Monday, September 13, 2010

Master List of My Speculative Fiction Writing Prompts

Here are all of my writing prompts for you in one place. No more searching. Have fun with them. If you'd like them formatted differently, let me know. No promises, but I'll see what I can do. For now, newest ones will be listed on top. I'm not going to separate them by genre (yet at least). I'm not going to number them yet, either, unless there is a call for it. I hope these are inspirational. I'll do my best to update this every Monday when the new prompt comes out. There's no need to give me any credit for any story you come up with. Of course, I never mind if you do give me credit for the writing prompt, but it's not necessary.


An extra-dimensional portal has opened up in your grocer's freezer.

The slot machines in the newest casino don't pay out in cash, but in something strange.

A spider in your backyard spins webs much stronger than any other material on Earth.

Something is moving in the floor as if the carpet was made of water.

A candle flame flickers in a strange pattern that can only be a code.

You enter a zombie-infested 5K where the zombies are real, not made-up volunteers.

You take a picture off the wall and find a secret compartment that wasn't there when you hung it.

What are those hideous howls coming from that abandoned house?


You sink into your mattress as if it were quicksand.

An alien invasion has started, but only you see the misunderstanding and can fix it.

A strange email in your inbox can't be true. But it is.

The coffee brew you're drinking imbues you with special powers.

A new rock group can control minds with their music.

A flock of birds follows you everywhere.

The Christmas Tree farm has more to offer than simply Christmas Trees; there's magic there.

Your advent calendar doesn't contain chocolate each day, but something magical.

Fairies and Genies run a website that is offering Cyber Monday deals.

You sit in a haunted prison cell.

You hoist a scythe from an old tool shed, and it turns you into the Grim Reaper.  

The dead are rising, and they're hungry, but not for brains. In fact, they ignore humans altogether.

You see someone standing in the window of an abandoned shack, but when you go in, there's no one there.

You discover the secret of the Bermuda Triangle, but is it too late?

The rain won't stop/won't start. What do you do to rectify this?

Humanity is all set to celebrate the anniversary of an event that changed how people viewed the world. 

You swear you catch glimpses of your long-dead childhood dog everywhere you go.

It's a beautiful harvest this year for your very odd crop.

The word puzzle in your newspaper is giving you a secret message.

Zombies rise from the grave to put on a play. 

Your new grandfather clock turns out to be a time machine.

A toy wand bought from a novelty shop actually contains magic.

Everyone in the world goes blind, mute, and deaf except you.

You awake to find a beanstalk rising to the heavens in your backyard.


The moon looks big in the sky. A little too big. 

A minor cut won't stop bleeding.


Something is scratching the inside of your closet door. 

Your life is on your phone, but you just dropped it into a pit of deadly vipers.

Your mouthwash is actually a magic potion.


You awaken to find yourself locked in a casket. 

You trade lives with your cat for a day.

The new USB drive you bought came preloaded with a strange secret.

Everytime you enter your house, you hear the faint sound of children laughing. You have no children, and none live on your street.

Your rich uncle give you the supernatural secret to his fortune.

You interact with a ghost that doesn't know it's dead.

Your new running shoes have a special feature which allows you to run further and faster, but it comes with a unique price. 

A strange new social movement was actually started by space aliens (or time travelers). 

One of the books in the library glows.

A mummy's curse falls over an entire town.

Your fingernails fall out, but are replaced by retractable claws. 

An app store lets you download magic spells. 

Those toy laser guns at the amusement park souvenir stand aren't toys. 

Your imagination runs wild - everything you imagine comes true. 

Your parents reveal a dark family secret. 

Unbeknownst to you, an alien has been visiting you in your sleep for years. 

A favorite piece of jewelry is more than it seems.

Your favorite childhood storybook comes to life.

What in the world is that in your stocking? 

Santa has a terrible secret that may ruin Christmas.

A newborn child can converse in perfect English. 

The Mayans were right...sort of. 

The airline didn't lose your luggage -- they changed it into something different. 

A new app for your phone bends the laws of physics.

A patch of quicksand leads to another world. 

The fireplace leads to a wonderland, but only when it's lit.

An alien society seizes control of your tablet computer.

A new app lets you copy your soul and download it into different things. 

Your pen contains magic ink. 

A tiny planet declares independence from the intergalactic empire. 

The heat and humidity begin to melt people. Literally.

Days begin to run backwards. 

Terrorists create an app that instantly kills anyone who downloads it. 

The scent of a certain rose does strange things to people's minds. 

Space aliens built the pyramids.

Ancient Atlantis is discovered, and it is a thriving society.

A Twitter follower follows you in real life.

The Post Office demands more than just a mere stamp to deliver your letter.

If a top-secret government computer is shut down, the entire universe is shut down.

There's intelligence in that stray dog's eyes. Too much intelligence.

Your iPod plays a strange song you didn't load onto it.

You turn on the shower and blood pours out of the faucet.

You awaken into the world of your favorite novel.

There's a new app available that lets you control minds.

A tiny dragon, no bigger than a hummingbird, befriends you.

The newest gym craze is exploding exercise bikes: stop peddling and BOOM!

A new bottled water on the market doesn't exactly contain water.

The light from a sun in a distant solar system has strange effects on a crew of astronauts.

A rabbit-eared television set can control time and space.

A radical environmental group starts assassinating smokers.

Is that Santa climbing down your chimney...or something else entirely?

Your favorite stuffed animal comes to life.

You have a superpower, but it only works when adrenaline courses through your veins.

That's not candy in Grandma's candy dish.

You can create and control the undead.

A Witch visits the used broom salesman.

A ghost serenades you every night at midnight.

You must find the secret book hidden in the library.

You discover the world actually does revolve around you.

A picture frame brings photographs to life.

You become a character in a classic video game.

You can't let the clock strike twelve!

The tender, tasty meat at that new restaurant comes from space aliens.

There's a strange bacteria in the town's water supply.

There is a talking mouse in your house.

The devil wants to make you an offer.

A new designer drug produces strange effects on those who take it.

The rifles in the shooting gallery fire real bullets.

An unconventional monster terrorizes your town.

Did something in that painting/photograph just move?

A packed commercial airplane flies through a mysterious wormhole into a different dimension.

You awake to find yourself in a maze.

The evil black knight turns out to be the kingdom's beloved fair princess.

A family of monsters is living in your closet.

You have zombie-like symptoms, but you don't think you're dead.

An angry mob stands at your front door.

Your car gains a mind of its own.

You discover an ancient magical treasure in your backyard.

You travel back in time to warn your younger self about something.

One wrong step will drop you into a pit of deadly snakes.

Something sinister on the dark side of the moon makes itself known.

Two knights square off for the love of a fair maiden.

A doll comes to life.

You often turn invisible, but can't control when or how long.

A certain slot machine in the casino is supposedly cursed.

You get a telephone call from a dead friend/relative.

You have a pogo stick that can jump through time.

Something starts moving under your skin.

It's a full moon out.

After the "Happy New Year!" has been shouted, someone is found dead.

The North Pole is under attack.

Someone (or something) crawls down your chimney.

An assassin targets the king.

Your child discovers a dead body while playing at the park.

Your company puts a strange drug in the coffee.

You travel 1000 years into the future.

You discover your spouse/significant other leads a double life.

Flowers and trees start singing to you.

You awake sealed in a coffin.

Subliminal messages in a popular song infect the world.

You awake to find yourself strapped down in a torture chamber.

No one remembers who you are.

You find yourself in a never-ending hallway with countless doors.

A piece of roller coaster track falls off in front of your train.

Time stands still for everyone but you.

The court jester is really a powerful wizard.

A strange website promises something (good fortune? Unending power? Never-ending riches?)

You wake up and find yourself on a space ship.

Your bathroom mirror leads to another world.

A gameshow based on death/murder.

You discover your best friend performs human sacrifices.

"X" marks the spot.

Your significant other explains the wine you just drank was poisoned.

Someone (or something) is following you, but you can't see them.

A fair maiden must rescue the dashing knight.

You find yourself on a "Wanted: Dead or Alive" poster.

Every path leads to certain death.

You find a magical garden where money really does grow on trees.

You hear strange voices while listening to your iPod.

The king requests an audience with you.

You walk through cobwebs.

A tiny spacecraft crashes through your bedroom window.

Gnomes follow you home.

A buzzard circles above you.

Space aliens knock on your front door.

Your dog strikes up a conversation with you.

An Internet virus affects your computer in a strange way.

You hear a nearby train whistle. There are no railroad tracks anywhere close.

The court jester has a sinister gleam in his eyes.

You're alone, but there are footsteps in the hall.

You find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

The local zoo displays a real unicorn.

There is a monster inside your mattress.

A dragon is spotted flying over a distant farm.

A shooting star just changed directions.

Your favorite video game is actually a training manual for death.