Festival Thieves
In an eclectic neighborhood rich with diverse cultures, a series of meticulously plotted thefts occur every year during the community's vibrant multicultural festival. The festival's organizer, a former detective, decides this year they will uncover the thief. Explore the detective’s journey as they navigate this colorful landscape, using only cultural nuances and community tales as their leads.
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.
- Plant the key clue in the first scene, in plain sight.
- Limit it to one location and one night.
- Let the most helpful witness be the one with the most to hide.
Writing mystery books
Who did it? You get every clue and a fair shot at the answer.
A mystery opens with a puzzle, usually a death, and closes with the solution. In between, a detective (professional or not) gathers clues and suspects while the reader tries to get there first. A mystery looks backward, at a crime that has already happened.
What readers expect
- A crime or puzzle early on
- Clues, suspects and red herrings
- A detective the reader follows
- A solution that is surprising but fair
A tip before you start
Play fair. Every clue your detective uses should appear on the page first, ideally hidden in plain sight.
More Multicultural Mystery prompts
- The Detective's Coded CluesIn a bustling urban city in India, a young detective of mixed heritage stumbles upon a series of coded messages left at the scenes of seemingly…
- The Stolen Inti Raymi RelicDuring the Inti Raymi Festival in Cusco, Peru, an ancient relic is stolen from a small indigenous museum. The museum's curator, a passionate advocate…
- The Stolen Tea Ceremony VaseSet your mystery in Tokyo during the crowded Cherry Blossom Festival. A renowned but controversial ceramic vase is stolen during a prestigious tea…
- The London Shop BurglariesDevelop a plot around a series of mysterious thefts in a multicultural area of London, where family-owned shops of different communities—Indian…
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