13 Adventure Prompts: The Wandering Trader

When the movie, Aladdin, swept through the nation in 1992, everyone was greeted by the voice of a narrator. That narrator was a merchant, one that was quick to try to sell something, but also full of stories.

From that, we get to hear the entire story of Aladdin and the lamp.

There’s something romantic about touring the world and trading the whole way. You get to experience things on a much deeper level than you would otherwise. I know I’ve enjoyed peddling goods far and wide and I’ve learned a ton as I did so!

Today’s list of short prompts is meant to come from the various marketplaces of various lands and worlds. These prompts should work great for people that are writing in tons of different genres including fantasy, science fiction, romance, historical fiction, and several more.

I hope you all enjoy! As always, all prompts are free to use however you please.

1. You live on a small cargo ship that your family bought used years ago. You travel up and down the Pacific Rim exchanging goods far and wide with your family. One day, you find something mysterious in a container that you are transporting for someone…
2. Your lifelong goal has been to find long-lost art pieces from ancient civilizations. You chose to do so by travelling the globe as a merchant of sorts. As such, you live out of a small single-engine plane named Winston which has been on its last leg for easily five years. One day, you catch wind of the greatest missing art piece you’ve ever heard of–problem is, the person telling you the story is a drunk that stubled out on the runway where your plane is parked. Can you trust them?
3. You live alone in a spaceship that travels between planets on the outer rim of the Milky Way. It’s loney work, but it pays the bills. One day, you land on a planet just ahead of an alien invasion. Do you have the resources and know-how to stay alive and save the day? Do you make a run for it?
4. You’re an arms dealer on a desert planet where you never seem to have enough guns. Thanks to the hostile environmment, local animal life, and an impending war, more and mroe people are making requests for guns that you don’t have. There’s a rumor that there’s a crashed warship somewhere in the driest part of the desert, but you always thought it was just a rumor. However, current events are forcing you to reconsider things.
5. You’ve been travelling the country for several years now buying and selling odds and ends from the coast and various places inland. All the while, you’ve been hearing story upon story. One story seems to always come up no matter where you are. What’s the story? Do you pursue it?
6. You’re a paper salesperson. Not newspaper–literally just paper. Life isn’t supposed to be exciting for you, this is just a job you’re doing for the retirement. One day, you arrive at a prospective client’s home. After talking with them for a short while, you begin to think that they will be printing counterfiet money. What do you do?
7. “Have boat, will travel.” You chuckle as you look at the sign that you put up on your little skiff. It isn’t much of a ship, but it’s yours. You’ve been using it ever since your military days, where you sailed up and down rivers fighting an enemy you never hated. Thanks to larger shipping companies moving in, you’re looking for new merchant work. A woman dressed in clothes far too nice for the area approaches your boat moments after you put your sign up…
8. You’ve been running the family pawn shop in the Midwest for a few years now, ever since your dad got sick. One day, a team of FBI agents enter your store and start asking about a recent item that you took on. As it turns out, this item has a lot more of a story than the person you bought it from let on.
9. You own a big old bus that you’ve been using to shuttle farming supplies up and down what used to be some of the most fertile farming area in the world. Alas, a drought has struck and it’s been going on for a few years now, so your business dried up with the crops. Despite that, you’ve continued, doing your best to keep your small business alive. When a man hands you a stack of cash and gives you some simple instructions on where to take him and his suitcase somewhere, you leap at the opportunity. Problem is, you didn’t realize just what you were signing up for.
10. You’re part of a travelling caravan that transports spices, fabrics, and so many other things far and wide. You joined up because you saw that the caravan was doing well in market. After travelling over a month between markets, you’re begininning to wonder if joining them was worthwhile–then you find yourself face to face with–
11. You’re a messenger for a few of the shopkeepers in the small town you grew up in. You usually end up working in and around the market district of your town. One day, a newcomer gives you an offer that could very well change your life.
12. You’re a travelling watchmaker and you sell your watches and repair services to everyone and everything that you come across in your travels. One day, you enter an ancient city and the local residents tell you that your skills can be of use in an ancient temple. What do you do?
13. You’re a merchant… of sorts. The key difference is that you don’t build or buy what you sell. You see, you’re a pirate of sorts. You see yourself as a Robin Hood figure, you steal from the government and redistribute the tax moneies and whatnot to the people. Alas, the government doesn’t see your work as a charitable activity. One day, the government’s people catch you as you’re selling some of your stolen goods at market.

The Preppers Were Right… – 13 End of the…

I’m beginning to realize that more and more people that I know are preppers as time goes on.

And with every headline, I can see what they’re prepping for.

Now, I’ve got a lot more to say on this, but you’re not here to see me talk, you’re here for some story prompts! So, here they are! (And they’re free to use however you want.)

1. The US dollar collapses and its collapse causes the remaining fiat currencies to fail in rapid succession. Suddenly your parent’s lessons about the importance of keeping gold and silver on hand might just save your life. How do you navigate the post-dollar world?
2. The economy collapses due to a trade war that escalated into a hot war that has been dragging on for several years now. Both nations have opted to simply avoid one another, but peace has not been made. You, a lifelong prepper, are able to capitalize on the colapsing economy.
3. Famine sweeps across the world as a superbug that feeds upon genetically modified and non-GMO crops alike. The primary breadbaskets (food grwoing areas) of the world have been decimated. You, a prepper, have been stockpiling seeds and food for years, can you keep your family alive with what you’ve got on hand?
4. Your great-great grandfather fought in WWI and he kept the gas mask that he used during the war, in time, the mask ended up in your hands. Inspired to start collecting things like it, your friends begin calling you a prepper. You simply liked the idea of being ready for anything. When a widespread gas attack on your city starts, all eyes turn to you to save as many people as possible with everything you’ve got.
5. A prepper at heart, you’ve always kept scraps of electronics and other things that you’ve salvaged from things before you throw them out. One day, the industries of the world collapse. That was years ago. Now, you’re the only person who’s got any machinery that runs, and it’s all thanks to your horde. Some baddies find out about your secret stash and they threaten to attack, now what do you do?
6. Always a skeptic, you’ve been stockpiling gold, silver, and other precious metals for years. One day, an EMP attack knocks out the nation’s power. One thing leads to another and the whole world is without power. Now you’re one of the few people where you live who has real money, a few of your neighbors are trying to make you a king of sorts to save your city.
7. A massive heat wave burns all the crops worldwide and there’s a food shortage. Because of the shortage, riots start and the dwindling food supplies (and seed) are burned to the ground. You’ve been keeping some seed for years as part of your prepper stash, now it seems you’re destined to eat nothing but string beans, barley, and some funky looking corn for the rest of your life.
8. Your family has a lakeside cabin deep in the woods, you’ve been stockpiling random survival gear there for years just because it felt like the right thing to do. When the world begins to end, you reach out to your extended family and try to get as many people as possible to the cabin to ride out the apocalypse. Will you survive it?
9. The government has become way too overbearing and they are threatening to start putting in limits to how much food, water, supplies, and (most importantly) weapons. You decide to beat them to the punch and you start amassing a stockpile that you start hiding inside of your home. When the government goes full on totalitarian and start lockdowns and restrictions, you can’t help but consider what you are going to do now.
10. Supply shortages worldwide following threats from China cause prices for everything to spike. Some things get a lot costlier than others, and people start getting violent. You saw it coming, and you stocked up on a couple of the goods ahead of time. What do you do now?
11. You were told that a viral outbreak wasn’t anything to worry about, but you know better. You know there is no one you can trust, especially in government. As such, you began preparing for a major outbreak. When the outbreak reaches your home, you’re the only one who is ready for what it brings with it.
12. You can’t help but wonder why the local governor is putting up walls around their home and the local capital buildings, but you’re not someone who just sits around and wonders, you’re a person of action. Seeing them build up walls, you start doing the same–you get supplies too. When something that feels like one of the ten plagues hits your hometown, you’re thankful taht you acted first.
13. Being a prepper, you’ve taken it upon yourself to know a little bit about everything, that way you can get along fine if everything went bad. When famine and diesease break out worldwide, your skills are put to the test.

Night Watch – 24 Military Prompts for the Frontlines

All of my books (at least so far) revolve around wars, rumors of wars, and the aftermath of a war. But I write science fiction and that genre is fraught with fighting.

But sometimes I run low on ideas of just what I should have in my books. There are so many things that can happen on a battlefield or even behind friendly lines, but those can be hard to come up with on the spot. To help other authors (and possibly my future self), I’ve compiled a list of story prompts/scene prompts for books that have some action on the frontlines of a war!

Here’s your list of story ideas!

1. The sky is falling. Or, at least you with it was. What is actually falling is a torrent of missiles and mortars like you’ve never seen. You haven’t left your bunker for a week and a half. You’re certain that the enemy is going to stop shelling you eventually–they couldn’t possibly continue on like this.
2. You’re protecting some ancient ruin in the desert of some country you didn’t know existed until recently. Terrorists are going around destroying old buildings in order to cleanse history to their liking. You’ve been informed that the terrorist’s next target is the sad pile of stones you’re protecting.
3. You’re hunched in a shallow ditch that took you easily an hour to dig. You would have dug deeper, but the roots of all the trees were too much to cut through. Rather than dig in too far, most of the people in your platoon opted to hide behind trees. The sound of tanks and aircraft overhead echo through the dense tree canopy. The briefing you received said that this was going to be the largest-scale fight of the war.
4. Having fought your way to the city center, you’ve been tasked with keeping in. You were told up front that this mission was a simple smash and grab and that you’d be out before the hostiles knew what hit them. Instead, the target you were supposed to capture is locked away in a panic room and some of your people are trying to get in. The sun is now rising and you can hear the sounds of enemy armored vehicles nearing your position.
5. You’ve never considered yourself an avid pilot, you simply thought you were good enough to get by. Knowing you weren’t the best, you prayed every day that you wouldn’t have to see combat. Your prayers were not answered. You’re now in the first wave of fighters going over the enemy’s mainland in a daredevil charge that’s supposed to give the enemy’s morale a black eye,
6. The horizon is as red as a sunrise before bad weather. Problem is, it’s nighttime. That red in the distance is a city that’s burning. It’s the city that you were supposed to defend. Now you’re retreating with the remaining members of the force assigned to hold the city. You’re cut off from your escape route and you’re retreating further into enemy territory hoping–praying–that they won’t notice you and that you might find a way back to friendly lines.
7. You were assigned one of the most peaceful posts on the front–a flower farm. The countryside looked like it hadn’t ever seen war. As you relish in the simplicity of your task, your eyes lock on to a line of black armored vehicles heading your way. They’re not friendlies.
8. Armed with a heavy machine gun and enough ammo to win a zombie apocalypse, you always thought you were safe. Then the rioting started around the embassy you are guarding. They’re burning your flag and effigies of you and everyone else in the compound. The gates are holding for now, but you aren’t sure how much longer they’ve got. The nearest chopper is fifteen minutes out and there’s only enough room for ten people per trip. There are one hundred and eighteen people in the embassy that need evacuated.
9. You always heard of home field advantage, but you never thought it applied to war. Having waged a guerilla war for the last eight months, you realize that there’s no better advantage than knowing the land that you’re fighting for. Today, you’re going to take advantage of the abandoned tunnels beneath your city in order to strike at the beating heart of the occupying enemy force.
10. You are a soldier who is getting ready to hit the hay after a long day of patrolling the desolate hills around the forward air strip you’ve called home for the last month. Just before you step into your barracks, an explosion goes off along the outer wire. Your base it under attack.
11. You are riding on top of an armored vehicle that is following a column of refugees. Three other trucks are heading up the front and you’re the only one at the rear. The trucks in front are suddenly consumed in a massive explosion that knows you off the truck you were on. A moment later, your truck explodes as well. Then the gunfire starts in earnest. Struggling to your feet, you have one thing on your mind: Protect the refugees.
12. Your commander knew it months in advance, somehow. He knew that the enemy would choose this mountain pass as their way toward the heart of your homeland. Luckily, you dug in deep and you’ve got the weapons to hold them off. Maybe. As a line of tanks and helicopters begin advancing, you can’t help but feel as scared as you were excited. This moment could just decide the war.
13. You walk aimlessly through the woods around a factory that you were told was important. You weren’t so sure, but you knew your job. So did everyone on your team. Wandering off the path you usually took, you begin poking around in the brush for no particular reason as your patrol files past you. Then there’s an explosion. Turning, you see that one of your people stepped on a landmine. There hadn’t been a mine there the day before. Seconds later, the shooting starts.
14. “I need an air strike!” your commander shouts into the radio of the fallen radio specialist. You watch the man as the news comes through that there aren’t any birds to spare. It seems that you will have to fight your way out of this one, even though you are certain that you are severely outnumbered. Hopefully you can hold out long enough for reinforcements to arrive.
15. You have lived in the same fort for a month and have heard fighting throughout every day and night. But that fight never came all the way to you. Not until today, at least. Now every gun that you had is firing, one guy is even using the flare guns to shoot at hostiles. You’re running low on ammo and there’s no end in sight of the horde of soldiers coming straight for you.
16. You were tasked with protecting a computer lab full of tech whizzes who do stuff that you can’t even begin to pretend you understand. Problem is, this lab has to be inside of hostile territory because the computer work needs to be done as close to the target as possible. If the techies do something wrong, the hostiles will find out and be able to find you. There’s no good way out if that happens.
17. You are on point and you are leading a small team into the cave network that a terrorist group dug into the mountainside that they’ve been operating out of for some time now. You’ve been warned that there are more traps in these caves then there are grains of sand in the desert. So, you’re understandably scared.
18. You are in the wreck of a helicopter that was just shot down over an enemy city. Only three people survived the crash. If you don’t get out right now, there’s a good chance you’ll never leave the country.
19. You and a small team of newbie soldiers have been sent on a mission several miles behind enemy lines. You’ve been tasked with destroying a coal-burning power plant. You’ve got three mags to each person and your packs are full of the demolitions you’ll need to blow the plant. What could possible go wrong?
20. You are digging a foxhole on a small hill that overlooks the main harbor of the country your nation is about to invade. You are supposed to remain undetected and feed your people intel as you simultaneously set explosives that will detonate when the rest of your nation’s might invades. If all goes according to plan, they’ll be taking the harbor you’re watching first.
21. You are in the middle of destroying some railroads and powerlines in the middle of the night in order to disrupt your enemy’s supply chain. The lynchpin to the whole war machine that your enemy has thrived off of is the town that you’re about to cut power and rail access to. If you’re lucky, the mission will go off without a hitch. Are you someone who’s lucky?
22. You are in a foreign land that has been plagued with war for decades. Today, you are poking around in a busy marketplace looking for a person of interest that your commander wants to question. There are tons of people and tons of places to stage an ambush. What could possibly go wrong?
23. The waves crash over the bow of the landing craft that you are in. Overhead, tracers fly like shooting stars. You’re invading a country and you’re in the second wave. You heard rumors that everyone in the first wave is already dead.
24. You’re in hot pursuit of a team of gunmen who just drove by your armored convoy and opened fire. While a few of your people were hit, no one is dead, but you aren’t too happy that someone would pull a stunt like this. What happens as you corner these gunmen?

Running with the Gangs – 19 Crime Story Prompts

No matter what side of the line you’re on, if you’ve got gangs in your books (or if you’d like to), then sometimes you need story prompts. You might need ideas for what the gang might try to smuggle, steal, or coerce people into doing.

All the prompts I’ve got on this list are geared toward books that are written from the gangster’s POV, but those should be pretty easy to spin around to serve you as a crime fighter!

All the prompts below are free to use however you please (except for using them to commit actual crimes), and, as always, I’d love to see those stories on Inklings Fiction!

1. Your gang is planning on breaking into a local art museum. You know most of the stuff is trash, but there are three items that are being stored there for another museum. You and your team are about to “liberate” them of these goods.
2. You’re planning a hit on a local gold mine. More specifically, you’re going to hit their shipment as they go to deliver their raw ore to their refiner. The shippers are well-armed, but you’ve got the manpower and guns that this shouldn’t be an issue.
3. You’re a smuggler and you pride yourself in doing it the old-fashioned way. You own your own freighter and you’ve built smuggler hatches all over. You’re smart enough to avoid taking your contraband into port, you dump it overboard and leave a small GPS buoy that floats just beneath the waves and you’ll fetch it once you’ve been ashore a few days. You’ve got the perfect operation.
4. You’re smuggling gold bars out of the country for the political elite who are doing their best to sneak out their illicit gains to their “life raft” estate in another country. You’re smuggling this gold inside of fishing weights of all things.
5. Having just disposed of the body of someone your boss just killed, you get stopped by the police. You’ve got dirt all over you and you’ve got the shovel in the trunk. You’ve also got a gun at your side.
6. You run a small gang and you smuggle goods across the US. You use trains to do so. You tag (spray paint) the train cars that you’ve hidden the goods you are smuggling on so your people on the other side of the US know where to look.
7. No one ever expects an old woman to be a killer. That’s a fact you capitalize upon. You’re only 40, but because of a hard life and a few accidents, you look 60. You’ve got a success rate of 85% on your hits. Your primary method of killing is poisons, but you branch out every now and then. Today, you’ve been tasked with killing a businessman who sells cheese of all things. You don’t ask questions though. You’ve decided to kill him at his adult daughter’s birthday party at a local restaurant, you’ve got just the poison to slip into his drink as you pretend to ask him where the bathrooms are.
8. You run a small-time gang in the Western US where you steal plants and critters that are endangered or rare to resell on the black market. You usually hit national parks and you dress up like parkland workers to elude suspicion. One day, you get caught transporting a large truckload of those stolen goods and the officers seem to know a lot more than they’re letting on.
9. You work with a team of criminals who see themselves as artists. Why? Because they made an art of crime. They’re known for impersonating millionaires and politicians and then draining those individual’s bank accounts. They go the whole way, same outfits, perfect masks, same perfumes, same mannerisms and walks. Today, you’re going to drain the biggest account of the biggest target you’ve ever hit.
10. You sneak out of town every night and gather your crew to work an abandoned mine that the government sealed off. You’re mining illegally and you deal with some shady folk in order to sell your ore. But you aren’t dumb, you’ve got enough firepower to start a small war.
11. You’re smuggling drugs, cocaine, to be exact. You’ve tried other drugs, but nothing sells like coke. You’ve recently found a way to make paper with the cocaine inside it and you separate the two once you make the delivery.
12. You’re running a simple operation where people hire hitmen. Most of the time the targets are taken out for 500 to 5000 dollars. One day, you’re hired to knock the governor’s wife for several times more than that. You have strong reason to believe he’s the one who called the hit. Do you go through with it or do you cash in and blackmail him about it?
13. You’re a cow thief and you work a large swath of the Western US. People just leave their cows waiting for you, it seems. Every night, you find a hapless rancher and you load up a few truckloads of his cattle every time you find a herd that doesn’t have any hands nearby. But that isn’t to say you wouldn’t take on a few people if there were enough heads to be had.
14. You never thought you’d do it, but you’ve begun working for the gangs. You ended up getting forced to do so when they threatened to rat you out to the police for what you do for a living. You forge the artwork of mid-level famous artists, the ones people don’t hire the best to check out and confirm the legitimacy of pieces of. Problem is, the gang is now telling you to imitate Picasso and you’re not sure if you can deliver.
15. You run a nice scheme where you have a retirement home for the elderly. Problem is, 90% of your “residents” are either dead or fictional. You’re simply cashing in on all of their Social Security checks and pensions. One day, a new resident comes in and you discover that he’s a retired detective.
16. You’re an art smuggler and you’ve found the perfect way to smuggle stolen paintings. You paint over them with a paint that’s easy to remove once you get to where you need to go.
17. You’ve trained pigeons, among quite a few other avians and rodents, to smuggle goods for you across the border. You’ve never smuggled drugs, you think you’re too good for that. Instead, you smuggle messages for various government agencies who are somehow unable to get those same messages out themselves.
18. You’ve been preparing for this moment for the last three years. You’ve done everything right. You’ve got the perfect setup. You are about to rob a famous art museum for every single art piece that they’ve got. What’s your plan? You’re the contractor who is supposed to be retrofitting their security systems. You’re doing it with a company that you set up three years back and have been hoping for an opportunity just like this.
19. You have a group of kids working for you hacking various companies and government agencies. You have some ransomware and you occasionally branch out and do other things too to flaunt your power. You keep control of the kids by threatening their families. You’ve recently allied yourself with a group of gunmen who want to rob a gold bank. Your job is to knock out the security of the bank and all the surrounding buildings.

Story Prompts: 15 Crime Thriller Story Ideas with Law…

Got writer’s block? Maybe you just need some help getting a story started. Either ay, here’s a list of some prompts for crime thrillers!

Admittedly, some of these prompts got me excited and a lot of them ended up being a bit longer than usual as a result of that. I hope you enjoy them!

These prompts are free to use however you please, but I’d love to see you put your story up on InklingsFiction.com! 🙂

1. You work with the local sheriff and you live a few miles out from Chicago. One day, you’re making a routine traffic stop and things escalate quickly. After a brief firefight, you kill all the criminals and then open up the back of the box truck. Inside it, there’s a bomb. If your brief training on explosives is correct, it looks like the bomb is big enough to level Chicago.
2. You’re a detective and you’ve spent your whole life fighting crime–drug smuggling in particular. Problem is, you’ve developed a bit of a taste for the stuff yourself. One day, you hit the biggest drug dealer in your state’s house and he’s not home. Looking around, you realize you hit the jackpot. You steal all you can and leave. Hours later, you get a call. It’s the drug dealer. He has a proposal.
3. You’re a border patrol officer and you’re cruising along the border fence in a beat-up pickup. You’re starting with your partner and you are talking about what you’ll d when you get home. Then your truck comes under fire and your partner is killed. If you’re not mistaken, there is a small army storming across the border and coming straight for you.
4. You’re a police officer in Texas and you spend most of your time at the local ports making sure that the local port authority stays on the up and up. One day, your suspicions that someone is smuggling are proven correct, but that same person has connections that quickly turn everyone against you. You’ve been framed. Can you prove your innocence?
5. You’re a cop in the industrial sector of your city. It’s run down, but it’s home. You know most of the people, the employees, the owners, the shippers. Everyone. One day, a group of people you don’t recognize set up shop and you decide to poke around. Turns out, they’re drug smugglers and they seem to have a human trafficking ring going on too. You’re not sure if you have time to call in backup.
6. You’re a sheriff and you’re following a grumpy old farmer into his orchard. The man tells you that someone is killing his trees. You’re doubtful, but it’s slow and you’re bored. Then you fall through the ground and find yourself in a smugglers’ tunnel. Now what?
7. You’re a police officer and your partner just shot an unarmed man. Then they shot a few more. Then they shot another police officer. You lost your radio in the firefight, so you race to your cruiser to call for help and report things. When you get there, you find out that your partner set you up. Worse yet, the crimes you’ve been accused of have warranted the FBI’s intervention.
8. You’re on your usual patrol one night when you hear gunshots. You race toward where you heard them, but you can’t pinpoint exactly where they came from. You spend the whole night searching for the source of the gunfire. The next morning, you’re called in. There was a murder, the bodies were found in the river. Problem is, there’s little evidence of what happened and no one knows where the people were killed. Can you prove you know it?
9. You’re called out to look into a power outage that hit the whole city. Since you grew up here, you know that the power station is up on the hill north of the city. Driving up there, you see signs of quite the fight. Before long, you find the bodies of a few of the electric company workers. You try radioing back in, but then you feel cool steel against your neck. “Get out,” a man hisses behind you. It seems you found the shooter–or they found you.
10. The President has been shot. You’re unfortunate enough to be one of the officers on duty when it happened. You feel responsible, you’re sure that you could have done something to stop it. And then a man catches your eye and he’s running away. Following your instincts, you give chase. Before long, you find that there’s a lot more to this assassination than you initially thought.
11. You arrest the local Attorney General on counts of widespread fraud. To be honest, you readily volunteered for the opportunity to be the arresting officer because you hated the woman. You knew she was corrupt. As you bring her in, several larger trucks cut you off and another slams into your cruiser. They pull out the Attorney General and shoot you once for good measure. You see the Attorney General follow them willingly. You realize that she likely orchestrated this, which just fuels your rage. Your chief tells you to back down, but you’re not about to. You’re going out for blood now.
12. You’re the police chief of a small precinct in a small town. One day, you overhear a lead from one of your detectives that the man who killed your partner, years ago, is back in town. You’re not supposed to be leading raids, but no one can stop you today. When things go sideways, you realize there was a reason for the rule that would have kept you out of this,
13. You’re a police officer and you watch as a group of terrorists line up and shoot dozens of civilians. They look at you between each and every shot and laugh. You squirm and try to free yourself from the grip of several of their men. You can’t believe this is happening, but you’re thankful that they’re probably going to kill you too, once this is all done. Once they finish, one of them hits you on the back of the head and your world goes dark. Hours later, you wake up. They left you alive. Looking at the dead bodies, you’re filled with the desire to hunt every one of those terrorists down and leave them in the same condition that they left those civilians.
14. You work with the Witness Protection Program. You’ve housed and cared for dozens of people over the years and have gotten quite good at your job. You’re one of the few people you know who haven’t lost anyone. One day, you wake up to the sound of doors slamming and you see that a large group of heavily armed people are outside. You know what this means. Grabbing the person you’re to protect, you dash out the back door before the gang can circle the house. You’re on the run now. You have one week until the trial.
15. You’re a lifelong detective and have put hundreds of criminals behind bars. You’re good at your job and you’re even better at making sure that none of those people can find you when they get out. One day, you get home to find one of the most dangerous criminals you ever put away in your home. Before you can react, someone puts a bag over your head and ties your wrists together.

23 Science Fiction Prompts

Here’s a list of free to use sci-fi prompts that might get your author brain working again!

1. Low on food, shelter, cash, and patience, you stumble across something that might just change everything for you. It’s a piece of ancient alien tech and it was just unearthed by an earthquake outside of the megacity you live in.
2. You’re one of the first colonists off your spaceship and you examine the plot that is to be your new colony. You were told that there were no other life forms on the planet. When a missile flies from who knows where and destroys your ship, you realize that those reports were false. Can you survive long enough for help to arrive?
3. You live on a floating city of one of the many water worlds out there in the galaxy. One day, you get some readings from a computer you built that warn of a natural disaster. No one else knows about it. Can you save your city?
4. You are a delivery boy for a crime lord. He owns your life. One day, you see something you shouldn’t have and this changes everything for you. You now know that you can’t keep on like this. You resolve that you have to get away no matter what.
5. Years ago, somebody built a network of shields or space cannons that are supposed to serve as a defense for your homeworld. Problem is, no one kept track of how to use the machines and no one maintained them. One day, a threat arises (catastrophic meteor, alien invaders, anything from space, really). You’re convicned that you can get the space defenses working again. Will you succeed in time though?
6. You are a colonist on a new planet so far from home that it would take a lifetime just to get a message back to Earth. The planet you’re on is supposed to be a “life raft” for humanity. One day, a string of brutal murders begins and you can’t help but wonder if your “life raft” was a coffin.
7. You’re from a small village of tech-adverse people who like living a simple life. One day, the empire that your people fled arrives to reclaim you as their subjects and they do so with their vast armada of starships. Most of the people in your village have never seen a spaceship. Now what?
8. You grew up in a small town under what you were told was an acient ruin. One day, some explorers arrive in a spaceship and you learn that those “ruins” are actually something quite more technologically advanced. You join the explorers as they enter the ruins you were always told to avoid.
9. You wake up to discover that you’re on a spaceship, a massive spaceship. Problem is, you don’t remember how you got there. You don’t remember anything, in fact. What’s worse is that you can’t seem to find another soul on the ship. What do you do? Do you end up finding others? Do they find you?
10. You were born into a life of luxury and you never saw an issue with it. You were raised to take over a massive company from your parents and you knew that this was going to be an all-consuming task. Businesses don’t run themselves, after all. Knowing that your time to take over was coming soon, you decide to tour the galaxy one last time before you waste away in the office your parents built. But then you’re kidnapped on that journey. Maybe you’re enslaved. Maybe you’re conscripted to join in a war for your captors. Maybe you find true love.
11. Certain types of technology have been banned and you run a black market of sorts that ensures that these technologies remain available. One day, a government raid leads to your capture. Rather than go to jail, you find yourself on the receiving end of a compelling job offer. The government needs your skills.
12. You awaken from cryosleep to the colony ship that you were assigned to protect. According to your ship’s computer, your ship is about a thousand years behind schedule. Oh, it’s also under attack.
13. You’re a fighter pilot and your fighter is shot down over a planet that no one had ever been stupid enough to colonize. Everyone knew that there were beasts here that could kill a man without even trying. Thanks to your luck, it seems you might be spending a few weeks here.
14. You are at work in an unassuming office tower. You’re the secretary for some business hotshot who mostly hired you for the position so you could be a bodyguard for them. You are a war-hardened soldier. You’re preparing to follow your boss to lunch when an alien spacecraft zips overhead and begins opening fire on the building you just left. Your planet is at war.
15. You awaken in a cryopod that is the sole thing in the penthouse that overlooks the massive city you are in. You walk to the window and watch the skyline for several moments before it hits you: There’s no one around and the city appears to be abandoned. Where did everyone go and why did they not wake you up?
16. You were told that there was no such thing as aliens. That mankind was alone in the universe. That’s the only reason why you signed on to this mission to set up a colony on this cold planet. One day, something crashes not far from your colony. You quickly learn that it’s alien and that they’ve got their eyes on your planet.
17. You live in a colony that has just been slated to expand. You’ve done your job and you’ve terraformed the planet. As you dig to build a landing pad for the next wave of colonists, your shovel his something hard. Digging it up, you find yourself staring at an alien artifact. What does it do? What do you do with it?
18. Your homeworld has been at peace for generations until they suddenly declare war on their closest ally one day You’re thrown into the fray. No one you talk to knows why the war started, but you’re convinced that you have to find out no matter the cost.
19. You’ve saved your whole life to buy a ticket to a better life. You fly to the planet you were sure would bring your brighter future and learn that this future is very much impossible here. Rather than prosper, as you had been told, you are about to struggle every second to stay alive.
20. You are a researcher and you write reports on societies far and wide. You’re the only person brave enough (or stupid enough) to write about some of the alien societies out there. As you’re working, you find out that the people you are studying have just been threatened with war by another alien empire you’ve never heard of.
21. You fled the confines of your colony years ago and set up a homestead of your own. You were certain that the way things were going would end up getting everyone killed. One day, a group of refugees find their way to your home and share with you just how right you were. Problem is, the problems they fled might be bearing down on you now.
22. Everything you knew and loved was just destroyed by a force of aliens. You’re certain that you’re about to die as their ships begin landing near where you and several others are hiding. Then the invaders walk up to you and your friends and request you join them. What do you do?
23. You’re a miner in space. When you grew up, you were sure this was the coolest job anyone could get. Now you’re not so certain. One day, you’re mining an asteroid and the mothership you called home for the last decade is attacked. You’re stuck on this asteroid with lots of gear and supplies, but no way back to civilization. What now?

Story Prompts: 15 Alternate History Story Ideas

Alternate history stories can be super popular, and you’ve got plenty of options to go off of, if you’re feeling like writing in this genre.

What makes a book alternate history?

Well, before we dive in, let me warn you and say that alternate history is a very different thing that historical fiction. While both are based in fact, alternate history takes a lot more liberties. From this speculative genre, you get genres like steampunk, dieselpunk, and atompunk.

But, those aren’t the only prerequisites of alternate history, the main difference that makes something alternate history is that one (or maybe multiple) key differences are made between what actually happened, and what could have happened.

So, here’s a list of alternate history prompts to get you writing!

1. The Crusades never ended. To this day, there’s a constant struggle between Christian Europe and the Islamic Middle East. You’re a knight, and you’ve got one job: Defend Jerusalem. Problem is, there are a thousand of you and at least twenty thousand Muslims. You can’t help but wish that you were defending Constantinople, you would have stood a chance there.
2. The “Great Recession” wasn’t cut short by government money printing. It snowballed into an event worse than the Great Depression. That’s right, we’re in for a real doozy.
3. Cuba never went Communist, nor did any other nation. The Cold War never happened as a result. Where would we be today?
4. Nikola Tesla, the famed inventor, never had the government, nor anyone else, prevent his many inventions from getting to market. Many of these inventions we don’t know today because of the government, as such, you’ve got some great leeway to attribute some awesome tech to him!
5. We never discovered the power of fossil fuels, so the world is still disconnected, people are still riding on horseback, whales are still being hunted to make oil, and more wood is being burned daily than could ever be grown in an attempt to keep people warm through the winters. You’re someone who pushes the limits, and you’re sure that there’s a better way.
6. We never harnessed electricity. You’re in the American West and there’s no telegraph to warn the East Coast about an invasion from the West Coast. As such, you’re on your own, at least until your messenger reaches somebody who can send in the calvary.
7. The Roman Empire never fell. One day, somebody happens across the Americas and now it’s Rome who has to navigate what ensues. Is there mass colonization? War? Do they ignore it and pretend there is no land across the vast ocean?
8. World War One never started because the European powers of the day figured out that it was in their best interest to defend their allies from would-be assassins. Despite this, Japan still invades China. What would a unified Europe do against Imperial Japan as they tore across China?
9. The American Civil War never ended. In fact, it only got worse. Abraham Lincoln, along with many Union upper brass, are assassinated, ruining any chance of a swift victory after Gettysburg. Over a hundred years have passed, and there are still constant skirmishes along the border. One day, you’re conscripted to defend the border from the Democrat Southern Confederacy.
10. The US Never nuked Japan and World War Two never ended because of this. Instead, Japan remains, as does its holdings, primarily in China, is separate from the world. One day, they launch several new fleets of ships and aircraft carriers. They aren’t about to make the same mistakes as they did at the outset of the war.
11. The Western Church never turned its back on those in the East and they showed up in force to defend Constantinople from the Ottomans in 1453. The war that ensures after the failed Ottoman siege spills more blood than any other war prior to or after it.
12. The Wright Brothers never invented an aircraft, but Hitler still rose to power. How would World War Two have gone if there were no planes? As a soldier on the front lines, you’re about to find out.
13. Christianity never became the official religion of Rome. To this day, Christians are persecuted and martyred worldwide by the powers that be. Only a handful of nations declare themselves as Christians, and they’re constantly at war to remain.
14. The US never made it to the moon. Nor did the Russians. In fact, the Space Race is still ongoing, but both nations bankrupted themselves in their efforts to win early on. Now their space programs are forging ahead with a minuscule fraction of the funding. You’re a spy in the Russian space program and you just found out a secret that might just get the US to the moon all these years later.
15. Rockefeller, Carnegie, and JP Morgan never achieved widespread success. The oil, money, and rail that connected and built the US never happened, at least not at the scale that we know today. You’re a poor kid who works on a small railroad in Texas and you’ve got a plan to succeed everywhere that Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Morgan failed all those years before.

Story Prompt: 15 Action Story Ideas

Action!

Love a good action movie with lots of shooting, lots of fast cars, and lost of high stakes? Odds are that if you’re looking at this list of prompts, then that’s the case! Before we go on, this list of prompts mostly involves shoot-’em-up storylines.

This list of story prompts can be used to get your mind out of creative deadlock. Maybe you’re just starting your first story. Maybe you’re stuck on an idea for your third. Maybe you’re halfway through a book and got stuck. Whatever boat you’re in, you can use these prompts however you so please! But, I will admit that I’d love for you to share that story here on InklingsFiction.com!

Here’s a video where I walk through a few of these prompts!

Here’s the best action story prompts that I’ve got:

1. You’re on a team of ex-Seal Team 6 soldiers. You’ve never seen action, you’re the computer guy. You and your team are working to bring in a major human trafficking ring.
2. You’re a spy for a nation whose government has collapsed. Everything that was once at your disposal is now gone. Do you try to return home? Do you make a new life for yourself? Can you survive the attempts on your life from the enemies you’ve made over the years?
3. You’re the bodyguard to someone who told you that they were a low-level celebrity. You were stupid enough to believe them. Then an army of at least a hundred people strike on your watch. Can you hold them off? If not, then can you save your client?
4. Your nation has fallen into a civil war thanks to widespread fraud, bribery, and government overreach. The people have had enough. You, unfortunately, are well known as a government agent. Do you join the rebels despite their hatred of you? Do you fight for the government, even though you’re sure they’re about to lose?
5. You’re on an oil tanker, this has been your job for years. One day, several small skiffs full of armed climate activists board you. They’re on edge, they’ve already killed two of your crew. Now what?
6. You go to Thailand to celebrate your honeymoon. As you’re there, war breaks out, more specifically, China declares war on the West. The Chinese invade Thailand in a bid to secure their border. Very few people speak English, you know your life is now on the line. It looks like you might have to fight your way out of this one.
7. You’re in Hawai’i just outside of Pearl Harbor. You’ve visited the memorial many times and can’t help but leave feeling more patriotic and more sober every time. One day, you wake up to the sound of air raid sirens. Looking out your window, you realize that Pearl Harbor is under attack once again…
8. You’re on a humanitarian mission in Iraq, the people are lovely, everything seems a lot better than the last time you were here. The last time you were here, you were a Marine. Now you’re just providing security for a group of do-gooders. Suddenly, you sense that something is wrong, you’ve seen action, so you know the feeling well. Spinning on your heels, you look eastward. As far as the eye can see, missiles are inbound from Iran. It seems World War Three may be about to start. By the looks of it, you’re not going to survive the first salvo.
9. You are an ex-CIA agent who quit before you got too far in. You had a friend in the agency who was in a lot deeper than you and he’s dead now. You know the CIA killed him. Now you’re pumping gas. Life is simple. At least until the friend you thought was dead drives up…
10. You’re on a US carrier that’s navigating through the Strait of Taiwan. Everyone is at their battle stations and you’ve got birds (fighters) in the air. The whole carrier strike force is closely hugging the carrier. As soon as you loosen up and think it’s over, you spot the telltale sign of a handful of torpedoes heading straight toward you.
11. You’re an investigative journalist. Have been ever since you got back stateside after your time in Navy intelligence. Your latest piece got you death threats, you’re fairly certain that the people who wrote these letters mean it.
12. You’re camping with a large group of friends in southern Arizona near the border. Last night, you and your friends were joking around and making bets on who was courageous enough to cross the border. That next morning, dozens of trucks and at least a hundred people storm the border heading straight for you. They’re with the drug cartel. Their mission is to kill everyone they can to show the US government that the war on drugs was about to get a lot more serious.
13. You’ve spent your whole life trying to get to this moment–you’re finally going to meet the president. Problem is, it seems you’re going to have to kill him. It’s amazing what time does to your ideals, rather than look up to the position, you’re about to take the man in the seat down.
14. You’re a security guard at a factory overseas. You were hired because you’re good with guns and had a short stint in the Army before you were kicked out. Now you’re here. The job is easy enough, nice, and mind-numbing. Well, it used to be… now the factory is under attack.
15. You were dispatched alongside at least forty other Marines last night to some country in Africa. You all parachuted in out of a Hercules and were fortunate enough to get a few pallets of gear dropped with you. Your mission is to end the genocide that has just begun. Problem is, your translator is late and you’re not sure if they’re going to come at all.

Story Prompt: 11 Romance Story Ideas

Oh, love stories.

This is a genre that’s fraught with inappropriate tales that more or less forced the hands of tons of Christian romantics to begin writing clean and Christian romance stories. These people, as I see it, are doing the Lord’s work. You guys are some of the biggest go-getters out there, and I’m honored to help you all.

You’re teaching the world that love is a lot more than what the world currently thinks it is: physical intimate acts. It’s spiritual too. We bind ourselves, spirit to spirit, soul to soul, when we fall in love and tie the knot.

All of these stories prompts are supposed to be from the female’s point of view, but I’m sure you can swing things around to make it from the guy’s POV instead. If you want to have some guy-POV romance prompts, I’d love to hear what you think, hit me up on the contact page! 🙂

So, I’m going to give it my all to give you guys some romance prompts to get your first, or your next story going!

1. You fell in love with a man who you met on a hike of all places. You ate a lunch on a log in the woods during your hike, and this guy got the bright idea to join you. After an amazing conversation, you fell in love. But then you parted ways with him. Now you want to hunt him down and see if he feels what you do.
2. You’re a PK (Pastor’s Kid) and you have a thing for vetting every new guy who comes into the church. Why? Well, you’re still single and you’re pushing 25. Every Sunday, you check out the newest guys who come to church and can’t help but wonder if this is your week.
3. You’re a florist in a small town. Admittedly, business isn’t great, but you make ends meet by going to the city for every Saturday Market. One day, a guy picks up a bouquet, one that you really put your heart and soul in. One that you told God: “If a guy buys this one, then he’s going to be my husband.” Your eyes grow wide as he walks over to purchase it and you can’t help but wonder if God is on this.
4. You go to a revival meeting in a tent. This revival meeting has been touring the nation for a while now, and people are calling the main speaker a “modern-day Billy Graham.” When he walks on stage, you instantly develop a crush, and you quickly find out that this man is very much single.
5. You work at a Christian bookstore and have always had your eye on the marriage counseling books. You’ve read all of them twelve times over, and you swore to yourself that the moment you’ll date the first single guy who actually buys one of those books. A long, long time passed and that never happened. You considered giving up hope. Then a guy shows up and explains that he’s studying up so he’ll be ready for marriage before he even starts dating…
6. You’re the quietest girl in the quietest high school around. Nothing ever happens to you. Then one day, the school’s quarterback, whom you know is a Christian, saunters over to you. You know full well that he’s about to ask you to the school dance.
7. You’re a police officer in a small town. There’s a man who’s wife was killed a few years prior who has turned to alcohol and left the church. You know his kids, his parents, you even know his grandparents. One day, you arrest him for drinking and driving, and you can’t help but wonder why you’re feeling a little giddy about having him in the back of your car. Perhaps it’s time to try that “missionary dating” thing that so many people warned you against…
8. You’re a cowgirl, have been your whole life. You’re also a guide for horseback rides at the massive family ranch you work on. You’re the only child, so you know the ranch will be yours one day. You can’t help but wonder if you’ll be married by the time that happens. You can’t help but laugh at all the guys who come along for rides and try flirting with you, none of them are a good fit for you and they seem to be too dumb to realize it. Then one day Mr. Right comes along, but he doesn’t seem too interested in flirting…
9. You volunteer at a local church for VBS every year. It’s a passion of yours, plus, those kids can be real cute sometimes. You’re welcoming the students one morning when a guy drops off his kids. You can tell he’s a single dad. You can also tell that he’s real cute.
10. You’re a saleswoman, not just any sales woman, but you’re the best one in your division. One day, a potential client for business may just become a potential to marry.
11. You’re a girl who never really found where you fit in in the world. Nothing seemed to go your way most of your life. And then you found your dream job. You were actually good at it. It drove you, powered you up. Then you find the guy you’re sure you’re supposed to marry. Problem is, marrying him will mean you can’t stay at your dream job. In fact, you’ll have to leave your home state!

Alright, there’s 11 prompts! I hope they’re of some help to you guys! I’m not a big romance reader, so it’s well outside of my expertise!

Story Prompts: 25 Bible Story Adaptation Ideas

Bible adaptations are some of my favorite historical fiction stories. Historical fiction is fun, but there’s something special about that book taking place in Bible times where characters get to interact with some of my favorite Bible characters!

And, if you think about it, a lot of the movies that we see on the Bible have taken “creative liberties” to expand upon a few things. After all, whole movies have been made off just a couple of verses. Despite people taking those liberties, those same movies become massive hits.

Plenty of classics take place in Bible times, Ben Hur, for example. That same book shifted the course of the United States in the Post Civil War era.

Your story could be the next Ben Hur.

You can check out the video I made on it below, it’s just 7 of the 25 story prompts, so you’ll still have to read it afterward though!

Before I waste any more of your time, here are your prompts!

1. You’re a fisherman and witness one of the many miracles Jesus walked in while He was on the water. Maybe you see Him direct his disciples to an insanely large catch. Maybe you see Peter get a gold coin out of the fish’s mouth. Maybe you see Jesus walking on water. What do you do after you see that?
2. Having followed Moses your whole life, you can’t help but wonder if Joshua will live up to Moses’s role. Then Joshua tells you that you’re going to walk around the walls of the biggest, scariest city you’ve ever seen.
3. You’re one of Noah’s sons. You have friends in the world that’s about to be wiped away. What are you going to do about that?
4. You’re one of David’s Mighty Men (2 Samuel 23). Pick one of these men and write the story that’s briefly mentioned in the list of mighty men!
5. You’re a trader from the town of Sodom. You were never as evil as everyone else, in fact, you were good friends with Lot and his family. When Sodom and Gomorrah are judged, you’re out of town. When you return, everything is gone. What do you do?
6. You’re an Egyptian living through the 10 plagues that God sent down on your land. What do you do? How do you see things? Are you asking Pharaoh to let the Israelites go to save your own skin?
7. When Lot was taken prisoner after Sodom was in a war, Abraham went after him with his own people. The Bible only gives a few lines to these events, but just think about it: one man of God and his servants take on and totally destroy four kings and their kingdoms (Genesis 14). Tell this story in its fullest.
8. You’re a servant to Joseph as he collects grain from all of Egypt. Then the famine comes down on your land. What do you do? Do you fight off brigands who want to steal the grain? Do you steal it? Do you just watch things?
9. You’re one of the Israelites who are watching as Goliath taunts you, and taunts God HImself. Then one day, a little kid comes along and says he can kill this giant.
10. You’re living in Babylon. You watch as these foreigners, these Jews, come into your hometown and have the audacity to challenge your king and your gods. What do you do? Are you one of the people who persecute the Israelites, or do you end up getting won over?
11. You were promised land in Israel, the Promised Land. The catch? You’re supposed to kill everyone in your way. What city do you conquer? What evils do you encounter? Do you hear God’s voice yourself, or do you count on the word of your leader, Joshua?
12. You are living in Egypt. You’re an Israelite slave. Tonight is the night of Passover. What is it like?
13. You watch as Elijah calls down fire from heaven and slaughters all the priests of Ba’al. What do you do after you witness that? Do you hunt him down (to either serve under him or kill him)? Do you hide? Do you become a prophet yourself?
14. You’re a zealot outside of Jerusalem in the times of Jesus. You’re a rebel. You kill Romans, that’s your job. Then you hear about Jesus. Now what?
15. You’re one of the critters in the Garden of Eden. You watch as Adam and Eve sin. What do you do?
16. You’re an angel. Tell the world some of the things you witness over the course of your existence. What do you see? What messages do you deliver on God’s behalf? How many times do you intervene and save the lives of those fragile, mortal human beings that your God loves so much?
17. You’re a resident of Jericho. You know the Israelites are coming for you. One day, you’re sure that you spot some spies going to Rahab’s home. What do you do?
18. You’re a trader in the times of Jesus. One day, you spot some very wealthy men from the East and you follow them. As you see it, they might need to buy something if they keep going too much further. As you follow them, you can’t help but notice that they seem to be following a star.
19. You’re a warrior under Joshua. One day, as you fight, you can’t help but wonder if the sun is standing still in the sky… (Joshua 10)
20. You serve under Solomon directly. You’re a servant in his house. What do you witness?
21. You’re alive in the days of Solomon. You’re part of one of the countless construction projects that he ordered in his day.
22. You’re a soldier for King David. One day, Absolum declares himself king. Who do you serve?
23. You’re in Jerusalem after the death and resurrection of Christ. One day, you notice His disciples walking around and acting drunk. What do you think of it? What do you do? Do you believe what they claim?
24. You watch Jesus cast demons out of someone. You know the ex-possessed person and have for years. Now that they’re free, what do you do? What do they do?
25. You’re a shepherd. You are of the tribe of Midian. One day, you notice Moses wandering off into the hills. You follow him curiously and then you witness his burning bush experience. Now what do you do?

There are tons of other prompts that you can go off of from the Bible, here’s just a taste of the prompts I came up with.