The r/TwoSentenceHorror community has been spooking the internet with “bite-sized scares” since 2014, and we hope they never stop.
The moderators who run the horror-focused group previously walked Bored Panda through what makes the community tick.
“The anatomy of a two-sentence horror story will change from writer to writer. However, I have seen the following pattern: Line one - set up; line two - twist. Oftentimes, the real horror element does not come until the second line. This is a very common approach," moderator u/two_sentence_critic told the Bored Panda team during an earlier interview.
However, this structure doesn’t guarantee that your story will go viral. There is no exact answer for what will be popular.
“That would be boring. Some of the top posts are existential horrors, like mine. Others incorporate revenge, visceral and/or body horror, weird fiction, sci-fi, fantasy elements, historical fiction, crime, and [violence]. Note: we do not include trigger warnings as we feel this acts as a spoiler. You've been warned,” they said.
Meanwhile, moderator u/Legioneer shared with us that there’s lots of variety, unique concepts, and good twists among the most popular stories.
“A story that has a good enough hook and payoff will go far,” they said. Though there are common themes like comas, stories from the perspective of a pet, violent crimes, etc., any theme can work. Well, as long as it is creative enough and well-written.
“A lot of readers don't have the time to read a whole series on NoSleep, and a lot of potential writers don't have the time to write them. r/TwoSentenceHorror is different. You don't need to have that same level of commitment, spending hours reading or drafting something up only to be potentially disappointed by the end result. Our scares are bite-sized, so you can visit our sub for just 5 minutes or binge for 5 hours, and there will always be new stories to read.”
According to moderator u/WoodenPiano, writers shouldn’t “leave people hanging, wondering what exactly is the twist, unless it really makes the story that much better.”
From their perspective, some cliché traps to avoid include talking about darkness, passing away, and people eating other people.
Meanwhile, in their opinion, if you are a new writer, you can try tackling the following topics: “Incapacitation, complete control, anonymity, or delusions.”
During another interview, u/Legioneer told Bored Panda that the upside of r/TwoSentenceHorror is the low barrier to entry, unlike other horror literature online communities. “Making horror literature more accessible for readers and writers just means that more people are able to engage with it, and I’m happy that we have helped a genre that I love to grow.”
