Books Beneath the Ruins
In a world where all historical records are controlled by the state, your character discovers a hidden trove of forbidden books in the ruins of an old library. As they start to unveil truths about the world's real past, agents of the government become aware of their activities. Write about how they handle this dangerous knowledge.
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 person helping your hero the one to worry about.
- End a scene on a phone call, a knock or a name.
- Let the reader know something the hero doesn't.
Writing dystopian fiction
A society gone wrong, and the one person who sees it.
Dystopian fiction imagines a future (or alternate present) where society has failed: surveillance states, ruined planets, systems that crush the people inside them. It's usually a warning. The hero's choice is whether to survive the system or fight it.
What readers expect
- A society with a dark logic
- Control, scarcity or surveillance
- A hero who starts to question it
- A warning about today
A tip before you start
Build your world from one fear of today, pushed too far. The more recognizable the root, the colder the chill.
More Dystopian prompts
- The Missed InjectionImagine a society where emotions are regulated by daily mandated injections to ensure everyone remains productive and compliant. Your protagonist, a…
- Disappearances Under the DomeAfter global economies collapse, cities are sealed off under domes run by different corporations. Your protagonist is a detective in one such city…
- Water from the WastelandEnvironmental disasters have turned the world into a wasteland, and water is now more valuable than gold. Your character, once a hydro-engineer, now a…
- The Memory DealerIn a future where personal memories can be bought and sold, the wealthiest citizens are able to erase their darkest experiences and live in blissful…
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