Murder in a Brazilian Seaside Town
Craft a tale in a sedate seaside town in Brazil, where the rhythm of life is suddenly disrupted by the murder of a well-loved priest. The investigation uncovers a century-old feud between two families, revealing deep-seated racial and cultural tensions.
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.
- Make the detective wrong at the midpoint, for a good reason.
- End with the solution in a single line of dialogue.
- Plant the key clue in the first scene, in plain sight.
Writing mystery books
Who did it? You get every clue and a fair shot at the answer.
A mystery opens with a puzzle, usually a death, and closes with the solution. In between, a detective (professional or not) gathers clues and suspects while the reader tries to get there first. A mystery looks backward, at a crime that has already happened.
What readers expect
- A crime or puzzle early on
- Clues, suspects and red herrings
- A detective the reader follows
- A solution that is surprising but fair
A tip before you start
Play fair. Every clue your detective uses should appear on the page first, ideally hidden in plain sight.
More Multicultural Mystery prompts
- Death at the Sakura FestivalThe quiet town of Shimoda, Japan, is shaken when an esteemed tea master is found dead during the Sakura Festival. A bilingual detective from Tokyo…
- The Secret in the CarpetIn a bustling market in Marrakech, a famed carpet merchant discovers a hidden note in a rare Berber carpet he's just sold. The message hints at an…
- Festival ThievesIn an eclectic neighborhood rich with diverse cultures, a series of meticulously plotted thefts occur every year during the community's vibrant…
- The Detective's Coded CluesIn a bustling urban city in India, a young detective of mixed heritage stumbles upon a series of coded messages left at the scenes of seemingly…
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.