Mystery Writing Prompts

Write about the disappearance of a person that lives in a small town.

Craft a spooky story where the narrator is unknown to the reader.

You’ve stopped at a quaint town off the highway. But where are all the townspeople?

Surrealism is an art movement that utilizes imagery from the unconscious mind. Base a short story off of a dream you had but didn’t quite understand.

Using an abandoned building in your city, create a backstory for why it’s no longer occupied.

While walking past the local park at night, your character stumbles into a detective who thinks your character is the perfect suspect. Is the detective right or wrong?

The phone rings early one morning. The person on the other end says nothing but “You’ll be getting a letter in the mail today.” What happens next?

A professor of archaeology figures out an important artifact has suddenly gone missing. Who, or what, took it?

Take an unassuming story from today’s news and retell it as a mystery thriller.

Imagine a family member has disappeared. How did you contribute to their disappearance?

You and your family are taking a vacation to a fishing town. The keeper of the lighthouse, however, has some stories to tell you. What are they?

Take a superstition or spooky story from your country, and write about it actually happening to someone.

Write about a detective who has to figure out why they were hired.

Something is off about your new neighbors. What secrets are they hiding?

The lights go out at a museum gala. When they come back on, the most valuable piece has been stolen! Who took it?

Your character has awoken with amnesia. There is a strange key in their pocket. How do they figure out what the key is to?

Write about a character who survives an assassination attempt and must find out who tried to do them in.

Write a story where you try to solve your favorite unsolved murder.