Letters Before the War
Craft a tale about two opposing military strategists from different countries who, unknown to their superiors, start a secret correspondence. As tensions rise between their nations, they have to decide whether to remain loyal to their countries or prevent an unnecessary war based on the secrets they share.
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.
- Let the reader know something the hero doesn't.
- Cut every scene the moment the tension drops.
- Put a clock on it: the hero has until midnight.
Writing thriller books
Something terrible is coming. Can they stop it in time?
Where a mystery looks back at a crime, a thriller looks forward at a threat. The reader often knows more than the hero, and the tension comes from watching danger close in. Short chapters, high stakes and a ticking clock are the tools of the trade.
What readers expect
- A clear, escalating threat
- A hero under pressure
- Twists and reversals
- Pace: little time to breathe
A tip before you start
Put a clock on it. A deadline the reader can count down turns every scene into a race.
More Military Suspense prompts
- The Unrecorded Soldier FacilityDuring a routine extraction mission, a special forces team discovers a hidden facility with no official records. Inside, they find evidence of illegal…
- The Medic's Long RetreatAfter an ambush during a patrol in a conflict zone, a young army medic finds herself the sole survivor. With crucial intelligence in her possession…
- The Sniper at the Peace SummitA seasoned sniper is assigned to protect a controversial diplomat during a high-stake international peace summit. As tensions rise, the sniper…
- The Sniper's Missing PapersA veteran sniper returns home with a case of classified intelligence documents mistakenly mixed into his personal belongings. He becomes the target of…
Fifteen minutes in? Keep going.
Chapterly gives a draft somewhere to grow: chapters, daily word goals, and readers when you're ready.
Plans from $9.99 a month. Cancel any time. Your words are always yours.