The master of horror fiction joins the Guardian in a search for the most original and gripping short stories. But how will you interpret Stephen King’s intriguing invitation?
Oct. 2, 1850
DEAR BONES,
How good it was to step into the cold, draughty hall here at Chapelwaite, every bone in an ache from that abominable coach, in need of instant relief for my distended bladder – and to see a letter addressed in your own inimitable scrawl propped on the obscene little cherry-wood table beside the door!
So begins the first story in the first collection published by Stephen King over 35 years ago. By the time Night Shift came out, he was 30 years old and already the author of three classics: Carrie, Salem’s Lot and The Shining.
He has since published more than 50 novels and nearly 200 short stories, some of which are collected in his new anthology The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, alongside several previously unseen tales.
To mark the publication, we are teaming up with his UK publisher Hodder & Stoughton to run a short story competition, in which King himself will pick the winner. The prize will include publication of the winning story on the the Guardian books website and a chance to improve your skills at a Guardian Masterclass run by King’s UK editor, Philippa Pride.
We’re looking for original and gripping stories of not more than 4,000 words. Your story must be inspired by and reflect some aspect of the brief King has provided:
There’s something to be said for a shorter, more intense experience. It can be invigorating, sometimes even shocking, like a waltz with a stranger you will never see again, or a kiss in the dark, or a beautiful curio for sale at a street bazaar.
A horror story, as King wrote in the preface to Night Shift, “must tell a tale that holds the reader or the listener spellbound for a little while, lost in a world that never was, never could be.”
So whether it’s a waltz with a stranger, a kiss in the dark or a beautiful curio that captures your imagination, let the black magic begin.
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