The following writing prompts contain topics varying from: criminal affairs, investigations, big news events and public paranormal happenings.
- You’re a doctor working in the ER late on a Friday night. A sudden outbreak of illness sweeps through your unit, filling almost every bed within a few hours. Patients who were there for unrelated reasons are now exhibiting symptoms and even your staff is starting to feel ill. Suddenly, you receive a call from a nearby facility confirming the diagnosis: a contagious allergy to textiles.
- A coworker invites you to a dinner party with a few friends. You show up, wine in hand to meet everyone cordially. The food is vegetarian, delicious and eaten eagerly. Wine is shared. Everything then gets quiet and they confess that you’ve invited you to join their underground organization. Their mission? Eliminate the meat eaters.
- When a car stolen from a lot is reported to your agency, you think it’s a miscommunication. Your team specializes in capturing ghosts and goblins, not human thieves. You dismiss the case electronically only for the phone to ring in immediate response. The person who filed the report informs you that the theft was caught on camera, but no one can see the driver.
- Everyone knows about the book. The big book with the thick pages that sits on the podium in the middle of town. You know, the one that swings open every time someone new moves in and the big voice from the sky demands that they sign it? Anyways, my mom told me that a new girl just moved into town and when the big voice spoke to her, she said “no.”
- DNA testing has confirmed that you’re adopted. DNA testing has also given you the address of your biological family. When you knock on the door to meet them for the first time, they welcome you in and explain that through no choice of your own, you are now part of their illegal crew. They travel the world and deliver expensive cats to people hiding from the CIA.
- Newspapers around town are preaching the good news: the local killer, responsible for a gruesome spree of murders, has been caught. You bounce from stand to stand to confirm that everyone has the same story. Justice served. There’s one problem: the actual killer is your best friend.
- You’ve just cozied yourself into bed for the night after a long shift at work. Just as your eyes begin to drift shut, you hear a dog begin to bark. Alarmed, you find your housecoat and slippers and make your way outside. Other neighbors are also leaving their homes with questions. After all, the authorities banned dogs in your district almost 100 years ago.
- There’s been a horrific murder at the residence belonging to a world-famous TV chef. The detective on the case has no former knowledge of this chef’s personality; he doesn’t really watch TV. He must depend on his wife to educate him on all the ins and outs of this person, her unhealthy celebrity obsessions finally serving a valuable purpose.
- A high-speed pursuit being televised by a local news network becomes a national headline when the suspect is suddenly halted and apprehended by a ground of unidentified individuals dressed in miscellaneous, uncoordinated but very noticeable colors. They round the driver, rally him out of his car and into a van. The van then drives off of a bridge and into the water, where it and everyone inside just vanishes.
- You enter a bank with the intention of opening a new account. Today is an exciting day and your spirits are high; you’ll let nothing ruin your mood. Two men, armed, come inside the bank and demand that everyone cooperate so nobody gets hurt. Equally scared and frustrated, you get down with the rest of the patrons. That is until, you recognize the men as two boys you used to babysit.
Friends, readers, fans: If you write anything using these prompts and want to share it with me I would LOVE to read it. I’m incredibly excited at the prospect of other creatives flourishing among prompts that I’ve posted. Feel free to email me at [email protected] with your scribbles. Looking forward to the awesomeness that may land in my inbox.
This is my very first round of writing prompts, so if you think I should continue posting themed lists of writing prompts, please leave a comment below letting me know!
I hope you enjoyed these prompts as much as I enjoyed coming up with them!