Students Science Fiction Writing Prompts

Your protagonist walks into an antiques shop, and finds a mirror which shows their reflection twenty years from now.

You could focus on their reaction to this sight, on the story of the mirror, or even what they decide to do with this mirror now they know what it shows.

Crackle. Pond. Night.

Write a description of a person or creature inspired by these three words. You may be as fantastical or realistic as you like. The words may inspire the description, or be used within it.

Choose any book, and rewrite the blurb so that it appears to be a different genre.

Word choice and emphasis on different aspects of a story can transform perceptions of a book entirely. Bonus points if your readers can guess which book it is!

Write a poem about a messenger between two places.

This could be literal or figurative – what two places does this 'messenger' travel between?

Write the opening paragraphs of a story that is not set in this world.

Consider how you will let the reader know where this is set - be it overtly describing the setting, or sublty leaving clues that this world is unfamiliar.

Write a story about someone who works as a janitor for a company that hires superheroes.

Think about what kinds of messes might they be asked to clean up, or what they overhear as they do their job.

‘With the final flickering of the lights, I took a deep breath, knowing I had done everything I could to save us.’

Write a story that concludes with this line. Think which kind of storylines could logically lead to this finale.

Write about a typical day in a world where happiness has been outlawed.

Think about how and why this world would operate, and consider a character's daily life here.

Determined not to fall behind in college, your main character goes to the office hours of their eccentric professor. But they find something they did not expect…

Is this character intrigued? Afraid? Do they want to be a part of it, or is this the beginning of a conflict?

It had been a normal day, and that terrified her more than anything…

Continue this story. Why might a normal day for this character be such a horrifying prospect?

One day you cut yourself deeply, but instead of flesh and blood, you see wires.

Continue the story...

A new form of selecting a leader is proposed, and you are now eligible to run for President of the World.

Write about your journey. You may choose to make it humorous, or try to think about real things you would do in this very unlikely situation!