The Memory Thieves
In a future society where memories can be bought and sold, a group of teens discovers that significant historical events have been erased from everyone’s memories to keep the society under control. They embark on a quest to uncover the true past, with only a mysterious, ancient diary as their guide.
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 adults well-meaning but wrong.
- Use the way your hero texts to show who they are.
- Write in close first person, as if it's happening right now.
Writing young adult books
Ages 12 to 18: firsts, identity and everything at stake.
Young adult fiction is written for teens, with protagonists usually 14 to 18. Every genre lives here, from fantasy to thrillers to romance. What makes it YA is the voice: immediate, intense and inside a teenager's head.
What readers expect
- A teen protagonist
- An immediate, close voice
- Identity and independence
- Big feelings, taken seriously
A tip before you start
Write from inside a teen's head, not from an adult looking back. That immediacy is what separates YA from an adult book with a young hero.
More YA Sci-Fi prompts
- Trapped in the Career SimulationImagine a future where every teenager must undergo a virtual reality test that determines their career path based on their skills and interests.…
- The First Mars CrewWrite about a group of teenagers who are chosen to be part of the first human settlement on Mars. Each has a crucial role and must work together to…
- The Teen Who Controlled TimeImagine waking up in a world where every teenager has the power to manipulate one of the four elements: earth, air, water, or fire. However, on your…
- The Small Change in TimeIn the year 2450, time travel is the latest trend among the youth. But when a teen time traveler accidentally changes a small, seemingly insignificant…
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