The Developer's Vampire Dreams
Your character, a software developer by day, begins experiencing vivid dreams about living in a different era as a different person - a Victorian lady engaged to a mysterious, charismatic man who harbors a secret: he's a vampire. These dreams start bleeding into reality, as your character meets a startlingly familiar stranger who seems to know more about her than possible.
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.
- Put them in close quarters they can't escape.
- Tell it from the point of view of the one who falls first.
- Write the first meeting so it goes badly, in a way they'll laugh about later.
Writing romance books
Not whether they end up together, but how.
Romance puts a love story at the center and promises a happy ending: happily ever after, or at least happy for now. Readers know where it's going. The pleasure is in the obstacles, the banter and the moment the two leads finally stop fighting it.
What readers expect
- Two leads the reader roots for
- Obstacles that keep them apart
- Emotional growth, not just attraction
- A happy ending, guaranteed
A tip before you start
The happy ending isn't optional. Without it you've written a love story, and romance readers will tell you so.
More Paranormal Romance prompts
- The Lighthouse LoversThe new lighthouse keeper on a small, mist-covered island finds out the lighthouse is haunted by two lovers split by tragedy a hundred years ago.…
- The Fallen Star at the EclipseDuring a total solar eclipse, your protagonist, a dedicated astrologist, gets a sudden surge of energy that enables them to sense the emotions and…
- The Librarian's Moonlit CurseEvery full moon, the quiet librarian is compelled to dance in the town square under an enchantment that allows them to see the supernatural realm. One…
- The Ghost's Love StoryAt an ancient bookstore tucked away in a neglected part of town, a struggling writer discovers a mystery novel that details their own love life with…
Fifteen minutes in? Keep going.
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