Are you searching for speculative fiction writing prompts to give you some inspiration for your book? Check out the 21 we’ve include below!
1. The Dream Market
In a society where dreams can be recorded, traded, and experienced by others, a black market for particularly intense or exotic dreams emerges. Explore the consequences of this trade on both individuals and society, especially among those who may not be willing to give their dreams up.
2. A Global Merger
Aliens make contact with Earth, but instead of hostile intentions, they propose a genetic merging of species to create entirely new beings that would draw on the particular strengths of both races. Write about the challenges and benefits of such a merging between humans and extraterrestrial species.
3. From Earth to Earth
Diplomatic relations are established between Earth and a parallel universe. Write about the challenges and misunderstandings that begin to arise during the first inter-dimensional peace talks, especially when they realize that core events in each history didn’t pan out the same way in each realm.
4. A Test of Time
A scientific experiment goes wrong, causing the consciousnesses of two individuals from different time periods to swap bodies. Explore how they adapt to their new lives and bodies while making sure that time itself stays stable until a cure can be found.
5. Earthbound
Earth develops a global neural network that grants the planet itself a form of consciousness. Write from the perspective of someone who can communicate directly with Earth and witnesses its reactions to human actions. How do they try to justify what humans are doing, and do they end up siding with humanity or the very planet itself?
6. Emotional Damage
In a world where magic is fueled by emotions, follow someone whose ability to control magic is dangerously linked to their emotional state, leading to unpredictable and often catastrophic outcomes. How do they keep themselves and others safe, while also making sure not to arouse suspicion from the authorities?
7. In Someone Else’s Shoes
A device is invented that allows people to experience others’ emotions. Explore the societal impact as people become more empathetic, but also face challenges in maintaining personal boundaries as they seek to constantly help others and live through them.
8. Poor Forgotten Souls
In a world where people can talk with the dead at will, many people seek advice and solace from their departed loved ones. But, what happens to those souls who remain forgotten in this society and end up never being called upon by the living?
9. Ctrl + Z
New technology gives people the ability to go back and redo the last 30 minutes of their lives. How does this start to impact people’s need for perfectionism and how do people stop themselves from living in the same moment for eternity?
10. A Knot in the Thread
Certain individuals possess the power to weave the stories of people’s lives into tangible tapestries. Explore the life of a weaver who discovers a dark secret hidden within the threads of one of the most influential people in the world.
11. The Many Versions of Me
A scientific experiment goes awry, causing parallel dimensions to bleed into one another. Write about a person who becomes haunted by versions of themselves from alternate realities, each one more disturbing than the last.
12. To Cast or Not to Cast?
In a world ruled by magic, a hidden library contains books filled with spells that were never cast. Write about a mage who discovers this library and grapples with the consequences of using these forgotten incantations and their own curiosity.
13. Power to the People
In a world where electricity as we know it was never invented, energy is harvested through physical activity. Humans power massive machines by using treadmills and exercise bikes to provide energy for the privileged few. Write about either one of the people powering the machines or someone who benefits from the energy they provide.
14. A Step Between Worlds
Certain individuals can step between different realms of existence. Explore the life of a realm walker tasked with maintaining the balance between the worlds and protecting them from multi-dimensional threats.
15. My Myth is Better than Your Myth
A strange celestial event causes mythical creatures from different cultures to materialize in the modern world. Explore the interactions and conflicts that arise as humanity adjusts to this new reality and the clash between myths and legends from different parts of the world.
16. Parallel Painting
An artist gains the ability to pull inspiration from parallel realities, resulting in masterpieces that capture moments that never happened in our world. What happens when these paintings start to mysteriously manifest into events in this reality?
17. An Unwelcome Guest
Entire cities have evolved to be living organisms, with buildings and infrastructure intertwined with natural elements that strike a symbiotic and protective relationship with their inhabitants. Explore the relationship between a traveler and a sentient city that seems inclined not to trust outsiders.
18. Eating the Past
Orchards that bear fruit imbued with vivid memories of the past are discovered. How are these orchards treated? Are they monetized by the rich or readily available to anyone? What happens when someone consumes a fruit that holds a particularly disturbing memory?
19. The Forest of Memories
In a forest where time is nonlinear, echoes of the past and future become tangible events among the trees. Follow the journey of a character who stumbles upon this place and grapples with the unsettling visions it presents about them and those that they hold dear.
20. Distant Voices
A strange phenomenon allows certain people to hear whispers from alternate dimensions. Follow a character who becomes obsessed with deciphering these messages and the unsettling truths they reveal, while still trying to convince others of their sanity.
21. The Twisting Fates Tavern
A mysterious tavern exists outside the constraints of time, serving as a meeting point for travelers from different eras. Detail the interactions and stories that unfold within its walls, as influential figures from history who should never be able to meet are able to share memories and experiences with each other.