100+ Scary Words for Poems, Stories, and Halloween

Whether you’re writing a horror story, a gothic-inspired poem, or simply want to expand your vocabulary, learning a few scary words might come in handy.

We cracked open our dusty, leather-bound dictionaries, brushed away the cobwebs, and unearthed a list of 100 scary words that are sure to give you the heebie-jeebies.

Need help brainstorming spooky sentences or story ideas? Try QuillBot’s AI Chat—it’s the perfect writing companion for when inspiration strikes (or haunts) you.

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Google Gemini Prompts With Ready-to-Use Examples

Google Gemini has taken social media by storm, with millions of users turning everyday photos into viral edits. At the heart of this craze are Gemini prompts for image generation—the text instructions you give to Google’s AI to create, edit, or transform content.

Why do they matter? Because the quality of your prompt directly shapes the results. A vague request like “make this look better” won’t get you far, but a detailed prompt describing style, mood, colors, and specific elements can unlock Gemini’s full creative power. With Google’s latest Nano Banana update inside the Gemini app, Gemini prompts for photo editing have become even more powerful and versatile—whether you’re removing distracting backgrounds, creating striking 3×3 portrait grids for Instagram, or exploring viral trends like retro Bollywood posters and Polaroid-style photo edits.

In this guide, we’ll break down what makes an effective Gemini prompt, explore the hottest edits, and share ready-to-use prompts for photo editing in Gemini that help you elevate your images with professional polish and creative flair.

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How to Write Dialogue: Technical & Creative Tips

You’re deep into the first pages of a gripping novel, completely absorbed into the world the author has built. The plot races forward, the characters feel genuine—until someone opens their mouth:

“Hello, Margaret. How are you feeling today? I am concerned about your well-being because yesterday you seemed quite distressed about the situation with your employment.”

You blink. Read it again. Nobody talks like that. Real people say things like, “Hey, you okay? You seemed pretty upset about work yesterday.” The spell is broken. You’re no longer in the story—you’re painfully aware you’re reading one.

Bad dialogue is like a speed bump in your reader’s mind. It jolts them out of the fictional dream and reminds them they’re holding a book, not experiencing a world. Great dialogue, on the other hand, disappears completely. Readers don’t even notice they’re reading words on a page because the characters feel so alive and their conversations so realistic that you become an invisible observer in their world.

Whether you’re figuring out how to write dialogue in a novel or even incorporating dialogue into an essay, the challenge remains the same: writing conversations that feel authentic to your setting and characters.

This guide will walk you through everything from proper formatting and punctuation rules to the secrets of making your characters sound like real people, not like they’re reciting from a textbook.

Note
In British English, dialogue is the standard spelling for conversations in writing. In American English, dialog is mainly used in computing contexts, like a “dialog box” in software, though “dialogue” is still more common for everyday writing.

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Tone vs Mood in Literature | Difference & Examples

Tone and mood shape how we experience a story emotionally, but in different ways. While tone describes the author’s or narrator’s attitude, mood refers to the reader’s emotional response.

In this article, we’ll break down what tone and mood mean in literature, explain how they differ, and show how each works through clear examples.

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How to Design a Hero Image | Step-by-Step Guide & Examples

A hero image is a large, eye-catching image at the top of a website or landing page, designed to make a strong first impression. It sets the tone for your site, highlights your main message, and can even guide visitors toward taking action.

In this article, we’ll explore what a hero image is, showcase some of the best hero image examples, and walk you through a step-by-step guide to easily creating your own using QuillBot’s free AI image generator.

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How to Write a Blog Post (Easy Guide With Examples)

Want to start blogging but don’t know where to begin? Whether this is your first blog post or you’ve already written a few but want a clearer, more structured approach, this guide will walk you through the process step-by-step. From brainstorming ideas to hitting publish, read on for practical tips, real examples, and easy-to-follow advice to help you create engaging, well-organized blog content that your readers will appreciate.

Tip
Reading a blog post and struggling to say if it has been AI-generated? Try out QuillBot AI Detector for free.

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What Is UX Writing? | A Beginner’s Guide

UX writing is the practice of creating the text users see and interact with in apps and websites. This includes things like buttons, error messages, and short descriptions—any element that helps people complete a task (like buying a product) or navigate a website (like finding where to download an ebook).

UX writing example
Instead of a vague “Submit” button that leaves users wondering what happens next, good UX writing says “Download your guide,” making both the action and outcome crystal clear.

Ready to start thinking like a UX writer? Take any confusing button or error message you encountered today and experiment with clearer alternatives using QuillBot’s Paraphraser.

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What Is a Haiku? | Format & Examples

A haiku is a traditional Japanese poetic form that, when written in English, typically consists of seventeen syllables arranged in three lines of five, seven, and five syllables, respectively.

Haiku poems characteristically draw images from nature and often include seasonal references. Poets around the world have embraced the haiku format for its simplicity and economical use of language.

Japanese haiku example 
An old silent pond
A frog jumps into the pond—
Splash! Silence again.

“The Old Pond” by Matsuo Bashō

If you are experimenting with haiku yourself, QuillBot’s Paraphraser can help you refine your word choice and keep your language as precise and concise as the form demands.

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How to Use AI for Story Writing: A Practical Guide

Struggling with writer’s block? Plot tangled beyond repair? AI story generators and story writers, like QuillBot’s free AI Story Generator, are here to help. They are promising tools that use artificial intelligence to generate narratives, break through creative barriers, and untangle plot points.

While they can make writing faster and easier, many writers hesitate to use them, worrying they’ll lose their voice or originality. This concern is understandable but doesn’t have to hold you back. This article will show you how to make the best out of these tools while keeping you and your creative vision in the driver’s seat.

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