The Teacher of Now
In a world where every person can see both their past and future simultaneously, write about a day in the life of a middle school history teacher who tries to make students appreciate the "now."
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 magic or technology cost your hero something they can't get back.
- Give the villain a reason that would convince you, if you lived there.
- Let the hero's plan work, and make that the problem.
Writing science fiction
Change one thing about the world. Follow it all the way.
Science fiction asks what happens to people when science, technology or contact with something new changes the rules. The spaceships are optional; the question is the point. The best of it says as much about today as it does about the future.
What readers expect
- An idea that drives the plot
- Technology or science with consequences
- Futures, other worlds or alternate presents
- Big questions about being human
A tip before you start
Show how your big change reshapes ordinary life: what people eat, fear and joke about. Scenery alone isn't world-building.
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- One Year on the ClockIn a society where every individual’s lifespan is predetermined and publicly known, explore the life of a person who discovers they have just one year…
- The Parallel Worlds AgencyCreate a world where parallel realities intersect at random intervals and locations, allowing people, objects, and elements of nature to slip through.…
Fifteen minutes in? Keep going.
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