The Detective and the Shadow
In a city where everyone's shadow has a life of its own, tell the story of a young detective who must partner with their own shadow to solve the mystery of a series of shadow disappearances.
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.
- Tell it from the point of view of someone who thinks this world is perfectly normal.
- Shrink the stakes to one family, one street, one night.
- Choose one ordinary object and show how this world changed it.
Writing fantasy books
Magic is real, and it costs something.
Fantasy builds a world where the impossible works: dragons, spells, gods who answer back. It might be a whole invented continent or one enchanted door in an ordinary house. Either way, readers come for the wonder and stay for the people paying the price for it.
What readers expect
- Magic or the supernatural, with limits
- A world that feels lived in
- Quests, wars or a power worth fighting over
- Myths and history under the surface
A tip before you start
Give magic a cost. Readers believe in a power when they can see what it takes from the person using it.
More Urban Fantasy prompts
- The Street Magician’s DuelA street performer, known for their captivating illusions, actually uses real magic to enchant their audience. When a mysterious spectator challenges…
- The Package to Another DimensionIn the hidden alleys of an otherwise ordinary metropolitan city, there are portals to other dimensions. Write about a postal worker who accidentally…
- The City's Animal GuardiansImagine urban wildlife (pigeons, rats, stray cats) have become the guardians of ancient magical secrets in the city. Your protagonist, an animal…
- The Florist's Secret PlantsA struggling florist in an urban neighborhood starts cultivating plants that whisper secrets of the city's residents. As these plants grow more…
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