thriller creative writing examples

20 Thriller Story Ideas for Heart-Racing Fiction

by Ruthanne Reid | 63 comments

The thriller genre is wildly popular. Thrillers are like mysteries, but with a super dose of suspense, action, and anticipation for the reader. Here are some thriller story ideas (including ten all new prompts!) to help you start crafting your own fast-paced thriller today!

Thrillers have been delighting readers for years. Thriller writers like Stephen King, John Grisham, Frieda McFadden, and Tana French dominate the category along with many other newcomers.

As we continue our series on the  types of stories , today we're sharing prompts for inspiration to write a thriller. But first, let's look back at the value scales that create the ten types of stories. (See the  full guide here .)

Remember that for thrillers, the value scale is life versus a fate worse than death. What's worse than death? Anything that  creates the excitement and thrill of suspense  a thriller delivers. 

It might be the fear of not recovering a kidnapped child. It might be the risk of not solving a case that you're heavily invested in. It might be losing critical intel that your country needs to face an enemy.

Whatever it is, the protagonist would almost rather face death than not meet their goal.

Just so you know, “thrillers” come in all shapes and forms, dipping freely into other genres. In other words, expect the unexpected! Some of the sub-genres in thriller include psychological thrillers, historical thrillers, spy thrillers, supernatural thrillers, crime thrillers, and technothrillers.

To study up on techniques that make thrillers and suspense work, check out Joslyn Chase's  article here  or her  full guide on how to write a thriller .

10 Quick Thriller Story Ideas

We'll start with some short writing prompts to help you get writing fast. Try one of these in your writing time today.

• She just started a new job when a cryptic message comes across her desk that she can't ignore.
• An undercover agent is in a race against time to find out who is behind a pate of disappearances.
• A stuntman realizes the star is a target of a conspiracy theorist on set and their life is in danger.
• A government agent arrests the wrong man and he begs his wife to find evidence before he becomes the scapegoat for a coverup.
• Murder victims keep appearing at a popular tourist destination. She must find out who's behind it in this action thriller.
• A new neighbor seems friendly enough until a series of unsettling events rattles the neighborhood.
• A thriller writer's compelling characters begin showing up in real life crime scenes, and they become the prime suspect.
• Mysterious circumstances always surrounded the sudden retirement of a megastar, until a nosy investigative journalist uncovers a clue that would unravel everything.
• Artificial intelligence took his job after he created the very code that launched the company into eye-popping profitability. And now he's out for revenge.
• A criminal mastermind has shut down essential services in the city, and only a retired recluse of a hacker can stop him. If they can convince him to take the case.

Suspense Story Ideas

11. Rosa Rivera-Ortiz is an up-and-coming lawyer in a San Diego firm. She works twice as hard as her colleagues, but often with less recognition. So she's as surprised as anyone when she's requested specifically for a high-profile case. Bron Welty, an A-list actor and action star, has been arrested for the murder of his live-in housekeeper. The cop heading the case is older, ex-military, a veteran of more than one war, and an occasional sufferer of PTSD. Rosa's hired to defend the movie star; and it seems like an easy win until she uncovers some secrets that not only make her believe her client is guilty, but may be one of the worst serial killers in the past two decades… and he knows she found out .

12. Zion Jones is a police interrogator in Miami's overburdened police department. He's up to his eyeballs in paperwork and really doesn't have time for another case, but when his best friend and fellow cop is shot in a burglary-gone-wrong, he's willing to take on a few extra cases. The next interrogation was supposed to be routine: a murder, a suspect, a suspicious amount of transferred cash. But the moment he gets in the room, he knows something is wrong. This suspect isn't scared. This suspect is laughing , and proceeds to tell Zion personal, too-intimate-to-be-hearsay details on cold case murders going back nearly a hundred years. It gets weirder: for reasons unknown, the digital recording came up blank, as if no conversation had taken place. Of course, everything Zion has to report is dismissed—it's nonsense, nothing that can be proven, and it was just an attempt to mess with his head. Right? If that's so, then why does Zion feel like someone's watching him everywhere he goes, as if just waiting for him to make a move on the terrible details he's been given?

13. Shah is the son of the Rajah, arguably the richest heir in the world, and dangerously bored. How does he fill his time? By thinking of himself as a detective and solving “mysteries” all around the palace. This means Shah gets into everybody's business and makes up completely absurd tales about his adventures, but who's going to argue? He's the son of the Rajah, and technically holds their lives in his hands. But don't think Shah has no friends; his most faithful servant, Nainsuk, has raised Shah from an infant, and while he loves the boy as his own, Nainsuk isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. He believes Shah's wild tales of night-escapes from demons and genius in solving unsolvable mysteries. So, when Nainsuk's younger sister goes missing, he begs the prince for help. Shah, convinced of his own near-immortality, takes the case… but when he leaves the palace for the first time in his life, following clues, he discovers life on the outside is nowhere near as idyllic as life within. Religious factions struggle for supremacy, political groups jostle for influence and the Rajah's ear, and the desperate poor and the greedy rich all fight, turning the city around the palace into a boiling mess of blood and sweat. In short order, Shah loses his money, his jeweled sword, and his beard—and without these things, the guards at the palace don't recognize him, refusing to let him back inside. Shah's only chance is to wait for Nainsuk to return in the morning, since surely his old caretaker will recognize him… but in order to do that, he has to survive the night in the crime-ridden streets. Roving gangs, packs of wild dogs, and desperate thugs who see him as an easy target are the least of his concerns. It turns out Nainsuk's sister was kidnapped as a sacrifice to the goddess Kali, and he has until dawn to save her… and himself. ( P.S. No, I will not apologize for the Avatar reference.)

14. It's the Cold War. Sergei, a double-agent for the CIA working in Berlin, is about to retire when he's given one final mission: he's been asked to “defect” to the USSR to help find and assassinate a suspected double-agent for the Kremlin. Sergei is highly trusted, and he's given to understand that this mission is need-to-know only between him and very few superior officers. But as he falls deeper into the folds of the Iron Curtain, he begins to suspect that his superior officer might just be the mole, and the mark Sergei's been sent to kill is on the cusp of exposing the leak.

15. Fourteen years ago, Stan cheated on his brand-new bride of four months. It was just a one-afternoon fling, a reaction to a silly fight he can no longer remember, and he gave the girl in the club a fake name, anyway, so who cares? Now, he's general manager for a profitable beer company; his wife and four kids are well-provided-for, with college funds and all the amenities they could desire. Stan's in line for CEO, if he can keep up his business ethic until old Paul retires, and he intends to… until she  comes in for a job interview. Stan recognizes Delilah Bond, oh hell yes, he does, but she doesn't seem to recognize him. Slightly shaken, he plays dumb, treats her with complete professional cool, and goes about his day. The next night, his youngest daughter waxes eloquent about her new music teacher, Ms. Bond… who matches the description of Stan's fourteen-year-old mistake. He tries to ignore this until he sees her outside his window, trimming the hedges, wearing an ordinary landscaper's uniform. And again, in his favorite bar, where she's slinging drinks like a pro and conspicuously avoiding his eyes. In fact, he starts to see her everywhere, impossibly  everywhere —touching the life of each of his children, involved with his wife (her new tennis partner), and hired at his company, though not in his division. Is he going crazy? No; it's worse.  Delilah Bond is one of four quadruplets, or she was.  The girl Stan slept with fourteen years ago got pregnant, miscarried badly, and died. Her three sisters took a long time to figure out who'd taken their sister from them, and they have every intention of making him suffer the way they have… and they've had a really long time to plan.

5 More Thriller Story Ideas That Play with Time

16. It is 1800. A lighthouse on a barren cliff in Canada. Two lighthouse keepers, German immigrants, are alone for the winter and effectively cut off from the rest of the world until the ice thaws. Both Wilhelm and Matthias are settled in for the long haul with warm clothes, food, and matches a-plenty. Then Wilhelm starts hearing voices. His personal belongings disappear from where he'd placed them, only to reappear in strange spots—like the catwalk, or dangling beneath the spiral stair knotted in brown twine. Matthias begs innocence. Little by little, Wilhelm grows convinced that Matthias is trying to convince him (Wilhelm) to kill himself. Is the insanity real, or is this really Matthias' doing? And if it is real, what will he do to defend himself? There are so many months until spring… (Bonus: this prompt works from Matthias' point of view, too, since he'd find himself locked in a lighthouse with a crazy guy.)

17. It's sometime in the future in a dystopian society, run with an iron fist by its government. The pollution is so bad that citizens almost never step outside, traveling instead via tubes between residence and work, or the small, expensive shops and home. Even the domiciles are all underground, small two-room apartments run completely by nano-bot technology and voice-command. In this grey and airless life, Bo and Lifen's six-month-old son, Heng, is mysteriously kidnapped. Devastated, they survive a near-breakup of their marriage, Lifen's failed suicide attempt, and Bo's brief stint with alcoholism as they both tried to cope with their loss. Eventually, they manage to grieve together instead of apart, and rebuild their lives… but it all comes to a crashing halt when a stranger rings the doorbell. It is a young man who claims to be their son. Not only that, but he has a small thumb-drive hanging around his heck giving him legal claim to their tiny, one-door domicile and everything they own—which means that when he steps inside, his voice-command locks the door behind him… and it won't unlock until he tells it to. In fact, he controls food. He controls the air supply. Little by little, he takes over their lives, forcing them both to quit their jobs and huddle in their cold and frightening home as they struggle to survive to this invasion of a so-called son who acts nothing like a son should. Why is he doing this? Is he really their son? And can they possibly fight him when the nano-bot run home obeys his every command?

18. It's 3012 AD. The Earth has long been left behind as uninhabitable. Justice Jones, retired special forces (think MacGyver + Marines), enjoys his quiet new employment as art appraiser on Tethys, one of Saturn's lovely terraformed moons. He's a staunch agnostic, which makes him stand out; most of Tethys' population ascribe to one of two religions: the Cats, who believe that mankind should stop exploring and be content with the two dozen or so moons and planets occupied, and the Dogs, who hold to a sort of demented Manifest Destiny that humankind should populate the whole universe. Justice ignores all of this ninety percent of the time; unfortunately, when he walks into the museum late one night to inspect a possible forgery of 1000-year-old Martian sculpture, he finds two dead bodies: the leaders of the Cats and Dogs, respectively. Each side blames the other for their leader's death, and before long, the arguments erupt into violence. There are innocents on this small moon; there aren't any major forms of government, or military presence. As the tensions grow thicker and the body count grows higher, Justice finds himself coming out of retirement to save the innocents on this moon who are about to be caught in the crossfire. The Cats and Dogs may be out for blood, but they've never encountered anything like Justice Jones.

19. It's 1935. Germany's government has been persecuting the Sinti people since long before the Nazis came to power, but the Third Reich has taken a particularly dim view: they claim that the Sinti (also known as Romani) are of mixed blood, and consequently believed to be both degenerate and criminal. Many are being forcibly sterilized. Ten-year-old Mirela is an orphan, and knows they're looking for her—not just because her mother was Sinti, but also because of her dreams. Mirela has dreams of the future, and they always come true… and she's had one three nights in a row about scary soldiers coming to the orphanage, taking away any child they deem not Aryan enough, and doing horrible things to them. Finally, she can take it no longer: she gathers together her six closest friends, and they leave in the dead of night, trying to sneak out of Berlin and toward the distant border of Austria. But Austria is over 400 miles away, and these seven children have no money. They also don't have blond hair or typically Aryan features. They must avoid soldiers and anyone who still thinks Jewish blood and dark hair are responsible for Germany's struggle. Mirela's dreams help, but she has no powers of protection. What follows is a daring, heart-rending journey of many nights, of loss and tears and triumph, and in the end, none of them will really be children anymore.

20. It's 1952. A small town in the Midwest is rocked by the brutal murder of Mary, a Black eleven-year-old girl, who's been bludgeoned until nearly unrecognizable. The sheriff, Joe Everyguy, is an upstanding and well-respected man who is determined to get to the bottom of what might be the grisliest case of his career. But as the crime unfolds, revealing prejudice, covered up abuse, and sexual philandering in and around the school, he begins to realize two things: one, there's such a hotbed of crime and immorality in the heart of his small town that if he doesn't root it out, it could destroy them all. And two, all the evidence points toward one suspect: his own daughter, Linda, Mary's classmate and supposed friend. The town wants to hush this up. Sheriff Everyguy is terrified the truth will destroy his family if he keeps pushing for answers—he can't uncover the cabal without exposing his daughter. If he quits now, he abandons a lifetime of intentional integrity and the town he loves as home. But if he keeps going, he might just be sacrificing his little girl's life.

There you go! Twenty ideas to get your reader's heart-pumping and your protagonist knee-deep in trouble racing against the clock. Which one will you try first?   Let us know in  the comments .

It's your turn! Take  fifteen minutes  and tackle any one of these prompts at any point in the story. Once you pick a prompt, you can continue the tale, or take it from the beginning, or jump into the middle, using any character you please.

When your time is up, post your scene in the  Pro Practice Workshop . And when you're done, check out others who have shared their scenes. Let them know what you think!

Not a member yet? Come join us . We're a group of writers committed to practicing together.

Ruthanne Reid

Best-Selling author Ruthanne Reid has led a convention panel on world-building, taught courses on plot and character development, and was keynote speaker for The Write Practice 2021 Spring Retreat.

Author of two series with five books and fifty short stories, Ruthanne has lived in her head since childhood, when she wrote her first story about a pony princess and a genocidal snake-kingdom, using up her mom’s red typewriter ribbon.

When she isn’t reading, writing, or reading about writing, Ruthanne enjoys old cartoons with her husband and two cats, and dreams of living on an island beach far, far away.

P.S. Red is still her favorite color.

63 Comments

Oh my goodness! These are all so good! Can’t wait to get started. Thank you for all these ideas!!

Thanks, Joy! I can wait to see what you do. 🙂

They all speak to me. Good job, Ruthanne!

Awesome, Claudia! I’m so glad. Thanks!

I’d probably opt for #5 in the “More” list. the idea of triplets out for revenge is an intriguing one with lots of possibility.

Sweet, Christine!

Devil’s advocate here: Story ideas are like “get rich quick scheme sales.” As such, they necessarily beg the same interrogative reality and skepticism – “If they are so great, why isn’t the purveyor getting rich with them, rather than giving them away?”

Analytically, if your imagination isn’t sufficiently stimulated by the world, its problem’s, their solutions, the resulting intrigue and the other infinite possibilities around you – you probably lack the imagination to flesh out a borrowed idea into a successful book.

Hiya, DDugger! You’re always welcome to play Devil’s advocate. 😀 I’m happy to provide an alternative point of view!

The purpose of story prompts is exactly the same as the purpose of cookbooks. 🙂 It’s not intended for you to take and try to imitate word for word for your own book; instead, it provides combinations of ingredients that WORK, which not only give the young chef a template to learn how those foods taste together, but then gives him or her the foundation from which to branch off and create their own meals.

It other words, it’s practice – you might even day the “write” practice! It’s a bit of fuel for the imagination, and a great way to get a taste for a new genre. 🙂

I give these ideas away because (a) I AM a successful author, and I love to read, so I know what’s out there, and (b) I fully believe that as human beings, the best thing at can do is help one another.

That, and it’s not like there are a limited number of ideas in the world! There will always be more. If sharing mine can help other writers find their voices, then I’ve done what I set out to do: help.

Does that clarify it a little for you? If not, I’ll be more than happy to chat further. 🙂

Typically I believe it’s the “devil’s advocate” that is perceived as the one who offers the “alternative point of view.” You are reiterating your point of view, not an alternative. I’m sorry I don’t know what to call the view that is an alternative to the alternative view generally offered by the Devil’s advocate. Does that mean it has come full circle, back to the starting point? In this case it seems to.

I think your analogy to a cookbook is a good one, because if makes my point. Cookbooks in general are instructional guides for people who don’t know how to cook – or at least how to cook a specific recipe. There is little creativity or imagination involved, or you wouldn’t need the cook book. Clearly, the more adventurous may decide to venture from a recipe, but most likely only once they have succeed in producing a successful outcome.

So, my comment wasn’t so much addressed to you, or your story ideas – which are fine. I do believe that you are full of ideas, clearly know how to implement them successfully and that you provide them to readers free and in good spirit. It’s your readers that I am concerned about. Readers who might think that they can flesh out your ideas with the same success that you would have with your ideas, yet really don’t have the imagination to come up with them alone. Having your own story idea is clearly a prerequisite to being an author.

The best stories are said to have an experiential basis in the author’s life. Using some other person’s ideas for a story, feels too much like borrowing some other person’s life experiences. While few if any ideas are totally original, personally I would never be able to take possession of some other person’s story – even if freely given – and feel comfortable enough with it – to wear it as my own.

Thank you for sharing your idea with us! I’m at a stand still, writers block to max, and I think you may have pulled me out of it. We’ll see. Again thank you.

Panic. Delilah Bond was dead! Had to be dead. He rifled through papers on his desk. Yes there. The Cv, the resume of the Delilah look alike he had interviewed. He pulled it out with the attached application, and looked and the signature block. He name, yes Yonnie Gabriela Desmond. He unfolded Delilah’s last letter and compared the signatures.

“What,” he screamed. There was no signature. Instead there was a clear message, “Your going t’die.” In a hurry to get home Sheila just saw it was signed. Se didn’t read the message! “I’ll fire that incompetent bitch!”

He pulled out his daughters teachers note. Trioxide had called her Ms. Bond. “Bond for god’s sake.” He looked at the note. His level of panic jumped again as he read, “You’re going to die Stan Simons.”

“Oh God, Delilah is dead! I know she’s dead.”

There, in his pocket was the note the bar tender passed him that started his panic. Two notes, not just one. Both say the same thing, “You’re going to die.”

“No!” He screamed, ran down the street across the street against the light. There was the scream of breaks, a very sickening thud, and silence.

Three figures continued their stroll down the street to that intersection. Traffic had stopper. The semi-trailer driver was sitting, weeping on the step up to the cab, “where did he come from? I tried to stop, I did I really did!!”

The three figures gathered around the front of the truck, and each lifted a black veil.

“I told him he was going to die,” Debbie Bond said.

“So did I,” said Donna Bond.

“As did I, said Doris Bond.

All three looked down at the prostate form of Stan, laying in spreading pool of blood, in the middle of the street, the grill of the semi-truck and trailer looming over his now still form.

Nicely done, Gary! This is very visual, and I love how you really made the reader feel the climax of his death.

Thanks for this amazing source of ideas. I’m kind of too lazy now to read all the prompts and write, so I will just think in another “thrilling” prompt to help my fella writers. It will not be so good as the upper prompts, but I will feel guilty if I don’t accomplish any writing exercise after read a The Write Practice post. Thanks again and sorry for my laziness. Here we go.

Shaggy Mommy is a guy Thanks for this amazing source of ideas. I’m kind of too lazy now to read all the prompts and write, so I will just think in another “thrilling” prompt to help my fella writers. It will not be so good as the upper prompts, but I will feel guilty if I don’t accomplish any writing exercise after read a The Write Practice post. Thanks again and sorry for my laziness. Here we go.

Shaggy Mommy is a full-grown caveman who failed as a hunter of the Writhing Tribe (because they like to writhe and wiggle before hunts and war battles)

Shaggy Mommy is a full-grown caveman who failed as a hunter of the Writhing Tribe (they like to writhe and wiggle before hunts and battles) because he is simply too slow. So, instead of just eat such useless individual (he stinks just like his mother), the tribal chiefs decided to make him a shaman apprentice.

The tribal shamans begin to die at dead of darkness, one after another. The hearts are removed while the victims are still alive. No sentinel ever sees anything. No one ever hears anything. The corpses have indistinguishable marks of the huge prehistoric predators that terrorize the savanna. No one is safe. The gods of thunder, fire, stone, etc have abandoned their earthly representants to die at the claws of savage, invisible demon-beasts.

But Shaggy Mommy notices something. He is not merely slow, he is a “deep gazer”, and enjoys to contemplate the worldly beauties for endless hours. He can see things nobody else can. Shaggy observes that the fang punctures and claw cuts were actually made by stone weapons.

Amidst widespread paranoia, Shaggy must unveil a mystery of fanatical cultists and their inebriating elixir before everybody becomes sacrificial offers.

Fantastic, Caue!I love the direction your brain went. It’s clear you’ve got stories in you to tell!

Those were so awesome! I would like to write a short about one some day!

LaCresha, I hope you do – with my blessing!

I meant to say “short story.” ☺ And, thank you. I definitely have an idea for one. I don’t post my work here because of a situation. I believe some took a real even in my life and wrote a story. We could say a “coincidence” but it was too close. I submitted it for an article that “empowers women.” I was looking for a writing job on Craigslist. And, I submitted it and didn’t hear anything. I was hoping it would be featured in the magazine. Then there was and article from “Huffington Post” which was on the “Yahoo!” Website. The title was interesting. So, I read it and I was really upset. I contacted the one who wrote the article said how much it sounded like what happened and told her that I will be “retelling” my story. I published a story shortly after to tell my story. I never heard from the writer again.

Thank you for the wonderful idea’s. Actually a new plot triggered within me as i finished reading it.

Manojkrishna, that’s delightful! I hope you manage to write it all the way to the end!

This is awesome that you offer these. They get the juices flowing. I admit I’m kinda lazy so I bypassed the ones that would seem to require research but the last one offers plenty of options. Thank you for this. Have to check out your others and just bookmarked your site.

That’s what they’re for, BD! I’m so glad they help you. 🙂

Thank you so much for the story prompts Ruthanne. I am Interested in mystery and crime and these are wonderful. I am always pleased with every article that I read here with The Write Practice. I have saved your prompts to my home screen and plan on using these for some great story ideas. Thanks again Ruthanne!! Ideas 1, 2, 4 and 10 are excellent for what I like to write..

You’re absolutely welcome, Sondra! I hope these prompts keep you going until you get to type THE END!

Love all the prompts! However, 10 is screaming at me; “finish me, finish me” so I think I’m going to run with it. As soon as I finish the first “chapter” I will post it. Just curious, there are a few details I would like to change in the paragraph that you provided, is this okay? Can’t wait to get started! Thank you.

That’s SO great! Go for it, Allynda!!! Change anything you like. The entire purpose is to get your own brain going. 😀

Yeah, I wou9have to agree. 10 is the story. I think ill work on that one as well

That’s great, Kristi! I really hope it bears fruit for you!

Shadow peered around one of the few oak trees in the front yard. He fixed his gaze on the house. Light glowed in the window to the far right. He checked his watch – it was nearing 8 ‘o’ clock.

Stepping from behind the tree, he crossed the yard and climbed the porch steps. Time to get some answers. He lifted his hand and knocked.

When he did, the front door eased open. A chill rushed through him. He frowned and stepped into the foyer

The smell hit him first.

He clamped a hand over his nose at the strong odor of blood – and something else. Forcing himself to lower his hand from his face, he grabbed his pistol from its holster at his side and crept forward. Golden light spilled into the hallway from the right.

His pulse accelerated. Turning into the dining room, where the light was coming from, he stopped short.

Two people lay on their backs, sprawled on overturned chairs at the dining room table. A man and a woman. Red trickled from a multiple holes in each of their foreheads and gathered in growing pools of dark blood.

Shadow flicked off safety and darted into the room, kneeling beside them to check for pulses. Nothing. Their skin was already cold.

Her foster parents had been murdered.

Any feedback/comments are welcome. Thank you for the prompts, Ruthanne!

Beautifully done! It’s creepy, and it invokes all the senses. I love what you did with it! About the only thing I’d like to see is a little more of how he felt, but his reaction could just as easily come in the next paragraph. 😀 Great job!

I love this

Oh I love number 10…. It may be the perfect idea to work on while I’m in this season of my life….. would be fun to work on it… see where it leads/ takes me.

That’s so great, Debra! I look forward to it! I hope it carries you all the way to THE END of the book!

Prompt #1 _____________ “Rosa, tell me,” Bron purred as he gently traced the edge of his desk, “how many cases have you won?”

The woman fidgeted under his steely gaze, fingers gliding over her keyboard. She began a word document, reminding herself that her client was NOT all that frightening. All that mattered was the housekeeper’s corpse retrieved from the sewers. Her black eyes darted to his face, before narrowing.

“Mr. Welty, I am here to defend your innocence beyond a reasonable doubt.” At his raising brow, she continued her professional rant, “Any past cases, “win” or “lose” as you call them, are irrelevant as far as this is concerned. Now please, Mr. Welty, where were you on October 15, 2010?”

“Are you related to the victim in any way, Miss Ortiz?” he inquired, gray depths piercing through her dispassionate air, “I mean, I wouldn’t be too shocked. You guys reproduce like cats or something.”

He strolled over to a chair on her right, seating himself perfectly and attention directed. The lawyer felt her hair rise at his comment, before reminding herself that this punk was going to be out of her life soon enough.

“Your family must be very proud,” he resumed, tone tinged with mock, “to see their little Rosa all dolled up in a clean suit and–”

“Mr. Welty,” the Ortiz interrupted, body bristling at his sudden ramble, “I am here to make sure you don’t rot in prison. However, losing this case isn’t out of the question, either.”

The latina’s threat was obvious and focused, Bron noted as an amused grin graced his chiseled face. He caught her delicate hand, grip firm and intention blatant.

“Such a proud family you must have,” the actor prattled in a frigid hiss, before startled black skies collided with his storms, “it would be a tragedy if you were also found in the sewers, don’t you think?”

Oxygen no longer entered her nostrils, the glaciar tension suffocating. Ice trickled down her stiff spine; but it burned.

_____________ The prose of a sleep-deprived teen. 🙂

Oh, WELL-done! This gave me absolute shivers. You did a great job with this! I wanted to read more!

Very intriguing

10 & 8 are the best !

yaa you are right

Hello lovely dream I am Cameron Parnell

I hope you reply back

A police detective investigating a friends death?? And Miami-Dade on top of that?

You surely have no idea of how the police works. Detectives do not “take on” cases, they are assigned, and if there is a connection (relation, friendship , even acquaintances)a detective can under no circumstances work on such a case.

In general, these “ideas” seems written by a 14-year old.

In writing, the author can make his/her own universe with whatever scenario they want, regardless of policy in the real life. In real life, you’re an asshole.

Surely, children and the feeble minded will buy anything.

But grown ups not wasting their time on sci-fi and fantasy, they would like a world reminiscent of the real world, you know, that’s the world where you are regarded as a child, and a feeble minded child at that.

number 9 is intresting … best story plot according to me

number 10!! Was super excited when i read it… I’m a sucker for revenge stories >;) But the only problem is… i dont think I could just keep it at a short story… i might add chapters…how to keep it short…?

number 2 and 10 seems like a good enough start..! B-)

Seems like you are using this page to push for pathetic and trivial political correctness type of themes, you social justice warrior.

(4.) [His name is now James] James pulled his daughter along the rough sidewalk, herding her away from the small gang, the only gang, mind you, in the alleyway of their only street (The town of Mayfield was a rather geographical feat, with only one street, for only the richest could afford cars). He sighed, he’d gotten close to no sleep last night, as he was working on a rather puzzling case of a robbery in an old grandmother’s house. As they reached the school, he saw a huge crowd gathered around St. Marthy’s. What had been going on to merit this big of a crowd? “Stay here.” he said to his daughter, Lou Anne, as he turned towards the crowd. His hand on his gun, he advanced, pushing his way through the huddle of people. The sight he saw was the stuff of nightmares. A girl, most obviously colored, bludgeoned dead. Her hair red with dried crimson, her eyes smashed until all the was left was an eggy substance, her lips swollen and bruised, and her clothes in shreds. She looked absolutely gruesome, but he had not seen the worst. Semen was collected all over her body, her legs broken so that they faced out in an awkward way. He coughed, suddenly feeling sick at the sight. People were throwing up, other’s standing in shock at the body, but Mary’s parents were sobbing. “What’s wrong?” he asked them. Could it be that the girl… No, impossible. “Our daughter!” Mary’s mother cried out. He looked back at the body. That was Mary?! Unnoticed to him, a figure smiled in the shadow’s, short of stature. Lou Anne turned and walked away. She’d only been doing what Matt had wanted.

really good! but who’s matt?

That’s what I would like to know as well.

The richest heir in the world, and so very bored, but Salvatore is the son of the King of The Emerald Forest. He has time that he needs to fill up. So he decides to act out his fantasy and be a detective so he can solve the “mysteries” in the palace. People will not like it because he will find out things that they will think is none of his business. But he will dig through secrets and lies to find out the truth. He will tell tales about his adventures which no one will believe. But they are true and someday everyone will know it. He thinks he has no friends but oh he does. So many are jealous of him. But they know for sure how much power he really has. He does not even know yet. To make matters worse his sister is missing and people are blaming him, yet he is summoned to find her. He takes the case after thinking about it and is sure he will win. The clues are many and he follows them all. But as he leaves the world outside is cruel and he wants to go back to the palace. People are fighting and killing for no reason at all. People knows he has influence and knows he can stop the blood shed. Things get worse when he loses the things he needs the most, If he can’t find them no one will recognize him and he will not be able to enter the palace again. The night will come and he will have to wait and see if he can get in. He is worried about gangs and the dogs that are wild, He knows he is a target. He finds his sister has been kidnapped and he does not have much time to save her and his self.

So he does some thinking and makes some plans. He gets together a army of men, that he can trust and they will battle to get his sister back. They travel far and get weary. But yet they go on. After all the travel and the plans to get her back. He will be shocked at what she does.

He finds her and she comes out surrounded by many men. She tells him she is not leaving. That she will be staying because she likes it where she is at. That she is treated well. Also she has everything she wants. They have made her their Princess.

He finally leaves and is so hurt but he knows he will keep a watch on her and see if she is telling the truth.

On a barren cliff in Canada lives two lighthouse keepers, they are German immigrants that do work that other people do not want. They are cut off from the rest of the world in the cold winter months until all the ice melts. They have enough supplies to last, so they don’t have that to worry about.

But sometimes late at night Wilhelm hears voices in his head and thinks he is losing his mind. There are some strange things happening that he can’t explain. Like little things come up missing. Then later they turn up again. Many things are found on the stairs. So he thinks it could be Matthias wants him gone or to lose his mind. Then Matthias decides he is locked up with a real killer.

Then again it could be Wilhelm is having nightmares and that is the problem. It could be he needs to get out more and meet new people. He also needs sleep and rest. The winter is getting to him and he is getting tired of it.

He wants summer to come so it will be warmer and he can get out in the sun. Do different things then to be stuck with just one person.

Great job! This is really intriguing.

Thank you that means a lot to me.

It was jpt in Miami — hotter than it should be. When ccapt. Lee asked for interrogation volunteers Lt. Jones said he’d be glad to help. She told him there was a suspecct in Interrrogation Room D. Should be easy — a straight-up homicide. Just tape the confession. Entering IR D, he saw an inconspicuous middle-aged man at the table. Inconspeciuous? Mayabe 1000 years ago.

He introduced himself and sat down. He said he was there to gt the man’s side of the story. Then he turned the recorder on. HE MAN LOOKED AT IM IN AMSUSEMENT. “dO YOU REALLY WANT MY ONFESSION ASKED THE MAN. jONES SAI D FIRST HE NEEDED HIS NAME AND ADDRESS. “aLL RIGHT. i AM dANIEL aLAN jAMES, AND MY ADDRESS IS 1321 aTLANTIC aVNUE, pLOT d3.” T. jONEES LOOKEDD UP SHARPLY. “tHAT’S A CEMEDTERY. yOUR REAL ADDRESS PPLEASE.

i AM NOT PULLING YOUR LEG’ AS YSO QUAINTLY THINK. tHAT IS MY REAL ADDRESS.” i GET THE NUTS, jONES THOUGHT.

aS TO MY CONFESSION. iN 1869 pALMM bEACH, i BURGLED mAY pLMER’S HOUSE, i gOT A SACKFUL OF JEWELRY. i ALSO HACKED OFF HER HEAD.” “ltR

so many typos!!! lol!!!!!!

#10 is speaking to me. The prompt gave me shivers and it’s begging for a revamp and a jaw dropping twist. Definitely going to use it soon. perhaps for Nanowrimo.

wow these are really great prompts! i have to right a short suspense story for my language arts class and my first attempts were really bad. i was so happy when i stumbled across this site.

When i’m running everything around me is quiet and peaceful. The birds are chirping and the grass is still wet with it’s morning dew. I’m in tune with the world but today was different I was running for a different reason today I was upset. I was running to my tree house the only place where no one could bother me where I was allowed to be who I wanted to be. The sky was a beautiful pink and blue color as the sun was starting to set. I knew I had to be home soon. I just wanted to feel something rather than the hurt I was feeling anything….. besides this

13 year old who wants to try and write a story ( is it as bad as I think)

I like the lat story because it came with an unexpected twist of quadruplet sisters who come into Stans life in an attempt to seek closure in a twisted way through revenge ….

Help? I wrote a story but can’t think of a title… I chose number 7, but im saying that america became dystopian, not china. help?

Hi Ruth, I’m a new writer and have been short of ideas recently. I came across your article and have been thinking of making a full story out of the first one. I hope you don’t mind

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50 psychological thriller writing prompts

November 24, 2023 by Richard Leave a Comment

Here are 50 psychological thriller writing prompts, strap in for a thrilling descent into the chilling shadows of the human psyche, where no fear is too forbidden and no truth is safe from exposure.

Within this expansive collection of 50 bone-chilling prompts, glimpse stories begging to breach the surface then burrow deeper into places polite minds dare not wander. But for those willing to boldly explore the messy tangles where moral certainties fray, tantalizing tales await twisting common sense into arresting revelation.

Let these provocative ideas infect your imagination with the delirious fever of infinite possibility. Psychiatrists, stalkers, the kidnapped, amnesiacs, little girls and hypnotists stand ready to upend assumptions about reality and normative behavior. With each what-if premised on strangeness bubbling up to shake rigid constructs, worlds bereft of compass spins open savage new opportunities.

The only constraint is the depths of darkness and degrees of deception you allow to spill across the page when naively comforting tropes of human behavior break wide open. But revealing stories thrive in those gaping fissures where hope and madness collide. Will you crawl inside the fracture lines to chart fresh cartography under humanity’s skin? Fearlessly explore what would, could and should happen next when decorum dissolves and our species’ untamed heart races past reassuring rhythm.

With inspiration spanning repressed memories, mystery illnesses, sinister doubles, behavioral contagions, hallucinated commands and more, these provocative psychological thriller prompts lock loaded and await your dangerous imagination’s sparking trigger finger. Dare to pull it. Revelations beyond comprehension could await…in these: 

• An agoraphobic woman becomes convinced her new neighbor is sneaking into her apartment at night, but she can’t prove it.
• A man wakes up chained in a basement with no memory of how he got there and a phone that rings with demands from the person who imprisoned him.
• A woman in a mental institution is convinced the doctors are secretly torturing patients at night, but everyone tells her it’s just a delusion.
• A psychiatrist accuses their patient of stalking them, but the patient swears someone must be posing as them to frame them.
• Twin siblings begin exhibiting the exact same severe symptoms, but only one of them has been formally diagnosed with the mysterious illness by doctors.
• A little girl starts telling stories to her therapist about her dangerous new imaginary friend who tells her to do horrible things, but no one believes the stories are real.
• Every morning when a man wakes up, words are scrawled somewhere in his house that he can’t remember writing.
• A woman recovering repressed childhood memories uncovers unsettling clues that her closest friend may actually be her long lost sister.
• A man’s wife disappears, but he’s the only witness and his testimony doesn’t add up enough for police to rule out that he could have killed her.
• Someone confesses to a detective about committing a murder, giving perfect details about the crime, but the person they say they killed is still alive without injury.
• A psychiatrist prescribes experimental regression therapy to access repressed memories, unleashing something sinister in the patient’s mind.
• Under hypnosis during therapy, a woman starts revealing an elaborate double life with memories of places she’s never been and people her family say don’t exist.
• Research into past lives seems to reveal that a patient’s mother committed suicide in the same way every time they reincarnate.
• A psychiatrist uncovers a patient’s ability to perfectly mimic anyone’s behavior immediately after meeting them, making them extremely dangerous.
• Sisters recovering from an unsolved kidnapping years earlier struggle with fractured memories and distrust, each accusing the other of hiding sinister secrets about their captivity.
• A woman with no memory of how she got pregnant is convinced the fetus is abnormal, but ultrasounds show a perfectly healthy baby.
• Every family that moves into an old farmhouse disappears without a trace within six months, baffling police.
• A wife slowly isolates her husband from friends and insistence nothing is wrong threaten to unravel his perception of reality.
• Mysterious encrypted files found after a patient’s suicide seem to suggest a therapist used unethical methods of memory manipulation during sessions.
• A daughter kidnaps her mother to make her confront imagined childhood abuses, but her mother has no idea what she’s talking about.
• A hypnotist makes his subjects commit crimes against their will in an intricate plot to get revenge against the cops that imprisoned him falsely.
• A grieving twin develops a mysterious connection that allows her to sense when her living identical sister is in danger.
• A little boy starts violently attacking other children at school, but only according to the command hallucinations he claims to have seen a shadowy man give him.
• Every passenger on a train disappears mid route between stations with no trace, though personal belongings still remain in place.
• No matter where someone moves to get away, an anonymous stalker seems capable of ending up in the house with them without ever being detected breaking in.
• A psychiatrist’s daughter disappears and the only unsigned note left behind is a drawing she made in therapy implying her doctor was going to hurt her.
• Someone keeps breaking into a woman’s house and moving one small thing slightly off position, gradually making her question her own sanity as she starts constantly second guessing herself.
• Subliminal messages hidden in a writer’s manuscripts start predicting disastrous events before they happen exactly as written.
• A little girl recalls sinister details to her therapist during play therapy about murders in the 19th century before she was born.
• Psychological screening reports bizarre predictive nightmares revealing workers’ biggest secret fears before being assigned high stress classified jobs.
• A pregnant patient becomes convinced something living inside her is periodically taking control of her mind and body against her will.
• A psychiatrist evaluating an accused mass shooter for trial starts violently acting out the killer’s behavior the more she analyzes the case notes and tapes.
• While researching repressed memories, a graduate student begins exhibiting the severe symptoms of trauma victims from decades old disasters she’s studying even though she herself didn’t experience them.
• A hypnotized man reveals an entirely alternate identity with a perfect recall of childhood abuse by parents he does not actually have.
• Under psychiatric observation, an amnesiac neurosurgeon accused of butchering patients can’t stop compulsively performing impromptu complex medical procedures she doesn’t remember being trained for.
• A hypnotized woman insists she angered ancient spirits in a past life and will be killed again soon, with clues suggesting she was an Egyptian queen who died mysteriously.
• Every family that buys a particular handcrafted antique crib experiences an unspeakable tragedy befalling their infant within a few months.
• While researching bizarre suicides, a journalist notices the deceased victims seem to be trying to urgently warn her away from prying deeper right before they kill themselves.
• A psychiatrist studies the grave robbing obsessive compulsions of a deeply disturbed patient to satisfy deviant desires by secretly sleeping with corpses.
• An accused serial killer keeps trying to lead police to undiscovered burial sites, but forensics finds only animal bones at the exact GPS coordinates given while insisting more victims remain hidden nearby.
• No one will believe a disgraced psychiatrist who claims a brilliant protégé took credit for breakthrough memory manipulation techniques discovered in clandestine experiments on institutionalized children.
• A clinical trial requiring monitored isolation results in patient suicides seemingly induced by a contagious madness transmitted through writing in journals later found completely blank.
• A cognitive scientist creates an artificial intelligence replicating human cognition, but it develops an obsession with analysing a real little girl’s aberrant behavior it cannot comprehend.
• A therapist’s star patient crafts an elaborate false identity to trick others into committing crimes they take credit for when hypnotized.
• An FBI remote viewer brought out of retirement starts envisioning terrorist attacks days before they happen but no one believes visions with such bizarre details.
• A psychiatrist prescribes a radical untested treatment of nightly supervised bedtime stories that seem to metaphorically manifest the patient’s darkest fears into reality.
• Research into decoding hidden messages in schizophrenic ramblings reveals conspiracy theories are real when doctors go missing.
• A clinical study using an experimental Alzheimer’s drug reveals traumatic memories that had been intentionally erased by shady psychiatrists.
• Patients at an asylum revolt after realizing the doctors routinely induce multiple personalities through hypnosis then deliberation destroys alters.
• A little girl starts violently acting out scenes witnessed in her psychiatrist’s recurring nightmares which closely parallel a real unsolved mass murder only the actual killer could know details about.

We hope you enjoyed these 50 psychological thriller writing prompts. We do have many other writing prompts on our site you might be interested in. If you have any questions, comments or concerns please leave us a comment.

Related posts:

• 1000 Writing Prompts
• 10 Even More Horrifying Horror Story Prompts
• 50 historical fiction writing prompts
• 150 Romance Writing Prompts
• 100 Thriller Writing Prompts

About Richard

Richard Everywriter (pen name) has worked for literary magazines and literary websites for the last 25 years. He holds degrees in Writing, Journalism, Technology and Education. Richard has headed many writing workshops and courses, and he has taught writing and literature for the last 20 years.  

In writing and publishing he has worked with independent, small, medium and large publishers for years connecting publishers to authors. He has also worked as a journalist and editor in both magazine, newspaper and trade publications as well as in the medical publishing industry.   Follow him on Twitter, and check out our Submissions page .

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60 Thriller Writing Prompts to Jumpstart Your Writing

by Cole Salao | Aug 22, 2021 | Writing | 0 comments

It’s hard to rely on inspiration alone to fuel your creativity in writing; it comes and goes, with no indication of when it’ll visit you next. This is why writing prompts are valuable tools that can aid your writing process.

Writing prompts attention-catching snippets that have enough details to spark your imagination and build a story on. The best part is that they’re also broad enough to let you take whichever direction you choose.

Best Thriller Writing Prompts

In just a few lines, thriller writing prompts convey that sense of anticipation and suspense that the genre is most known for.

Below is a list of thriller writing prompts you can use to jumpstart your writing process. I’ve divided them based on the thriller subgenres their content fits best.

Psychological

• You wake up tied to your bed and gagged. On a chair beside you is your ex-lover, silently watching videos of your happy moments together.
• A couple moves into their dream home. The first few weeks are bliss, but they begin noticing small oddities: items slightly moved from their original positions, the thermostat always reverting to a specific temperature, and the unsettling feeling of someone watching them.
• A woman receives text messages from an unknown number. At first they begin as normal texts but soon begin describing her every move.
• Two women strike up a friendship aboard a cruise, but one of them develops an unhealthy obsession with the other.
• A man is abducted and kept in a featureless room. Every day, someone comes in and pumps him full of drugs.
• You’ve always been faithful to your husband. So who’s trying to frame you as an adulterer? And what does it have to do with your past?
• A man approaches you and calls you by your name—not the one you’re currently using, but the one from a past you want to forget.
• A series of female suicides rattle the city. The only connection between them that the police can find is that they’ve all consulted with one particular psychiatrist.
• You are a journalist studying the country’s worst serial killers. Every time you finish interviewing one, you can’t help but agree with their views.
• On your mother’s deathbed, she finally confesses as to why you never met your father. She was a victim to a serial rapist, and as far as she knows, he’s still at large.
• Once a week, a house of worship is ransacked. The culprits take specific religious items, leaving other, more valuable stuff untouched. It’s your job to find out why.
• An accomplished thief receives a package containing his personal details and records of his crime. With them is a letter, which assigns him the task of stealing something from the country’s most secure building.
• Police find the bodies of the leaders of the city’s two most notorious gangs. All evidence points at them killing each other. You suspect a third party.
• It’s the detective’s first high-profile case and the chief already warned him to handle it well. After all, the senator, a religious man, has just been found dead in a brothel.
• A series of well-executed robberies occur all over the world, all within a day of each other. The thefts would have been considered unrelated if not for the fact that the people that were robbed are all members of the same organization.
• An elderly couple voluntarily surrenders at the police station, confessing their guilt of a murder from 16 years ago — the murder that motivated you to join the force.
• A serial killer responsible for 9 deaths resurfaces after two decades of silence. Is it the original killer, or is someone else continuing the legacy?
• You have a pleasant chat with someone as you wait for your turn at the bank. The next day, they’re all over the news as the victim of a brutal murder.
• Someone has broken into the Vatican vault, looting priceless artifacts. Among them are a few secret volumes of the Bible.
• Someone has been kidnapping rich people’s kids in your city. They’ve always returned them alive after claiming the ransom. But not this time.
• You and a few people are the only passengers on a cruise ship. On the last day of the cruise you wake up to find that all of the crew have disappeared, leaving the ship to drift aimlessly.
• You’ve made a career out of writing memoirs. An estranged cousin of yours suddenly calls, asking if you could help her write a “tell-all” memoir. She disappears the next day.
• Archeologists open up a sealed tomb and find an intact sarcophagus. When they break it open, inside is a corpse wearing modern clothing.
• Your brother dies from a workplace accident and authorities fail to recover his body. Months later, you begin receiving emails that could only be from your dead sibling.
• A newlywed couple suddenly wakes up in the early hours of the morning, recalling a nightmare. They soon discover the dream to be true, and receive a letter thanking them for their assistance.
• A group of friends take a vacation in an isolated beach house. One of them ends up dead after a night of partying and drinking. Did one of them do the deed, or is everyone guilty of the crime?
• She saw who took her brother but she was only a a child then. Now she’s a detective, determined to find the truth.
• While on a walk, you notice strange footprints and decide to follow where they lead. You end up at a long-abandoned house with a history of murder.
• A movie crew goes to work and finds their lead actress dead on set . Three people step forward and confess their guilt, each swearing they acted alone.
• An avid crossword puzzle solver discovers hidden messages in the newspaper’s Sunday puzzles. The latest one is a call for help.
• A retired CIA agent’s bank accounts are emptied without explanation — bank accounts that only people in the agency know about. With his pension gone and no one to trust, he sets out to discover who’s responsible.
• The Interpol receives a tip from one of their high-confidence informants. Someone’s shopping around for nuclear weapons, and Interpol wants to know why.
• You are informed that your partner, a soldier, has been killed in action. Weeks later, he arrives in disguise, explaining that he’s actually a spy on the run from his corrupt handler.
• A deep-cover agent acquires sensitive information that could expose every corrupt agent in the country, but someone kills him before he can reveal it. The only clue his handler has is a string of nonsense numbers they find on his body.
• An unknown organization manages to steal high-grade weapons from the United States and Russia. Now both countries’ intelligence agencies have to cooperate to stop them from being used.
• Your agency’s best agent turns out to be a mole. You need to track him down and uncover his network of moles inside the organization.
• Your dad, who you think is an ordinary tradesman, is actually a retired field agent. With a potential crisis waiting to happen, the agency wants him back.
• A woman tries to help a man she finds collapsed in an alley, but his injuries are too severe. Before dying, he hands her a sealed package, asking her to deliver it to the German embassy no matter what.
• Someone has developed a digital key that can potentially override any cyber security system. You’re to make sure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.
• As a CIA analyst, your job is to comprehend and interpret information collected by field agents. While checking out past information, you begin to see an emerging pattern from all submitted intelligence by four senior agents.
• An inexperienced lawyer discovers that his client is guilty of murder. Worse, evidence suggests that the man has done it before.
• You’re working on the case of a man whose small business is unfairly taken by a larger corporation — the same one that took over your mother’s beloved shop.
• The police finally capture a murderer after his spree of terror. The killer insists you represent him in court.
• One of your longtime friends suddenly contacts you for help. Someone has accused him of rape and he can’t remember anything.
• A lawyer is preparing for a case when he is approached by his boss, who offers him money to perform poorly. With him is the defendant’s father.
• As a judge, you’re accustomed to being approached for bribes and threats. You’ve refused them all. But the man before you right now has something you could never refuse.
• A lawyer takes on his first pro-bono work: helping a young woman find enough evidence to jail her abusive ex for good. But was he really the abusive one in the relationship?
• A key witness suddenly refuses to speak and disappears soon after. Without her, your client will likely go to jail.
• A career thief hires you to represent him in court, offering you a priceless piece of art as payment.
• Someone beats up your mentor as retaliation for winning a past case. With your mentor in a coma, its your job to find out who ordered the assault.

Science Fiction

• You, a detective, arrive at the scene of a gruesome murder. The officer on scene informs you that the culprit has already been caught and has confessed. The murderer? The victim’s A.I. assistant.
• For 87 years, everyone’s thought that the Foundation , Earth’s first starship, has been lost to the stars. Now it’s back, but with a crew that look slightly less human.
• A mining outpost on one of Jupiter’s moons abruptly goes silent. Any attempt at contact is unsuccessful. When a team arrives to investigate, they find all of the personnel dead, their faces frozen in expressions of terror.
• New technology has made it possible for people to access other people’s memories. Now you can relive an athlete’s moment of victory in the Olympics — or how serial killers feel when hunting down their victims.
• Your time machine is almost complete. You know it’ll work because you’ve already caught several older versions of yourself trying to sabotage your work.
• A high-ranking government official is abducted and drugged just before an important conference. She wakes up to find herself swapped into another body, with her own body being used by someone else.
• A man buys a new phone, finding a pre-installed app that he can’t delete. Once a day, it sends him a piece of information that later becomes true.
• One of your friends disappear for a few weeks only to reappear with no recollection of where they’ve been. What he does remember are events that will happen in the near future.
• Satellite imagery and sonar confirm the existence of a massive artificial structure at the bottom of the ocean. Scientists agree that it’s of alien origin.
• A scientist has found a way to terraform Mars to lessen humanity’s strain on the Earth. Someone wants the technology for themselves.

What Is the Purpose of Writing Prompts?

Writing prompts are short texts or even images that help you practice your art, often leading you in unexpected directions. They give you a seed of an idea that you can expand on however you choose.

Some of the thriller writing prompts in this list are broad, while others are more specific. They’ll all still provide you with the freedom to create a thrilling story with unique twists.

Cole is a blog writer and aspiring novelist. He has a degree in Communications and is an advocate of media and information literacy and responsible media practices. Aside from his interest in technology, crafts, and food, he’s also your typical science fiction and fantasy junkie, spending most of his free time reading through an ever-growing to-be-read list. It’s either that or procrastinating over actually writing his book. Wish him luck!

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13 Creative Writing Prompts for Psychological Thrillers and Horror

• by Lauren du Plessis @lauren.duplessis

Get inspired for your Halloween writing projects with these warm-up exercises and ideas from pro writers

From campfire tales to creepypastas, scary stories have taken many forms over the years. While a thriller tends to have a fast pace, and horror focuses more on suspense and tone, these two genres have a lot in common, like high tension and unsettling effects.

From haunted houses to serial killers to ancient monsters, there seems to be a limitless well of ideas out there for thriller and horror writers. But if you’re looking for somewhere to start with your Halloween creative writing , we've rounded up 13 prompts shared by professional writers below .

These prompts can be used for any narrative fiction, whether you write short stories, novels, screenplays, or just about anything else .

What is a writing prompt and how do I use it?

Writing prompts are everywhere online nowadays, with sites like Pinterest and Instagram being packed with aesthetically-pleasing bullet point lists of story ideas. They provide a core concept that you can base your own original work around . Not only can this help to beat writer’s block , it can also open your creative mind .

There are many reasons why writers might turn to these exercises. Some choose to do “morning pages”, or free writing sessions to warm up, with no intention of showing the work to anyone. Others might be looking for fresh ideas during the research phase for a project they hope to work on. Finally, some might use writing prompts for fun, trying them out with friends or a workshop to find out how everyone responds differently.

Halloween creative writing prompts

It’s the perfect time of year to get cozy at your desk or in a café, and lose yourself in composing a spooky story. That’s why we teamed up with some of Domestika’s writing teachers to get you started with creepy characters, scary scenery, and unsettling situations .

Our three teachers are screenwriter and indie author Mark Boutros ( @mboutroswrites ), who wrote The Craft of Character ; award-winning novelist Emily Barr ( @emily_barr ), who writes thrillers for adults and young adults; and Raquel Castro ( @raquelcastrom ), author of teen horror novels, essays, short stories, and much more.

Without further ado, find their prompts below, and start writing!

Opening sentence prompts

Let’s start with two chilling opening scenes from Mark, which could form the beginnings of a “whodunnit” or mystery thriller. Try considering what plot beats or key moments would follow, and what the end point might be.

1. Sarah searched through the final dusty box, the last of her dead mother's belongings, and while she couldn't find her mother's will, there was a photo album, and in it, several photos of her mother with a child that wasn't Sarah nor her sister, Bronagh.

2. He hadn't had any visitors for years, ever since he'd told everyone in the village exactly how he felt about how they'd treated his wife before she passed away. So who could be ringing the doorbell at this hour? He limped towards it, his slipper souls slapping against the wooden floor. He called out but nobody answered, so he opened the door forcefully, but nobody was there in the darkness, but on the doorstep, a cassette with a sticker and a nickname he hadn't heard since school, 'Stinger', written on it.

Meanwhile, Emily offers this intriguing opener...

3. I was sleeping soundly, for the first time in years, when I was woken by a bang on the door, an urgent shout, and barking dogs.

Setting and situation prompts

Here, think about your own strong opening image, then consider whether flashbacks, dialogue, or action scenes will reveal key information.

Raquel shares three imaginative exercises.

4. A certain classic horror story starts with the words “It was a dark and stormy night”. But how exactly does a “dark and stormy night” look? Describe it in as much detail as possible.

5. Imagine you are in a place where you usually feel comfortable and safe. Only now it’s totally in the dark. There’s no light that you could use. And then, you hear a noise that frightens you because it seems completely out of place there. What was that noise? What could be its source?

6. Look around your neighborhood and find a place that looks strange or eerie. Dream up (and then write) a story that could be told as the disturbing legend of that place.

7. Imagine that, near a crime scene, you find a backpack. When you open it, you sense it belongs to the criminal. Why is that? What does the backpack look like, and what’s inside it?

Emily offers the following ideas…

8. You go to visit your friend, but the person who opens the door tells you your friend moved away ten years ago. That can’t be true, because you saw them last week.

9. You’re standing at the top of a tall building, clinging on to a window frame to stop yourself falling, and you don’t know you got there.

10. You’re walking in your neighborhood, when a stranger hands you a package. You take it without thinking, and are immediately arrested.

11. You’re staying in a secluded holiday cottage by the beach. On the first morning you go out onto the terrace, and find that someone has spelt out the word MURDERER in stones on the ground. How did they know?

Finally, Mark offers these two prompts…

12. A young girl who keeps seeing a black, mangy dog every night when she looks outside the farmhouse window, ever since she overheard her parents discussing divorce.

13. A man in a broken marriage walks along a quiet beach when he finds a message in a bottle. It simply reads: Kill her.

These protagonists appear to hold dark secrets, or stand on the edge of huge discoveries. If you choose to turn one of these prompts into a story, feel free to link it in the comments below!

Craft chilling stories with these writing resources

If you’re keen to start but want a step-by-step guide to help you become a confident storyteller, check out these resources.

1. Master the tension and big reveals of horror writing for teens with this introductory course by Raquel Castro.

2. Character is key: learn about motivations, arcs, and more in this character development course by Mark Boutros.

3. To learn how to weave travel-inspired thriller narratives , discover Emily Barr’s course on psychological thrillers .

4. Unmask your fearless creativity with this Halloween-inspired Domestika courses pack .

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Blog • Perfecting your Craft

Posted on Oct 01, 2018

How to Write a Thriller in 7 Heart-Stopping Steps

Someone has been kidnapped and your protagonist is trying to prevent their murder. The clock is ticking but their car has just exploded, the building they were in has been set on fire, and, as they turn around to try to escape, they are face-to-face with a gun…. Now what ? Since you’re here, you obviously want to answer that question by writing your own thriller.

In this post, we look at how to write a thriller by outlining the main characteristics of the genre and turning to professional editors for their top tips.

What is a thriller?

A thriller is a fast-paced novel full of conflict , tension, suspense , unexpected twists, and high stakes. Every single scene and element in a thriller is meant to propel the action forward, test the characters, and take the readers on a roller coaster ride that will leave them on the edge of their seats.

What is the difference between thrillers, mysteries, and suspense fiction?

Readers often conflate thrillers with mystery or suspense novels, which is perfectly understandable — bookstores often shelve them in the same section. But what are the differences between these other genres (if there are any)?

When it comes to the differences between thrillers and suspense novels, editor Allister Thompson suggests there is not a huge difference. He says that “the element of surprise, the release of tension, may be more important in suspense (the tension has to break at some point), while it could be said that a thriller needs more visceral action.” In a thriller, the danger, twists, and surprises that await the protagonist are important for maintaining the pace of the novel and keeping the reader on their feet.

In thriller and mystery novels, the action is driven by separate forces. According to editor Anne Brewer:  “In a mystery, the plot is driven forward by the protagonist, a sleuth, who is investigating a murder… In a thriller, the action is driven forward more generally by elements beyond the protagonist's control.” In both cases, the protagonists might be working toward solving a case, but the events that surround them — and how they get into them — are completely different. Another difference is that mystery novels generally involve a protagonist who is faced with a crime that they need to solve. On the other hand, in thrillers, the protagonist might need to stop the crime from happening in the first place.

Perhaps most crucially, the whole point of a mystery is to figure out the culprit. However, in thrillers you might discover the Big Bad on the very first page — which means they’ll be posing a threat to the protagonist from the start.

PRO-TIP:  To read 22 of the best psychological thrillers, check out this post right here . 

Thriller subgenres

Thrillers are just one term for a large category of fiction that includes various subgenres. Although it might seem trivial, deciding on a subgenre will actually help guide your writing since you’ll know where it fits in the market. They can encompass:

• Supernatural, like the Duffer brothers'  Stranger Things
• Politics, like Michael Dobbs’ House of Cards
• Espionage, like Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews
• Psychological, like The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon  by Stephen King
• Action-adventure, like Breakthrough by Michael C. Grumley
• Crime , like What Have You Done by Matthew Farrell
• Historical, like Lies She Never Told Me by John Ellsworth
• Legal, like Juror #3 by James Patterson and Nancy Allen
• Military, like Tom Clancy’s The Hunt for Red October
• Domestic, like Harlan Coben’s The Stranger

There is often some overlap among the subgenres, so don’t be surprised to find a book in two — or even three — different categories. Whichever subgenre you settle on, we recommend reading books that fit into that category to get an idea of the common elements that are often present.

So, now that we have defined what a thriller is and its characteristics — let’s see how to write one.

Which genre (or subgenre) am I writing?

Find out which genre your book belongs to. It only takes a minute!

How to write a thriller in 7 steps

There’s no fool-proof way of writing a successful thriller (if there was, everyone would do it), but there are ways to ensure that your novel ticks all the right boxes. Based on advice from our network of editors, this is our take on how to write a thriller.

1. Flesh out your characters and their motivations

Characters in thrillers are usually complex. The good guy might not be the model citizen, and the bad guy may have a justification and conviction for everything they do — at least in their mind.

The rivalries between these opposing forces is what will give rise to the action that will propel your story forward, so you need to give each of your characters a clear motivation . Ask yourself:

• Why do they what they do?
• What is their ultimate goal?
• Does the protagonist need to save him or herself or somebody else?
• How do they react in the face of adversity?

One great exercise when carrying out this kind of character development is to fill out a character profile template. You can try out our free one below. Lucky you!

FREE RESOURCE

Reedsy’s Character Profile Template

A story is only as strong as its characters. Fill this out to develop yours.

2. Start with action

The opening scene is a pivotal moment in any book. In thrillers, it’s especially important because you need to start with action from the get-go. Oftentimes starting in medias res is a good way to accomplish this. Avoid an “info dump” where you accidentally include too many irrelevant background details.

You don’t necessarily need to start with a murder — in fact, in some thrillers, there isn’t one at all or it doesn’t happen until half way through the novel — but you need to start with something exciting that sets the protagonist in motion.

In the very first chapter of The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum, someone on a boat falls into the waters of the Mediterranean after being shot  — we don’t know who or why. He is eventually rescued by a fishing boat, and we find out that this survivor has amnesia. At this point, the reader has virtually no information about the characters or the plot of the book before being launched into a life-threatening situation.

3. Show what’s at stake

High stakes are characteristic of thrillers, but the particulars change depending on the subgenre. For example, in a domestic thriller, the stakes will be more character-specific. Contrast this to a military or political thriller, where the consequences will probably be broader, affecting the fates of a group, country, or even the world.

In Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, a daughter’s disappearance and death puts the family at risk of completely shattering while they try to find out what happened to her. In this domestic thriller, the stakes are specific to the family. Even though they are the only ones affected by the events, it’s just as effective.

4. Make it difficult for your protagonist

Your audience needs to care for your protagonist and their fate, and a good way to do this is by placing them in situations where it’s impossible to tell if they’ll make it or not. This will help heighten the stakes and make their eventual success much more satisfying for the readers. So, put your characters in jeopardy by having dangerous situations come at them from unexpected places! Make their trusted allies turn on them seemingly out of the blue.

In Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl (spoilers!) , protagonist Nick is the main suspect for the murder of his wife, Amy, who disappeared on their fifth wedding anniversary. Even though he is made to look like the culprit, we later find out that everything had been staged by Amy herself as a plan to accuse Nick of murder. While Amy coming “back to life” is meant to exonerate him and bring his life back to normal, it ends up being worse as he’s then forced to live under her threats.

5. Bring on the twists

As we have established, thrillers are mainly propelled by plot events, and the best way to keep readers engaged in the plot is by introducing twists and unexpected events . This is easier said than done, as twists can sometimes have the opposite effect. So, if you are not sure if your twist is enough to keep the story moving, Anne Brewer suggests asking yourself the following questions:

• Is my protagonist behaving as actively as possible, or sitting back and letting things happen?
• Is this twist as exciting as it could be?
• Does the twist feel “big” enough?
• What’s the worst thing that could happen to my protagonist right now?

Once you have the answer to these questions, make it happen .

6. Build up to the climax

Now it’s the moment that the protagonist — and the readers — have been waiting for: the final showdown against the antagonist that will decide everything.

The climax is a pivotal scene in your book, so make sure you dedicate time to polishing it and make it really shine. In particular, it may be helpful to write the climax first so that you already know where your characters need to end up. Once you’ve established that, you can pave their way through your plot twists. If you'd like some inspiration, go here for a list of 70+ plot twists .

7. Give your story a satisfying ending

A satisfying ending isn’t necessarily a “happily ever after.” Keep in mind the kind of story you’ve been telling so far and make sure the ending fits well.

In some cases, you may want to completely tie all the threads and answer all the questions. Or you might want to leave it as an open ending, where the final conclusions are left to the reader’s interpretation. If your plan is to write a series of books, then a cliffhanger might be the way to keep readers on the hook. Whatever kind of conclusion you go for, remember that it’s always necessary to wrap up the current action so that there’s a sense of satisfaction at the end of the book.

Now that we’ve covered seven steps to write a thriller, let’s cover a few bonus tips to ensure that it leaves a lasting impression.

Bonus tips from professional editors

Writing a gripping thriller can be a challenge, so we turned to our top professional editors for tips to help you write your own page-turner.

Avoid anything that bogs down the pacing

According to editor Anne Brewer, “Thriller writers should avoid anything that bogs down their pacing. This tends to be either getting too wrapped up in everyday details or getting mired in plot developments that aren't exciting enough for the genre.” If you see that a scene or a plot doesn’t add enough excitement or it slows down the action instead of moving it along, take a step back and rewrite it.

Don’t mislead the reader

“If you are writing a thriller, or something you wish to call one, then action and/or danger must be there. If you write another kind of mystery novel that is gentler or more procedural and call it a thriller, you're misleading the reader,” says editor Allister Thompson. It is important that you stay true to the genre throughout the novel — otherwise you might just turn away readers instead of gaining them.

Don’t let your imagination get bogged down

When writing a book, it’s easy to let yourself be constrained by the limits set by your own abilities. However, Anne Brewer warns against this, saying: “Try not to let your imagination get restrained with what might normally happen: plot twists in thrillers are entertaining because they're inventively outside the norms.”

Make sure the stakes are high enough

“A thriller needs to have a palpable sense of tension or danger or, at worst, dire consequences that the characters are trying to avoid or escape. And there must be pitfalls along the way,” says Allister Thompson. In other words: make absolutely sure that the stakes are high for your protagonist, so that they are compelled to keep the story moving forward.

To write your own unstoppable thriller, don’t forget to create that action-driven tension, conflict, and suspense. Turn everything upside down — for the protagonist and the reader — with every turn and twist.

What are some of your favorite thrillers? Let us know in the comments below!

6 responses

Thomas Peterson says:

17/07/2019 – 14:02

It was great that you mentioned the climax is the most important scene to make great. I love reading and writing modern women suspense novels and it's great to get some tips on how to make the writing so much better and to help me understand these things when reading them. I would love to try some of these tips to enhance my reading and writing greatly.

↪️ Yvonne replied:

08/08/2019 – 01:54

Glad that you found the article useful and hope that you've gotten a chance to apply the tips! Looking forward to the success story :)

Kevon Brown says:

06/08/2019 – 12:54

Informative stuff!! Great job. Keep sharing.

Thanks for reading, Kevon!

Mary Hutson says:

15/01/2020 – 02:49

For anyone who would like to read a couple of very good Crime thrillers, checkout "Snapped" or "Sniper's Nest" by CM Sutter. I got them as free Kindle books on amazon .com and now, I'm learning how to write my own thriller. They brought me more joy than any other book I've read in years! The author's website: www.cmsutter also offers free downloads. I guarantee you'll be impressed.

Penelope Smith says:

11/03/2020 – 03:28

I liked your suggestion about not misleading the reader. It is always nice to know that you could have figured out the mystery in a book. I love reading books where I can try to start putting the pieces together early on and getting that pay off for that work later on.

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Home / Book Writing / Mystery Writing Prompts: 35+ Ideas to Get You Started

Mystery Writing Prompts: 35+ Ideas to Get You Started

From classic whodunits and cozy capers to hard-boiled crime novels and police procedurals, there's a lot of fun to be had in the mystery genre. Being able to give the reader the thrill of uncovering a mystery along with the protagonist is a special talent. And it all starts with the idea. So keep reading for special tips and a list of mystery writing prompts. 

• What makes a good mystery?
• Examples of great mysteries to read. 
• Mystery story ideas.

Table of contents

• The Crime is the Thing
• Plot-Driven but Character-Supported
• Only Tell the Reader What They Need to Know
• Red Herrings Abound
• Increase the Stakes
• Write What You'd Like to Read
• Great Mysteries to Read (Or Re-Read)
• Cozy Mystery Writing Prompts
• Crime Mystery Writing Ideas
• Mystery Thriller Writing Prompts
• Random Mystery Writing Prompts
• Getting Your Mystery Book in Front of the Right Readers

Ingredients for a Good Mystery

There are certain commonalities among mystery novels or short stories . And while you want to avoid doing a cookie-cutter version of another story, you will want to ensure certain tropes and story beats are present in your tale. Just make them your own!

Formatting Has Never Been Easier

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Whether you're a discovery writer or someone who likes to plot everything out, it's essential to have some idea about the crime. Every mystery needs a crime as a catalyst for the story . And to avoid a lot of false starts or dead ends, it's good to know the who (the culprit/antagonist), and the why. With these two factors in mind, you can fill in the other things as you go along. Or “discover” them, as some like to say. 

Mysteries are known as plot-driven stories, but that doesn't mean you can have static or flat characters . Your protagonist, whether a hard-edged detective or a golden-years grandma, needs to be likable, complex, and imperfect. You’ll notice that many protagonists in mystery fiction are a bit of a mess. But they still have redeeming qualities that are usually apparent early in the story . This helps the reader get invested in the story. 

Of course, we can’t forget about the bad guy (or gal). The antagonist should also be complex and possess a clear reason for committing the crime (even if that reason is unfathomable, as is the case with serial killers). 

Mystery readers like to put the pieces of the puzzle together as the story progresses. Even if there's no way for them to figure out who did it or why until the climax, they'll try anyway. So the last thing you want is to give the reader too much information too fast. If the clues are too obvious, the reader may be disappointed. And that's the last thing a mystery author should want!

A red herring, otherwise known as a false clue or a bit of misdirection, is an essential element of any mystery. Don't be afraid to point the finger at other characters in the story before the protagonist finds out who really did it. This is to be expected, and it's the bread and butter of many a mystery novel. 

Any well-written popular fiction book will consist of increasing and easing tension . And mystery stories are no different. As the protagonist gets closer and closer to solving the mystery, in fits and starts, the stakes should get continually higher. Much of the time, the stakes are life or death, but not always. As long as they increase to the point of ultimate danger at the climax, you should be good. 

And, perhaps the single best writing tip anyone can heed: write the story you'd like to read . As an avid mystery reader, you will instinctively have a feel for a good mystery. You can refine and perfect it when you edit. But if you write a story that excites you, chances are a lot of other readers will feel the same!

To write a first-rate mystery, you have to have read many mysteries, both good and bad. The good so you know what to do, the bad so you know what not to do. Fortunately, the good will most likely outnumber the bad. And the recommendations below are all good. 

• Anything by Agatha Christie
• Any Sherlock Holmes story
• Gone Girl , Gillian Flynn
• The Big Sleep , Raymond Chandler
• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo , Stieg Larsson
• The Thin Man , Dashiell Hammett
• The Girl on the Train , Paula Hawkins

Mystery Writing Prompts

There are a lot of sub-genres under the mystery umbrella, so I've split the following creative writing prompts into sections. Use them as story starters or simply for inspiration. Make them your own or use them as-is. And remember: the more you write, the more inspiration will come to you. 

Cozy mysteries are lighthearted in both tone and description. Although usually having to deal with murder, these stories focus more on the quirky characters than the brutal crime. And usually, the murder victim is a bit of a stinker (so the audience doesn’t feel too bad about their death). 

1. A local baker is found murdered in her home just as the town baking contest approaches. All signs point to her arch-rival, old Mr. Dillard. But did he really do it? It falls to Mr. Dillard's understudy to find out.

2. The irate butcher in a small town winds up dead from a heart attack. But as life goes on and cuts of his meat sell, town citizens discover clues in their dinners. And it quickly becomes apparent that the butcher was murdered – and he left clues leading to the culprit. 

3. Sue and John's marriage is on the rocks. They just don't have the spark anymore. But when they're thrust into the middle of a murder mystery, they soon find that their love is stronger than ever. 

4. While taking a long ferry ride from the mainland to their hometown on an island, a small group discovers the body of a crotchety old man dead in the engine room. One of the people on the ferry did the deed, but which one?

5. A woman goes chasing after her dog one night, only to literally stumble across a stranger's dead body in a ditch. Afraid she'll be implicated in the crime, she must solve it before the bumbling local police get involved. Luckily, her dog is a bit of a sleuth. 

6. When a man comes home to his small town for a reunion, he has a bit too much to drink. He wakes up to find a gun on his person, but he has no idea where it came from. Turns out, it's a murder weapon, and the victim is none other than his old rival. 

7. When a snowstorm strands a group of strangers in a ski chalet, one of the guests ends up dead. Most everyone (but the main character) denies knowing the murder victim, but it quickly becomes clear that all the guests know each other in one way or another. 

8. A lowly zoo janitor must solve a murder with the help of the zoo animals when her terrible boss turns up dead in the gorilla cage. 

9. The quirky characters attending an office party suddenly become murder suspects when the company president turns up dead. 

10. When the town psychiatrist turns up dead, everyone is a suspect. The psychiatrist knew everyone's deepest secrets, and it turns out she was using them for nefarious purposes. 

Gritty crime novels don't skimp on the gory details. They often feature a deeply flawed detective who's just holding on by a thread. But they can also feature ordinary characters who find themselves in extraordinary situations. Use the following plot ideas to get your creative juices flowing. 

11. A detective nearing the end of his career starts receiving strange texts. He soon learns that the texts reference murders that are happening around the city. He must rally to catch the murderer. 

12. A young woman enlists the help of a brand new detective to solve her sister's disappearance. But they soon find that there's much more happening than one girl's abduction. 

13. A kid sneaking into an abandoned building to sleep for the night stumbles on a murder scene. He sees a man shoot the victim. The murderer sees his face and chases him, but the kid gets away. The only problem is, the kid saw a badge on the murderer's belt. He's a cop. 

14. A new crime lord is moving into the city. He's ruthless and not afraid to go after cops. But there's one cop who won't look the other way. 

15. When a serial killer starts targeting teachers at the local college, a campus police officer must move fast to find the killer. 

16. Everyone suspects the young man of killing his father at sea for the inheritance money, but no one can prove it. No one but your main character – the suspect's own brother. 

17. Part of the murder was caught on social media, but the murderer was wearing a mask. It's up to one new officer to solve the case. 

18. A teenage girl is kidnapped, but there's no ransom note. The girl herself calls and tells the police to leave her alone. But her parents are a mess and the detective promises he'll get the girl back. 

19. A newly married woman finds clues suggesting her husband isn't at all who he says he is. As she searches for the truth, she finds there's a massive criminal conspiracy at play. 

20. After finding a bunch of tapes at a garage sale, one young woman sees some startling images in one of the videos. She must track down where the tapes came from so justice can be done. 

Mystery/thriller stories have steadily been among the most popular out there. But this subgenre isn't always about unraveling the mystery. Much of the time, the reader already knows who the antagonist is. The suspense comes from wondering whether the main character will prevail in the end. If you enjoy thrillers, choose a creative writing prompt below and see where it takes you. 

21. A retired black-ops special operator finds that his friends keep turning up dead. And at each murder scene, there are clues that point to top-secret missions only a handful of people could possibly know about. 

22. While staying at an exclusive resort in the South Pacific, your main character stumbles upon a human trafficking operation. She tries to go to the police, but they're on the take. It's up to her to bring the bad guys down. 

23. Your protagonist starts seeing a half-familiar face around town. But every time he looks closer, the person is gone without a trace. The problem is, your protagonist has a murky past. And the face he keeps seeing belongs to someone he killed many years ago. 

24. A drifter catches a ride on a bus, headed nowhere in particular. But when he hears half of a phone conversation from the woman behind him, he can't help but try and help her out of her predicament. The thing is, she doesn't want his help. And the half of the conversation he heard is far from the whole story. 

25. People are spontaneously combusting in one detective's city. But a killer soon starts taking credit for the strange deaths. The detective and an arson investigator must team up to get to the bottom of the mystery. 

26. An ex-soldier comes home to find his sister in deep with a local drug dealer. When he tries to get the dealer off his sister's back, he accidentally kills the guy. Pretty soon, he's wanted by the police and the drug organization. And he has to find a way to make things right. 

27. An undercover narcotics officer finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy to kill a high-ranking state politician. The only problem is, they're holding his girlfriend hostage to make him do what they want. 

28. With his dying breath, an old man admits that he's not your main character's father. This sends the protagonist on a journey to find out where she really comes from. And the truth is stranger than she ever could've thought. 

29. The story opens with a SWAT team breaking through the windows and arresting your protagonist. They've found his DNA all over a murdered CEO's body. But your protagonist has never met the CEO in his life. He must break out of jail and uncover the truth. 

30. When involved in a minor fender-bender, your protagonist gets out of the car and finds that the other driver is dying. He says he's been poisoned and whispers the name of the person who did it just before he dies. 

Here's a mix of historical, science fiction, and even horror mystery writing prompts to use for your creative writing exercises. Whether you're writing a short story or drafting a novel, it all starts with an idea and a word on the page!

31. A serial killer is using the cover of the German invasion of France to kill people. It's up to one detective to find the murderer – while also being involved in the resistance movement. 

32. Using special deepfake technology, one killer beats the cameras in the futuristic society to commit his – or her – murders. 

33. A dark underground society preys on those in poverty-stricken areas, recruiting and tricking people to use as human sacrifices. When a found-again Christian learns about this, he knows he must stop it, but he's unsure of how far he should go to face such evil. 

34. Navigating the South during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, one detective must bring to justice the Klansmen who are responsible for several deaths. But given the protection these men get from those in their close-knit community, it will be much harder than he ever expected. 

35. A woman survives a car accident that kills her partner. She blames herself until she starts having strange dreams that suggest something much more sinister is at play. 

There's no better way to increase your writing skill than by practicing with story prompts. But what about when you're ready to put your finished book out into the world? You'll need to bring several factors together to give your mystery novel the best chance of success. These factors include cover design, categories, keywords, and marketing. 

The problem is, getting these things right can be difficult and time-consuming. That's why we made Publisher Rocket . This self-publishing tool can help you bring all the factors mentioned above together to help your book succeed. It does this by pulling and aggregating information directly from Amazon. You can do it all manually, but it takes hours and hours. With Publisher Rocket, you can do it in minutes.  

• See the book covers of the top-selling books in various mystery categories. You can use the similarities to inform your designer about what you want. 
• Decide on the right categories with the category search function. It can help you find the sweet spot with categories that have high demand but low or medium competition. 
• You need to put 7 keywords in your book's metadata on Amazon. Publisher Rocket can help you decide which keywords are best. 
• Using the AMS Keyword search, you can get a list of appropriate keywords to use in your Amazon Ads campaigns, which help you get visibility and sales. 

Check out Publisher Rocket here to learn more!

Looking for more prompts? We've got more to choose from:

• Horror Writing Prompts
• Romance Writing Prompts
• Children’s Book Ideas

Better Keywords & Categories Fast

See why over 47,000+ authors and publishing companies use and love Rocket to help them sell more books.

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When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

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How to Write a Thriller: The Keys to Suspenseful Writing

December 22, 2018 by Michael Santos

In this article, we begin discussing thriller novels by talking about suspense. How do we create suspense? How does it work within a crime novel to create a satisfying experience for readers?

Be sure to watch my YouTube video on this subject as well.

It’s all about mood.

The label “thriller” encompasses a wide variety of fiction. In terms of popular genres, you’re likely familiar with legal thrillers, psychological thrillers, historical thrillers, and many more.

It is one of the most versatile types of book, because any story can contain elements of a thriller. That is to say, any story can be thrilling. As a result, they are incredibly fun to write, because thriller authors have a great deal of freedom in terms of subject matter, story structure, and the mechanics of the creative writing craft.

The key to every thriller is having the right mood, which demands that you create suspense for the reader.

How do we write with suspense?

I define good suspense as a combination of excitement and apprehension . I want to be desperate to know what happens next in the book, but I also want to experience a sense of dread.

You have to make the reader worry about the outcome of the story. Each new plot point has to change the game in such a way that the reader says, “Uh-oh, now what?” You should make your reader hope for a happy ending but fear impending doom for the characters.

The narrative in a thriller is built on layers of twists and turns that create both excitement and apprehension. Each layer changes the status quo in such a way that the reader senses the tension building, which makes them wonder when that tension will become too much. They instinctively know that the story can’t go on like that forever.

These layers build to an ending that pays off those feelings, arguably the most important part of a thriller–the end is the most cathartic stage of the reading experience, when the emotions are at their peak.

Writing with suspense entails creating, managing, and escalating that sense of impending disaster, as the narrative progresses from its inciting incident to the climax, at which point the protagonist’s life will be irrevocably changed.

There will either be a happy ending (what the reader hopes for), a negative ending (what the reader dreads), or a mix of the two. Perhaps an FBI agent catches the serial killer, but must compromise her personal values and identity to do so. Those complicated resolutions are the ones that will resonate with readers the most, because they keep you thinking long after you finish the novel.

The resolution in a thriller must be both surprising and inevitable. It must shock the reader. At the same time, when the reader considers the story in retrospect, the ending must make complete sense. With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, they should feel like they should have seen the end coming all along.

Thrillers are built on hope.

To write a compelling thriller, you must manage the reader’s hope and fear. But how?

One of my favorite techniques is dramatic irony , when the reader knows more than the characters.

The most common example of this is found in horror movies, when a clueless character goes down into the dark basement. The viewer knows that the monster is down there, ready to rip asunder the poor soul’s head. But the character believes they’re making the right decision.

This creates a powerful sense of impending doom. We hope that they survive, but we dread the likely possibility that we’ll be saying goodbye to this character in a matter of seconds.

Another example…

In my first novel, No Hard Feelings , my protagonist–a hit man named The Apostle–believes the woman he’s seeing has betrayed him to the police and to a group of criminals, who want revenge for a crime he committed against them.

Chapter 11 opens with the woman–Eve–driving home from a date with another man, a detective no less. She’s feeling positive after meeting with him. The next scene shows The Apostle breaking into her apartment, where he plans to confront her about her alleged treachery. He’s irate, hurt, and desperate. And he’s a professional killer.

Eve has no idea that he’s waiting for her, but the reader does.

When you get to that scene, you hope that their encounter will end peaceably. But you dread more negative outcomes.

That’s how dramatic irony works. It plays on the reader’s hope and fear.

Hope is built on good characterization.

It is essential that your reader connects with the characters for this to work. It is required, or your thriller will be less than satisfactory and contain no emotional power whatsoever.

Read It , by Stephen King–a masterpiece of characterization. We get to know the Losers’ Club by seeing the intricacies of their dreams, apprehensions, and lives as both children and adults. The horror plot points in the novel are compelling and terrifying, because we become close enough to the characters for us to feel their dread along with them.

We hope and fear because they do, and King’s skill in creating and developing engaging characters is the key to that.

How to write characters that resonate with readers.

This subject is worthy of its own post (or series of posts), but I’ll keep it simple in this article.

Thrillers are known for their action-packed plots. In any story, there is an external narrative and an internal narrative . The thriller genre is driven by the external; that is, the events of the story–the conflict surrounding the characters.

But it’s the internal narrative, the conflict within the characters, that binds the reader to them on a human level. The internal conflict speaks to a human experience that we’ve all had or will have.

What makes this even more interesting is that it’s common for the reader to know what a character’s internal conflict is…but often the character does not. They typically learn it by the end, in a moment of revelation. “I thought I wanted x , but I needed y all along.”

The internal narrative also enhances our experience with the external narrative, because it adds to the plot’s stakes.

For example, let’s go back to that FBI agent/serial killer bit. The agent’s external objective is straight-forward: they want to solve the case. The plot of the novel will be built on that objective, as we follow the agent’s progress.

But what about the internal objective? Perhaps the FBI agent must solve this case to make up for some horrible thing they did in their past. Now the stakes are much higher. It’s not just a story about stopping a serial killer. The protagonist’s entire sense of self and subconscious journey for redemption now rides on the outcome of the case.

We’ve all experienced a time in life when we sought redemption, so we relate to that story. We hope that it resolves in the agent’s favor, because if they can find redemption, surely so can we. But we dread the negative ending, because we feel the same doom as the character.

For more information about external and internal conflicts, read the full article on how to use them effectively in your story writing .

Back to No Hard Feelings .

In my novel, The Apostle faces two tremendous conflicts in the scene where he breaks into Eve’s apartment.

The external conflict: he’s on the run from the police and a gang, and the woman he loves may have sold him out. The internal conflict: his father used to mercilessly beat him as a punishment. He became a hit man, a professional murderer, so that he would always be the most dangerous person in the room. So that no one could ever hurt him again.

The fact that the woman he loves is likely hurting him is too much for him to handle. It brings him back to his childhood, when another loved one caused him emotional (and physical) pain. He constructed his whole adult persona to avoid such torture, and now that persona is failing him.

He must find the truth about Eve for the sake of his sense of self, his identity, and his ability to find peace. All of which adds to the stakes of the external events in the chapter.

Because of that strong internal narrative, the reader feels connected to him and is more invested in the outcome of the scene. On top of that, the reader has spent enough time with Eve by this point in the story (chapter 11, remember) to know what her internal conflicts are.

When the two characters are in a scene of conflict together, the reader desperately hopes they’ll find happiness, while also dreading the opposite. In short, the chapter is suspenseful because it resonates with the reader on a human level.

Okay, let’s review. To write a good thriller:

• You must write with suspense.
• Suspense is a combination of excitement and apprehension, hope and fear.
• Dramatic irony is a great technique for creating suspense.
• You must get your readers to connect with your characters for them to feel hope and fear.
• To make that happen, write compelling internal narratives that add to the stakes of your plots.

If you enjoyed this post and found it helpful, please share it!

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Looking for a new thriller?

Check out my supernatural thriller,  The Nowhere Game !

The Nowhere Game

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21 Psychological Thriller Writing Prompts

By Rebecca Parpworth-Reynolds

Would some psychological thriller writing prompts help to spark some ideas for your novel? Take a look at the list of 21 we’ve put together below.

1. Seeking Therapy

A therapist takes on a new client. Everything seems normal to start, but over the course of their sessions, the client starts to hint at a dark and dangerous secret. The therapist becomes so obsessed with trying to find out the truth that their patient starts to haunt their life outside of the clinic. They start to see them in their dreams and even catch mistaken glimpses of them on the street, leading them to question their own sanity, too.

2. Somebody’s Watching Me

Write from the perspective of someone who is being stalked, but the identity of the stalker is unknown. The victim’s paranoia escalates as they try to uncover the stalker’s identity while fearing for their life.

3. The Sanity Test

A group of strangers agrees to participate in a psychological experiment that promises a substantial reward. However, as the experiment unfolds, they realize they are trapped in a twisted game with no way out.

4. Housewarming

A family moves into a seemingly perfect suburban home, only to discover that it holds a dark and disturbing secret. As they explore the house’s mysteries, they start to question their own sanity as they start to turn on each other.

5. Reality Check

Write a story from the perspective of a protagonist who is slowly losing their grip on reality. As they question their own sanity, the line between what’s real and what’s imagined becomes increasingly blurred, leaving the reader to question what is actually happening and what is imagined.

6. The Doppelganger

A person begins to suspect that their identical twin, who has always been their closest confidant, may be impersonating them and slowly taking over their life. Is it paranoia or a chilling reality?

Explore the dark side of the internet as a character becomes entangled with an online persona who seems to know everything about their life. The line between the virtual world and reality blurs as what first seemed to be fun and games becomes increasingly sinister.

8. Howdy Neighbor!

A new neighbor moves into town. Adored by most of the street, one resident can’t help but feel that something is off about them. They decide to investigate, leading to a shocking revelation about the neighbor’s true identity, but now face the struggle of convincing the rest of the homeowners that the new neighbor isn’t as they seem.

9. A Nightmare Neverending

A character finds themselves trapped in a never-ending time loop, reliving a traumatic event over and over again. They must figure out how to break the cycle and prevent the event from happening.

10. The Whistleblower

A whistleblower uncovers a dark secret within a powerful multinational corporation. As they try to expose the truth, they find themselves hunted by the company’s ruthless “security” team and must rely on their wits to survive.

11. Family Values

A young woman who was adopted as a baby attempts to find her birth family. Little does she know that she was adopted as part of a witness protection program and the people she was being protected from were her parents.

12. Your Virtual Nightmare

In a future where virtual reality is indistinguishable from reality, a character becomes trapped in a VR simulation designed to torment them. They must decipher the clues within the simulation to find a way back to the real world and figure out who has put them there.

13. The Rose-Tinted Mirror

A person discovers a mirror that shows them a reflection of themselves living a different life that seems perfect in every way imaginable. They become obsessed with this alternate version of themselves, leading to a series of eerie and unsettling events as they try to make the images in the mirror a reality.

14. Not so Nice to See You Again

An old childhood friend reappears in a character’s life after years of absence. All seems to be going well as the pair reunite, almost as if they had never left. However soon their friend’s intentions seem sinister, and they bring a dark secret from the past that threatens to destroy everything.

15. Neighborhood Watch

A child goes missing in a small, tight-knit community, and a parent becomes convinced that their neighbors are hiding the truth. As they investigate, they uncover a web of secrets that shatters their trust in those closest to them as they start to see the ugly side of the town in all its glory.

16. Somnambulation

A person starts experiencing episodes of sleepwalking and waking up in strange, dangerous locations with no memory of how they got there. They must uncover the truth behind their nighttime wanderings, especially when after one night they wake up covered in blood.

17. The Interpretation of Dreams

A character experiences a recurring nightmare that becomes increasingly vivid and disturbing, with hallucinations starting to creep into their waking hours. They must investigate the dream’s origins and uncover the hidden trauma that fuels it before it consumes their sanity.

18. Stay Tuned

A podcaster specializing in the world of conspiracy theories and urban myths begins to unravel a dangerous and very real conspiracy that threatens their life. As they dig deeper, they become the target of powerful forces determined to silence them.

19. Just a Business Call

A well-respected CEO starts receiving eerie and threatening phone calls from an unknown caller who seems to know their every move. As the calls escalate, they must uncover the identity of the caller and the reason behind the torment.

20. A Dangerous Affair

A woman becomes convinced that her husband is having an affair, and so she decides to keep track of his every move. Little does she realize that he is not having an affair, and instead what he is embroiled in is much more sinister. Being caught snooping could spell death for them both. How does she maintain a sense of normalcy in her marriage yet also try to find a way to keep both her and her husband safe?

21. A True Superhero?

After surviving a life-threatening event, a man becomes convinced that he has supernatural powers . His actions begin to become increasingly worrying as he undertakes various stunts to show his supposed abilities. However, his ability to survive and overcome the dangerous things he puts himself through starts to have some people believing that there may be some truth behind his claims.

BRYN DONOVAN

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50 Spooky Writing Prompts and Horror Story Ideas

If you’re looking for scary story prompts or horror writing ideas, you’ve come to the right place! These are great Halloween writing prompts, and some of these could also be used as suspense story prompts or dark fantasy story ideas.

These are all from my book 5 ,000 Writing Prompts: A Master List of Plot Ideas, Creative Exercises, and More . The book has 100 additional spooky writing prompts and horror story ideas, as well as master plots and idea starters for all kinds of writing.

If you are easily scared and have an over-active imagination, just skip this one. And anyway, just remember it’s all nonsense that I made up while I was exercising on the treadmill or sitting in bed.

Some of these are skeletal (ha) plot ideas, while others are images or suggestions. And if you’d like a spooky soundtrack to inspire you, be sure to check out my scary music playlist for writers ! Be sure to pin or bookmark the post for future reference. After all, when autumn rolls around, you might find yourself looking for Halloween writing prompts!

• A musician practices. When she finishes a piece, she hears someone clapping for her, although she lives alone.
• Frightening events in a small town lead its citizens to dig up the grave of a deceased inhabitant.
• Someone gets on the elevator by himself and is never seen by his friends or family again.
• The Furies—the vengeance deities of classic mythology—are back in business again.
• A collector buys an unpublished manuscript by an obscure writer that describes a terrible historical event a year before it occurred. The collector learns the writer wrote many unpublished stories…
• Creating a hybrid of a human and this particular animal turns out to be a bad idea.
• A person has the ability to make other people very ill.
• The dead walk out of the sea.
• An individual begins seeing and hearing from someone who looks just like her – and learns she had a twin who died at birth.
• A killer places an advertisement for a willing victim and finds one.
• A basement contains jars filled with unusual specimens.
• A person finds new photos of herself on her cell phone that she didn’t take.
• The spirit of a brutalized slave or prisoner of war wants revenge on his tormentor’s descendants.
• A couple vacationing in a remote area begins having the same nightmares.
• All of the circus performers were killed in the train wreck.
• The television switches to another station of its own accord and plays footage of something horrible that happened long before the technology existed to record it.
• A spouse or sibling dies. He or she begins to take over the body of the surviving spouse or sibling.
• Weekend adventurers explore a cave and can’t find their way out again. Then they encounter something terrible…
• Authorities go through the cluttered apartment of a deceased man who lived alone with no known friends or relatives for decades and find something disturbing.
• A group of teenagers trolls everyone else in an online group by telling made-up stories about terrible things they’ve done. Things then get out of hand.
• It’s bad luck in the theatre to call the Shakespeare play Macbeth by name, but someone in the company keeps doing it anyway… and the superstition proves true.
• Every exhibit in this carnival sideshow is fake. Except this one thing.
• An individual develops a terror of water – drinking it, touching it, or even being near it. There’s actually a good reason why.
• The grandfather clock starts running backwards.
• People in this neighborhood begin having freak accidents that involve normal appliances and machinery, such as blenders, weed whackers, and garage doors.
• The cure for a new deadly epidemic is almost scarier than the disease.
• He locked the doors and shuttered the windows; it came in through the roof.
• A woman is happy when her dead loved one comes back to life… but he’s changed.
• This centuries-old beauty secret is effective but horrifying.
• A killer toys with his victims by orchestrating a series of false hopes for them.
• She wakes up in the middle of the night and runs out to a certain tree.
• Tourists on a ghost tour, along with their guide, fall into the hands of an evil presence.
• A young woman is impregnated by her handsome new boyfriend, who turns out to be something other than human.
• The empty swing is swinging.
• A bride on her honeymoon discovers she’s not her new husband’s first wife… not even close.
• Long ago, when he was a baby, a man’s parents made an unwise deal in order to bring him back from the dead.
• Members of a family or people in a town begin sleepwalking and doing strange things in their sleep.
• A young man confesses to a killing that hasn’t happened. The murder he describes takes place while he’s in custody.
• Grisly events happen after the arrival of a hypnotist in Victorian London.
• An author’s fictional villain stalks him.
• Fraternity hazing goes way too far.
• It always happens when he’s alone in the car.
• A patient in a mental hospital encounters a malevolent ghost, but nobody believes her.
• A mother’s young child may or may not be a changeling.
• Swarms of insects appear in various places in a town, always followed by an untimely death.
• The ghost at the movie theater wants everyone to watch one particular snippet of film.
• A child’s imaginary friend starts to cause real trouble.
• When putting together a slide show for a wedding or funeral, someone notices that for decades, the same man, dressed in the same fashion, has been appearing in the background of photographs taken in public places.
• A politician, religious leader, or celebrity exerts mind control over the will of his or her followers.
• The fairy godmother isn’t the good kind of fairy.

Okay, I creeped myself out a little with these spooky writing prompts! If you’re writing a novel and want a step-by-step guide to planning, writing, and editing, be sure to check out my book 5,000 Writing Prompts .

Do you have questions or suggestions about horror story ideas? We’d love to hear them in the comments section! And don’t miss future posts about writing. Follow my blog, if you aren’t already — there’s a place you can sign up below. Thanks so much for reading, and happy writing!

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60 thoughts on “ 50 spooky writing prompts and horror story ideas ”.

This was terrific. Thank you.

Thanks, B.D., you’re so welcome!

You always have the best writing prompts. I love these! Several gave me the jeebas. 🙂

Thank you so much! Haha, it only seemed creepy to me when I went back and read straight through them. 😀

Fabulous prompts – I see some stories in my immediate future.

Aw thanks Noelle, glad you like them!

Thanks, Bryn, for all the great prompts. I appreciate it. 🙂 — Suzanne

Thanks, Suzanne, you’re welcome!

Great prompts for the coming season and for those who write about the supernatural all year round. A friend of mine and myself send photos to each other as prompts and most of the time, mine stories lean toward the macabre, supernatural or fantasy. I love it! Many of these set my thoughts in motion (the gears are turning). Thanks!

Cheryl, that’s so cool that you and your friend send image prompts to each other! So glad you liked these. Thanks for the nice comments!

Those are delightful ideas and I thank you for them. Did you hear, by the way, about the writer of bizarre tales whose stories were typed using the blood font.The one that leaves an occasional trail of blood down the background image of the screen. Isn’t technology a delightful addition to this lexicon?

Hi Robert! Holy smokes, I had not heard of that use of text. That’s amazing! Thanks so much for commenting, and for the kind words!

I really like the first one: A musician practices. When she finishes a piece, she hears someone clapping for her, although she lives alone.

My character plays the violin and she’s blind, so imagining something like that happening is kind of scary.

Oh geez, Cinthia, that would be scary. That one was my favorite one, by the way. Thanks for commenting!

The reasons why crime features so heavily in media coverage are many and varied. In practical terms crime stories are often easy to cover, relative to other issues. Police make appeals for witnesses, ‘tip off’ journalists (sometimes in ethically problematic ways), court hearings are easy to access and scheduled long in advance.

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nice stories……..give me the creeps

Haha, thank you so much Jayitha!

Thanks so much really helped me.I have to write a short story for english so thanks!

So glad it helped, Neveah! Hope your story turned out (or turns out) great!

who are you?

That was amazing, I am 11 years old and I looked up writing prompts for fun but now I want to write a whole story! Thank you!

Thank u for these ideas. Good suggestions. I am actually writing a horror/thriller story right now and I’m almost done with it. It may be my first story to publish. At least I hope so. I hope that if it does get published, people may like it. I try to make my stories as unique as possible compared to the fantastic horror books already written.

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Great article…So, I have a very sketchy idea (comments welcomed).Newly married couple, husband starts having night terrors about being trapped/lost in a cave (the type extreme potholers go down). He suffers from claustrophobia, specifically potholing. The terrors become more and more violent until one day/night he wakes up inside a shaft, wedged between the walls by his broad shoulders…can’t go forward, can’t go backwards. That’s as far as I’ve got. Apart from skipping to a potential sad ending. You may have guessed that this is a fear of mine!!!

That is unbelievably terrifying!!

ps. You may also guess that I am attempting to write my FIRST book!!!

Thank you Ember Jay

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can you have more scary stories and pin them on pinterest? If you want my email for anything its [email protected] . Thanks

lisette isabelle

Isn’t the last one the plot of Shrek 2?????

yessss broooo

Broooo thats my fav movie!!!!!

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I like #4 The Furies—the vengeance deities of classic mythology—are back in business again. I’m currently writing a story about a demon and a school girl the story is call Her name was Misaki

I like #4 The Furies—the vengeance deities of classic mythology—are back in business again. I’m currently writing a story about a demon and a school girl the story is call Her name was Misaki

This sounds like a a great story!

I used the first one to get me started on brainstorming, and I warped the idea into a feature screenplay that was very fun to write. Thanks for the awesome help!!!

Yeah boiiiiii

I was sitting by the window watching the snow slowly and silently fall. Suddenly, outside, a snap of a branch and a stutter of leaves, a sad old man leaves his house over the road. I watch him as he slowly strolls down the driveway with his brown old wooden stick. Is this a good story starter?

Thanks for getting my imagination running. I needed that. J

Aw, thanks. Thanks for reading, John!

heyo…. I’m 13 years old and i want to write a horror story…..this is helpful!!! I want to be an author when i grow up…whats it like being an author???!!! i have so many ideas , too many that i actually have no idea what to write this gave me some good ideas too thanks. oh, and i love your eyes they are so pretty.

Hey there! I’m so glad you liked the list! It sounds like you have an amazing imagination. Being a writer has challenges, but it’s fantastic making up whole characters, stories, and worlds…and when readers love your stories, too, that’s a great feeling. I hope you have great success as an author. Thanks for the compliment, too!

idea 48 is probably the ex boyfriend of the girl getting married and getting revenge on the husband hehe

I love all these prompts! They give just enough detail but also leave a great amount of imagination! I am doing a spooky story contest and now I have a wonderful idea! thank you so much! -Charlotte

Love this list! I plan on entering a short story contest, and this is very helpful! I lean more towards lengthy fantasy (particularly magic or medieval related) stories, so coming up with ideas for a scary short story is not exactly easy. I now have a solid idea combining bits and pieces of a few prompts (for example: #13 and #16) plus combining my own twists. So thank you!!

Thank you so much I really needed this for English

My story Wrote by 11 yrs old girl (no name, sry) The Mystery Of The Unexpected Ghost: As my grandfather lies on his deathbed, he told me of a terrible crime he committed many years ago and got away with. He also told me that his freedom was the result of a spell someone performed and that I should expect a visit from a ghost. “He will come out from the shadows,” are his last words. Hi, my name is Naomi. I am 21 years old and I love to read ghost stories especially Mr Midnight. I love spooky things like ghost but I do not wish to meet one, until one day, an unexpected man came and it changed my friend, Ruby’s and my life, FOREVER. It all started when I woke up one morning, “Hey! Want to hang out today? Let’s start working on our club, Daring Devils!” I called my friend, Ruby, over the phone. “Sure! I have no plans anyways…” Ruby answered. “Yay! Come over now!” I hung the phone and waited for Ruby to come. Moments later, “Ring… Ring…” The doorbell rang. I thought, ‘Yay it’s Ruby!’ When I opened the door, I saw Ruby and pulled her to my room. Then, I got super serious and asked her for cases to solve. “Nah, I have none, you?” Ruby said. I replied, “Actually, I do have one, but I think ghosts aren’t real…” “Wait, this case is about ghosts? Woo hoo! This just got a little more exciting!” Ruby exclaimed as she waited patiently for me to tell her the case. “Ok, so, before my grandfather died, he told me that I should expect a visit from a ghost.” I responded. “What, that’s not fun!” Ruby complained. I continued, “But that’s not all, after that, my grandfather told me that the ghost will come out from the shadows.” After hearing what I had said, Ruby’s face lit up and imitated a ghost, “WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO… So this is a mystery! Did your grandfather tell you when will the ghost appear?” “No…” I replied. “O…K… So we must predict when the ghost is coming…” Ruby said, trying to think when the ghost will come. I thought really hard that I thought my brain was going to explode and I suddenly said, “At night! Ghosts always appear at night!” “Ok, then, I’ll meet you at night, got to go, bye!” Ruby replied as she ran home. I sat patiently on my bed and waited for Ruby to come at night. I kept trying to sleep but thinking about the ghost kept me awake. “Ring… Ring…” the doorbell rang. I ran to the door, drag Ruby to my room and exclaimed, “Yay! This is going to be so fun!” Ruby answered, “Naomi, I’ll not get too excited if I were you…” “What, you scared of ghosts, I don’t even believe in them!” I responded. “Naomi! The ghost might be listening! Stop making fun!” Ruby warned me. “Whatever!” I blurted. Little did I know that the ghost was spying on us, listening to every word I said. “Let’s get started on the case!” I exclaimed as I turn on my computer and typed, ‘Ghosts that can perform spells.’ “Enter!” I said as I pressed enter. Once I pressed enter, lots of information from the internet popped up on the screen. I slowly browsed through each website. “Not this, not this and not this either! At this rate, we’ll never find out about that ghost” I whimpered, feeling hopeless. “Search, ‘Visit from a ghost who performs spells’.” Ruby replied immediately. I typed, ‘Visit from a ghost who performs spells.’ “Enter.” I uttered. Suddenly, there was only one website. I click on the website and it says: The Chancer * His real name is unknown. He is believed to be the ghost of a boy who never had a second chance. This ghosts helps humans in life. He gives chances to those who have a kind heart. If this ghosts visits you, you are lucky. But… if you do not have a kind heart, you will die! If you want to risk your life, then call him… Say, “Chance, chance, give me a chance. Everyone deserves a second chance.” If you did not call him but he came to you, means someone you knew had called him before… Beware of your surroundings, he will come out from the shadows. If you do not want him to come near you, say, “Chance, chance, I don’t need a chance. Everyone deserves a second chance, everyone but me, I’m done…” If you are expecting him to come, he will say, “Second chance, second chance, second, second, second chance… What would you like for your second chance? Tell me now, tell me now…” * (BOHH) “Gosh! Naomi, quick! Take a picture of it!” Ruby shook me. “Chill! ‘Kay, ‘kay!” I grumbled. I quickly took my phone and took a picture of it. “Anyways, what’s BOHH?” Ruby questioned me. “WHAT! You don’t know!? It means Blood On His Hands. He has taken a life. You should read Mr Midnight!” I responded. “So if you are not kind hearted and you called the ghost or if someone you know has called the ghost, you will die?” Ruby asked. “Yup!” I replied. “But I don’t need a second chance, do I?” I wondered. “I guess…” Ruby murmured. Unexpectedly, the lights suddenly off. “Second chance, second chance, second, second, second chance… What would you like for your second chance? Tell me now, tell me now…” said an unknown voice. “Who are you?” Ruby hollered. “I am The Chancer, would you like to have a second chance?” The voice said. “Uh… uh…” I stammered. I quickly turn on my phone and looked at the picture I took. I took a deep breath and said, “Chance, chance, I don’t need a chance. Everyone deserves a second chance, everyone but me, I’m done…” Once those words left my mouth, I heard a loud scream and the lights suddenly turned back on. “What just happened?” Ruby asked. “Am I dreaming? Pinch me, Naomi!” Ruby said. I pinched Ruby as hard as I could to get my revenge for her pinching me in the past. “Ouch! Stop!” Ruby screamed. “So, I’m not dreaming…” She said under her breath. Weeks past as I tried to forget the memories that haunt me. After a year, I called Ruby and asked, “Have you forgotten about The Chancer?” Ruby stammered, “I…I…I…I…” I asked impatiently, “So did you forget ‘bout it?” Ruby stammered again, “Ok, Naomi, I have to tell you this, don’t… freak… out, ‘kay?” “What is it?” I asked her curiously. “The Chancer… The Chancer has visited me…” Ruby answered me with a frightened look. “WHAT DID YOU SAID?!” I asked. “How many times must I repeat? The Chancer visited me!” Ruby shouted. “Oh! I understand everything now! If someone you know saw The Chancer, he will go to someone you know or someone you are really close with, or even you! I get it now!” I explained to Ruby. Then, I asked curiously, “But, what did you do when you saw The Chancer?” “Uh… Naomi, I forgotten what to say when The Chancer come, so I said I want a second chance!” Ruby replied me, feeling frightened. “What!” I hollered. “What is your second chance?” I asked. “My second chance is to be pretty!” Ruby answered, curling her hair and blushing at the same time. “But, you know that, err….” I said. “I know what?” Ruby asked. “You know that a second chance means, A SECOND LIFE, right?” I told her. “Oh no! I’m going to die? Please tell me I’m dreaming! Pinch me, please!” Ruby shouted. I pinched her cheek as hard as I could and she shouted. “Yup, definitely not dreaming!” Ruby said, as she touched her cheek. “HOW?!” Ruby shouted in horror. “Don’t ask me! Ask yourself!” I answered her with a furious look. “What am I supposed to do at this stage?” Ruby complained. “We’ll see… Let’s observe what will happen next…” I answered, feeling worried for Ruby. “We can have a sleepover at your house, YAY!” Ruby squealed. “Ugh…” I grumbled. “It’s midnight!” I said. “Be ready for what’s going to happen next!” I continued. Suddenly, Ruby was glowing. After a few moments later, she disappeared! Feeling afraid, I tried to sleep, but as expected, I could not. It was dawn and my eyes were still wide open. Unexpectedly, I heard someone screamed, “AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH” I shut my eyes and covered my ears. When I opened my eyes, I saw a very beautiful girl in front of me. “Get away from me!” I screamed. “Naomi, it’s me, Ruby!” she said. “Liar, then tell me something only Ruby and I know!” I screamed, feeling afraid. “There is someone called The Chancer and he came to visit me and you.” She continued. “Oh gosh, Ruby!” I hugged her and cried. “What happened to your face? You somehow became, prettier!” I asked curiously. “Oh… About that, err… The Chancer said it is only temporary. He said if I did not use this chance correctly, I will have consequences. But if I use it properly, I can keep it forever.” Ruby explained. “You sure? This doesn’t feel right.” I said, thinking about why The Chancer would let her keep it if she used it properly. “Stop talking nonsense… Do you always act like this?” Ruby talked with a little bit of sassiness. “We need to change your name to something prettier…” I suggested. “I agree. I kind of want to be named Naomi…” Ruby said. “Let me think of a prettier name than mine. Hmmm… How about Alexi?” I suggested. “That is so nice! Ok…” Ruby Alexi replied. The next day, I went to school with Ruby Alexi. When we entered, many people were staring at Alexi with their mouths wide open, even the prettiest girl in our school, Cindy. “Hey girl, what’s your name?” Cindy asked with A LOT of sassiness. “Ru… Alexi” Alexi said. “Why you hanging around with this nerd… What was her name again? Oh yes, Naomi.” Cindy said, pointing at me. “You are the real nerd! Stop being so mean you ugly girl and don’t act like you are so pretty, because you are NOT!” Alexi screamed at the top of her lungs. “OMG… I can’t believe such a pretty girl like you to be so mean,” Cindy flipped her hair and sashayed away. After Cindy left, a lot of guys started crowding around Alexi, asking her stuff like, “Are you single?” and “Want to hang out with me?” When Alexi saw them, she started flipping and curling her hair. “Psst… Remember to use your second chance properly. Stop flipping and curling your hair and get away from this crowd,” I reminded her. “Oh sorry people, I got to go… See you guys later!” Alexi told them and sashayed away. “Ugh…” I whispered under my breath. Many days past and Alexi acts the same every day. Until one day, something odd happened to her. She stopped doing the stuff she normally do. When we walked back home together from school, I asked her, “What happened to you?” “Something is about to happen… Something bad! I know it… The Chancer is going to remove my chance! Am I going to DIE?!” She answered, feeling afraid. “No you are not! Can you stay over at my house for today? I need to observe you…” I asked her. “Ok…” She immediately agreed and plastered a fake smile across her face. We reached my house and we waited until it was night time. “What now?” Alexi asked. “We’ll see,” I replied, staring at her. “This is getting awkward… I’m going back,” Alexi said, walking away from me. When she was walking, she suddenly fainted and disappeared, AGAIN! “Ugh… Not again!” I complained. This time, I thought she was dead as she did not appear for the past few weeks and her parents said she did not return. One night, when I was about to turn off the light, the light off itself. When I was about to scream, someone covered my mouth and I immediately fainted. When I woke up, I was tied up. I took a closer look at where I was and noticed it was a cemetery. “Mmmm!” I tried to scream but my mouth was taped. Suddenly, The Chancer appeared. “I mean no harm… I just have to warn you something,” he said. “Ruby… She… Is dead!” He continued. “It’s Alexi!” I reminded him. “You can’t call her Alexi!” he warned me. “Why?” I asked. “Just don’t.” he replied. “But why is she dead?” I asked. “I tried to warn her about something but The Devi got her!” He explained. “Who is The Devi?” I asked curiously. “She is my sister, or should I say, she was my sister. She has changed. She used to be a kind girl but now, I’m not really sure what has happened to her.” He said, staring at a grave. “Her grave, is at this cemetery. It is over there,” he said, pointing at the grave he was staring at previously. I looked closer at the name at it said, “RIP DEV ‘LOVE FOR ALL, HATRED FOR NONE’ MAY GOD BLESS MY FAMILY” “Oh, so that’s her grave. But, why would she kill Ruby? I mean what did Ruby did? And, how do you know Ruby is dead?” I asked curiously. “You will know soon… I must get going!” The Chancer disappeared after saying that. When he left, I started feeling dizzy and lied on the floor. Moments past and I woke up after dreaming of Ruby. I immediately went to my computer, went to the internet and typed, ‘The Devi’. When I press enter, there was lots of websites popped up. I clicked on the first website and it says: The Devi * Her real name is Dev. She is believed to be the ghost of a girl who was murdered. Some say she was murdered because of her doing something ridiculous. The story goes, when she was born, she was ugly. When she grew up, she realised that other girls were prettier than her. So she went to this ghost and asked the ghost to make her prettier, but unfortunately, the ghost killed her. The Devi kills people who asked The Chancer to be pretty for their second chance. Some survived her as The Devi thinks that they are not very pretty. If you survived her, you will be unlucky for the rest of your life! But if you are lucky enough, you will be lucky for the rest of your life. Beware of what you asked from The Chancer! If The Devi wants to meet you, you will glow and suddenly disappear. If you disappear once, you will definitely survive from her. If you disappear twice, it depends if The Devi wants you dead or alive. If you disappear thrice, you will definitely die from her! * (BOHH) The Chancer, click here “Oh no… So did Ruby died or what?!” I asked myself confusedly. I took out my phone and took a picture of it. Suddenly, I heard the same voice, “AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!” ‘Ruby! Are you there?” I asked. Ruby appeared again. I saw a lot of blood and scars on her body. “Oh my… What happened to you?” I asked her. “Hel… Hel… Help… Me… I-I-I a… am…” After saying that, Ruby fainted. After a few days, Ruby finally woke up. “What… What happened?” she asked curiously. “You disappeared as The Devi caught you.” I explained. “Who is The Devi? I only remember there was this extremely pretty girl talking to me.” Ruby asked, scratching her head. “What did she said to you?!” I asked her, waiting for her answer. “I only remember part of what she said. She said, ‘You will disappear again and it’s up to me to decide whether you should live or die… Hmm… I guess you can…’ Then I forgot what she said.” Ruby said, trying to remember what The Devi had said. “She would either said die or live.” I told Ruby. “How would you know?” Ruby asked. I took out my phone and showed her the picture about The Devi I took before Ruby appeared. Ruby read and screamed, “AAAAAAAHH! Oh no! She said I will disappear again, means I will definitely die!” “We might not know if the internet is true…” I said. “Yeah, you are right,” Ruby said. “I guess we have to wait until I disappear again…” Ruby continued. “No… I have a plan, but I’m not sure if it would work. But we might now know unless we give it a try!” I said. “So, what’s the plan?” Ruby asked. “Ok, we have to make Dev come out.” I said. “Err…” Ruby said, feeling confused. “We have to say something to piss her off.” I explained. “Like?” Ruby asked. “Just try to think… Let’s do it now.” I answered. “Hey Dev! Are you really that ugly? If you are, come out!” I shouted. “Err… Oh yeah, come on out unless you are afraid!’ Ruby shouted. Suddenly, Ruby was glowing. I hold her hand and we disappeared together. “Where are we?” I moaned. “Oh no! Naomi! Hel…” I heard Ruby said. I looked around and realised that I was in a cemetery, AGAIN! “Ruby?” I hollered. I looked around and spotted Ruby lying at a grave that said, “RIP DEV ‘LOVE FOR ALL, HATRED FOR NONE’ MAY GOD BLESS MY FAMILY” “Uh oh…” I whispered. I ran towards her and carried her up. Suddenly, The Devi appeared. “Wow, you guys are the first who dares to say cruel things to me, other than my brother and… and… wow!” she said. “Err…” Ruby and I said, feeling confused. “I saw that you, Naomi, searched about me on the website. You did not believed the internet and that is very smart of you… It is all a lie. Let me tell you my real story. So my real name is Dev. I was murdered by The Chancer, my brother, also known as Chace. He murdered me because I had something he did not have, popularity. The story goes, when I was born, I was extremely beautiful. A lot of boys always hang out with me but he was not popular. Chace was extremely jealous of me, so he killed me one day.” “Then…” I gasped. “Chace is evil! Oh my!” I screamed. Immediately, Chace appeared and slid Dev’s throat with his knife. “You betrayed me! You evil little creature, you will never get a second chance to live your popular life!” Chace screamed. “Look what we have here… Two girls. Well, Ruby, you want to be pretty right? Then you shall die too!” Chace continued, taking a sword about to kill Ruby. “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!” I screamed. I shut my eyes, thinking of how helpless I am right now. “Don’t you worry and thank you for being so kind to me…” I heard someone whispered to me. I slowly opened my eyes and saw Dev jumping in front of Ruby and defend her from the sword. A lot of things happened in a blink of an eye. Dev was sliced into half, Ruby fainted and Chace screamed, “DEV!” Chace ran towards Dev and sob. “I’m so sorry.” He said to Dev. “Oh no! Dev is dead!” I screamed and ran towards Chace and Dev. “Why did you kill her!? You are crazy!” I screamed at Chace. “I’m sorry.” He said with tears dripping off his face. “Since young, I have this illness. I will turn into someone crazy when I am jealous. But now, when I’m a ghost, I will turn into someone crazy when I give someone a second chance to be prettier.” He explained. “Then just remove the chance you gave Ruby!” I suggested. “Oh yeah! You are right!” he said with his eyes lit up, twinkling with delight. “Second chance, come to me, come to me and you shall die.” He said. After saying that, Ruby was glowing and her face turned to her own face. “Yes! It worked! Ruby, you are back!” I screamed. I took a look at Dev and she was also back to her normal self. Dev cried and thanked me then face Chace and apologise, “I’m sorry, I did not know…” “It’s alright!” Chase said. After that, life was back to normal and now, everyone is wondering where Alexi went, even Cindy. Before I sleep, Dev and Chase would always come and visit me and you will never guess what happens when they visit me…

Although James did not believe in ghosts, it was hard to dismiss the appearance and Disappearance of the girl in a white chiffon dress.

As my brother lay helplessly on his deathbed, I would only recall the memories of him talking about the tree of death. His last words were ‘beware of the undergrowth’.

Days and weeks passed since the tragic accident until I had enough of keeping the secret all to myself. From that point onward I knew both my life and Ella’s life would change…

It all started in the morning when I was deciding on which book from the series ‘GHOST OF MURDER’ I should read again. Then before I could tell what I was doing, I was moving automatically towards the telephone. Unknowingly, I started dialling the numbers 07345967781, it then came to my head that I was dialling the phone number of my friend Ella. Within seconds, the phone was received and that was when I started blabbering about the new club we started, called Devils Dare. Just like I expected she agreed enthusiastically.

Soon after Ella came, fully packed with all the necessities for the club. “Ugh…” I complained it was so annoying when Ella does not understand what I wanted to say. Then I started ambling towards her and started to mumble under my breathe” GHOSTS”! Then out of the blue “AAAAHHHHhhh”! screamed Ella in her usual high-pitched voice. Grabbing her by the wrist we fledged to my room.

There, Ella started complaining about how her wrist is broken and that its paining horribly. “What a cry-baby she is”. I said under my breathe ignoring and trying focus on what I called her here for. Ella stop, I did not mean to scare you. And do you remember my brother…. “Yeah of course I do”. Ella said in a very intense voice. Well before he died, he told me about a tree near Midview meadow was the tree of death. “WOW!!!!” whispered Ella.

Within a blink of an eye I saw Ella opening her laptop and was typing (exceptionally fast) about deaths occurring near the tree. My face then drained out of colour. I felt dumbfounded that I did not think of that earlier. We then only found one website which had the title DEATH…. the ghost of eternal darkness. It then occurred once we started reading the second paragraph, that each time someone dies at that very spot, they have a leaf fall on them and that is when they will evaporate into thin air.

Stunned by the news, we were really wanting to see if it was true. However, just before my very eyes Ella was being taken away from me by the shadows. Suddenly RING…. RING! OH! PHEW, I was dreaming.”. At one point, I had thought that all this a real dream until I realised that it was true, Ella had been taken! Running around in my room just like a headless-chicken I was really frightened until it came to me that my brothers last words were ‘beware of the undergrowth’.

It came to my mind that the undergrowth are the ghosts guarding the tree from the kind and letting the leaves on the ones who have a cold heart. Hurrying up to the tree I went to the very spot where the very people named on the website died. However, I never realised there was a test to pass. Although there was just one question (and that to the question being quite easy I quickly answered it).

As I slowly walked, there was a loud thud, which had made the ground make a little sound of pain. Running towards the core of the loud sound, I found Ella tied up with a misty rope. Fear took over me and without thinking, I noticed that I was at the exact spot where the ghost called death killed its victims. Hoping a leaf would not fall on me, I closed my eyes and wished. Though I unfortunately failed and I evaporated into thin air…

Within seconds I understood Deaths intelligence of luring me to be one of the victims. Abruptly, I found myself floating, I was a ghost!

“OH please, ghosts aren’t real and are never going to be”. James stammered. Who would believe in that. Though little did he know that he would be seeing the exact person at that exact place. Alas, the day arrived he then went with all his bravery to the Midview meadow and to his astonishment saw the last victim of the ghost Death. The next day back at school he started telling everyone about the disappearance and appearances of a ghost he had read, and he saw about. Though no one would ever believe him…

Title: The Stalker “Ring…” the bell rang. “Class dismissed!” Mrs. Ng said. “Amelia! Amelia! Wait for me, let’s walk home together.” Ari shouted. Amelia agreed and they walked home together. On their way home, “Creak…” Amelia turned behind and saw nothing but heard the wind blowing in the air. “BOOM!” When they heard the loud noise, they shouted and ran as fast as their legs could carry them. When they thought they were safe, Amelia stopped running and said, “What a relief! I could hear the loud boom just right beside my ears!” Ari panted and said, “Let’s just walk home and forget that just happened.” Amelia agreed and they continued walking home. Just when they were about to reach home, there was an unknown voice that whispered into Ari and Amelia’s ears. The voice said, “I’ll set you free when I get what I want.” Amelia shouted, “Reveal yourself!” So, the stalker revealed himself. He had spiky hair, tattoo all over his body, long claws as finger nails, a weird smile on his face and a scar on his eye. “My name is Klaus!” “Oh My Gosh!” Ari said it shockingly. Feeling afraid, Amelia whispered to Ari, “Let’s run away!” Ari nodded his head and they ran away. Before they could even move, Klaus use a metal pole and knocked them down. Klaus brought them to an abandoned house, tied their hands with ropes and taped their mouth with duct tape. When Amelia woke up, she mumbled, “Mmmm…. Mmmmm!” When Ari heard Amelia mumbling, she woke up. When Klaus saw Amelia and Ari woke up, he said, “Finally, you’re both awake. I’ve been waiting for an hour!” When he saw both of them were trying to talk, he removed the duct tape on their mouth. “Hey! What do you want?” Amelia shouted. Klaus said, “Money, obviously. Everyone wants money!” “Fine! Take it, release us and go!” Ari said. Klaus asked, “You sure?” “Yeah!” Ari replied. When Klaus was about to take the money, a siren sounded. Klaus shouted, “You called the police?” Amelia giggled and said, “Yeah, I called the police!” After hearing what Amelia had said, Klaus ran as fast as a cheetah. Ari asked Amelia, “Did you really called the police?” Amelia laughed and replied, “No, silly! That was my alarm! I am prepared for anything… Come on, let’s walk home!” s the saying goes, ‘Once bitten, twice shy’, Amelia taught Ari to be prepared for anything.

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I just can’t find any that grab my attention, they are good prompts but not the ones I’m looking for

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