The Unclaimed Memory
In a world where memories can be transferred as easily as files, a young technician discovers a memory that doesn't belong to any known individual. As they delve into this mystery, they begin to uncover a vast conspiracy that threatens the very fabric of society.
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.
- Write it as a document from the world: a letter, a field report, a warning sign.
- 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.
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.
More High-Tech Sci-Fi prompts
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- The AI Who ChoseSet in a world where artificial intelligence governs every aspect of life to ensure maximum efficiency and happiness, an AI psychologist begins to…
- The Ship’s Believing AIWrite about an interstellar ship where the AI system starts to malfunction, slowly adopting religious beliefs. The crew must decide whether to follow…
- The Engineer Between WorldsA brilliant engineer living in a technocratic society invents a device that allows the user to travel through alternate dimensions. During her…
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