Letters in the Library
In a quiet town known for its unexplainable phenomena, your character, a local librarian, discovers a series of ancient letters between star-crossed lovers whose spirits are rumored to still wander the library aisles. Compelled by their haunting story, the librarian starts experiencing vivid dreams and spectral whispers, drawing them into a centuries-old love story that echoes their own hidden desires.
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 a secondary character see what's happening before either lead does.
- End on the first honest conversation, not the first kiss.
- Make the obstacle something they both believe in, not a misunderstanding.
Writing romance books
Not whether they end up together, but how.
Romance puts a love story at the center and promises a happy ending: happily ever after, or at least happy for now. Readers know where it's going. The pleasure is in the obstacles, the banter and the moment the two leads finally stop fighting it.
What readers expect
- Two leads the reader roots for
- Obstacles that keep them apart
- Emotional growth, not just attraction
- A happy ending, guaranteed
A tip before you start
The happy ending isn't optional. Without it you've written a love story, and romance readers will tell you so.
More Paranormal Romance prompts
- Love in the WindowpaneAfter a bizarre electrical storm, your character, a barista, begins to experience flashes of someone else’s life through reflections in mirrors and…
- Love Beneath the Full MoonEvery full moon, your character transforms into someone else—not a werewolf, but a different person entirely. During one transformation, they fall…
- The Woman in the AtticYour character, a young doctor, inherits an old mansion from a relative they never knew. While exploring the house, they find a striking portrait of a…
- Love Beneath the EclipseDuring a total solar eclipse, you find yourself inexplicably drawn to a mysterious figure in the crowd. As soon as your eyes meet, visions of past…
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.