Ghost Story Challenge
31 days. 31k words. A modern take on the holiday ghost story.
Welcome to the Christmas Ghost Story Challenge!
At Emerald City Ghosts, we want to do our part in bringing back the age-old tradition of telling ghost stories at Christmas. We believe that the darkest days of the year call for stories by the fire, that haunting stories have just as much to say as the happy ones, and that all of that holiday mirth is even better when tempered with a little introspection. Welcome to the Christmas Ghost Story Challenge.
The “Rules”
There are no official rules, since this is not a contest or competition and there will be no “winners” and no prizes. That being said, if you would like to participate in the full experience, we suggest that you:
Write a total of 31,000 words in a new project during the month of December.
Write in the horror, paranormal, or folklore genre.
Check in regularly at Emerald City Ghosts for daily prompts, discussions, and questions.
Our prompts and supplemental material will be tailored to people who are writing a 31,000-word ghost story. That being said, if you’re working on a different sort of project for the month of December, we would still love for you to hang around and participate in the community!
The “Perks”
Daily prompts and discussion-starters (via Substack Notes).
A Digital Launch Party on December 1, 2025 and a Digital Wrap Party on January 1, 2026.
A Substack subscriber chat thread dedicated to encouraging each other and sharing our progress.
You will not be required to post any of your story online or on Substack. That being said, feel free share lines with the community, and to submit a portion of your December story to Emerald City Ghosts. If we get enough submissions, we might even do a special issue!