The Poker Game Warning
During a high-stakes poker game, an off-duty detective overhears a hint about an impending crime that is set to take place in the heart of the city. With nothing but fragmented overheard conversations, the detective embarks on a risky solo mission to prevent it, unraveling more than what she'd bargained for.
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 Police Procedural prompts
- Cybercrime in the StreetsIn a bustling city, a police officer who used to be a tech expert is drawn into an investigation of a series of cybercrimes that have started to…
- The Gala Museum TheftWrite about a police detective who must solve a high-profile theft that took place during a black-tie gala at a museum. The detective discovers that…
- The Missing Artist's LetterThe chief of a small coastal town's police department retires, leaving behind a sealed letter only to be opened when the first major crime after his…
- The Historic Break-InsA rookie detective is assigned her first major case — a string of break-ins that seem trivial but progressively reveal a pattern connecting them to…
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.