Purpose: This section is a writing prompt built around one of the most chilling and emotional warnings in storytelling: don’t look back. It’s about temptation, fear, and the human need to know — even when knowing could destroy everything. Writers use this section to craft scenes filled with suspense, heartbreak, or supernatural danger, all centered on that single moment of choice.
What to Include:
✧ The Situation Set the stage for the warning. Who says it, and why? Maybe someone’s running from a killer, escaping a curse, or leaving behind a burning world. The phrase can be literal — “don’t look back or it’ll catch you” — or symbolic — “don’t look back at the past you can’t change.”
✧ The Emotion Focus on what the character feels in that moment. Fear, curiosity, grief, or longing? The tension comes from the pull between safety and the need to see. Maybe they hear footsteps behind them, or maybe they just can’t bear to leave someone behind.
✧ The Consequence What happens if they do look back? This is where the story’s twist or tragedy unfolds. Maybe they see something they shouldn’t — a ghost, a reflection, a memory — or maybe the act itself seals their fate. The moment should feel irreversible.
✧ Tone & Imagery Use sensory details to heighten the suspense. The sound of breathing, the crunch of gravel, the flicker of light — every detail should make the reader feel the weight of that warning. The tone can range from eerie and quiet to chaotic and desperate.
✧ Symbolism “Don’t look back” can represent more than physical danger. It can symbolize letting go of the past, resisting temptation, or facing the unknown. Writers can use it to explore emotional or psychological themes — like guilt, loss, or obsession.
✧ Example Format: Prompt: “Don’t look back,” he whispered, his voice trembling. Scene Idea: She runs through the fog, hearing her name echo behind her. It sounds like her mother’s voice — but her mother’s been dead for years. Consequence: She turns, just once, and the world freezes. The voice stops. The fog swallows her whole.
Goal of the Section: To challenge writers to build tension and emotion around a single, powerful command. It’s about restraint, curiosity, and the cost of disobedience — the moment when fear and love collide, and one glance changes everything.
Purpose:
This section is a writing prompt built around one of the most chilling and emotional warnings in storytelling: don’t look back. It’s about temptation, fear, and the human need to know — even when knowing could destroy everything. Writers use this section to craft scenes filled with suspense, heartbreak, or supernatural danger, all centered on that single moment of choice.
What to Include:
✧ The Situation
Set the stage for the warning. Who says it, and why? Maybe someone’s running from a killer, escaping a curse, or leaving behind a burning world. The phrase can be literal — “don’t look back or it’ll catch you” — or symbolic — “don’t look back at the past you can’t change.”
✧ The Emotion
Focus on what the character feels in that moment. Fear, curiosity, grief, or longing? The tension comes from the pull between safety and the need to see. Maybe they hear footsteps behind them, or maybe they just can’t bear to leave someone behind.
✧ The Consequence
What happens if they do look back? This is where the story’s twist or tragedy unfolds. Maybe they see something they shouldn’t — a ghost, a reflection, a memory — or maybe the act itself seals their fate. The moment should feel irreversible.
✧ Tone & Imagery
Use sensory details to heighten the suspense. The sound of breathing, the crunch of gravel, the flicker of light — every detail should make the reader feel the weight of that warning. The tone can range from eerie and quiet to chaotic and desperate.
✧ Symbolism
“Don’t look back” can represent more than physical danger. It can symbolize letting go of the past, resisting temptation, or facing the unknown. Writers can use it to explore emotional or psychological themes — like guilt, loss, or obsession.
✧ Example Format:
Prompt: “Don’t look back,” he whispered, his voice trembling.
Scene Idea: She runs through the fog, hearing her name echo behind her. It sounds like her mother’s voice — but her mother’s been dead for years.
Consequence: She turns, just once, and the world freezes. The voice stops. The fog swallows her whole.
Goal of the Section:
To challenge writers to build tension and emotion around a single, powerful command. It’s about restraint, curiosity, and the cost of disobedience — the moment when fear and love collide, and one glance changes everything.