FOUNDING ARCHIVIST PRICE: $15
Join before October 1st and get:
The entire Year of Fear
File #000 (disappears Oct 1)
Founding Archivist status
The Investigator’s Dossier
An additional classified transmission
REGULAR PRICE: $20 Begins October 1st
On October 1st, the Horror Scriptorium will be opening a sealed archive.
Inside are twelve files including: photographs, police reports, witness statements, recovered documents, and strange objects.
Every month, you’ll receive one, and after you do, your job is very simple: study the evidence given to you, write the horror story you believe is hiding inside it, and then see what everyone else saw lurking in the shadows.
Everyone will be getting the same file, but no one will write the same story.
And somewhere inside all twelve files is a mystery that the Horror Scriptorium has been hiding since its establishment in 1364.
Unlike the the previous writing challenges, The Year of Fear is a year long horror writing experience that's been created as a way for you to unleash your creativity, get you to actually write, join a community of likeminded people, all the while trying to solve a mystery.
From October 2026 through September 2027, a new file will open every month.
Each one gives you a completely new piece of evidence and a horror writing challenge inspired by it.
You’ll write your own interpretation of the evidence, then submit it to the community archive where everyone can read what you wrote and vice versa. You'll also be able to compare your theories with everyone else, and slowly but surely start to realize that these files may have been actually sealed for a reason...
Every month, a new file opens inside the Horror Scriptorium.
Inside, you’ll find:
A new piece of evidence
A photograph, report, transcript, clipping, letter, recording, recovered document, or something stranger.
A new horror writing challenge
Use the evidence however you want and turn it into your own horror story.
The community archive
Submit your finished story and read what other writers created from the exact same material.
The investigation
Follow the clues buried throughout the year and try to work out what really happened.
And then the next file will open, and just when you thought the mystery couldn't get worse... it will.
Your admission includes:
12 monthly horror writing challenges
12 interconnected Horror Scriptorium mystery files
A full year of new horror story ideas
Access to the Year of Fear Community Archive
The ability to read and interact with other participants’ stories
Hidden clues and an unfolding mystery to investigate
Optional challenge modifiers throughout the year
The final September mystery challenge
And by the end of the year, you could have twelve completed horror stories that didn’t exist before you joined 😉
Unlike past challenges, The Year of Fear is not a competition.
The Year of Fear is all about writing, experimentation, community, and seeing how wildly different stories can bloom from the same piece of evidence.
There may be community spotlights and fun recognition throughout the year, but there's no pressure whatsoever to “win.”
All-in-all, I want you to have FUN!
Nope!
You don’t need to be a published writer, or have years of experience. You can start this challenge as a squeaky clean beginner, who's ready to get blood on their hands for the very first time ;)
And remember: The Year of Fear is about writing more, experimenting, finishing things, discovering new ideas, and spending a year surrounded by other people who love horror, just like you!
You can write whatever kind of horror you want to!
Ghost stories, psychological horror, folk horror, Gothic horror, cosmic horror, body horror, creature horror, slashers, weird horror, dark comedy. Nothing is off the table!
The monthly evidence gives everyone the same starting point, but where you take the story is entirely up to you!
Unlike the other writing challenges, there is no word count limit for The Year of Fear! You can write a short story, two paragraphs, a novella. Hell, you can even write a novel if you want to!
Founding Archivists are the writers who join The Year of Fear before the archive officially opens on October 1st.
Along with being part of the original Year of Fear group, Founding Archivists will receive exclusive extras including File #000, the Investigator’s Dossier, Founding Archivist recognition, and an additional classified transmission that will be released sometime during the year.
Once the early sign up period ends, those bonuses will be sealed away.
Yes, you can join The Year of Fear at any point during the year!
If you come across it in December, March, or even later, you can still start from file #001 and work your way through the archive at your own pace. You don’t have to be perfectly caught up with everyone else to participate.
The challenge is designed to be flexible, so if you miss a month or need to take a break because life be life-ing, you can always come back when you’re ready!
No. You’re encouraged to attempt all twelve if you can, especially because there's a mystery that's unfolding with each month, but this is supposed to make you want to write, not turn into another thing you feel guilty about not finishing.
So if you don't have the time to write one month: skip it, come back to it later, or just move on to the next file.
The archive isn’t going anywhere!
You don’t have to, but I do recommend that you do if you want to follow the mystery from the beginning.
Each monthly file is its own writing challenge, so you can technically jump in wherever you'd like. But remember: there's an active mystery that's growing bigger and bigger as the year progresses. So starting at file #001 will give you the full experience.
You’ll get access to all 12 Year of Fear writing challenges (which are released monthly), the monthly Horror Scriptorium mystery files, the community archive, the ongoing investigation, and everything released as part of the main 12 month experience.
*If you join during the early Founding Archivist period, you’ll also receive the exclusive early sign up bonuses!
Nope!
You pay $15 or $20 once and get access to the entire Year of Fear experience.
There are no monthly payments and you won’t need to purchase every challenge separately like you had to with previous challenges.
Don't worry, you won't be forced to share your writing if you don't want to.
You’re more than welcome to complete the challenges incognito if that’s what you’re more comfortable with!
But if you do want to share your work, you’ll be able to submit it to the Year of Fear community archive where other investigators can read your interpretation of that month’s file.
No, you don't gotta be horror's Perry Mason if you don't want to.
If you just want 12 fun horror writing challenges, you can totally ignore the investigation side of the challenge and still enjoy The Year of Fear.
But if you love hidden clues, suspicious documents, weird connections, unreliable evidence, and staring at fictional photos like a conspiracy theorist at 2:00 in the morning, there will be plenty of room for you here ;)
There is a larger story unfolding behind the files, but part of the fun is seeing what everyone else thinks is happening before everything is revealed to you at the end.
You’ll be encouraged to form theories, connect clues, chat with one another, and question what you’re being shown.
And you probably shouldn’t assume every document in the archive is telling you the truth...
By the time you receive the final file, you’ll have spent the year collecting evidence, following clues, reading other writers’ interpretations, and slowly uncovering the mystery hidden inside The Horror Scriptorium.
Your last challenge will bring everything together.
That’s all I’m telling you!