The Letter and the Stolen Artifact
The daughter of a Japanese diplomat and a Mexican artist finds an old, cryptic letter in her late grandmother's belongings, pointing to an unsolved crime involving a stolen cultural artifact. As she delves into her family's past, she uncovers hidden truths that might link their lineage to a historic mystery sprawling across continents.
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.
- Let the most helpful witness be the one with the most to hide.
- Tell it from the point of view of a suspect who is lying about something else.
- Give the victim a secret the reader learns before the detective does.
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 Missing Marrakech CarpetWrite a story set in a bustling outdoor market in Marrakech, where a famous antique carpet goes missing under mysterious circumstances. The…
- The Bayou Pirate ShipWrite about an ex-con turned amateur sleuth living in a small town in Louisiana, who uncovers a connection between a recent string of burglaries and a…
- Murder at Rio CarnivalAt the heart of Rio de Janeiro's Carnival, an American expatriate and local journalist partner up after witnessing a seemingly accidental death that…
- Murder at the Afro-Caribbean FestivalDuring the vibrant Afro-Caribbean festival, a notorious masked figure known only by their traditional moniker is found murdered. The main character…
Fifteen minutes in? Keep going.
Chapterly gives a draft somewhere to grow: chapters, daily word goals, and readers when you're ready.
Plans from $9.99 a month. Cancel any time. Your words are always yours.