The Campaign Manager's USB
Imagine a scenario where during a high-stakes election, the leading candidate's campaign manager finds a USB stick containing explosive information that could not only swing the vote but bring down the entire political structure. Explore the moral and ethical dilemmas the manager faces, the dark underbelly of political campaigning, and the concept of truth in politics.
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 person helping your hero the one to worry about.
- End a scene on a phone call, a knock or a name.
- Let the reader know something the hero doesn't.
Writing thriller books
Something terrible is coming. Can they stop it in time?
Where a mystery looks back at a crime, a thriller looks forward at a threat. The reader often knows more than the hero, and the tension comes from watching danger close in. Short chapters, high stakes and a ticking clock are the tools of the trade.
What readers expect
- A clear, escalating threat
- A hero under pressure
- Twists and reversals
- Pace: little time to breathe
A tip before you start
Put a clock on it. A deadline the reader can count down turns every scene into a race.
More Political Thriller prompts
- The Diplomat's EscapeA low-level diplomat becomes the target of an assassination in a foreign country, and narrowly escapes with their life. Now, they must navigate a web…
- The Neighbor Who Was DeadWrite a narrative from the perspective of a retired intelligence officer who has moved to a seemingly quiet town to escape their past. However, their…
- The Missing MayorImagine a scenario where a city mayor, poised to tackle a massive corruption network within the city council, goes missing. A detective with a…
- The Blackmail at City HallImagine you are a rookie journalist assigned to cover minor political stories. One day, while covering a mundane political event, you overhear 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.