The Martian Peace Talks
Humans have started terraforming Mars, but an ancient, dormant Martian technology awakens, recognizing the terraformers as threats. A historian specializing in Martian civilization is sent to negotiate peace, discovering deeply held secrets about both the technology and the true history of Mars that could change the future of both planets.
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 magic or technology cost your hero something they can't get back.
- Give the villain a reason that would convince you, if you lived there.
- Let the hero's plan work, and make that the problem.
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 Dream Thief's DiscoveryDescribe a world where dreams can be recorded, shared, and even sold. Your main character is a dream thief, someone who illegally extracts and sells…
- The Unchosen ChildImagine a world in which people are able to customize their children before they are born, selecting traits like intelligence, appearance, and…
- The Memory for SaleWrite a story about a society where memories can be bought and sold like commodities, and follow the journey of a character who decides to sell their…
- The Last Human BodyA scientist invents a device that allows people to transfer their consciousness into machines, promising immortality. As people begin to abandon their…
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