When Spooky Season comes round, my mind goes two places: witches, and monsters. And while I love (and honestly, never run out of) witchy romance writing prompts, I wanted to focus on monsters for the first half of this month with writing prompts, and for this week specifically, minotaurs. Because they're the first proper monsters I ever read about in romance, and I'll be honest, at first, I was sceptical.

A monster with horns and hooves? How do they wear pants? How would the sexy times work?

Then I read Morning Glory Milking Farm, which is the come-to-Jesus moment for so many monster romance lovers, myself included. It's cosy, it's kind, it's sexy, and it's feel-good, and that's what I tried to replicate with these prompts.

As with last week's romance writing prompts, they're split into two types: story starters and The story starters drop you right into a scene. These are perfect if you're more of a panster than a plotter, and love diving straight into your manuscripts when an idea strikes you. The last two prompts are more detailed, with tropes, settings, character types, and premises, ideal if you lean more toward plotter than pantser.

Story starter #1

"What’re you doing here?” I asked, my hand frozen in the act of pouring hot water into my mug. I hadn’t seen James in ten years, not since he left to join the Hagerstown Humpbacks. And while he’d been a wall of muscle back then, he’d somehow grown even bigger, his shoulders barely fitting through the door to the break room’s kitchen. 

“Guessing Coach didn’t tell you?” He shifted uncomfortably, burying his hands deep in the pockets of his dark blue jeans. “I’ve just been transferred back to the home team. I’m their new goalie.”

Story starter #2

The halls of the mansion are dark and silent. I’m not shocked the electricity is out–that storm earlier would’ve tested even the most modern wiring systems—but how is there not a single flashlight in this huge house? I’m forced to use my phone to guide my way to the ground floor in search of a midnight snack. I’m nearly there, my slipper hitting the bottom step, when a shape steps into a ray of moonlight falling through one of the stained glass windows. It catches the shape of his horns, the silver circle threaded through his snout.

Story starter #3

“Mark Horns wins the auction!” the announcer calls. Amanda stumbles down the steps to the floor, her legs shaking as she walks toward the monster who’s just bought her virginity. She barely comes up to his chest, and his hands could span her waist twice. She should be terrified of him, but he’s looking at her with honest, kind brown eyes the colour of milk chocolate, and a hesitant smile that seems to say he’s not entirely comfortable with this arrangement, either. 

Prompt #1

• Tropes: Age gap, dad’s best friend, workplace romance

• Setting: Paper company 

• Main character 1: Minotaur CEO boss

• Main character 2: Recent college graduate

• Prompt: Write a scene when the minotaur and recent college graduate are staying late at the office, and end up kissing while working on a presentation. 

Prompt #2

• Tropes: Amnesia, nursed back to health

• Setting: Appalachian mountains

• Main character 1: Minotaur

• Main character 2: Hiker

• Prompt: Write the meet-cute scene, when the hiker first wakes up and reacts to the sight of a minotaur looming over the couch. 

Check back in next week, when I'll switch to witchy romance writing prompts, perfect if you're looking to dive into the sub-genre that seems to be ever-expanding, as we all yearn for a little more magic in our lives. Until then, happy reading and writing!