You asked for them, so here you go! 30 all new scoff and fantasy writing prompts — perfect for short stories, short films, full blown novels and screenplays or even just some quick flash fiction. It’s all up to you, and as always, they’re licensed under a Creative Commons license. Have fun and please share!
- In a world where time travel is available to the super rich, stealing time takes on a whole new meaning for a group of professional criminals.
- An artifact hunter stumbles across an ancient device that appears to have been designed in the future — and which might hold the key to questions about life on Earth.
- “I never thought it would go this far, I never thought it would hurt anyone.”
- A projectionist at an old cinema downtown stumbles across a reel of film hidden away in the basement. When he plays it, it seems the film was meant for him to find.
- A shortwave radio operator — listening to number stations from across the world — cracks a hidden code that reveals a coming invasion.
- “I have to explain what’s happened here. I have to explain myself.”
- The entire planet falls asleep and won’t wake up — save one guy who now can’t fall asleep no matter what he does.
- A religious retreat turns out to be something more nefarious when a young woman stumbles across a room full of video monitors watching her every move.
- A young group of teleporting teams is captured and then coopted by the government for use in covert black ops.
- “I am, quite literally, the last man on Earth.”
- Hiking on an Icelandic glacier, a man falls through a crevice only to find an entire world hiding underneath the ice.
- You’re a newly minted superhero. Today’s your first day on the job.
- A small coven teams up with a detective to help fight the city’s skyrocketing crime — with magic, of course.
- At the edge of the known universe, there’s just one thing: a diner run by a man who calls himself Wolf Fang.
- The first colony on Mars lasted exactly on years before contact was lost. You’re on your way to find out what happened.
- While enjoying lunch one day in the park, a man who sits down beside you claims he’s related. Actually, he claims he’s you from about 20 years into the future and he’s got an important message.
- “We used it all… and now we’re stuck here.”
- It’s atmosphere destroyed, Earth’s population has moved into city-like towers that stretch miles into the sky, each with its own government and set of social norms. You’re a detective in the largest, situated over what was once Los Angeles.
- While building a space elevator that will connect to the moon, an act of terrorism sets you and your crew adrift in the top half.
- There’s no water left on the entire planet, except for a rumored supply in the depths of what was once the Pacific ocean. You’re going to set out to find it.
- Terrified of public speaking, a cyberneticist builds a look-a-like android to take his place when he’s invited to speak at a TED conference.
- A group of friends hire a fortune teller as a joke for entertainment at a party — but then her predictions start coming true.
- “I spent a month learning that spell. Now I wish I hadn’t.”
- A barber begins to suspect his new client isn’t exactly who he says he is after realizing his hair keeps growing after being cut off.
- At 23, you’re the youngest person on Earth after women stop being able to conceive. And now, you’re pregnant.
25 New Scifi and Fantasy Writing Prompts by Justin McLachlan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
