​Inspired by Cantab regulars Zeke Russell and Cassandra de Alba, write a poem in which a ghost appears but does not mean you any harm.

Weird things happen everywhere.  Life happens everywhere. At home. Within a mile of home. The moon.  Everywhere.

Cars, being places that take you from one place to other places, offer even more opportunities for weird things to happen.

What's the most unusual thing that's ever happened to you involving a car?

There is so much real horror going on in the world, you would think we'd be shying away from horror in pop culture. But it's the time of year when people want scary clowns, sexy sanitation workers, and world leaders with no concern for lives other than their own.

It's a drag.

This Halloween, write about trivial horror. Runny eggs, inconvenient traffic detours, flatulent malumets, anything that is more annoying  than horrifying. Write about these trivialities as though they're actual horror.

If you need inspiration, check out Jujji Ito's Cat Diary: Yon And Mu.

Families can be difficult. From awkward holiday meals to death or abuse, it's not always a fun subject to tackle. There's an outdated quote that is attributed to Harper Lee, but almost definitely stretches back centuries that You Can't Pick Your Family.

But, of course, you can.

Write about someone from the family you aren't blood-related to, or legally related to. Someone you've met in your life that you've become more than friends with, and tell us about that relationship. It's probably not all feather pillows and orgasms, either, but you and this person stuck with each other for no other reason than you cared about each other, and that is bound to involve a story or two worth sharing with an audience.