The Crime Novel Comes True
A crime novelist witnesses a crime that eerily mirrors a scene from one of their unpublished manuscripts. Using their deep understanding of crime fiction, they attempt to solve the crime themselves while becoming wary of whom to trust. Describe their investigation and the startling revelations they uncover about their own circle.
Suggested length: A short story: 1,500 to 5,000 words, or flash fiction under 1,000
Start the clock
Pick a sprint, press start and keep going until it stops. Momentum beats polish on a first draft.
Make it yours
Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- Limit it to one location and one night.
- Let the most helpful witness be the one with the most to hide.
- Tell it from the point of view of a suspect who is lying about something else.
Writing crime fiction
Not who did it, but why, and whether they'll get away with it.
Crime fiction covers any story built around a crime, and it's often told from the criminal's side. Where a mystery is a puzzle, crime fiction is about people: the pressures that lead to the crime, and what it costs everyone involved.
What readers expect
- A crime at the heart of the story
- Moral gray areas
- Criminals as real people
- Tension over who gets caught
A tip before you start
Give your criminal a reason the reader understands, even one they'd never act on themselves.
More Crime Fiction prompts
- Pieces of a Coastal CrimeWrite a story set in a small coastal town where everyone harbors secrets. A local journalist starts receiving pieces of a shredded photograph that…
- The Librarian’s Crime NotesA small town librarian discovers a series of notes hidden inside various books that predict local crimes before they happen. Write a story about how…
- Fires in the Wealthy DistrictDuring the hottest summer on record, a series of fires sweep through the wealthiest neighborhoods, leaving devastation in their wake. A rookie…
- The Full Moon Museum ThiefImagine a small coastal town where every full moon, a priceless piece of jewelry vanishes from a local museum. This pattern has gone on for years…
Fifteen minutes in? Keep going.
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