Trapped in the Blackout
During a massive blackout that engulfs the city for several days, strangers trapped in an elevator of a high-rise apartment building share stories, secrets, and eventually, form unexpected bonds. Explore the dynamics and transformations within this confined space.
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.
- Keep what the hero wants and what they need in tension.
- Tell it through the messages, notes or voicemails the characters leave.
- Write the scene everyone else would skip: the morning after.
Writing contemporary fiction
People like us, now, in trouble we recognize.
Contemporary fiction is set in the present day and deals with life as it's actually lived: families, marriages, friendships, work, loss. It sits between literary and commercial fiction, often shelved as book club or upmarket fiction.
What readers expect
- A present-day, realistic setting
- Relatable, flawed characters
- Emotional stakes over action
- Issues readers face themselves
A tip before you start
Today is your setting, so use it: the group chat, the parking ticket, the brand of cereal. Specifics make it feel true.
More Urban Fiction prompts
- Clues in the BookshopA vintage bookstore clerk finds a series of notes hidden inside various books, supposedly clues left by a previous employee leading to an undiscovered…
- The Artist Who Stopped TrafficWrite a story about a street artist in a bustling city who unexpectedly becomes a local hero through an act of kindness witnessed by thousands on…
- The Gentrification MuralAn overambitious street artist in New York City creates a mural overnight that sparks a city-wide conversation about gentrification. Unbeknownst to…
- The Blackout on IceOn the coldest day of the year, the power goes out in a densely populated neighborhood. Amidst this chaos, two strangers—a seasoned local and a…
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.