Fires in the Wealthy District
During the hottest summer on record, a series of fires sweep through the wealthiest neighborhoods, leaving devastation in their wake. A rookie firefighter finds a clue that suggests these are not accidents. Follow their journey into the world of arson-for-hire, where they must expose a network of crime while protecting those they love.
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.
- Give the victim a secret the reader learns before the detective does.
- Start with the confession, and make the story about why it's false.
- Make the detective wrong at the midpoint, for a good reason.
Writing crime fiction
Not who did it, but why, and whether they'll get away with it.
Crime fiction covers any story built around a crime, and it's often told from the criminal's side. Where a mystery is a puzzle, crime fiction is about people: the pressures that lead to the crime, and what it costs everyone involved.
What readers expect
- A crime at the heart of the story
- Moral gray areas
- Criminals as real people
- Tension over who gets caught
A tip before you start
Give your criminal a reason the reader understands, even one they'd never act on themselves.
More Crime Fiction prompts
- The Full Moon Museum ThiefImagine a small coastal town where every full moon, a priceless piece of jewelry vanishes from a local museum. This pattern has gone on for years…
- Letters Before the CrimesCraft a story about a retired profiler who moves to a quiet countryside to escape the harrowing memories of their profession, only to find themselves…
- The Tag at Every Crime SceneAfter a renowned graffiti artist’s signature tag appears at the scenes of multiple burglaries across the city, an undercover detective with a knack…
- The Heist Anniversary PoemEvery year, on the anniversary of an unsolved high-profile bank heist, a poem is published in the city's largest newspaper, hinting at the location of…
Fifteen minutes in? Keep going.
Chapterly gives a draft somewhere to grow: chapters, daily word goals, and readers when you're ready.
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