The Dreamless Dreamer
In a future where dreams are mined like resources, write about a character who has never been able to dream. One night, they start having vivid dreams that predict future events, leading them into conflict with the powerful "dream miners."
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.
- Let the hero's plan work, and make that the problem.
- 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.
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 Science Fiction and Fantasy prompts
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- Dreams That Rewrite RealityIn a world where dreams are harvested as energy, one low-level technician discovers that their own dreams can alter reality. Explore the implications…
- The Robot’s Hidden MalfunctionIn a future society, people are assigned a robot companion at birth designed to ensure their well-being. Write about a young protagonist who discovers…
- The Last Life by ChoiceImagine a society that achieves immortality by transferring consciousness from old bodies to new ones. Write about an individual who, after several…
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