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Reddit rules index · read 2026-10-12
Can you promote on r/shortscarystories?
Self-promotion restricted Its rules restrict self-promotion. Posts that promote your own work are likely to be removed.
AI-generated content not allowed Its rules remove some or all AI-generated posts, comments or media. Write it yourself here, or pick another community. Other communities' AI rules.
What this page is
This page quotes r/shortscarystories's rules as ThreadFox read them on 2026-10-12. The quoted text is the community's; the verdict above is our reading of it. Conditions often decide whether a post fits (a required thread, flair, posting day, account age or karma), and r/shortscarystories's current rules on Reddit always win over this page.
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- 883,433 members
- text posts only
- its rules on Reddit
We deliver scares, thrills, and heart-wrenching twists in 1000 words or less
What its rules say about promotion
Promotional Links in the Comment Section
Self-Promotion can only be done in the comment section of the story. Authors may only link to personal subreddits, other subreddits, and YouTube narrations of the work currently posted. Links to sales sites such as Amazon or posts with the intent of generating sales are strictly forbidden. Donation pages are also forbidden. We no longer allow links to outsides websites like blogs, author websites, or anything else.
Links to Author Collectives with Restricted Submissions and/or Curated Content Cannot Be Advertised
Linking to author collectives **with restricted submissions** and/or **curated content** is not allowed. Linked subreddits must allow post submissions for all.
What its rules say about AI and bots
Original Work Only/No Fan-Fiction or AI Use
* Original works only. * Stories must be submitted by the authors who wrote the story. * Do not steal other users' stories. * No fan-fiction allowed. * We do not accept AI written or edited work. * Famous or common stories reworded slightly will be removed. * Reworked fairytales or urban legends are acceptable via mod discretion. * Reposts are acceptable only after 1 year has passed and the work is HEAVILY RE-WRITTEN. Please ask the mods before Reposting.
All 15 rules of r/shortscarystories
- Stories Must Be Less Than 1000 Words and 2 or More Sentences
All stories must be less than 1000 words and have a minimum of three sentences. Moderators use www.wordcounter.net to check story length. Be aware that formatting can artificially increase the word count without your knowledge; any discrepancy between what your document says and what the mod sees on wordcounter.net will be resolved in favor of wordcounter.net. In the same vein, all of the story must be in the post itself, and not be carried on in the title of the story or in the comment section. - Stand Alone Stories Only
No multi-part stories, no rewrites of existing stories, no sequels, prequels, interquels, alternative viewpoint stories, links to previous stories for reference, or anything that builds off of or depends on some other story you’ve written. This extends to titles overtly or implying stories are connected to one another. If you would like to submit a rewritten story, you must make major changes to the plot, wait one year, and receive mod permission. - All Stories Must Be Horror/Thriller Themed
Stories must be in the horror and/or thriller genre. You may borrow from other genres, but the main focus of the story MUST be to horrify, scare, or unsettle. Joke and troll posts will be removed. Stories about depression, suicide, mental illness, medical ailments, and other assorted topics *may be* removed. If we can interpret the story as being scary, we will do so. Badly written stories, don't necessarily fall under this category. The story can be terrible, but still be focused on horror. - Original Work Only/No Fan-Fiction or AI Use
* Original works only. * Stories must be submitted by the authors who wrote the story. * Do not steal other users' stories. * No fan-fiction allowed. * We do not accept AI written or edited work. * Famous or common stories reworded slightly will be removed. * Reworked fairytales or urban legends are acceptable via mod discretion. * Reposts are acceptable only after 1 year has passed and the work is HEAVILY RE-WRITTEN. Please ask the mods before Reposting. - The Moratorium
Trends are common on creative writing subreddits. In an effort to curb trends from taking over the subreddit, we are implementing The Moratorium. This is a temporary three month ban on certain trends which the mods have examined and determined are dominant within the subreddit. Stories which violate the Moratorium will be removed. - Rape/Pedophilia/Bestiality
Stories containing Rape/Sexual Assault/Pedophilia/Bestiality/Torture/Necrophilia and Gore Porn will be automatically removed without further consideration. The intent of this ban is to prevent bad actors from exploiting this sub as a delivery system for their twisted fantasies. It may also alienate the reader base who don’t want to be exposed to such material. It also allows the subreddit to remain free of trigger warning flairs and spoiler tags. - No Tags in the Title
Tags are reserved for Contests or Challenges and SSS posts disguised as posts from other subreddits. Otherwise, there is no need to add tags to a post. This includes disclaimers, explanations, or any other commentary deemed unnecessary. Stories with tags will be removed and re-submissions will be required. We do not require trigger warnings here as other rules cover subject matters which may be harmful to readers. Additionally, emojis and other non-text items are not allowed in the title. - Non-Story Text
Just post the story. That's all we want. We don't need commentary about it being your first story, what inspired you, disclaimers telling the audience this is a true story, "THE END" at the end, repeating the title, the author name. Anything supplemental can be posted in the comment section. Stories cannot have links in them. This is meant to reduce distractions. Any story with a link in it will be removed. - Titles Must Be 10 Words Or Less And Only One Sentence
Titles must be ten words or less and only one sentence long. Even if it technically counts as one sentence, using semicolons, dashes, commas, or any other form of punctuation to separate two independent clauses and circumvent the one sentence rule is not allowed. - Promotional Links in the Comment Section
Self-Promotion can only be done in the comment section of the story. Authors may only link to personal subreddits, other subreddits, and YouTube narrations of the work currently posted. Links to sales sites such as Amazon or posts with the intent of generating sales are strictly forbidden. Donation pages are also forbidden. We no longer allow links to outsides websites like blogs, author websites, or anything else. - 24 Hour Rule
Authors must wait 24 hours between submissions. Flagrant circumvention of this rule carries with it a 24 hour ban. Further violations will result in permaban. Any ban evasion will be reported to Admin. If your post is removed due to a rule violation, YOU MUST WAIT 24 HOURS TO REPOST. - Exceptionally Poor Quality Story
We reserve the right to remove any story that fails to use proper grammar, has frequent typos, or is in general just a poorly composed story. This is relative, and we will use that right as sparingly as possible. - Obnoxious Commentary
This includes, but is not limited to: bigotry/hate speech, personal insults, exceptionally low quality feedback, antagonistic behavior, use of slurs, etc. Mod response will take the form of a spectrum ranging from a mild warning to a permaban, depending on the context. Abusing mods is an automatic ban. We reserve the right to lock any thread that veers off topic into some controversial subject, such as politics or social commentary. This is simply not the venue for it. - Impersonation Other Subreddit Styles
Posts impersonating other subreddit posting styles like /r/AITA, /r/Relationships, /r/Advice, are not allowed. If there's confusion in the comment section about what subreddit the commenter was in, the story will be removed. - Links to Author Collectives with Restricted Submissions and/or Curated Content Cannot Be Advertised
Linking to author collectives **with restricted submissions** and/or **curated content** is not allowed. Linked subreddits must allow post submissions for all.
What the written rules don't show
- Unpublished minimums. Many communities remove posts from new or low-karma accounts through AutoModerator settings that are not on the rules page, often before a moderator sees them.
- Reddit's own filters. Reddit's site-wide spam filters can remove posts from accounts that mostly share links to their own site, in any community.
- The community's norms. Many communities see themselves as peers, not an audience: post where you already take part, and make the post worth reading without the link.
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The verdict is our reading of r/shortscarystories's rule text on 2026-10-12. Rules change and moderators decide: read the current rules before you post. Not affiliated with Reddit or r/shortscarystories.