Dreams of Other Choices
Imagine a reality where dreams are actually glimpses into what could have been in alternate universes. Describe a character who starts to live more in their dreams than in their waking life, trying to change one choice they regret.
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.
- Write it as a document from the world: a letter, a field report, a warning sign.
- 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.
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 Alternate Reality prompts
- An Eight-Year-Old's Eightieth BirthdayImagine a world where people age backwards. The story begins on the day the protagonist, who looks only eight years old, is celebrating their 80th…
- Two Lives in DreamsImagine a world where every person has two lives: one in reality and another in their dreams. The choices made in dreams affect their waking life, and…
- The Lincoln Memorial DoorImagine a reality where historical landmarks can transport you to the time period they were constructed. Write a story about a group of teenagers who…
- The Sunset SymphonyEnvision an alternate reality where colors are not seen but heard. Detail the experiences of a famous conductor who becomes the first to compose a…
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