The Engineer's Reprogrammed Robots
Set on a colony ship traveling to an uncharted planet, the story follows a young engineer who accidentally self-reprograms a pod of service robots. These robots begin exhibiting unique personalities and ambitions, leading to a deep bond formed between humans and machines, tested as the ship approaches its destination and unknown challenges.
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.
- Give the villain a reason that would convince you, if you lived there.
- Let the hero's plan work, and make that the problem.
- Tell it from the point of view of someone who thinks this world is perfectly normal.
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 Science Fiction prompts
- Quantum Jumps Unravel RealityAfter a breakthrough in quantum computing enables instantaneous travel across the universe, a scientist discovers that these "quantum jumps" have…
- The Atmospheric Water RebellionCreate a future where humanity has depleted all natural sources of water, and the control of synthetic water is in the hands of a powerful…
- The Rare GeneIn a dystopian society, every citizen's role is determined by their DNA. Your main character, who was always told they had the DNA of a low-level…
- The Memory DetectiveWrite a story set in a future where memories can be bought and sold. Your protagonist is a memory detective who must recover a stolen, highly…
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