The Desert Star Gateway
After decoding a strange signal from a distant galaxy, a group of astronomers is shocked to find that it contains detailed instructions for building an intergalactic gateway. Write about what happens when they decide to construct it in a remote desert.
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.
- Write it as a document from the world: a letter, a field report, a warning sign.
- Make the magic or technology cost your hero something they can't get back.
- Give the villain a reason that would convince you, if you lived there.
Writing fantasy books
Magic is real, and it costs something.
Fantasy builds a world where the impossible works: dragons, spells, gods who answer back. It might be a whole invented continent or one enchanted door in an ordinary house. Either way, readers come for the wonder and stay for the people paying the price for it.
What readers expect
- Magic or the supernatural, with limits
- A world that feels lived in
- Quests, wars or a power worth fighting over
- Myths and history under the surface
A tip before you start
Give magic a cost. Readers believe in a power when they can see what it takes from the person using it.
More Science Fiction and Fantasy prompts
- The Planet That Began to SingIn a universe where planets communicate through a universal music, a silent planet suddenly starts singing. Write from the perspective of a galactic…
- The Stone of My Own MakingCreate a world where every person is born with a small, unique stone that determines their fate. Describe a character's journey as they decide to…
- The Rebel Dreamer's TaxImagine a world where dreams are taxed by a powerful government. Each person must record their dreams, and depending on the content, a tax is levied…
- The Library of Altered PastsConstruct a tale about a librarian who stumbles upon a secret section in the library that houses books affecting the reality around them. One…
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