The Nightmare in the Dream Realm
In a realm where dreams can be woven into reality, a young dreamweaver discovers a nightmare trying to infiltrate and corrupt the dream realm. Follow their adventure as they team up with other weavers to battle the nightmare and uncover a dark conspiracy within their own ranks.
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 Fantasy and Adventure prompts
- The Meteor's GiftAfter a meteor shower, a group of high school friends find a crashed alien ship in their small town. With government agents and unknown creatures on…
- The Spirit Element TrialIn the kingdom of Eldoria, a group of teens are chosen every century to undergo the Trial of Elements. Each teen represents an element—earth, water…
- The Princess's Enchanted DiaryTwo best friends discover an ancient, enchanted diary that belongs to a long-lost princess who reveals secrets and spells on each page. As the friends…
- The Teen Who Held the PlanetsEvery 300 years, the celestial dance of the planets grants extraordinary powers to a single, unsuspecting teenager on Earth. This time, it’s a…
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