The Artifact in the Backyard
Write a story about a teenager who finds an alien artifact in their backyard. The object grants them incredible knowledge and technology far beyond human comprehension, but it also makes them the target of various intergalactic factions vying for power.
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 your hero make a big mistake for a reason the reader understands.
- End with a choice only this hero would make.
- Make the adults well-meaning but wrong.
Writing young adult books
Ages 12 to 18: firsts, identity and everything at stake.
Young adult fiction is written for teens, with protagonists usually 14 to 18. Every genre lives here, from fantasy to thrillers to romance. What makes it YA is the voice: immediate, intense and inside a teenager's head.
What readers expect
- A teen protagonist
- An immediate, close voice
- Identity and independence
- Big feelings, taken seriously
A tip before you start
Write from inside a teen's head, not from an adult looking back. That immediacy is what separates YA from an adult book with a young hero.
More YA Sci-Fi prompts
- The Earth Ambassador AcademyImagine a futuristic school where students are trained to be ambassadors for Earth in intergalactic relations. On your first day, you accidentally…
- Stones After the Meteor ShowerAfter a meteor shower, strange glowing stones are found all over your city. You and your friends collect them, only to realize these stones grant you…
- The Last Emotion InjectionsIn a future society, emotions are considered a disease and everyone must take daily injections to suppress them. You find an old diary written by your…
- Trapped Inside the NovelYou're a teenager who gains the ability to jump into any book you touch and interact with its world. During one of your adventures in a sci-fi novel…
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