Casper

Writober 2026 Prompt Post

🐦‍⬛Example poems are copied here for educational purposes.

Welcome to day one of Writober! I’m so glad you’re here. This year is all about what makes Halloween fears fun. I’d love to hear what you think is fun about October and the Halloween Season in the comments along with the links to your creations. Let’s get started.

Photography prompt: Take a picture of a friendly ghost.
Photography technique: Slight movement of the camera.

Flash Fiction prompt: Write a story of any length up to 999 words inspired by the photograph above. That front ghost looks pretty friendly, but why are the others trying to hide? Are they just shy, or is it a trick, an ambush?
Flash Fiction technique: Read, Read, Read. There are plenty of online flash fiction sites to get you started, like Flash Fiction Online and Flash Fiction Magazine. For really short fiction there’s The Drabble. You’ll find a selection of stories and journals in the October posts from 2020. Just go to the very bottom of this page and click Select Month under Archives.

When I think of fun friendly fears, the first thing to come to mind is Casper the friendly ghost. Poor ghost didn’t want to haunt, he just wanted to make friends.

Lyrics to Casper the Friendly Ghost Theme Song:

Casper, the friendly ghost,
The friendliest ghost you know.
Though grown-ups might
Look at him with fright,
The children all love him so.

He always says hello,
and he’s really glad to meet you.
Wherever he may go,
He’s kind to every living creature.

Grown-ups don’t understand
Why children love him the most.
But kids all know
That he loves them so,
Casper the friendly ghost.

So what makes a friendly ghost? In Casper’s case (according to the song), it’s saying hello, being kind to every living creature, and loving children.

Example Poem: “Haunted Houses” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 –1882): this poem is in the public domain.

Haunted Houses

All houses wherein men have lived and died
Are haunted houses. Through the open doors
The harmless phantoms on their errands glide,
With feet that make no sound upon the floors.

We meet them at the door-way, on the stair,
Along the passages they come and go,
Impalpable impressions on the air,
A sense of something moving to and fro.

Read the rest at poets.org

Poetry Prompt: Is harmless the same as friendly when it comes to ghosts? What does friendly mean to you? Write a poem from the point of view of a friendly ghost, or about an encounter with a friendly ghost.
Suggested form: Write a three-stanza poem: five lines, four lines, five lines, following the rhyme scheme and rhythm of the Casper theme song. Or, write in four line stanzas with an ABAB rhyme scheme.

Fun Writing Activity: Mind Map – feel free to copy and print this mind map page I made. Put Friendly, Ghost, Fun, Fear, or whatever word you want to explore in the center, then quickly fill in all the words you associate with your chosen word. Cluster your words in any way you want. Let it go wherever your mind takes you. Choose your favorite words and ideas and use them in your poem or story.

All of these prompts are intended for inspiration. They are completely optional, and can be combined and intertwined in any way that works for you. Go where the spirit takes you. When you’ve created something you want to share, please mention Writober and Experience Writing, and link to this page in your post. Then, come back and make sure there’s a pingback or put a link in the comments. Make sure to visit and appreciate other participants’ responses.

Here’s the calendar of the daily themes for the month:

Have fun!
And Come Back Often