Thriller Writing Prompts

Write a story about an eccentric scientist who wants to start using their lab partners as test subjects for an experimental and potentially lethal treatment.

Craft a monologue from a serial killer rationalizing their compulsion to murder.

Write a story about two characters who work together to survive the night.

These do not have to be human characters.

As the car door closed, he murmured, "This is getting too dangerous for both of us."

Write a story that could be titled 'Don't Walk Home Alone'

A quiet, unassuming librarian has an interesting and unhinged train of thought...

Write this character's internal monologue as they perform their normal, mundane jobs. How do their thoughts fit in around their actions and visible characteristics?

Write a story about a mad scientist.

The story can have any plot you like, but centre it around this character.

Your character wakes up at the same time everyday to the sound of someone calling our their name. As the days go on, the voice only gets louder.

Write a story about the voice, what it sounds like, and where it wants your character to go.

Your significant other frantically calls you. As the call continues, you notice the person on the other end of the line sounds just like them, but the way they speak is slightly off in such a way that it brings an unsettling feeling...

End a poem with the line:

'When does a man become a monster?'

As the darkness sank into her veins she felt the evil take her over…

Your phone receives an emergency alert about an incident in your neighbourhood, just as the power goes out...

Your protagonist receives an anonymous text saying "Do not go home tonight".

Continue the story from here...

"That's my goldfish!"

Write an action or thriller scene that contains this line.

Your protagonist is a guest at a dinner party where they feel extremely uncomfortable.

Try to subtly reveal the cause of their discomfort through dialogue, actions, and thoughts, instead of outright narrating it.