#newwriters

some new followers so i thought i’d say hii and thanks for supporting my page in its fetal stage lmao (i promise i’ve got some wips otw yall ik i need to bulk this mf up😖!!!)

R/nosleep is a community on Reddit that describes itself as “a place for redditors to share their scary experiences.” The values of the r/nosleep subreddit include good-intentioned horror writing and original subjects of horror. These key values guide posters to be creative, and find new facets for horror.

This is exemplified in the famous r/nosleep story Borrasca. Borrasca follows the childhood and adolescence of Sam Walker who moves to a small town in the Ozarks called Drisking. There he hears of the urban legend of a place where bad things happen and people go missing, Borrasca. The source of horror in Borrasca is the unknown, as the reader is not told what happens at Borrasca until the very end. Additionally, the “bad things” that happen in Borrasca ends up being forced impregnation for the profit of the town. The community thrives from the illegally sold babies produced in Borrasca to science research and human traffickers.

This creates a sense of real horror, as it is something that could happen, but is still outlandish enough (the whole town is in on the activity) that it seems otherworldly. Borrasca subverts your expectations in a satisfying way, which is part of the main values of the r/nosleep subreddit.

An assumption this community holds is that new or inexperienced horror writers need a place to grow and develop their skills. Back to the example of Borrasca, the writer of the story Rebecca Klingel went on to co-write shows like The Haunting of Hill House and other projects alongside Mike Flanagan.

This is to say because of her start on the r/nosleep subreddit, she was able to grow her writing skills and eventually branch out into bigger and better writing ventures. Another assumption is that having a set format for stories to be posted on the subreddit helps challenge horror writers to be creative with their storytelling. Being limited by these factors requires writers to be creative in how they move the plot and story along.

A rhetorical appeal that sways the community of r/nosleep is that by everyone involved in the community staying in character when interacting with it, the horror experience can feel deeper and more real. This is shown through this interaction with the original posts of Borassca 10 years ago.

In this deleted account’s comment, the user is trying to share their own scary interactions with the regional setting of the story, and in this way adds to the setting of the story.

A rhetorical appeals that fails is that even though outright criticism is not allowed in the community, users will still give feedback, whether it is helpful or not. All of the other comments of the first part of Borrasca are not staying in character and are directly complimenting or critiquing the story. Here are some examples of those comments:

Some larger patterns of discussion across the group’s history includes the requirement of sending a story proposal to the subreddit moderators for approval to post, and the required format of the subreddit (first person perspective). This process helps to weed out stories that use too much shock value or involve inappropriate horror subjects that are not allowed. It also forces a writer who has their story rejected to adapt and find other ways to involve horror into the story.

Rules on this subreddit are heavy. A story proposal must be in the first person, have good use of grammar, formatting, and punctuation, and follow the rules on horror subject matter. Subject matter that is forbidden includes mental/physical health, victimization, tragedy, and abuse. These subjects are allowed to be mentioned, but should not be the main source of horror. There are rules about staying in character when interacting with the subreddit and not acknowledging that the story is fictional. No images or visual media are allowed on the subreddit and stories must rely only on written symbols. Other unspoken rules are that comments should strive to move the story forward, and stories are more well-received when the tone is more casual or realistic.

My posts on the subreddit received little to no interaction. Patterns that emerged were that by the time I posted on a story, the original poster had already interacted with the comments. Therefore, my comments went unnoticed or overshadowed. This was frustrating yet expected, as with a subreddit with around 18 million members as of this writing, it is hard to be noticed on such a large scale.

I designed my posts to appeal to this community by being casual, attempting to move the story forward, asking questions rather than making comments, and looking for stories with fewer interactions. I wanted to be casual as to match the tone of the stories I commented on which I chose based on their laid-back delivery. I wanted to attempt to move the story forward to increase the likelihood of the original poster interacting with my comment. I tried to ask questions rather than make observations so that another community member could potentially answer my question. I looked for stories with less interactions so that I could give the original poster some interaction as to hopefully rise the popularity of their post, and to increase the chances of others interacting as there would not be many other comments to interact with. These methods were not all set in place the first time I posted, but gradually formed as I learned more about the community. Here are the posts I made.

I Know Why Children Can’t See Their Own Reflections Before Age Five

Something is Off About My Husband

I caught something on my trail cam. It’s trying to pretend it’s a cat.

A new neighbor moved in next door. Everyone swears he’s lived here for years.

I learned the through my weekly postings that the r/nosleep is a large community with more posts than I expected posted per day. I also learned that original posters are very selective about what comments they interact with. Last, many members do not follow the written rules of the community (even though some of the rules that they break claim that if broken, the user would be banned or suspended from the community).

Reddit shapes conversations by placing most of the “spotlight” on the original post, with comments being secondary content. Comments are not as important as I thought they were on Reddit. The organization of the subreddits, including hot, new, top, controversial, and rising, allows the user to decide if they want to look at the most popular stories, the ones gaining popularity, or the ones that may not have been seen yet. The inclusion of community highlights allows the user to stay updated on the guidelines and awards given to writers in the community. Seeing how many people are active on the subreddit when you are makes it feel more like a community, even though the user is not in a physical community.

Reddit influences the way conversations unfold through upvotes and downvotes. Upvotes allow community members to collectively decide and manage which stories are worth the read and are trying to grow or give new ideas to horror. Alternatively, downvotes allow members to decide which stories are not worth the users’ time or are not honestly trying to improve or change the norms of horror writing.

In conclusion, I think r/nosleep is a great resource and outlet for aspiring horror writers. I chose this subreddit because of a personal horror project and wanted to see what has and could be done in the genre. R/nosleep is a great resource because it provides a (generally) judgment-free space for writers to post, meaning there is a greater possibility to read something you never thought could be scary. It is a good outlet for aspiring writers as it is a place to share stories you are unsure of and see how people react. It could also be used as a form of drafting, as some stories posted to the subreddit will be reformatted into books later on after they have gained popularity and will improve and add to the original concepts from the r/nosleep post.

I wanted to post a story on the subreddit, but was too nervous to share the ideas for the personal project I am working on as it is a collaborative project and I did not want to lessen the impact of the final product. However, after completing this project, I wish I had. I think if I had stuck to describing the opening to the project I am doing I could have gained insight into what elements worked and what didn’t, just as other successful r/nosleep authors have done before me. I eventually will post a original story to the subreddit, but I want more time to be able to formulate exactly what I want my story to be.

I hope all writers, even if you have no interest in writing horror, get the chance to explore the stories on this subreddit and see how a positive writing community like r/nosleep can help grow your writing skills and can be a launching off place to greater heights.

Work Cited:

Walker, C. K. “Borrasca.” Reddit, r/nosleep, 2015, www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/3e2zje/borrasca/.

OiShi, PROXeR. “I Know Why Children Can’t See Their Own Reflections before Age Five.” Reddit, r/nosleep, Jan. 2025, www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/1i69esa/i_know_why_children_cant_see_their_own/.

Verliezero. “Something Is Off About My Husband [Update].” Reddit, r/nosleep, Jan. 2025, www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/1idp5im/something_is_off_about_my_husband_update/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button.

abalonetea. “I Caught Something on My Trail Cam. It’s Trying to Pretend It’s a Cat.” Reddit, r/nosleep, Feb. 2025, www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/1ih75t9/i_caught_something_on_my_trail_cam_its_trying_to/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button.

okay so i’m trying some stuff out so pls give me a chance. so here’s to a first post on my blog :)) please let me know if I should leave this be or make a part two.

|| matt and you get into your first major fight in your relationship and it brings worry to you about your future as a couple. words and insults are exchanged. *if yelling or relationship fights bother/upset you please read at your own descretion* 

warnings: swearing, angst?, meanish!matt and angry!reader | 18+ blog | please do not repost my writing as your own, tia! © not beta’d i’m so sorry y’all (if someone would want to be a beta reader for me i’d really appreciate it ! or if you want to be mutuals i’d love that even moreso :) )

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“I don’t know Karen, I just feel like he’s too out of my league, I mean he’s Matt fuckin’ Murdock.” you shared. “I just feel like I’ll never be good enough for him. It’s hard enough letting him in but I’m trying. He tells me the bare minimum, I feel like now that the ‘honeymoon’ phase is over, I’m just gonna lose him completely.”

Karen looked at you with such sad but understanding eyes. “Y/N, you and Matt are literally the complete fit to each other. I couldn’t think of two more perfect people to be together. You’ve been hurt a lot in the past, and so has Matt. It’s just something that you both need to work on. I think you should go home and talk to him. If you’re having this much worry, you know that he probably knows too.” She explained. 

“Ugh I guess you’re right Kar, I should probably be heading home anyways. Thanks for the drinks and advice. I’ll fill you in tomorrow about how it went.” We parted ways and you headed home in the rain, allowing yourself the space to think. 

You walked into Matt’s building thinking about what Karen told you. You just need to learn how to express this in an adult way and things will get better. Barely getting up the stairs to his loft, when you heard yelling coming from his apartment. Instantly getting worried and sprintig the rest of the way, barely getting the damn door open. You were expecting the absolute worst but what you walked into broke your heart into pieces. 

“Foggy give up, I’m not going to say a damn word to Y/N about it okay? Now drop it!” he exclaimed. “She means everything to me, it doesn’t matter that Elektra is back in New York. What happened the other night shouldn’t have happened, I know that.” You slammed the door shut, which finally got his attention. Especially for someone with hightened senses, you must’ve caught Matt off guard becuase when he sensed you were there, his entire demeanor changed. His shoulders dropped and his voice was merely over a light frantic whisper. He just appeared comepletely distraught. 

The other night? Knowing about Matt’s extracurriculars as night falls always worry you, but Elektra is one thing that terrifies you beyond belief. He quickly hung up with Foggy and turned to face you.

“Fuck, Y/N it really isn’t what you think it is.” he pleaded.

“Really Matt what does it seem like to me, huh?” You could sense your blood beginning to boil; Getting nervous and angry all at the same time. “What the hell were you doing with Elektra? You promised me that you were done with that chapter of your life.”

“Y/N I promise I am done with her. If you could let me expl-” You cut him off before he could even begin, and looking back at it you knew it was wrong but still anytime her name is mentioned, nothing but trouble follows.

“I know that relationships are hard for you, don’t think that they are easy for me to for Christ’s sake. I worry about you constantly when you go out on patrol but we know what happened last time Elektra and you were together. I almost lost my best fucking friend and literal love of my life. Do you think that’s fair to me, Matthew?” The tears were collecting at the bottom of your eyes, you just knew you were going to fall apart during this. “I let you in, let you know the good, the bad, the dirty about me. You never LET me in, I have to beg and plead with you. I know that you have been hurt many times in life but no one has hurt you more than she has. So please tell me why the fuck you were with her.”

“I know you and I aren’t good at this relationship thing but we are the best for each other. I want you to know that I love you unconditionally, okay?” He was starting to tear up too, if you weren’t so upset with him you would’ve stopped when you saw this. “I was out the other night and she found me on a rooftop, she corned me and tried to get me to come back and help her with something. I tried to explain to her again that I was done and I meant it. I told her I was happy with you and the life I was living now, without her. Before I could even do anything, she was kissing me, but please you have to believe me I didn’t want her.”

When those words fell from his lips, you lost it entirely. Now you were full blown sobbing and yelling at this point. Not caring what he had to say. “I don’t believe you, you cave so fucking easily when she is anywhere close to you. I knew you could never let her go. I knew I would never compare, Karen was wrong. She even tried to tell me that I should talk to you about how I was feeling but its useless now.” You were hitting his chest out of pure frustration and anger, you had never felt so small compared to his tall frame. He tried to grab your arms in a prevention of the blows to his chest but more so trying to prevent you from accidentally hurting yourself in the process. 

“Don’t you ever fucking tell me that I love Elektra more than I love you. How can you even say something like that? Do you think I’m not trying in this relationship? It’s hard letting you in, with her I didn’t have to struggle with sharing things with her, because I didn’t have any reason to have to hide. It’s exhausting trying with you sometimes. I mean so little to you that you had to fucking go to Karen and complain about how I don’t let you in?” 

When he said that you ripped your arms out of his grasp and just ran from him. “Y/N I didn’t mean it like that, baby please just listen to me.” He pleaded. You could feel the panic rising in your body so you just ran into the bathroom and hid. Locking the door behind you, your body slid down the door crying. You heard him on the other side of the door begging you to come out. 

“Please Y/N I didn’t mean it like that. I pushed her off the second I knew what was happening. I didn’t kiss her back and I told her to never contact me or anyone I know again. I don’t want her, I want one woman forever and always and it’s you. It’s always been you.” You could hear the pain-ridden tears through the door but you were still hurting nonetheless. “Please baby open the door, let me fix everything please. Please just open the goddamn door.”

You were in a full blown panic attack and couldn’t stop gasping for air. It was like your lungs were on fire and nothing you could do would slow the spread of it. You knew he could hear this and you just hear the concern growing further in his pleas.

“Y/N open this fucking door, please baby. You’re scaring me.” he pleaded. “Please Y/N just open the door, let me fix everything. Baby just open the door, let me in.”

At this point you weren’t able to control your breath and were becoming increasingly lightheaded. Your body and mind just gave out completely, plus the alcohol probably wasn’t helping. You tried to stand up and your body wouldn’t allow any movement towards the door. 

All Matt could hear were choked out sobs that were just as painful than any physical damage he had taken before. He was desperately trying to open the door, and not wanting to cause any physical harm to you he didn’t put that much strength into slamming into the door. 

“Y/N please, I’m begging you please just let me in.” he was sobbing to you at this point. You knew that it wouldn’t end well if you kept at the rate you were going, gasping for air. Your body never took well to your overwhelming anxiety and panic attacks were never a simple thing when it came to you. Although you were mad, you went against your better judgement and mustered all your strength to move over and lean up against the cabinets. Right arm creeping up just enough to reach above and unlock the door. 

The second the lock was turned Matt was shoving his way inside and crouched down to your level. There are times like these that you’re almost glad Matt can’t see; You never like breaking down and it’s never a sight you’d want him to witness with his eyes. Although, you’re sure he was able to put the scene together in his mind due to his senses. He sat down right in front of you and pulled your body into his arms. You were a shuddering mess, still sobbing and gasping for air. His quiet coos trying to console you and regain control of your breathing. Appreciative of his efforts, they didn’t do much to help you. 

“Y/N I’m so sorry I didn’t mean the things I said. I wasn’t thinking and it just sorta came out.” He stated somberly, “I love you more than anything and I just can’t lose you.”

At this point your breathing was now somewhat controlled, still shaky nonetheless. You looked up at him and sighed. “Matt I know you love me but I don’t know how much more of this I can take. You weren’t even going to tell me any of this had happened had I not walked through the door.” You cried into his chest. “I know you have your secrets and I have mine but I’m trying here. I love you too but I can’t keep playing this game of mental torture. It’s exhausting, and I don’t think we can make it out of this.” 

“We can make it out of this Y/N, please just give me the chance. I need you, you’re my entire life, my breath, my every thought, my existence.” He sobbed. “Please Y/N, I need you.” 

“I know honey but I just need time.” You started to get up and get your things packed in a small bag you spotted in the corner of Matt’s room. He heard you start to pack but he knew better than to keep arguing as it would only drive you further away. You walked to the door and turned back to Matt.

when I hear the sweet voice of death whispering, “ my sweet, you’ve arrived too early.” Confused, at what I have yet to understand,

i somehow found comfort in taking deaths stiff cold hand.

The reaper seems hesitant like he’s unsure of what he should do,

In my own fear, I ask him “ is there where I give my life to you?”

He seems calculated when he goes for his next move,

where he lays me back down and whispers “ not now, i don’t approve.”

There can be so much lost in searching for the kiss of death,

but only rarely, does his kiss become a new breath.

I awake in my room, my chest somehow feels light,

I chuckle to myself and sigh, “ who knew death could be so polite.”