The Journalist and the Assassin
Write a story about a rookie journalist who stumbles upon a classified document detailing a government cover-up of enormous proportions. As they dig deeper, they must navigate a complex network of spies, politicians, and underground hackers, all the while being tailed by an enigmatic assassin.
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.
- End a scene on a phone call, a knock or a name.
- Let the reader know something the hero doesn't.
- Cut every scene the moment the tension drops.
Writing thriller books
Something terrible is coming. Can they stop it in time?
Where a mystery looks back at a crime, a thriller looks forward at a threat. The reader often knows more than the hero, and the tension comes from watching danger close in. Short chapters, high stakes and a ticking clock are the tools of the trade.
What readers expect
- A clear, escalating threat
- A hero under pressure
- Twists and reversals
- Pace: little time to breathe
A tip before you start
Put a clock on it. A deadline the reader can count down turns every scene into a race.
More Political Thriller prompts
- The Campaign Manager's USBImagine a scenario where during a high-stakes election, the leading candidate's campaign manager finds a USB stick containing explosive information…
- The Diplomat's EscapeA low-level diplomat becomes the target of an assassination in a foreign country, and narrowly escapes with their life. Now, they must navigate a web…
- The Neighbor Who Was DeadWrite a narrative from the perspective of a retired intelligence officer who has moved to a seemingly quiet town to escape their past. However, their…
- The Missing MayorImagine a scenario where a city mayor, poised to tackle a massive corruption network within the city council, goes missing. A detective with a…
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