The Pre-Crime Algorithm
Describe a world where crime can be predicted through a sophisticated AI system, and the protagonist is an officer in this pre-crime unit. However, they start to suspect that the AI might be manipulated to target innocent people. Now, they must find out who is behind this and their motive without trusting their primary tool—the AI.
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.
- Put a clock on it: the hero has until midnight.
- Trap your hero in one place they can't easily leave.
- Raise the stakes from personal to public halfway through.
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 Crime Thriller prompts
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- The Forensic Expert's BetrayalDevelop a story about an esteemed forensic expert who starts tampering with evidence in high-profile cases. A young, ethical prosecutor discovers this…
- The Missing Hacker's SiblingA notorious hacker, previously involved in several high-profile cybercrimes, is forced back into the world of illegal hacking when his younger sibling…
- The Detective's Unsolved CaseCreate a narrative around a retired detective who is haunted by an unsolved case from their past. The detective decides to tackle the case on their…
Fifteen minutes in? Keep going.
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