The Librarian’s Crime Notes
A small town librarian discovers a series of notes hidden inside various books that predict local crimes before they happen. Write a story about how she uses this mysterious insight to help a down-on-his-luck private investigator solve a complex case that has baffled the police.
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.
- End with the solution in a single line of dialogue.
- Plant the key clue in the first scene, in plain sight.
- Limit it to one location and one night.
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
- 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…
- Letters Before the CrimesCraft a story about a retired profiler who moves to a quiet countryside to escape the harrowing memories of their profession, only to find themselves…
- The Tag at Every Crime SceneAfter a renowned graffiti artist’s signature tag appears at the scenes of multiple burglaries across the city, an undercover detective with a knack…
Fifteen minutes in? Keep going.
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