Are Two-Sentence Horror Stories Legitimate?

Of course they are — I wouldn’t have written so many if they weren’t!

I’ve written 1,200 two-sentence horror stories. Let me tell you this: these bite-sized scary tales are most certainly legitimate!

Yes, the concept of stories that are just two sentences long is strange. Yes, there are short stories, but they’re usually a few thousand words long.

Surely if a story is made up of just two sentences, it’s way too short to be meaningful? Surely two sentences is nowhere near enough for a piece of writing to count as a story?

Well, having written so many two-sentence horror stories, I can say with the utmost confidence that stories can indeed have only two sentences. I can also say that despite having an extremely short length, two-sentence stories can still be effective.

Two-sentence stories are great fun to both write and read. It all comes down to their structure, which couldn’t be any simpler.

There are two sentences: the first sets the scene and maybe even starts to build up tension; the second delivers the conclusion and rounds everything up.

Full-length stories are said to have three parts: the beginning, the middle and the end. With two-sentence ones, the structure is different. It’s a lot more condensed, but it still works.

You’re essentially missing out the middle. The first sentence is akin to the beginning of the traditional three-part story structure because you’re laying the foundation. The second sentence is more like the end because you’re wrapping things up and bringing things to a close.

Full-length stories can be moving, powerful and inspirational. Two-sentence stories don’t have enough words to engender such reactions in people; they’re never going to leave the same impression as longer stories.

However, they can still pack a punch, so to speak. This is especially true when they’re themed to horror.

Why does horror work so well with the two-sentence story structure? Because you can set things up in the first sentence and deliver a horrifying, terrifying or downright disturbing conclusion in the second sentence that the reader wasn’t expecting.

Two-sentence horror stories will never have the same effects on readers that full-length horror stories do. Again, they’re simply not long enough.

That doesn’t mean they should be written off though. These very short tales of terror can still shock, surprise and upset readers. They’re a great example of how effective microfiction can be.

Two-sentence horror stories can be creepy, unsettling and disgusting. Heck, they can even be quite funny if you’ve got a particularly dark sense of humour (like me!).

They’re a great way to experience the horror genre and shouldn’t be disregarded. Give them a chance and see how much fear and dread can be contained in just two sentences.

So are two-sentence horror stories legitimate? Absolutely! They’re still worth reading (and writing) despite their very short length.

The same is true for two-sentence stories that aren’t of the horror genre. Just because they’re short, doesn’t mean you won’t get some level of enjoyment from them.

In today’s world where fast-paced living is becoming all the more common, people don’t always have the time to read full-length stories. That’s part of what makes microfiction in general so appealing.

Thanks to microfiction (stories with 300 words or fewer), you can benefit from reading and enjoy what you read without having to invest time you don’t have.

Stories that only have two sentences are great if you want bite-sized tales that can be read in an instant. They’re not detailed, nor do they have depth. But, they can make you think, put a smile on your face or even surprise you.

Give two-sentence horror stories a try. Read some of these extremely short scary tales and if you like them, try other examples of microfiction. You never know, you might like this type of writing.

If you’d like to read some of my two-sentence horror stories, check out my Terror in Brief e-books. There are six of them, each containing 200 horror stories that are two sentences long.

See how scary, disturbing, gruesome and horrifying a pair of sentences can be! If you enjoy reading Terror in Brief e-books, write some two-sentence horror stories of your own.