So, today I started outlining a horror short story, inspired by an incident that happened to me a few days ago. I've not started reading actively until recently, so I know I don't yet have the tools to write the thing that I want to write in the way that I want to write it.
So, I'm hoping that you'll be able to suggest some short stories that are in the horror genre or are otherwise kinda messed up. I want to read as widely as possible in the horror genre (and non-horror fiction that is still messed up), even if the subject matter of my work is different. My work focuses on physical threat and psychological distress so some stories that can convey that would be really useful. But, even paranormal or any other different kinds of horror would be valuable to read. I want both something useful and something that's a genuinely compelling read.
Some horror short stories I have enjoyed are the Yellow Wallpaper and the Cask of Amontillado. I also like Internet horror stories. So, I'm open to older and more contemporary fiction.
by whorlaxdotorg
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I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison
The River Styx Runs Upstream by Dan Simmons
This Year’s Class Picture by Dan Simmons
**Annihilation** by Jeff Vandermeer is a real mind trip – it’s very much cosmic/existential horror that knows how to really build suspense. It’s the first book of a trilogy about a strange and impossible signal that is coming from deep within a heavily overgrown forest. People have gone in to investigate, but they rarely come back out.
* Nightflyers and Other Stories by George R. R. Martin. A collection of sci fi horror.
* Short fiction of James Tiptree Jr., who has [a mountain of stories and novellas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Tiptree_Jr.#Works), many of which are sci fi horror. I recommend the collection Her Smoke Rose Up Forever.
* Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado. Unsettling short stories, not all of which are horror. Some are available for free on [her website](https://carmenmariamachado.com/fiction).
* She Walks In Shadows edited by Paula R. Stiles and Silvia Moreno Garcia. An anthology of Lovecraftian horror each by a different author.
* Tomorrow’s Cthulhu edited by Scott Gable and C. Dombrowski. I’m just at the beginning of this anthology so I cannot yet say if it’s good.
Not horror exactly, but Stephen King’s “On Writing” might be worth checking out. Some of it is autobiographical but he also talks about developing good writing habits and the mechanics of writing well. It may help when you’re ready. Good luck!