dedrommer

[dedrommer]

Quarantine Writing Prompts

With quarantine I know that I, along with many others, are struggling to find the motivation to write...or do much else. So, with the power of the internet on my side, I have compiled this list of Science-Fiction and Fantasy writing prompts.

In addition to quarantine taking a toll on our motivation, it also is severely hampering our ability to collaborate (and spend time with) others. Therefore, to fulfill the prompts properly have a buddy of your choice also write the prompts, and share them with each other. This is not a situation where you must critique or edit others’ writing, but rather a forum to share ideas and write stories that others will hear.

So, without further ado, the challenge: 

Prompt length should be one to two pages. These are big stories, so if you want to you are welcome to write more, but creating scenes or getting your first thoughts down onto paper is far more important in this challenge than attempting to write two novels per week. Writing novels does not happen right away, so use this to hone your craft and overcome the barriers of procrastination.

Write two prompts a week. (Three months of prompts are provided, and we will continue to update this list as long as quarantine continues.) Then share your writing with your partner (or group) and if you feel up to sharing it with the world, use the tag #quarantinewriting to share.

Week 1:

Prompt 1: Superheroes are becoming more and more common, and every city in the US is now rushing to have one of their own as their mascot. When one city fails to find a hero living in town, they hire the city-hall intern to pretend for a little while.

Prompt 2: Every so often people have to empty their dream catchers

Week 2:

Prompt 1: An android escapes from a factory and hopes to blend in to avoid getting caught. The only problem is that it escaped right before it could finish its software download, so it only knows human history up to the 1920,s.

Prompt 2:  Your main character is left in the forest to die, as the annual sacrifice to the god of the forest. The god shows up, but this year he is not interested in the death of his sacrifice. He is looking for a new sidekick.

Week 3:

Prompt 1:  Children's Story: The old lady who lives next door is always very nice to you, but she seems a little odd. One night you look out your window and see a rocket ship land in her backyard.

Prompt 2: Every year, all the wizards, mages , and sorcerers of the land come together to play in a large tournament. They gamble their powers

Week 4:

Prompt 1: Aliens have invaded our planet but refuse to communicate with us. Instead, they attempt to communicate with animals, and seem to communicate with them quite well. Immediately, the animals of our planet start to turn on us, our pets included.

Prompt 2: When I was young a sea monster swallowed me to saved me from a storm

Week 5:

Prompt 1: In the post-apocalyptic future, roving tribes travel with various degrees of technology that they have found along the way in cities and museums. Rumor has it that there is a military arsenal buried somewhere in the Rocky Mountains and all tribes race toward it.

Prompt 2:  You, a lonely gargoyle, made from stone to watch over the castle and it’s people. What do you see from your parapet? What strange meetings take place on these walls, and at what strange hours?

Week 6:

Prompt 1:  After receiving a mysterious set of orders, a small team of specialists is sent on a mission to retrieve a soldier from the front lines of an interstellar war. In a nearly futile search, they are drawn behind enemy lines and forced to hide their identities to succeed in this dangerous mission. The specialists finally find the soldier, who inexplicably also seems to be working for the other side, and they begin to question their orders.

Prompt 2: After an archaeologist digs up a treasure, the original owner shows up to take it back.

Week 7:

Prompt 1: A mysterious box appears in town one day. No one knows what is in the box - they can’t get it open. All they know is that it’s only been around for two days, and since it’s arrival half the town has died.

Prompt 2: An elderly woman lives a life of quiet and peace, but everything changes when a friendly acquaintance re-enters her life, causing chaos and hectic disarray. The acquaintance claims the old woman is in danger from a killer who is lurking nearby, but she remains suspicious. Eventually she gives in to the acquaintance’s offer to protect her, but she soon comes to realize that curiosity can be a very dangerous thing. 

Week 8:

Prompt 1:  Recent scientific advancements have made it possible to artificially extend the period of childhood neural development—when the brain rapidly forms new neural connections—making it much easier to learn new languages and other skills. You've benefited from this new treatment and have quickly and effortlessly mastered new skills into your early twenties. However, you now appear to be entering the next stage of neural development—when infrequently used neural connections are "pruned"—and you are starting to forget memories and things you have learned.

Prompt 2:  Bottled emotions are a product you can buy

Week 9:

Prompt 1: The waste of a wealthy society—old cell phones, cars, and plastic—has buried the Earth in human trash. As a result, the wealthy are living in elaborate underground bunkers and throwing their waste to the surface. You are one of the surface-dwelling entrepreneurs who have finally developed effective methods for cleaning up centuries of waste, and are fighting against others who are intending to trap the ultra-wealthy underground until they die in their own filth.

Prompt 2: Magic Tattoos: Magical abilities are gained through tattoos. This gives a lot of control, power, and reverence to tattoo artists. They are among the wealthiest on the earth. Size, location, and design are all relevant to the ability being gained. Tattoos around the eyes will grant magical sight, tattoos on the head can grant telepathy, tattoos on the arms can grant strength, etc.Keep your powers a secret by getting tattoos that are hidden.Curses can be laid by tattooing someone against their will Tattoos gradually fade as power is used

Week 10:

Prompt 1:  Aliens have landed on Earth and they are all female forms. In an effort to return human tribes to matriarchal cultures, they enslave all the men and elevate women to positions of power within the government.

Prompt 2:  This winter has been the longest in memory, and the town’s reserves are dwindling. You have been elected (on account of drawing the shortest straw) to venture out into the cold and dark and see how the neighboring town fares. All you have is a bedroll, some warm furs, dried meat, and your trusty lantern

Week 11:

Prompt 1: Scientists have discovered a black hole much closer to Earth than they thought possible. Everyone was so worried about the planet getting sucked into it—nobody was ready for something to come out of it.

Prompt 2: In a land where beings without magic are considered second-class citizens and developmentally challenged, a dark power takes control of the Enchantment Crystal, which is the source of all the power in the realm. All the lands greatest wizards make the journey to try and retrieve it, however, the dark spell defends itself by turning the magic of its attacker back on them. Now, the fate of this world lies at the hands of its most mistreated inhabitants.

Week 12:

Prompt 1: Artificial intelligence has become so sophisticated that it is becoming harder and harder to tell whether you're communicating with a person, a machine, or a person controlling a machine. Of particular concern are programs that can produce convincing audio and video of an important person—a president, a military commander, a child's parent—but that can be controlled by anyone.

Prompt 2: A new shop opens that allows humans to rent mystical and magical things: superpowers, magical abilities/items, etc. Monetary payment is not accepted. You must pay much more abstract prices - memories, emotions, or even years of your life for the most expensive items

Sources:

https://www.squibler.io/blog/fantasy-writing-prompts/

https://selfpublishinghub.com/fantasy-writing-prompts/

https://www.bryndonovan.com/2017/03/06/50-fantasy-plot-ideas-and-writing-prompts/

https://www.servicescape.com/blog/660-science-fiction-writing-prompts-that-will-get-you-writing-at-warp-speed

http://needleinthehay.net/writing-prompts-for-fantasy-stories/

https://medium.com/the-honest-author/best-fantasy-writing-prompts-87fd8cbd728b