The Mars Double Agent
Envision a world where humans have colonized Mars, but the planet is now split between two rival factions. The protagonist is a double agent trying to keep peace, but they discover a secret that could ignite an all-out war.
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 villain a reason that would convince you, if you lived there.
- Let the hero's plan work, and make that the problem.
- Tell it from the point of view of someone who thinks this world is perfectly normal.
Writing science fiction
Change one thing about the world. Follow it all the way.
Science fiction asks what happens to people when science, technology or contact with something new changes the rules. The spaceships are optional; the question is the point. The best of it says as much about today as it does about the future.
What readers expect
- An idea that drives the plot
- Technology or science with consequences
- Futures, other worlds or alternate presents
- Big questions about being human
A tip before you start
Show how your big change reshapes ordinary life: what people eat, fear and joke about. Scenery alone isn't world-building.
More Science Fiction prompts
- The Factory's First RobotCreate a story about an abandoned robotic pet factory that suddenly restarts production. The first new robot appears to have capabilities far beyond…
- The Child the AI FearedExplore a future where AI can predict the potential and future of every newborn. Write from the perspective of a young parent whose child is predicted…
- The Planet Already InhabitedAfter Earth's resources are depleted, humanity has taken to the stars in search of habitable planets. Your protagonist arrives on a promising new…
- The Hidden AI ChildAn intergalactic treaty is formed to ban all creation of sentient AI after a devastating war with a rogue AI system. Centuries later, your protagonist…
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