cover fees. Some electro clubs will charge 15-20$, depending on their lineup. There’s the odd club with a minimum spend of 20-30$, which you’ll drop on drinks easily. By and large, you can scope out the venues for free, which is a big plus.

Bottle service is a great deal in Moscow. At top-tier clubs, it starts at 1,000$. That’ll go a long way with premium vodka at 250$, especially if you have three or four guys chipping in. Not to mention that it’s a massive status boost for getting girls, especially at high-end clubs.

Without bottle service, you should estimate a budget of 100-150$ per night. That is if you drink a lot and hit the top clubs with the hottest girls. Scale down for less alcohol and more basic places.

Dress code & Face control

Door policy in Moscow is called “face control” and it’s always the guy behind the two gorillas that gives the green light if you’re in or out.

In Moscow nightlife there’s only one rule when it comes to dress codes:

You can never be underdressed.

People dress A LOT sharper than, say, in the US and that goes for both sexes. For high-end clubs, you definitely want to roll with a sharp blazer and a pocket square, not to mention dress shoes in tip-top condition. Those are the minimum requirements to level the playing field vis a vis with other sharply dressed guys that have a lot more money than you do. Unless you plan to hit explicit electro or underground clubs, which have their own dress code, you are always on the money with that style.

Getting in a Moscow club isn’t as hard as it seems: dress sharp, speak English at the door and look like you’re in the mood to spend all that money that you supposedly have (even if you don’t). That will open almost any door in Moscow’s nightlife for you.

Types of Moscow Nightclubs

In Moscow there are four types of clubs with the accompanying female clientele:

High-end clubs:

These are often crossovers between restaurants and clubs with lots of tables and very little space to dance. Heavy accent on bottle service most of the time but you can work the room from the bar as well. The hottest and most expensive girls in Moscow go there. Bring deep pockets and lots of self-confidence and you have a shot at swooping them.

Regular Mid-level clubs:

They probably resemble more what you’re used to in a nightclub: big dancefloors, stages and more space to roam around. Bottle service will make you stand out more but you can also do well without. You can find all types of girls but most will be in the 6-8 range. Your targets should always be the girls drinking and ideally in pairs. It’s impossible not to swoop if your game is at least half-decent.

Basic clubs/dive bars:

Usually spots with very cheap booze and lax face control. If you’re dressed too sharp and speak no Russian, you might attract the wrong type of attention so be vigilant. If you know the local scene you can swoop 6s and 7s almost at will. Usually students and girls from the suburbs.

Electro/underground clubs:

Home of the hipsters and creatives. Parties there don’t mean meeting girls and getting drunk but doing pills and spacing out to the music. Lots of attractive hipster girls if that is your niche. That is its own scene with a different dress code as well.

What time to go out in Moscow

Moscow nightlife starts late. Don’t show up at bars and preparty spots before 11pm because you’ll feel fairly alone. Peak time is between 1am and 3am. That is also the time of Moscow nightlife’s biggest nuisance: concerts by artists you won’t know and who only distract your girls from drinking and being gamed. From 4am to 6am the regular clubs are emptying out but plenty of people, women included, still hit up one of the many afterparty clubs. Those last till well past 10am.

As far as days go: Fridays and Saturdays are peak days. Thursday is an OK day, all other days are fairly weak and you have to know the right venues.

The Ultimate Moscow Nightclub List

Short disclaimer: I didn’t add basic and electro clubs since you’re coming for the girls, not for the music. This list will give you more options than you’ll be able to handle on a weekend.

Preparty – start here at 11PM

Classic restaurant club with lots of tables and a smallish bar and dancefloor. Come here between 11pm and 12am when the concert is over and they start with the actual party. Even early in the night tons of sexy women here, who lean slightly older (25 and up).

The second floor of the Ugolek restaurant is an extra bar with dim lights and house music tunes. Very small and cozy with a slight hipster vibe but generally draws plenty of attractive women too. A bit slower vibe than Valenok.

Very cool, spread-out venue that has a modern library theme. Not always full with people but when it is, it’s brimming with top-tier women. Slow vibe here and better for grabbing contacts and moving on.

High-end: err on the side of being too early rather than too late because of face control.

Secret Room

Probably the top venue at the moment in Moscow . Very small but wildly popular club, which is crammed with tables but always packed. They do parties on Thursdays and Sundays as well. This club has a hip-hop/high-end theme, meaning most girls are gold diggers, IG models, and tattooed hip hop chicks. Very unfavorable logistics because there is almost no room no move inside the club but the party vibe makes it worth it. Strict face control.

Close to Secret Room and with a much more favorable and spacious three-part layout. This place attracts very hot women but also lots of ball busters and fakes that will leave you blue-balled. Come early because after 4am it starts getting empty fast. Electronic music.

A slightly kitsch restaurant club that plays Russian pop and is full of gold diggers, semi-pros, and men from the Caucasus republics. Thursday is the strongest night but that dynamic might be changing since Secret Room opened its doors. You can swoop here but it will be a struggle.

Mid-level: your sweet spot in terms of ease and attractiveness of girls for an average budget.

Started going downwards in 2018 due to lax face control and this might get even worse with the World Cup. In terms of layout one of the best Moscow nightclubs because it’s very big and bottle service gives you a good edge here. Still attracts lots of cute girls with loose morals but plenty of provincial girls (and guys) as well. Swooping is fairly easy here.

I haven’t been at this place in over a year, ever since it started becoming ground zero for drunken teenagers. Similar clientele to Icon but less chic, younger and drunker. Decent mainstream music that attracts plenty of tourists. Girls are easy here as well.

Sort of a Coyote Ugly (the real one in Moscow sucks) with party music and lots of drunken people licking each others’ faces. Very entertaining with the right amount of alcohol and very easy to pull in there. Don’t think about staying sober in here, you’ll hate it.

Artel Bessonitsa/Shakti Terrace

Electronic music club that is sort of a high-end place with an underground clientele and located between the teenager clubs Icon and Gipsy. Very good music but a bit all over the place with their vibe and their branding. You can swoop almost any type of girl here from high-heeled beauty to coked-up hipsters, provided they’re not too sober.

Afterparty: if by 5AM  you haven’t pulled, it’s time to move here.

Best afterparty spot in terms of trying to get girls. Pretty much no one is sober in there and savage gorilla game goes a long way. Lots of very hot and slutty-looking girls but it can be hard to tell apart who is looking for dick and who is just on drugs but not interested. If by 9-10am you haven’t pulled, it is probably better to surrender.

The hipster alternative for afterparties, where even more drugs are in play. Plenty of attractive girls there but you have to know how to work this type of club. A nicer atmosphere and better music but if you’re desperate to pull, you’ll probably go to Miks.

Weekday jokers: if you’re on the hunt for some sexy Russian girls during the week, here are two tips to make your life easier.

Chesterfield

Ladies night on Wednesdays means this place gets pretty packed with smashed teenagers and 6s and 7s. Don’t pull out the three-piece suit in here because it’s a “simpler” crowd. Definitely your best shot on Wednesdays.

If you haven’t pulled at Chesterfield, you can throw a Hail Mary and hit up Garage’s Black Music Wednesdays. Fills up really late but there are some cute Black Music groupies in here. Very small club. Thursday through Saturday they do afterparties and you have an excellent shot and swooping girls that are probably high.

Shishas Sferum

This is pretty much your only shot on Mondays and Tuesdays because they offer free or almost free drinks for women. A fairly low-class club where you should watch your drinks. As always the case in Moscow, there will be cute girls here on any day of the week but it’s nowhere near as good as on the weekend.

In a nutshell, that is all you need to know about where to meet Moscow girls in nightlife. There are tons of options, and it all depends on what best fits your style, based on the type of girls that you’re looking for.

Related Topics

• moscow girls
• moscow nightlife

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French Journal of English Studies

Home Numéros 59 1 - Tisser les liens : voyager, e... 36 Views of Moscow Mountain: Teac...

36 Views of Moscow Mountain: Teaching Travel Writing and Mindfulness in the Tradition of Hokusai and Thoreau

L'auteur américain Henry David Thoreau est un écrivain du voyage qui a rarement quitté sa ville natale de Concorde, Massachusetts, où il a vécu de 1817 à 1862. Son approche du "voyage" consiste à accorder une profonde attention à son environnement ordinaire et à voir le monde à partir de perspectives multiples, comme il l'explique avec subtilité dans Walden (1854). Inspiré par Thoreau et par la célèbre série de gravures du peintre d'estampes japonais Katsushika Hokusai, intitulée 36 vues du Mt. Fuji (1830-32), j'ai fait un cours sur "L'écriture thoreauvienne du voyage" à l'Université de l'Idaho, que j'appelle 36 vues des montagnes de Moscow: ou, Faire un grand voyage — l'esprit et le carnet ouvert — dans un petit lieu . Cet article explore la philosophie et les stratégies pédagogiques de ce cours, qui tente de partager avec les étudiants les vertus d'un regard neuf sur le monde, avec les yeux vraiment ouverts, avec le regard d'un voyageur, en "faisant un grand voyage" à Moscow, Idaho. Les étudiants affinent aussi leurs compétences d'écriture et apprennent les traditions littéraires et artistiques associées au voyage et au sens du lieu.

Index terms

Keywords: , designing a writing class to foster engagement.

1 The signs at the edge of town say, "Entering Moscow, Idaho. Population 25,060." This is a small hamlet in the midst of a sea of rolling hills, where farmers grow varieties of wheat, lentils, peas, and garbanzo beans, irrigated by natural rainfall. Although the town of Moscow has a somewhat cosmopolitan feel because of the presence of the University of Idaho (with its 13,000 students and a few thousand faculty and staff members), elegant restaurants, several bookstores and music stores, and a patchwork of artsy coffee shops on Main Street, the entire mini-metropolis has only about a dozen traffic lights and a single high school. As a professor of creative writing and the environmental humanities at the university, I have long been interested in finding ways to give special focuses to my writing and literature classes that will help my students think about the circumstances of their own lives and find not only academic meaning but personal significance in our subjects. I have recently taught graduate writing workshops on such themes as "The Body" and "Crisis," but when I was given the opportunity recently to teach an undergraduate writing class on Personal and Exploratory Writing, I decided to choose a focus that would bring me—and my students—back to one of the writers who has long been of central interest to me: Henry David Thoreau.

2 One of the courses I have routinely taught during the past six years is Environmental Writing, an undergraduate class that I offer as part of the university's Semester in the Wild Program, a unique undergraduate opportunity that sends a small group of students to study five courses (Ecology, Environmental History, Environmental Writing, Outdoor Leadership and Wilderness Survival, and Wilderness Management and Policy) at a remote research station located in the middle of the largest wilderness area (the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness) in the United States south of Alaska. In "Teaching with Wolves," a recent article about the Semester in the Wild Program, I explained that my goal in the Environmental Writing class is to help the students "synthesize their experience in the wilderness with the content of the various classes" and "to think ahead to their professional lives and their lives as engaged citizens, for which critical thinking and communication skills are so important" (325). A foundational text for the Environmental Writing class is a selection from Thoreau's personal journal, specifically the entries he made October 1-20, 1853, which I collected in the 1993 writing textbook Being in the World: An Environmental Reader for Writers . I ask the students in the Semester in the Wild Program to deeply immerse themselves in Thoreau's precise and colorful descriptions of the physical world that is immediately present to him and, in turn, to engage with their immediate encounters with the world in their wilderness location. Thoreau's entries read like this:

Oct. 4. The maples are reddening, and birches yellowing. The mouse-ear in the shade in the middle of the day, so hoary, looks as if the frost still lay on it. Well it wears the frost. Bumblebees are on the Aster undulates , and gnats are dancing in the air. Oct. 5. The howling of the wind about the house just before a storm to-night sounds extremely like a loon on the pond. How fit! Oct. 6 and 7. Windy. Elms bare. (372)

3 In thinking ahead to my class on Personal and Exploratory Writing, which would be offered on the main campus of the University of Idaho in the fall semester of 2018, I wanted to find a topic that would instill in my students the Thoreauvian spirit of visceral engagement with the world, engagement on the physical, emotional, and philosophical levels, while still allowing my students to remain in the city and live their regular lives as students. It occurred to me that part of what makes Thoreau's journal, which he maintained almost daily from 1837 (when he was twenty years old) to 1861 (just a year before his death), such a rich and elegant work is his sense of being a traveler, even when not traveling geographically.

Traveling a Good Deal in Moscow

I have traveled a good deal in Concord…. --Henry David Thoreau, Walden (1854; 4)

4 For Thoreau, one did not need to travel a substantial physical distance in order to be a traveler, in order to bring a traveler's frame of mind to daily experience. His most famous book, Walden , is well known as an account of the author's ideas and daily experiments in simple living during the two years, two months, and two days (July 4, 1845, to September 6, 1847) he spent inhabiting a simple wooden house that he built on the shore of Walden Pond, a small lake to the west of Boston, Massachusetts. Walden Pond is not a remote location—it is not out in the wilderness. It is on the edge of a small village, much like Moscow, Idaho. The concept of "traveling a good deal in Concord" is a kind of philosophical and psychological riddle. What does it mean to travel extensively in such a small place? The answer to this question is meaningful not only to teachers hoping to design writing classes in the spirit of Thoreau but to all who are interested in travel as an experience and in the literary genre of travel writing.

5 Much of Walden is an exercise in deftly establishing a playful and intellectually challenging system of synonyms, an array of words—"economy," "deliberateness," "simplicity," "dawn," "awakening," "higher laws," etc.—that all add up to powerful probing of what it means to live a mindful and attentive life in the world. "Travel" serves as a key, if subtle, metaphor for the mindful life—it is a metaphor and also, in a sense, a clue: if we can achieve the traveler's perspective without going far afield, then we might accomplish a kind of enlightenment. Thoreau's interest in mindfulness becomes clear in chapter two of Walden , "Where I Lived, and What I Lived For," in which he writes, "Morning is when I am awake and there is a dawn in me. To be awake is to be alive. I have never yet met a man who was quite awake. How could I have looked him in the face?" The latter question implies the author's feeling that he is himself merely evolving as an awakened individual, not yet fully awake, or mindful, in his efforts to live "a poetic or divine life" (90). Thoreau proceeds to assert that "We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aids, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn…. I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavor" (90). Just what this endeavor might be is not immediately spelled out in the text, but the author does quickly point out the value of focusing on only a few activities or ideas at a time, so as not to let our lives be "frittered away by detail." He writes: "Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; … and keep your accounts on your thumb nail" (91). The strong emphasis in the crucial second chapter of Walden is on the importance of waking up and living deliberately through a conscious effort to engage in particular activities that support such awakening. It occurs to me that "travel," or simply making one's way through town with the mindset of a traveler, could be one of these activities.

6 It is in the final chapter of the book, titled "Conclusion," that Thoreau makes clear the relationship between travel and living an attentive life. He begins the chapter by cataloguing the various physical locales throughout North America or around the world to which one might travel—Canada, Ohio, Colorado, and even Tierra del Fuego. But Thoreau states: "Our voyaging is only great-circle sailing, and the doctors prescribe for diseases of the skin merely. One hastens to Southern Africa to chase the giraffe; but surely that is not the game he would be after." What comes next is brief quotation from the seventeenth-century English poet William Habbington (but presented anonymously in Thoreau's text), which might be one of the most significant passages in the entire book:

Direct your eye sight inward, and you'll find A thousand regions in your mind Yet undiscovered. Travel them, and be Expert in home-cosmography. (320)

7 This admonition to travel the mysterious territory of one's own mind and master the strange cosmos of the self is actually a challenge to the reader—and probably to the author himself—to focus on self-reflection and small-scale, local movement as if such activities were akin to exploration on a grand, planetary scale. What is really at issue here is not the physical distance of one's journey, but the mental flexibility of one's approach to the world, one's ability to look at the world with a fresh, estranged point of view. Soon after his discussion of the virtues of interior travel, Thoreau explains why he left his simple home at Walden Pond after a few years of experimental living there, writing, "It is remarkable how easily and insensibly we fall into a particular route, and make a beaten track for ourselves" (323). In other words, no matter what we're doing in life, we can fall into a "beaten track" if we're not careful, thus failing to stay "awake."

8 As I thought about my writing class at the University of Idaho, I wondered how I might design a series of readings and writing exercises for university students that would somehow emulate the Thoreauvian objective of achieving ultra-mindfulness in a local environment. One of the greatest challenges in designing such a class is the fact that it took Thoreau himself many years to develop an attentiveness to his environment and his own emotional rhythms and an efficiency of expression that would enable him to describe such travel-without-travel, and I would have only sixteen weeks to achieve this with my own students. The first task, I decided, was to invite my students into the essential philosophical stance of the class, and I did this by asking my students to read the opening chapter of Walden ("Economy") in which he talks about traveling "a good deal" in his small New England village as well as the second chapter and the conclusion, which reveal the author's enthusiasm (some might even say obsession ) for trying to achieve an awakened condition and which, in the end, suggest that waking up to the meaning of one's life in the world might be best accomplished by attempting the paradoxical feat of becoming "expert in home-cosmography." As I stated it among the objectives for my course titled 36 Views of Moscow Mountain: Or, Traveling a Good Deal—with Open Minds and Notebooks—in a Small Place , one of our goals together (along with practicing nonfiction writing skills and learning about the genre of travel writing) would be to "Cultivate a ‘Thoreauvian' way of appreciating the subtleties of the ordinary world."

Windy. Elms Bare.

9 For me, the elegance and heightened sensitivity of Thoreau's engagement with place is most movingly exemplified in his journal, especially in the 1850s after he's mastered the art of observation and nuanced, efficient description of specific natural phenomena and environmental conditions. His early entries in the journal are abstract mini-essays on such topics as truth, beauty, and "The Poet," but over time the journal notations become so immersed in the direct experience of the more-than-human world, in daily sensory experiences, that the pronoun "I" even drops out of many of these records. Lawrence Buell aptly describes this Thoreauvian mode of expression as "self-relinquishment" (156) in his 1995 book The Environmental Imagination , suggesting such writing "question[s] the authority of the superintending consciousness. As such, it opens up the prospect of a thoroughgoing perceptual breakthrough, suggesting the possibility of a more ecocentric state of being than most of us have dreamed of" (144-45). By the time Thoreau wrote "Windy. Elms bare" (372) as his single entry for October 6 and 7, 1853, he had entered what we might call an "ecocentric zone of consciousness" in his work, attaining the ability to channel his complex perceptions of season change (including meteorology and botany and even his own emotional state) into brief, evocative prose.

10 I certainly do not expect my students to be able to do such writing after only a brief introduction to the course and to Thoreau's own methods of journal writing, but after laying the foundation of the Thoreauvian philosophy of nearby travel and explaining to my students what I call the "building blocks of the personal essay" (description, narration, and exposition), I ask them to engage in a preliminary journal-writing exercise that involves preparing five journal entries, each "a paragraph or two in length," that offer detailed physical descriptions of ordinary phenomena from their lives (plants, birds, buildings, street signs, people, food, etc.), emphasizing shape, color, movement or change, shadow, and sometimes sound, smell, taste, and/or touch. The goal of the journal entries, I tell the students, is to begin to get them thinking about close observation, vivid descriptive language, and the potential to give their later essays in the class an effective texture by balancing more abstract information and ideas with evocative descriptive passages and storytelling.

11 I am currently teaching this class, and I am writing this article in early September, as we are entering the fourth week of the semester. The students have just completed the journal-writing exercise and are now preparing to write the first of five brief essays on different aspects of Moscow that will eventually be braided together, as discrete sections of the longer piece, into a full-scale literary essay about Moscow, Idaho, from the perspective of a traveler. For the journal exercise, my students wrote some rather remarkable descriptive statements, which I think bodes well for their upcoming work. One student, Elizabeth Isakson, wrote stunning journal descriptions of a cup of coffee, her own feet, a lemon, a basil leaf, and a patch of grass. For instance, she wrote:

Steaming hot liquid poured into a mug. No cream, just black. Yet it appears the same brown as excretion. The texture tells another story with meniscus that fades from clear to gold and again brown. The smell is intoxicating for those who are addicted. Sweetness fills the nostrils; bitterness rushes over the tongue. The contrast somehow complements itself. Earthy undertones flower up, yet this beverage is much more satisfying than dirt. When the mug runs dry, specks of dark grounds remain swimming in the sunken meniscus. Steam no longer rises because energy has found a new home.

12 For the grassy lawn, she wrote:

Calico with shades of green, the grass is yellowing. Once vibrant, it's now speckled with straw. Sticking out are tall, seeding dandelions. Still some dips in the ground have maintained thick, soft patches of green. The light dances along falling down from the trees above, creating a stained-glass appearance made from various green shades. The individual blades are stiff enough to stand erect, but they will yield to even slight forces of wind or pressure. Made from several long strands seemingly fused together, some blades fray at the end, appearing brittle. But they do not simply break off; they hold fast to the blade to which they belong.

13 The point of this journal writing is for the students to look closely enough at ordinary reality to feel estranged from it, as if they have never before encountered (or attempted to describe) a cup of coffee or a field of grass—or a lemon or a basil leaf or their own body. Thus, the Thoreauvian objective of practicing home-cosmography begins to take shape. The familiar becomes exotic, note-worthy, and strangely beautiful, just as it often does for the geographical travel writer, whose adventures occur far away from where she or he normally lives. Travel, in a sense, is an antidote to complacency, to over-familiarity. But the premise of my class in Thoreauvian travel writing is that a slight shift of perspective can overcome the complacency we might naturally feel in our home surroundings. To accomplish this we need a certain degree of disorientation. This is the next challenge for our class.

The Blessing of Being Lost

14 Most of us take great pains to "get oriented" and "know where we're going," whether this is while running our daily errands or when thinking about the essential trajectories of our lives. We're often instructed by anxious parents to develop a sense of purpose and a sense of direction, if only for the sake of basic safety. But the traveler operates according to a somewhat different set of priorities, perhaps, elevating adventure and insight above basic comfort and security, at least to some degree. This certainly seems to be the case for the Thoreauvian traveler, or for Thoreau himself. In Walden , he writes:

…not until we are completely lost, or turned round,--for a man needs only be turned round once with his eyes shut in this world to be lost,--do we appreciate the vastness and strangeness of Nature. Every man has to learn the points of compass again as often as he awakes, whether from sleep or any abstraction. Not till we are lost, in other words, not till we have lost the world, do we begin to find ourselves, and realize where we are and the infinite extent of our relations. (171)

15 I could explicate this passage at length, but that's not really my purpose here. I read this as a celebration of salutary disorientation, of the potential to be lost in such a way as to deepen one's ability to pay attention to oneself and one's surroundings, natural and otherwise. If travel is to a great degree an experience uniquely capable of triggering attentiveness to our own physical and psychological condition, to other cultures and the minds and needs of other people, and to a million small details of our environment that we might take for granted at home but that accrue special significance when we're away, I would argue that much of this attentiveness is owed to the sense of being lost, even the fear of being lost, that often happens when we leave our normal habitat.

16 So in my class I try to help my students "get lost" in a positive way. Here in Moscow, the major local landmark is a place called Moscow Mountain, a forested ridge of land just north of town, running approximately twenty kilometers to the east of the city. Moscow "Mountain" does not really have a single, distinctive peak like a typical mountain—it is, as I say, more of a ridge than a pinnacle. When I began contemplating this class on Thoreauvian travel writing, the central concepts I had in mind were Thoreau's notion of traveling a good deal in Concord and also the idea of looking at a specific place from many different angles. The latter idea is not only Thoreauvian, but perhaps well captured in the eighteen-century Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai's series of woodblock prints known as 36 Views of Mt. Fuji , which offers an array of different angles on the mountain itself and on other landscape features (lakes, the sea, forests, clouds, trees, wind) and human behavior which is represented in many of the prints, often with Mt. Fuji in the distant background or off to the side. In fact, I imagine Hokusai's approach to representing Mt. Fuji as so important to the concept of this travel writing class that I call the class "36 Views of Moscow Mountain," symbolizing the multiple approaches I'll be asking my students to take in contemplating and describing not only Moscow Mountain itself, but the culture and landscape and the essential experience of Moscow the town. The idea of using Hokusai's series of prints as a focal point of this class came to me, in part, from reading American studies scholar Cathy Davidson's 36 Views of Mount Fuji: On Finding Myself in Japan , a memoir that offers sixteen short essays about different facets of her life as a visiting professor in that island nation.

17 The first of five brief essays my students will prepare for the class is what I'm calling a "Moscow Mountain descriptive essay," building upon the small descriptive journal entries they've written recently. In this case, though, I am asking the students to describe the shapes and colors of the Moscow Mountain ridge, while also telling a brief story or two about their observations of the mountain, either by visiting the mountain itself to take a walk or a bike ride or by explaining how they glimpse portions of the darkly forested ridge in the distance while walking around the University of Idaho campus or doing things in town. In preparation for the Moscow Mountain essays, we read several essays or book chapters that emphasize "organizing principles" in writing, often the use of particular landscape features, such as trees or mountains, as a literary focal point. For instance, in David Gessner's "Soaring with Castro," from his 2007 book Soaring with Fidel: An Osprey Odyssey from Cape Cod to Cuba and Beyond , he not only refers to La Gran Piedra (a small mountain in southeastern Cuba) as a narrative focal point, but to the osprey, or fish eagle, itself and its migratory journey as an organizing principle for his literary project (203). Likewise, in his essay "I Climb a Tree and Become Dissatisfied with My Lot," Chicago author Leonard Dubkin writes about his decision, as a newly fired journalist, to climb up a tree in Chicago's Lincoln Park to observe and listen to the birds that gather in the green branches in the evening, despite the fact that most adults would consider this a strange and inappropriate activity. We also looked at several of Hokusai's woodblock prints and analyzed these together in class, trying to determine how the mountain served as an organizing principle for each print or whether there were other key features of the prints—clouds, ocean waves, hats and pieces of paper floating in the wind, humans bent over in labor—that dominate the images, with Fuji looking on in the distance.

18 I asked my students to think of Hokusai's representations of Mt. Fuji as aesthetic models, or metaphors, for what they might try to do in their brief (2-3 pages) literary essays about Moscow Mountain. What I soon discovered was that many of my students, even students who have spent their entire lives in Moscow, either were not aware of Moscow Mountain at all or had never actually set foot on the mountain. So we spent half an hour during one class session, walking to a vantage point on the university campus, where I could point out where the mountain is and we could discuss how one might begin to write about such a landscape feature in a literary essay. Although I had thought of the essay describing the mountain as a way of encouraging the students to think about a familiar landscape as an orienting device, I quickly learned that this will be a rather challenging exercise for many of the students, as it will force them to think about an object or a place that is easily visible during their ordinary lives, but that they typically ignore. Paying attention to the mountain, the ridge, will compel them to reorient themselves in this city and think about a background landscape feature that they've been taking for granted until now. I think of this as an act of disorientation or being lost—a process of rethinking their own presence in this town that has a nearby mountain that most of them seldom think about. I believe Thoreau would consider this a good, healthy experience, a way of being present anew in a familiar place.

36 Views—Or, When You Invert Your Head

19 Another key aspect of Hokusai's visual project and Thoreau's literary project is the idea of changing perspective. One can view Mt. Fuji from 36 different points of views, or from thousands of different perspectives, and it is never quite the same place—every perspective is original, fresh, mind-expanding. The impulse to shift perspective in pursuit of mindfulness is also ever-present in Thoreau's work, particularly in his personal journal and in Walden . This idea is particularly evident, to me, in the chapter of Walden titled "The Ponds," where he writes:

Standing on the smooth sandy beach at the east end of the pond, in a calm September afternoon, when a slight haze makes the opposite shore line indistinct, I have seen whence came the expression, "the glassy surface of a lake." When you invert your head, it looks like a thread of finest gossamer stretched across the valley, and gleaming against the distinct pine woods, separating one stratum of the atmosphere from another. (186)

20 Elsewhere in the chapter, Thoreau describes the view of the pond from the top of nearby hills and the shapes and colors of pebbles in the water when viewed from close up. He chances physical perspective again and again throughout the chapter, but it is in the act of looking upside down, actually suggesting that one might invert one's head, that he most vividly conveys the idea of looking at the world in different ways in order to be lost and awakened, just as the traveler to a distant land might feel lost and invigorated by such exposure to an unknown place.

21 After asking students to write their first essay about Moscow Mountain, I give them four additional short essays to write, each two to four pages long. We read short examples of place-based essays, some of them explicitly related to travel, and then the students work on their own essays on similar topics. The second short essay is about food—I call this the "Moscow Meal" essay. We read the final chapter of Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma (2006), "The Perfect Meal," and Anthony Bourdain's chapter "Where Cooks Come From" in the book A Cook's Tour (2001) are two of the works we study in preparation for the food essay. The three remaining short essays including a "Moscow People" essay (exploring local characters are important facets of the place), a more philosophical essay about "the concept of Moscow," and a final "Moscow Encounter" essay that tells the story of a dramatic moment of interaction with a person, an animal, a memorable thing to eat or drink, a sunset, or something else. Along the way, we read the work of Wendell Berry, Joan Didion, Barbara Kingsolver, Kim Stafford, Paul Theroux, and other authors. Before each small essay is due, we spend a class session holding small-group workshops, allowing the students to discuss their essays-in-progress with each other and share portions of their manuscripts. The idea is that they will learn about writing even by talking with each other about their essays. In addition to writing about Moscow from various angles, they will learn about additional points of view by considering the angles of insight developed by their fellow students. All of this is the writerly equivalent of "inverting [their] heads."

Beneath the Smooth Skin of Place

22 Aside from Thoreau's writing and Hokusai's images, perhaps the most important writer to provide inspiration for this class is Indiana-based essayist Scott Russell Sanders. Shortly after introducing the students to Thoreau's key ideas in Walden and to the richness of his descriptive writing in the journal, I ask them to read his essay "Buckeye," which first appeared in Sanders's Writing from the Center (1995). "Buckeye" demonstrates the elegant braiding together of descriptive, narrative, and expository/reflective prose, and it also offers a strong argument about the importance of creating literature and art about place—what he refers to as "shared lore" (5)—as a way of articulating the meaning of a place and potentially saving places that would otherwise be exploited for resources, flooded behind dams, or otherwise neglected or damaged. The essay uses many of the essential literary devices, ranging from dialogue to narrative scenes, that I hope my students will practice in their own essays, while also offering a vivid argument in support of the kind of place-based writing the students are working on.

23 Another vital aspect of our work together in this class is the effort to capture the wonderful idiosyncrasies of this place, akin to the idiosyncrasies of any place that we examine closely enough to reveal its unique personality. Sanders's essay "Beneath the Smooth Skin of America," which we study together in Week 9 of the course, addresses this topic poignantly. The author challenges readers to learn the "durable realities" of the places where they live, the details of "watershed, biome, habitat, food-chain, climate, topography, ecosystem and the areas defined by these natural features they call bioregions" (17). "The earth," he writes, "needs fewer tourists and more inhabitants" (16). By Week 9 of the semester, the students have written about Moscow Mountain, about local food, and about local characters, and they are ready at this point to reflect on some of the more philosophical dimensions of living in a small academic village surrounded by farmland and beyond that surrounded by the Cascade mountain range to the West and the Rockies to the East. "We need a richer vocabulary of place" (18), urges Sanders. By this point in the semester, by reading various examples of place-based writing and by practicing their own powers of observation and expression, my students will, I hope, have developed a somewhat richer vocabulary to describe their own experiences in this specific place, a place they've been trying to explore with "open minds and notebooks." Sanders argues that

if we pay attention, we begin to notice patterns in the local landscape. Perceiving those patterns, acquiring names and theories and stories for them, we cease to be tourists and become inhabitants. The bioregional consciousness I am talking about means bearing your place in mind, keeping track of its condition and needs, committing yourself to its care. (18)

24 Many of my students will spend only four or five years in Moscow, long enough to earn a degree before moving back to their hometowns or journeying out into the world in pursuit of jobs or further education. Moscow will be a waystation for some of these student writers, not a permanent home. Yet I am hoping that this semester-long experiment in Thoreauvian attentiveness and place-based writing will infect these young people with both the bioregional consciousness Sanders describes and a broader fascination with place, including the cultural (yes, the human ) dimensions of this and any other place. I feel such a mindfulness will enrich the lives of my students, whether they remain here or move to any other location on the planet or many such locations in succession.

25 Toward the end of "Beneath the Smooth Skin of America," Sanders tells the story of encountering a father with two young daughters near a city park in Bloomington, Indiana, where he lives. Sanders is "grazing" on wild mulberries from a neighborhood tree, and the girls are keen to join him in savoring the local fruit. But their father pulls them away, stating, "Thank you very much, but we never eat anything that grows wild. Never ever." To this Sanders responds: "If you hold by that rule, you will not get sick from eating poison berries, but neither will you be nourished from eating sweet ones. Why not learn to distinguish one from the other? Why feed belly and mind only from packages?" (19-20). By looking at Moscow Mountain—and at Moscow, Idaho, more broadly—from numerous points of view, my students, I hope, will nourish their own bellies and minds with the wild fruit and ideas of this place. I say this while chewing a tart, juicy, and, yes, slightly sweet plum that I pulled from a feral tree in my own Moscow neighborhood yesterday, an emblem of engagement, of being here.

Bibliography

BUELL, Lawrence, The Environmental Imagination: Thoreau, Nature Writing, and the Formation of American Culture , Harvard University Press, 1995.

DAVIDSON, Cathy, 36 Views of Mount Fuji: On Finding Myself in Japan , Duke University Press, 2006.

DUBKIN, Leonard, "I Climb a Tree and Become Dissatisfied with My Lot." Enchanted Streets: The Unlikely Adventures of an Urban Nature Lover , Little, Brown and Company, 1947, 34-42.

GESSNER, David, Soaring with Fidel: An Osprey Odyssey from Cape Cod to Cuba and Beyond , Beacon, 2007.

ISAKSON, Elizabeth, "Journals." Assignment for 36 Views of Moscow Mountain (English 208), University of Idaho, Fall 2018.

SANDERS, Scott Russell, "Buckeye" and "Beneath the Smooth Skin of America." Writing from the Center , Indiana University Press, 1995, pp. 1-8, 9-21.

SLOVIC, Scott, "Teaching with Wolves", Western American Literature 52.3 (Fall 2017): 323-31.

THOREAU, Henry David, "October 1-20, 1853", Being in the World: An Environmental Reader for Writers , edited by Scott H. Slovic and Terrell F. Dixon, Macmillan, 1993, 371-75.

THOREAU, Henry David, Walden . 1854. Princeton University Press, 1971.

Bibliographical reference

Scott Slovic , “ 36 Views of Moscow Mountain: Teaching Travel Writing and Mindfulness in the Tradition of Hokusai and Thoreau ” ,  Caliban , 59 | 2018, 41-54.

Electronic reference

Scott Slovic , “ 36 Views of Moscow Mountain: Teaching Travel Writing and Mindfulness in the Tradition of Hokusai and Thoreau ” ,  Caliban [Online], 59 | 2018, Online since 01 June 2018 , connection on 10 April 2024 . URL : http://journals.openedition.org/caliban/3688; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/caliban.3688

About the author

Scott slovic.

University of Idaho Scott Slovic is University Distinguished Professor of Environmental Humanities at the University of Idaho, USA. The author and editor of many books and articles, he edited the journal ISLE: Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment from 1995 to 2020. His latest coedited book is The Routledge Handbook of Ecocriticism and Environmental Communication  (2019).

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• Introduction (version en français) [Full text] Introduction [Full text | translation | en] Published in Caliban , 64 | 2020
• To Collapse or Not to Collapse? A Joint Interview [Full text] Published in Caliban , 63 | 2020
• Furrowed Brows, Questioning Earth: Minding the Loess Soil of the Palouse [Full text] Published in Caliban , 61 | 2019
• Foreword: Thinking of “Earth Island” on Earth Day 2016 [Full text] Published in Caliban , 55 | 2016

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A Literary Tour of Moscow

It’s hard to count the exact number of great Russian writers who showed their love for Moscow. The city has attracted and prompted stories for a long time now, inspiring many to express their writing talent. Thus, Moscow’s literary sights are fully deserving of our attention, and this guide gladly presents you six of them, from museums to apartments.

1. nikolay gogol museum.

Library, Museum

2. The State Museum of Mayakovsky

3. Turgenev's Family House

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5. The Apartment of Dostoevsky

Building, Memorial, Museum

6. The Mikhail Bulgakov Museum

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Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

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