science fiction writing prompts

Writing Prompts

110+ Sci-Fi Writing Prompts (+ Sci-Fi Story Idea Generator)

Bring on the robots, aliens and distant planets with this mega list of over 110 extraordinary sci-fi writing prompts.

Science fiction (or sci-fi for short) covers a breadth of topics including aliens, technology, future cities, space travel and scientific experiments. While many sci-fi stories are set in the future, they can also be set in the current time too. For instance, a scientist creating a new drug, or the discovery of life on Mars could be plot lines for sci-fi stories set right now in this exact time period. The thing about sci-fi is that it is the opposite of fantasy. Magic, monsters and fairy tales have no place in a sci-fi story unless there is a logical reason for them being. If you’re going to include monsters, creatures or aliens, think about the theory behind their creation. Is that monster the result of a science experiment gone wrong? Did life always exist on a distant planet? Numbers, formulas and logical reasoning are what make a sci-fi tale so believable.

Sci-Fi Story Idea Generator

In this post, we have outlined over 110 sci-writing prompts that you can use for your next science fiction novel! To make life easier for you, we even created this sci-fi story idea generator , so you can focus on one prompt at a time:

Hopefully, you’ll find this list useful whether you’re writing a creative essay, novel or even a collection of sci-fi short stories! You might also be interested in the following resources:

25+ writing prompts about space
56 dystopian writing prompts
Planet Name Generator
70+ Fantasy Writing Prompts

Sci-Fi Writing Prompts List

Let the science commence, with this list of over 110 remarkable sci-fi prompts and topics to write about:

You volunteer to take part in a study on human interaction. Little do you know that the study is part of an elaborate plan by a group of aliens to invade Earth.
It is the year 3000, and Earth has changed a lot. Describe some of these changes?
You and your friends are messing around in a broken, old warehouse until you find a purple, glowing egg. What do you do?
Your billionaire uncle gives you a hi-tech robot for your birthday. What do you do with the robot?
Your science teacher invents the time machine. You decide to use it secretly to change the past. What problems do you cause by changing the past?
Strange portals start appearing all over your neighbourhood. You step into one. Where does it take you?
Aliens have declared war on humans of Earth and only you can stop them. But how?
You return from holiday to find that a radioactive explosion at a nuclear plant has turned everyone into zombies in your town. What will you do?
As a lonely astronaut, you crash land on a distant planet. Describe the planet.
An alien crashed its ship in your garden. How will you help it?
Write a help guide for a new alien settling in on planet Earth. What does the alien need to know about Earth?
A lonely robot travels to another planet in search of a better life and some true friends.
A young woman is just starting to move up the ranks in the military. She, along with the other soldiers need to stop a deadly virus from spreading. Her job keeps on getting more and more dangerous each day.
A fearful teenager lives in a world full of people that think he is a ‘freak’. He doesn’t fit in and feels that he can’t have his own feelings. Until one day he discovers the truth that he is an alien.
Write a sci-fi story about a very young alien who wakes up one morning in a different universe and finds he cannot remember his life. All the alien remembers is the night of the accident, when his best friend was killed.
Two young children, a brother and a sister are trapped inside a broken spaceship. During the crash, both their parents passed away. Can both the children survive on their own?
A young alien boy named Nana is sent on a journey by an alien race to the past in order to learn the history of the world. Unfortunately, he gets sent along with his brother and step sister who have very different plans about what they will do on Earth.
A small village is under attack by giant aliens. Eventually, all the civilians want to leave that village. However, the mayor does not want them to leave. He manages to contact the leader of the alien creatures. The mayor then makes a deal with them to invade any other city on Earth, but not this village.
Write a sci-fi story about a young boy who is being chased by an evil space monster who wants to eat his father.
There is a planet in the galaxy similar to Earth. It has a human-like feel to it, and on the surface, you could call it Earth 2.0. Humans used to be the dominant life form on this planet, but something has changed in recent years.
Write a sci-fi story about two people with supernatural abilities fighting against the evil forces that want to take over the world. The main character is a young boy who happens to be psychic. While the secondary character is a girl, who has super-strength, speed, and healing powers. The story opens in another world called Earth, where there is the “World of the Living Dead”, a land ruled by a group of “Night People” who are all dead.
A group of people are trapped inside a broken spaceship. Originally the group of people believe that this was an accident. But soon they find out that someone on board caused this ‘accident’ on purpose – But why? This is a mystery sci-fi story.
A young man graduates first in his class with a degree in computer engineering. He goes on to invent the very first artificial intelligence (AI) in existence. He must use this AI to save humanity from impending doom.
During a digging expedition, a scientist discovers a series of artefacts that seem to be ancient technology that might be part of a secret world. Putting all the pieces of the broken artefact together creates a portal device to another dimension.
An alien device is uncovered deep in the Sahara desert with an Ouroboros (snake) symbol. It has the power to control the weather on Earth. It turns out that thousands of years ago aliens had the power to control Earth. Soon this deadly weapon ends up in the wrong hands.
A group of intergalactic rebels, led by a beautiful alien princess, go on a daring mission to restore peace to the galaxy.
A scientist works for a government agency that develops a technology that enables humans to telepathically communicate with each other. Soon humans using the technology receive communications from aliens.
A doctor is sent out into the wilderness to help the population of a small town that has been affected by a deadly disease. Soon he gets caught in a war between the human survivors and the ‘others’.
Write a sci-fi story about a scientist and his young daughter who are taken on a journey to the planet S.A.L.L.E. Their mission is to find answers about the planet’s life forms. Soon they are separated from one another. When they meet again, the father discovers something odd about his daughter.
Stuck in the same old loop every single day, David needs to make an important choice fast. Continue a safe, repetitive life or move to a planet where humans rarely survive.
A robot with a soul and its human best friend go on a criminal rampage. Soon they are being chased by the authorities and even other people and robots that they have upset. Will they escape?
Humankind is divided into two groups: one a technologically advanced civilization, and the other an old fashioned, non-techno group. The technologically advanced civilization is going to wipe out the human race in the next two decades.
A friendly housekeeper robot goes rogue and joins the war against mankind. The robot’s human family want him to come back home.
Write a sci-fi story about a group of soldiers whose sole job is to travel through time and space to stop a dark force that threatens the future of the universe.
This is a sci-fi story about a young, un-engineered robot named Enceladus (named after one of Saturn’s moons). Enceladus has been programmed to find a healthy water source on Earth. After pollution and contamination have destroyed Earth.
One single mind has the power to save Earth. An unlikely human far superior to others can stop a whole alien invasion from happening.
Society has come to the point where humans and artificial intelligence are indistinguishable. A young woman named Samantha wakes up in a hospital bed after an injury that will change her life forever. At her hospital bed, Samantha meets a man who is also waking up: a robot named Bob. She doesn’t know it yet, but Bob is an advanced AI.
The daughter of a scientist who passed away has the ability to see, hear and manipulate objects around her. As she grows, her powers become stronger. Soon she hears every radio signal coming from the city around her. And she sees all the people in pain and danger. Too much to handle she loses control.
A group of kids are on the run from the authorities. They have all been in contact with another life-form on a distant planet. In order to protect this life-form, the kids will do anything to keep their secrets away from the government.
The world ends, and the future just begins for two groups of people. These last survivors on Earth must find a way to survive with the new dangers they encounter.
In the future, mankind has invented a weapon that will make war impossible. But soon this ‘weapon’ becomes the cause of war on Earth. People must fight to save their lives, their homes, their lives.
After a mysterious accident, David’s entire life becomes a never-ending nightmare. As his memories return, he tries to escape this nightmare and reclaim his true identity.
Two siblings, Sam and Mia must survive the epidemic of Crime in Detroit. Their parents are divorced. Their father is a police officer who has been left by the wayside due to his car being stolen. Their mother is trying to get back to Detroit to save her children.
A small village has been turned into a hive of evil creatures. As scientists run secret experiments. Will the inhabitants of this small town survive the transformations?
The human race has evolved into five different groups, each with its own beliefs on how to survive on Earth. The two biggest groups are Draken and Lumia. The Draken group believe that weak humans must die in order to survive. And the Lumia group believe that humans should become one with the Earth, living naturally to survive.
A man in the future has been licensed to death. He spends every day trying to escape death. Every morning he wakes up and says, ”This is the last day of my life.
This is a sci-fi story about a space pirate named Czar who has been chosen by the space council to try and save his home planet from an evil tyrant known as the Emperor. In one scene, he has to infiltrate the ship of the Emperor while disguised as a prisoner.
The civilians of a small town think that Jake is possessed by a demon. But in actual fact, an alien is telepathically controlling this young boy against humankind.
Write a story about a young doctor with a futuristic cure to prevent disease and a young woman who can transform into anything she wants. The story starts off in the past, where we meet a young girl who is struggling with her body image.
Describe a parallel universe , which is exactly like Earth but there is one major difference. What is this difference?
A fortune teller has a vision of a boy falling down a well. She must find this boy and save him. The twist is that her vision does not show that the boy is actually pushed by a robot.
A futuristic technology called the Machine makes the people of the planet dependent on it. The Machine is the only reason why humans are still alive in the future. Suddenly the Machine stops working, and people start dying. Eventually, people start learning that they don’t need to be dependent on the Machine to live – They can live independently.
Describe a world that is not human. A world of destruction, and heartache. What kind of creatures inhabit this world? Was the world always in this state? Does this world have a leader?
Write a sci-fi fairy tale about a girl who has the power to turn ordinary objects into objects of great beauty. She uses this power to gain control of a futuristic kingdom, and of course to live happily ever after.
A group of people live together like a family. The group is the only family that has all lived together for such a long time since families are banned in the future. The main character is an engineer, he is the brother of a medical doctor. After a huge party, the main character realises that no one on the whole planet is like them.
This sci-fi story starts off in the present day, where the main character discovers something shocking on his smartphone. Eventually, we see the machines and their dominance of the future.
Write a sci-fi story that is broken into three parts. The first part shows the future of mankind, the second is set in the past. And the final part is set in the present time. The overall theme of the story is about how machines are manipulating humans and their daily lives.
This is a sci-fi story about a space travel expedition to a new planet called Earth. What secrets and discoveries will the main character make?
A scientist gets trapped in a strange, hostile dimension on Earth. The only way out it to use his alien blaster to kill anything that comes in his way.
A local biotech company is running some trials for their new gene therapy service. This is the first time they are running trials on humans. Two people have been selected to genetically enhance their genes to get rid of any deformities. At first, the gene therapy looks to be a success, but then…
A secret alien race called the K9s has been hiding from the human world. The K9s are different from human K-9 dogs. They look like human dogs but are ruthless and highly dangerous. Eventually, the K9s alien race starts hunting down humans one by one.
The main character was in a lifeboat. He gets knocked out by an accident while he’s onboard, and wakes up in the middle of a sea battle. The sea battle is between humans and water-born aliens.
A lonely engineer creates an AI robot. Due to some events, the AI robot becomes very angry and obsessed with destruction. The engineer must stop this robot from hurting any more people.
Write a sci-fi story about a family of beings who have appeared on Earth in the past. They are called the Inhumans and are a race of aliens that have the ability to shape their own reality. They eventually become the leaders of this new world, also known as Earth. This family is part of a royal bloodline. There are three different branches of the Inhumans family.
A boy gets caught up in a fight between two alien races. With the help of his uncle (an agent) and his guardian (a space pirate), he tries to track down the invaders, and end this fight.
Write a story about a young woman from the future who travels into the past to take a stand against a monster.
In an intergalactic space station, there lives a group of mercenaries called the Zurriors. When the station goes into a power outage, the Mercenaries start attacking each other, and have the misfortune to end up in a rather hostile environment. The action is very chaotic, and they will use the elements to their advantage.
Write a sci-fi story about an android called Astro, that looks like a human with mechanical parts. Astro is a social robot created as part of a project on human communication. It is programmed to help people who need help with communication skills.
To fulfil his childhood dream of creating a human-like robot, one scientist find himself trapped inside a robot’s body. Son the robot starts taking over the human body and destroying it.
This is a sci-fi story about a man’s desperate quest to survive in a hostile and dark post-apocalyptic world. It’s told from a first-person perspective and the only characters we really see are a father and his young son.
Write a story based on the first man in space (Yuri Gagarin).
A group of scientists want to prove that the afterlife does exist. Through experimentation and unethical practices, they discover the shocking truth.
This is a sci-fi story about what happens when a robot breaks free from her programming and runs amok. A camera is placed inside a robots head. From the perspective of the robot, we see everything that causes the robot to change.
This is a sci-fi story about a family living in the 21st century, in a near-future universe in which we have been genetically engineered. In this future, humans don’t need food, nor do humans need jobs. In fact, the only thing human-kind needs is more humans. The main character is a young lady who is a clone of her mother.
This is a sci-fi story about a man that has lived on the moon with his family for decades. After having their house attacked, the man and his family must leave.
The main characters are two teenage boys. The first is an orphaned child who was taken from his parents by the Red Star Empire, the military dictatorship that took over the Earth in the 23rd century. He was sent to the planet of Zonama Sekot, a planet of warring factions of different species. It was there that he met the other boy, a teenager named Lask. The two of them became friends.
A city is infected with an alien virus. The only way to escape the city’s deadly undead hordes is to get a ride into the countryside on a zombie-killing train.
Write a sci-fi story about one of the world’s greatest scientists, who decides to stay in the dark about how his inventions will save mankind, even from aliens.
An ambitious engineer is attempting to build the ultimate weapon to destroy an enemy called the Rave. The Rave is a species of mutated ravens. See our Species Name generator for more unique species names.
This is a sci-fi story about a band of space pirates who come back together to stop a deadly, world-threatening virus.
A young man awakes from an accident and thinks he has developed telepathy. In actual fact, a race of small creatures has invaded his brain, and have been living there for over 20 years. These creatures have their own memories and emotions which they project inside the young man’s mind.
This is a sci-fi story about a race of sentient insects who are all genetically engineered. These insects eventually take over Earth, making humans their slaves in farms.
A group of people leave planet Earth, to start their own civilisation on a new planet. They finally find a new planet where they can set their own rules. On the surface, this planet looks uninhabitable – Not suitable for humans. But then a secret switch shows the true beauty of this planet.
A computer hacker is tired of all the emotions that he feels. He is in too much pain, so comes up with a plan to turn himself into a cyborg. With this plan, he can carry on living his life without sadness, depression or anger.
For centuries humans have found no life on Mars. One scientist wants to prove everyone wrong. He wants to prove that Martians or aliens do exist. So he concocts a plan to create his own life in a laboratory, and then send this ‘life’ to Mars in a ship. He can then boast that aliens do exist.
Two children are born after a nuclear war on Earth. They are raised in a world ravaged by the effects of nuclear technology. This is a coming of age, sci-fi story about living in a post-nuclear world.
A group of friends are captured by aliens and put into hibernation. Years later a little alien girl wakes them up and helps them escape from an uninhabitable planet.
Write a sci-fi story about an astronaut who wakes up to find himself and his crew trapped in an alien world.
A small space exploration group travel to Mars for a mission to study the Red Planet. However, when they arrive, they find the place to be deserted. While exploring, they end up getting into a situation that is completely unique and exciting. The team are captured by aliens, who have given them one of their spaceship suits and have the humans inside. The astronauts have to survive and figure out how to get out of this situation.
A young girl gets lost at sea and wakes up on a deserted planet. But she’s not the only one who wakes up on a deserted planet. She’s one of only a few survivors of a race of alien warriors who used to live there. The only way that she can return home is if she joins up with a team of scientists who are building a super-weapon that can protect people from the aliens and give them the power to fight back
Write a story about a group of robots that get sent back to Earth from their universe and have to live with their descendants in a car factory.
This is a sci-fi story about a team of highly skilled astronauts who were sent to the Moon on a mission to become a new kind of human. The mission was a failure because they were attacked by aliens on the Moon. They were never seen again and the aliens are now trying to steal the technology of the Earth’s space program.
The main character’s spaceship is destroyed on a planet, so he needs to look for a new one. But just then a giant alien arrives, making his task much more difficult.
On planet Kgnis, a warlord gets sucked in a conspiracy that humans are going to take over his planet. He fights backs but ultimately is unable to survive the war.
In a matter of minutes, a robot can change the world at its will. The main character is a mysterious figure named H.A.R.D.A.M. He is an extremely powerful and intelligent humanoid robot that can change the world as it will.
An artificial intelligence program in the healthcare industry needs to learn how to do its job to the best of its abilities. But instead of developing a brain with the characteristics of a human being, it starts off by growing a brain with the characteristics of artificial intelligence. It uses its new brain to develop the basic building blocks of a new program.
A group of human colonists set off on an exploration mission to the planet Earth. The planet is called Earth, and it is populated by other species who call it “Earth”. The main characters are an engineer and an astronaut. The engineer is called J-1, the astronaut is named J-2. They find a place called Earth to settle, but in the early stages of their missions, J-2 is infected with some kind of virus.
Write a sci-fi story about a small-scale space station that suddenly becomes the grounds of a giant space battle with a thousand-year-old god.
A young girl gets extremely ill, and her father wants to save her. The only way to save his sick daughter is by asking the aliens for help.
A young boy discovers a mysterious device that can connect him to the minds of his deceased ancestors. This gives him a “remote viewing” experience of how his family passed away. He then uses this device to help solve the mystery of his sister’s death.
The youngest of five brothers is keeping a secret. When he turns 18, he wants to go on a trip to a faraway planet to become a space pirate.
This is a sci-fi story about a group of people who want to make the universe safer, and that means taking down a huge, powerful alien menace that’s on an existential mission to wipe out humanity.
Write a story about a space exploration team that go out of their way to find extraterrestrial life on a distant planet. However, they discover that there is no life on the plane.
A man who finds himself alone, as he attempts to build a civilization on a planet called Earth after the destruction of its previous inhabitants. He eventually finds out that there are some survivors living separately on two planes of the Earth. One plane is called the ‘Grassy’ world and the other is called the ‘Barren’, which is a mountainous region.
In the distant future, a group of misfits tries to stop a rogue group from destroying Earth by using some mysterious objects from the past to their advantage.
Two strangers keep crossing paths as they try to find their families during an alien attack.
Write a sci-fi story about a father who’s trying to build a spaceship to save his daughter. While he’s not 100% certain he’ll succeed, he’s pretty sure his daughter has a chance to do better than he has.
This is a sci-fi story about a robot named K1R5 that is searching for its rightful creator. He travels to many places, and meets many people, but will it ever find its creator?
This is a sci-fi story about a spaceship pilot and his crew that must protect an alien child from a horrible fate when he is found by another strange, extraterrestrial creature.
It’s the last few days of mankind, and then the galaxy will be split in two by an artificial wormhole.
A group of individuals discover a device that allows them to live in the future for a very short period of time, without going insane. What follows is a very interesting, and terrifying, journey into the future.
Write a story about an alien race that is trapped on Earth and can’t escape. The aliens want to be seen as human and so they begin to adopt human forms. After a while, the aliens grow tired of pretending to be humans…

For more inspiration, check out our guide on the dieselpunk genre , along with examples and story ideas.

Can you think of any more interesting sci-fi writing prompts? Let us know in the comments below!

Marty the wizard is the master of Imagine Forest. When he's not reading a ton of books or writing some of his own tales, he loves to be surrounded by the magical creatures that live in Imagine Forest. While living in his tree house he has devoted his time to helping children around the world with their writing skills and creativity.

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101 Epic Sci-Fi Story Prompts

Do you want to write in the sci-fi genre but need help conjuring compelling stories and concepts? Sometimes reading simple genre prompts is the easiest way to get those creative juices flowing.

Read ScreenCraft's 7 Writing Workouts to Build Your Creative Muscles !

We get our ideas from many sources — news headlines, novels, television shows, movies, our lives, our fears, our phobias, etc. They can come from a scene or moment in a film that wasn’t fully explored. They can come from a single visual that entices the creative mind — a seed that continues to grow and grow until the writer is forced to finally put it to paper or screen.

In the spirit of helping writers find those seeds, here we offer 101 originally conceived sci-fi story prompts that you can use as inspiration for your next science fiction story.

They may inspire screenplays, novels, short stories, or even smaller moments that you can include in what stories you are already writing.

Note: Because we’re all connected to the same pop culture, news headlines, and inspirations, any similarity to any past, present, or future screenplays, novels, short stories, television pilots, television series, plays, or any other creative works is purely coincidence. These story writing prompts were conceived on the fly without any research or Google search for inspiration.

Read More: The Biggest and Baddest "Big Bads" of Sci-Fi & Fantasy

1. What if the sun began to die, and surviving humans traveled back into time to survive?

2. What if the sun began to die, and surviving humans traveled to another dimension to survive?

3. A scientist clones his family that died in an airplane crash — but soon learns the repercussions of playing God.

4. Earth suffers a planet-wide EMP surge, and all technology is lost forever.

5. An astronaut and cosmonaut are on the International Space Station when their countries go to Nuclear War with each other. Their last orders are to eliminate the other.

6. An astronaut jettisoned into the cold of space in a mission gone wrong suddenly appears at the doorstep of his family.

7. Someone discovers that we are all actually robots — who created us and why?

8. An astronaut is the sole survivor of a moon landing gone wrong — only to discover that the moon is infested with strange creatures.

9. An Artificial Intelligence begins to communicate with a family online to terrorize them through their technology.

10. Years after the zombie apocalypse subsides, survivors discover that the epidemic was caused by aliens that have appeared to lay claim to the planet.

11. A woman has memories of being abducted by aliens — but she soon learns that they weren’t aliens. They were ____.

12. A town is enveloped in unexplained darkness for weeks.

13. An alien invasion was actually meant to stop humans from destroying themselves.

14. Technology was a test given to us by aliens to see what we’d do with it.

15. Robots were actually here long before humans.

16. Humans have been cloned by scientists for decades.

17. Our reality is actually the imagination of an alien being writing a story.

18. A tech company discovers that they can email people from the past.

19. An underground species on Mars is discovered.

20. Time travel is real and has been used by the government for years.

21. A private group of scientists and historians are using time travel to create the ultimate historical record of human events.

22. A small town in the middle of nowhere is actually a human zoo in an alien world.

23. Area 51 hides a wormhole to alien worlds.

24. Humans are actually organic robots that killed off their makers long ago.

25. A wormhole suddenly opens near Earth.

26. A newly elected President of the United States tries to find out the truth about Roswell.

27. A Star Wars fan discovers that the Star Wars universe was not a figment of George Lucas's imagination.

28. Someone wakes up in a strange spaceship with no recollection of how they got there.

29. A stay-at-home dad discovers that he's actually a robot created by his wife.

30. A stay-at-home dad discovers that he's actually a clone created by his original self.

31. The first space flight to Mars discovers that the universe is not what they thought it was.

32. A family discovers a space ship buried in their backyard.

33. A little girl has a dream about a time travel formula and tries to bring it to scientists.

34. Siblings discover that their nanny is an alien.

35. Siblings discover that their nanny is a robot.

36. Homosapiens are aliens that took over the planet.

37. After the world is obliterated by nuclear war, alien humanoids claim it as their own.

38. What we think are alien abductions are actually the future human race searching for a cure to a plague that is killing all humans 200 years from now.

39. An interstellar war between alien races makes its way to Earth.

40. A man discovers the real reason why we dream.

41. Our dreams are actually a portal into a parallel universe.

42. An alien poses as Christ returned, knowing that humans will follow him and his race.

43. A woman discovers that our reality is actually a simulated game like The Sims.

44. A group of outcast friends creates their very own robot.

45. A space pirate crash-lands on Earth.

46. A successful stockbroker accused of insider trading claims to be from the future.

47. A scientist that invents time travel to travel into the future is transported into the past where technology doesn't exist.

48. A high school student believes that his classmates are robots.

49. A science fair team accidentally creates teleportation technology.

50. A man that has uploaded his consciousness to a simulated reality fights to return to his real body and world.

51. A worker at a company discovers that she's actually a cyborg.

52. An outcast nerd discovers that he's actually a revered prince from another planet, hidden by his royal family to escape an evil space lord.

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54. An astronaut stuck in cryosleep wakes up orbiting Earth during the 1960s space race.

55. An athlete who loses his legs in an accident creates his own cybernetic legs to compete again.

56. The world's first cyborg super-soldier goes AWOL to experience the life of an average person.

57. The moon is actually an alien observation space station.

58. The moon has been a NASA space station for decades.

59. The dark side of the moon is a Vegas-like resort for aliens.

60. A grade school student believes her classmates are aliens.

61. A scientist discovers that diseases are actually glitches in a computer program that is actually our simulated world.

62. Cyberspace is actually a real living and breathing world.

63. Humans live on a forcefield-protected island floating in space.

64. 200 years after the world is destroyed by nuclear war, surviving humans escape their underground world to discover a new ecosystem.

65. Humans can download any skill set into their brains.

66. Two male and female astronauts are stranded on an alien world — their names are Adam and Eve.

67. Criminals are now shipped into space on space prison ships.

68. A gamer learns that the soldier he is controlling is actually a real soldier in a real war.

69. A human man and a female alien have the first interstellar child.

70. A sadistic tormentor holds people hostage in a virtual world.

71. A high school genius discovers anti-gravity technology, only to be hunted down by government agents.

72. Asteroid miners struggle to survive an accident.

73. Asteroid miners discover an alien space ship embedded within an asteroid.

74. A scientist creates a way to download human consciousness into a computer.

75. A high school genius discovers cloaking technology, only to be hunted down by government agents.

76. A man is so lost in virtual reality that he can't comprehend what is real and what isn't.

77. Wars are fought in simulation to protect lives.

78. A slacker high school student stumbles upon a new energy source, only to be hunted down by government agents.

79. Astronauts are tasked with preparing an alien planet for colonization.

80. A generational space ship finally arrives at its destination after hundreds of years.

81. A space trucker delivering goods to a space station discovers that service robots have taken over the station.

82. A space trucker delivering goods to a space station discovers that the station is empty.

83. A future space pilot arrives back on Earth after a mission to find it destroyed.

84. A future space pilot arrives back to Earth after a mission, only to discover that he has somehow traveled back in time to his childhood years.

85. A grade school student discovers that he's actually a robot.

86. A pilot wakes up in a ship floating within a strange organic world, only to discover that he's actually microscopic within the body of the President of the United States that he is supposed to save via nanosurgery.

87. A teenager discovers the power to create wormholes.

88. A strange old man that has moved next door to a kid's family is actually that kid's older self that has time-traveled back in time to revisit his childhood before his death.

89. A group of high school friends discovers portals to the past and future and uses them to ace their history and science exams.

90. Two versions of the same high school student from different parallel universes discover each other through a portal and decide to swap lives for one week before the portal closes for good.

91. An astronaut wakes up from cryosleep with amnesia on a ship traveling at light speed.

92. A female alien always looking to the stars discovers a strange single from a planet called Earth.

93. A space crew discovers a mirror planet of Earth.

94. A space crew discovers that the universe is actually nothing more than the imagination of an alien child.

95. A disenchanted genetically-designed man with no flaws struggles to find a flaw as he hitchhikes across America.

96. A boy rescues a dog in the woods and soon discovers that it's a robot.

97. A boy rescues a dog in the woods and soon discovers that it's an alien creature.

98. An alien robot falls from space into the backyard of a young girl's house.

99. Astronauts land on a possible colonization planet, only to discover a human child living alone in the wild of the alien world.

100. Scientists travel back to the world of dinosaurs to find a long-dead plant that could save humankind from extinction.

101. A seismologist discovers a strange human signal from deep within Earth's core.

Share this with your writing peers or anyone that loves a good sci-fi story. Have some prompts of your own? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter !

Read ScreenCraft's 131 Sci-Fi Scripts That Screenwriters Can Download and Study !

Ken Miyamoto has worked in the film industry for nearly two decades, most notably as a studio liaison for Sony Studios and then as a script reader and story analyst for Sony Pictures.

He has many studio meetings under his belt as a produced screenwriter, meeting with the likes of Sony, Dreamworks, Universal, Disney, Warner Brothers, as well as many production and management companies. He has had a previous development deal with Lionsgate, as well as multiple writing assignments, including the produced miniseries Blackout , starring Anne Heche, Sean Patrick Flanery, Billy Zane, James Brolin, Haylie Duff, Brian Bloom, Eric La Salle, and Bruce Boxleitner, and the feature thriller Hunter’s Creed starring Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman, Wesley Truman Daniel, Mickey O’Sullivan, John Victor Allen, and James Errico. Follow Ken on Twitter @KenMovies

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40 Sci-Fi Writing Prompts to Supercharge Your Imagination

Science fiction story ideas can come from anywhere.

A headline about new technology. The way a lion’s mane mushroom resembles a shaggy being from an alien world. The conspiracy theory your aunt won’t stop posting about.

We live in a big, crazy world full of images, ideas, and innovations just waiting to be twisted or expanded into stellar sci-fi stories.

And yet, there are moments when the ol’ imagination just won’t get on board with the galaxy of inspiration surrounding us. For whatever reason, we can’t see the possibilities or tap into our natural curiosity.

When that happens, writing prompts can help.

If you’ve been relentlessly hitting a wall as you try to come up with sci-fi story ideas, you’ve come to the right place. Together, we’ll explore the value of using writing exercises to kick-start a new story.

You’ll walk away with a whole big pile of prompts you can use to find your next story and even get a few sci-fi writing tips.

So let’s get to it… not that you need any prompting from me.

How Prompts Can Help You Write a Great Science Fiction Story

A person in a dress lies on the floor on their stomach in front of a typewriter, propped up on their elbows, holding a pen to their lips and thinking.

People get it backwards all the time, and that includes writers like us who should know better.

See, we all get it in our heads that you must have the idea before you can write the story. Not true. Not always.

Sometimes you can’t find the idea until you start writing. Grab a pen or open your laptop and let the words flow. Follow a train of thought, expanding on it without overthinking it. See what arises—what sparks your curiosity or gives you a thrill.

See, the more you demand brilliance from your imagination, the more freaked out it gets until it has no choice but to hide itself inside a box under a rock in some remote area of your brain. That’s just science.

Begin scribbling without a plan, however, and your imagination will feel safe to creep back out again. You’re only playing , after all. Experimenting. There’s no blueprint, no goal , no need to fear bad ideas .

Writing prompts help you in this process by giving you something to start with—no thinking necessary. The basic idea has been handed to you. All you have to do is run with it.

And if you really let go and allow your imagination to venture into new frontiers, you’ll likely find your way to a story idea that doesn’t even resemble the prompt you started with. It’ll be something uniquely your own and thrillingly brilliant.

Sound good? Good. Because this grand scribble adventure is starting right now.

40 Sci-Fi Writing Prompts

A hand writes on a sheet of paper with a pen.

What follows are a whole bunch of prompts to inspire your process. As you’ll see, they’re arranged into different categories, each one offering a different route for discovering a new story.

Start by riffing on a philosophy or examining a big question. Set foot into a new world and dream up the conflicts that arise within it. Or take the more straightforward path and expand on a clear-cut story idea.

In other words, you’ve got options and this is your party. Run it however you want.

A person rests their head on their chin and looks off to the side, thinking.

Most sci-fi stories center on a bold “what if” question.

What if humans were no longer the most intelligent species on Earth? What if cloning oneself became a common upper-class luxury? What if succulents were self-aware?

The prompts in this section pose “what if” questions. They’re short, sweet, and offer plenty of room for your imagination to run wild.

If you’re looking for something that’ll get your wheels turning while leaving plenty of room to dream up your own protagonist and conflict , this might be the ticket.

Writing Prompts

What if a scientist accidentally released Martian microorganisms on Earth?
What if you could test the outcomes of different decisions in virtual reality with 100% accuracy?
What if you found out the human race was actually an alien race that colonized Earth 3,000 years ago?
What if body swapping was a real thing and you suddenly woke up in a stranger’s body?
What if you found out your marriage was someone else’s experiment?
What if virtual reality became indistinguishable from real life?
What if we could all share our thoughts and experiences through a vast neural network?
What if we could restore the diminishing populations of endangered species by cloning them?
What if our memories could be stolen and sold on the black market?
What if no one ever had to work again because robots took care of literally everything?

Argue the Theme

Just as science fiction asks big questions, it also explores huge themes . Doesn’t matter if it’s a 300-page novel or a short story; if it’s sci-fi, it’s probably encouraging you to reflect on identity or the ethics of technology or our place in the universe or some other expansive topic.

If you’re the type who likes to nail down your story’s underlying message first, the prompts that follow are for you. Pick a thematic statement and then come up with a story that proves the statement to be true.

Every innovation, however well-intended, will inevitably be weaponized by those in power.
Artificial intelligence is a threat because it is a reflection of humanity.
Artificial intelligence will ultimately work for the good of the world because it is a reflection of humanity.
We can only survive in a community.
Our mortal limitations are what make life so precious.
We control our destiny.
Humanity will be destroyed by its own arrogance.
Context determines morality.
Truth is relative.
It’s possible to learn how to be human.

Settings and Circumstances

A person in a space suit sits on the floor of a dark room, lit only by a red light on the floor.

I probably don’t have to tell you that worldbuilding is everything in science fiction. The physical setting , technologies , culture, political and societal structures, even the balance of science and magic in some cases… all these elements help define your characters, conflicts, and themes.

The prompts below invite you to start with a setting or situation and build your sci-fi story from there. Consider what conflicts might arise within this world. Who would thrive here? Who would escape? Who would rebel? What themes could you explore in a setting like this?

Start writing about any of these things and see what happens.

A society where people make clones of their loved ones before they die, ensuring no one has to experience permanent loss.
A vast forest of sentient trees on an alien planet.
A major tournament with competitors from across the multiverse.
A world where parallel universes have exchange programs, allowing beings to test out alternative lives.
A massive interstellar ark housing the descendants of refugees who fled a dying Earth generations before.
A zoo on a distant planet, populated with genetically engineered creatures from across the galaxy.
A society that lives in constant fear of an assassin who has the ability to manipulate probability and stalks their targets across multiple dimensions, leaving a trail of chaos and destruction in their wake.
A world where people spend all their personal time escaping to idyllic VR settings instead of confronting the challenges of real life.
A vast garden spaceship that serves as a sanctuary for flora and fauna from several different planets.
A network of interconnected space stations and habitats forming an archipelago, each station a microcosm of culture and technology with its own laws and customs.

Sci-Fi Story Ideas

Two scientists look at bright-colored liquids in long test tubes.

Now we get really direct. The prompts that follow are just good ol’ fashioned sci-fi story ideas. You get a protagonist(s), conflict, and setting. That gives you plenty of room to start playing with an outline, scribbling a scene that pops into your head, or writing your story from page one.

A search and rescue worker’s quest to find a missing backpacker leads them to discover an alien colony hidden in the Alaskan wilderness.
A lost space explorer ends up stranded on a distant planet that closely resembles Earth, right down to the creatures that inhabit it—including an alien race that seems indistinguishable from humans. But with each passing day, unsettling differences between this planet and Earth begin to emerge.
Natural resources are depleted, so scientists create artificial ecosystems to sustain life on Earth. But when these ecosystems evolve beyond their control, they must confront the consequences of playing god.
Time travel tourism is a booming industry, giving customers the opportunity to witness historical events firsthand. But when a time travel tour guide’s toddler accidentally transports themselves to the Mezosoic Era, the present begins to morph into something unrecognizable. The tour guide must rescue their child from the past without further destroying the life they know.
A group of scientists discovers a way to accelerate evolution, allowing them to create new species with advanced capabilities. But as they experiment with their newfound power, they unwittingly unleash a chain reaction of mutations that threaten to destabilize the entire ecosystem.
After a devastating war, a lone human survivor wanders a desolate landscape inhabited only by robots. As they search for other survivors, they must confront what it means to be human and what their purpose is on a planet where they no longer seem necessary.
A scientist discovers an alien artifact buried deep beneath the ocean. As they study it, they uncover its true purpose and the existential threat it poses to humanity.
In a future where humanity has transcended its biological limitations through cybernetic augmentation, a group of rebels resists assimilation in an attempt to preserve their humanity.
A clone created as a replacement for a wealthy heiress discovers the truth about their origins and escapes to the outside world. In a society that views them as property, they must evade capture and find a place where they can exist as their own person.
A parasitic organism infects the minds of its hosts, creating a hive-mind collective that spreads like a virus throughout the human population. A group of survivors must find a way to break free from the hive mind's control before it's too late.

How to Use These Prompts

Sand moves through an hourglass as a blurred figure in the background sits in front of a laptop and writes in a notebook.

Anytime you use writing prompts, it helps to remember that you’re on an exploratory quest, not a life-and-death, Earth-saving mission.

In other words, these aren’t assignments. You’re not suddenly responsible for writing a 75,000-word novel about a teenager who stumbles upon a lost city in Michigan that was built by an alien race 2,330 years ago.

Your only job is to see what your imagination does with the very limited information it’s just been given.

You might choose to treat a prompt like a freewriting exercise . Set a timer and let your stream of consciousness flow onto the page. Write everything that comes to mind, including “What can I do with this theme?” and “Oh crap, am I just ripping off The Matrix ?”

(Pro tip: Dabble has a built-in word sprint timer that’s perfect for an exercise like this.)

Another option is to write a scene inspired by the prompt. Maybe it’s the scene where the teenager first stumbles upon the lost city. Or a flashback to when aliens discovered the land where they wanted to build their settlement. Or an opening scene where the teen is hanging out with friends under the bleachers, still oblivious to the presence of alien technology in their zip code.

You could turn the prompt into a short story even if the ultimate goal is to write a novel. This allows you to explore an idea in greater depth without spending months developing the idea. It also helps you clarify the main conflict, core theme, and major plot points before complicating things with subplots.

However you choose to tackle these prompts, remember that the goal is to find your way to your own science fiction story ideas. If you stumble upon a great idea that has nothing to do with the prompt, abandon the prompt. You owe it nothing. Chase what thrills you.

Bonus Tips for Sci-Fi Writers

An arcade called Super Bonus has flashing lights and mirrored wheels.

Once you find a sci-fi story idea that delights you, the next step—as you know—is to actually write the thing. It’s a big job, which is why we’ve written an entire guide to writing science fiction. You can find it here .

In the meantime, I’d like to share a few quick tips for making the most of your cutting-edge sci-fi ideas.

Seek Inspiration Everywhere

Even if you have a general idea of what you want your novel or short story to be about, you’ll still have a lot of details to dream up. That includes things like futuristic technology, awe-inspiring settings, unique characters, new societies, and possibly even other dimensions, planets, and alien races.

As you plan and write your story, seek inspiration everywhere. Visit science and natural history museums. Wander a botanical garden. Search for weird animals online. Research their daily habits. Find pictures of abandoned places or eerie landscapes. Learn about unexplained phenomena. Listen to Ologies .

The world we know is full of bizarre and fascinating things to inspire your own made-up universe.

Tell a Human Story

Because worldbuilding is such an essential element of science fiction writing, it can be very easy to forget the human element. Don’t make that mistake.

Even if your characters aren’t actually members of the human race, you still want to tell a compelling story that resonates with your readers. So find that deeply human connection.

Give your characters desires, weaknesses , and fears . Have them face challenges that force them to make difficult decisions and either overcome or submit to the worst within themselves.

If your protagonist has a special ability, balance their inherent power with clear vulnerabilities.

In short, don’t neglect character development . No amount of mind-blowing technology or jaw-dropping landscapes will make up for characters your readers don’t care about.

Find Your Science-to-Fiction Ratio

A hand reaches out in the darkness, lit by an eerie green light.

If you read a wide variety of science fiction, you know that there’s no rule about how exact and detailed you need to be with your science or how fantastical you’re allowed to be in your storytelling.

Some sci-fi novels go deep into explaining technology and creating fictional innovations that are clearly the great-great-grandchildren of tech we have today. Others use a lighter touch, explaining the science just enough for the reader to follow the story.

Then others go the full-on sci-fi/fantasy route, fussing very little over technological details and bringing in imagined alien species and magic systems . Star Wars is a very famous example of this.

It doesn’t matter which route you choose. What matters is that you choose one and keep it consistent.

Defy Reality, Not Logic

No matter how much or how little you explain the technology of your sci-fi world, one thing is certain:

It has to make sense.

It’s fine if your reader doesn’t understand how teleportation works. But if, for example, one of your characters teleports using a teleportation device in a spaceship and another one uses a kitchen pantry, you owe your audience an explanation.

Just like when you’re building a magic system, your science fiction technology should come with rules your reader can follow.

Don’t Infodump

Having said all that, you should also be careful about dumping too much information on your audience at once. Only share the worldbuilding details that are essential for them to imagine your setting and follow the story.

Even then, sprinkle necessary information into the narrative rather than opening the story with twenty pages of exposition about how bed bugs colonized space. (Please don’t write that. I don’t want to live in a world where that story exists.)

Bottom line: your first and most important job is to tell a story, not write a pretend textbook.

Your Literary Future Awaits

At this point, there’s nothing else to do but get started . Grab a notebook or open your Dabble Story Notes and see what kind of magic you can make with these prompts.

Writing science fiction is a bold undertaking. Between extensive worldbuilding, developing complex characters, and helping readers imagine a world they’ve never seen before, you’ve got a big job ahead of you.

But is there anything cooler than crafting a story that leaves total strangers in absolute awe?

If you could use a little support on this journey, I highly recommend writing your sci-fi novel with Dabble . This all-in-one writing tool has a ton of great features to keep you organized and on track throughout the entire process, from brainstorming to revising.

There’s even a sci-fi template to guide you through story planning. You can access the template here .

If you’re not already a Dabbler, no problem. Click this link to start a free 14-day trial. That gives you full access to all Dabble’s features and plenty of time to decide if it’s the right tool for your writing process. You don’t even have to enter a credit card to get started.

Abi Wurdeman is the author of Cross-Section of a Human Heart: A Memoir of Early Adulthood, as well as the novella, Holiday Gifts for Insufferable People. She also writes for film and television with her brother and writing partner, Phil Wurdeman. On occasion, Abi pretends to be a poet. One of her poems is (legally) stamped into a sidewalk in Santa Clarita, California. When she’s not writing, Abi is most likely hiking, reading, or texting her mother pictures of her houseplants to ask why they look like that.

TAKE A BREAK FROM WRITING...

Read. learn. create..

Your author brand is how you're represented to readers (or prospective readers) even when you aren't around. It's a crucial component of a successful author career. If you want to make a brand that gets your words written, check out this Deep Dive.

What subgenre does your fantasy novel fall under? What does that mean for your readers' expectations? And why does any of this matter? If you don't know, you're about to find out.

Want to write the kind of fantasy stories that draw readers in and get them hooked? Then you need to know your fantasy tropes. Here's a quick guide to the most popular conventions of the genre.

61 Imaginative Science Fiction Writing Prompts

Your favorite science fiction series (or movie) has got you thinking of writing a sci-fi novel .

This is the world you live in, after all (at least part-time). It makes sense you’d want to write in it, too.

You’re just not sure where to start — or which science fiction story ideas to explore.

The possibilities are overwhelming. That’s where this list of 61 sci-fi writing prompts comes in.

We’ve divided them into six groups, based on popular sub genres.

Let’s start with what science fiction is in the first place.

What Is Sci-Fi?

Science fiction (often shortened as SF or sci-fi) is a genre of speculative fiction that focuses on the impact of real or imaginary science on its characters.

Most sci-fi stories fit into the following sub-genres:

Advanced science and technology (futuristic or fringe)
Parallel or alternate universes or realities
Aliens (here on Earth or in their own worlds)
Time travel
Space exploration

These stories pull you in because they offer something you don’t get in your real life. At the same time, enough about it feels familiar to make you identify with the main character and see yourself in the story .

Fringe or Futuristic Science Fiction Writing Prompts

Fantasy science fiction writing prompts, time travel science fiction writing prompts, alternate or parallel universe science fiction writing prompts, alien science fiction writing prompts, space exploration science fiction writing prompts, 61 science fiction writing prompts .

Take a look through the sci-fi story starters below to find one that makes you smile. Then write down whatever comes to mind.

1. In your world, you can “reincarnate” into a new, lab-created body. You’re shopping for one, now, and you run across a familiar face with a list of customer reviews.

2. All babies are now temporarily sterilized at birth, but you weren’t born in a government approved hospital. Neither was your new crush.

3. You’re part of a new human-AI hybrid project, and your consciousness is uploaded to a state-of-the-art, ageless synthetic body with memories that aren’t yours.

4. Nanotechnology now allows you to regenerate your entire body, but while you’re regenerating, an enemy hacks into the process and changes the design.

5. A hundred years into the future, the United States has open borders, universal healthcare, and public servants who live up to the name. You were created with one purpose: Tear it all down.

6. A lab-created monster turns a bioengineering firm’s entire workforce into hosts for its spawn. You break in to steal some tech.

7. A new chemical weapon renders your whole special forces team invisible. The only person who can see you is your handler.

8. As the winner of the annual “Evolution Project” lottery, you have the opportunity to receive a genetic “upgrade.” The fine print gives you pause.

9. You’re on a field trip to an intergalactic Disney World, via stargate, when you realize everyone around you is changing into Disney characters.

10. All marriages must now be approved by the government, which also arranges marriages according to a compatibility algorithm you created.

11. You’re a fringe scientist who’s developed a way for anyone to witness scenes from their past lives. A favorite client learns one of her past lives murdered one of yours .

12. Your father is a pariah, having recreated mythological beings. Now, the government wants to weaponize them. Saying no is a declaration of war.

13. In your world, magic and technology work together to create an infrastructure that serves everyone equally. But not everyone is happy.

14. The bees are actually fairies in disguise. Their hidden technology is beyond anything human. And they can convert humans to their cause (and form).

15. The world’s most powerful mage runs the biggest international tech conglomerate, which has been rewriting human DNA, using vulnerable populations.

16. A girl dies and comes back but remains comatose for a year. When she wakes, she begins her physical transformation.

17. You love your smart home, but when your estranged sister comes to visit, she connects with the AI and makes some unpleasant changes.

18. You’ve learned to communicate with ancient beings living in Earth’s core, who can shape-shift. One of them responds to your call for help by appearing in human form.

19. You’re the illegitimate child of a corrupt leader and the most powerful sorceress alive. Your exiled mother’s apprentice offers to help you avenge her.

20. Fringe tech has made it possible for any human to become a shapeshifter. You become a dragon shifter and a member of the security detail for the new president.

21. After a unicorn impales your father, you join an elite team that seeks out dangerous mythical creatures and “harvests” them for science.

22. In your world, all non-magical humans are forcibly married to magical beings. Your ‘match’ is a practicing mage harboring fugitives and growing illegal plants.

75 Science Fiction Writing Prompts To Rile Up The Future

Get a little push toward coming up with your next out-of-this-world screenplay idea..

'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'

Science fiction is a genre that continues to push the boundaries of our reality in all sorts of visual storytelling. Whether it's an adaptation from Phillip K. Dick or modern sandboxes like Black Mirror or Love, Death, and Robots , our affinity for worlds just beyond our grasp is an alluring medium to develop your screenplay.

Whether you're a seasoned writer or just embarking on your journey, the allure of crafting stories set against the backdrop of futuristic technologies, interstellar adventures, and the mysteries of the unknown is undeniably expansive and captivating.

In this post, we dive into a collection of 75 science fiction writing prompts, each a launching pad for your next great story.

Beam down below and let's get started.

75 Science Fiction Writing Prompts

A society where aging is cured, but at a significant cost.
An astronaut finds a mysterious artifact on the moon that alters human history.
Earth receives a signal from an alien civilization, but it's a distress call.
A world where dreams are taxed by the government.
A time traveler visits ancient civilizations but cannot interfere with history.
A scientist creates a device to communicate with animals, uncovering a hidden world.
In a future society, memories can be bought and sold.
A virtual reality paradise becomes more desirable than the real world.
A city discovers it's a simulation run by an unknown entity.
An experiment in teleportation goes awry, leading to unexpected journeys.
A child born on Mars returns to Earth, facing a cultural identity crisis.
A device that allows users to experience another person's life is invented.
A global blackout forces humanity to confront its reliance on technology.
An undersea civilization is discovered, with advanced technology and culture.
A world where every individual's lifespan is predetermined.
Humans evolve to adapt to life in space, leading to a new species.
A reality where historical events can be experienced through virtual reality.
A society that has eliminated sleep, and the consequences that follow.
An AI becomes sentient and demands equal rights.
A world where humans can photosynthesize like plants.
A colony ship to another galaxy discovers they're not alone on the ship.
Time freezes for everyone except one person, who explores the world alone.
A utopian society where emotions are controlled by the state.
Earth is a sanctuary planet for endangered alien species.
A device that translates thoughts into speech revolutionizes communication.
A rebellion in a society where lying is physically impossible.
A portal to a parallel universe is discovered, but it is vastly different from Earth.
Humans gain the ability to regenerate, changing the concept of mortality.
A world where art is the primary currency.
A detective investigates crimes committed in virtual realities.
A society where people live in isolated pods, interacting only virtually.
An alien race uses Earth's internet to learn about humanity.
A future Earth where nature has reclaimed modern cities.
A lone scientist on a distant planet makes a groundbreaking discovery.
A world where your social status is determined by your genetic makeup.
An interstellar war veteran returns to a much-changed Earth.
A reality show where contestants live in a simulated Martian colony.
A mysterious disease grants extraordinary abilities but at a high cost.
A generation ship's society evolves differently from Earth.
An underground movement tries to bring back a banned technology.
A world where everyone's thoughts are audible.
An experiment to create a perfect human society goes terribly wrong.
Earth's first contact with an alien species is nothing like expected.
A society where personal privacy has been completely abolished.
A group of explorers find a planet that mirrors Earth in the medieval era.
A device that can change one's appearance at will is invented.
Humans can now interface directly with computers, changing education and work.
An unknown phenomenon causes Earth's gravity to fluctuate.
A world where water is more valuable than gold.
An alien species offers to share its advanced technology, but at a price.
A future where humans can hibernate, changing work and lifestyles.
A new planet is colonized, but the settlers aren't alone.
A society where one's career path is determined at birth.
An AI designed to predict the future starts to manipulate events.
A world where climate change has drastically altered geography and society.
A secret society controls technological advancements from behind the scenes.
An ancient civilization is found on the dark side of the moon.
A reality where humans can exchange senses with each other.
An experiment in creating a utopia creates unexpected dystopian results.
A device allows people to share emotions, creating a new form of empathy.
A world where people are assigned a new identity every year.
Humans develop the ability to teleport, changing all forms of transportation.
A society where people can outsource their emotions to machines.
Earth is actually a reality TV show for alien species.
A mysterious object in space is sending coded messages to Earth.
A parallel Earth is discovered, but it's a mirror image of our world.
A group of children born on a spaceship must learn to survive on their own.
A world where humans have evolved to no longer need sleep.
An ancient alien civilization is discovered in Earth's ocean.
A device allows people to relive their happiest memory, but it becomes addictive.
In a post-apocalyptic world, a group of survivors discovers a city untouched by disaster.
A space explorer finds a planet where the laws of physics are completely different.
An AI designed to solve global warming becomes too powerful.
Humans start colonizing the ocean floor, but they encounter an advanced underwater species.
A future society where all diseases are cured, leading to overpopulation.
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Risk It All For Creativity With Composer Nikhil Koparkar

Life is full of learning and detours..

Whether I'm ordering an instrument from Thailand that I didn’t know how to play, or just seeing what sounds I could come up with—whether I'm having 30 string players mimic the sounds of the wind and ocean, or having woodwind player Ashley Jarmack play ancient Mayan death whistles—working on the score for Dead Whisper taught me a valuable lesson. That lesson? The joy of creating and taking risks in the scoring process is the result of all the education and detours that came before it.

Every setback or challenge in my scoring career has provided me with the life experience to approach the art of scoring from a different perspective than otherwise possible, and the risk of failure proved to be a necessary stepping stone on the search for unique creative ideas.

When first starting my scoring journey in 2017, I connected with maestro santoor player Kunal Gunjal, which whet my appetite for exploring ancient traditional instruments and what they might sound like in different contexts (in this case, with western cinematic orchestral instruments). The result of that experience culminated in an album, Nature Of All Things , a talk At Google, and landing an Indian-Asian inspired fantasy feature, The Candle & The Curse .

My love for this style of music and experimentation grew, but as a composer in the beginning stages of my career, it was a struggle to find filmmakers willing to give me a chance. So, to find solace away from the screen, I turned to my other love of literature. This seemingly unrelated detour ended up being a career changer for me.

As I read The Wheel Of Time series by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson I was compelled to write a theme that was essentially a love letter to the books. I used my savings to commission the Budapest Scoring Orchestra to play it, and sent the video to the production team at Amazon Studios, in hopes that it might get their attention.

Lucky for me, the fans embraced and shared it widely, as did Tor.com (the publisher website for the series). The music eventually came to the attention of composer Lorne Balfe, who promptly hired me to write music and project lead on the series, as well as write music on his other TV shows. Another lesson came from the experience: No matter the outcome, putting oneself out there authentically can lead to unique and fulfilling opportunities, as well as the experience to be ready when those opportunities arise.

I learned how to better write for orchestra, pitch myself as a composer, collaborate with a large team, and approach storytelling discussions with filmmakers from a deeper and more nuanced vantage point.

Those two years were like a bootcamp for me: hundreds of cues and several shows later (including Netflix’s Life On Our Planet, HBO’s His Dark Materials , and Hulu’s Victoria’s Secret: Angels & Demons ), I feel so grateful to have learned to work with a music team operating at such a high level, as well as learn how to receive and act on valuable feedback from Lorne, the showrunners and the networks.

I was also working on my own projects during that two year span, and using instruments from various cultures proved yet more valuable when recording the theme I wrote for Riot Games’ League Of Legends: Lunar Revel 2023 . The idea of writing a theme that represents such a cultural and spiritual aspect of Asian culture was a daunting prospect, but thankfully my experience combining Asian instruments with a western cinematic palette gave me a solid starting point.

The team at Riot (then led by Kole Hicks) really helped by giving valuable feedback and resources so we could record the score the right way, and do justice to our shared vision.

Cut to later that year when Conor Soucy contacted me to score Dead Whisper (our 4th project together), a couple of things happened that allowed the score to come to fruition: Conor and I had a friendship and trust that allowed him to give me agency to take creative risks with the score and try out ideas in search of something unique.

During our spotting session for the film, we would watch scenes, and I would immediately try out ideas on his piano in real time, allowing for deeper and more spontaneous collaboration.

Secondly, we won the SESAC New Music USA Reel Change Grant, which gave us the resources to hire the right players, experiment with bespoke sounds and invest in taking risks to push our creative limits. We got to work with Joy Music House , who helped produce the live recording sessions and make sure everything ran smoothly.

All the lessons from Nature Of All Things , recording exotic instruments for The Wheel Of Time , and reading all those books allowed Conor and I to talk story from a different vantage point, and try out ideas with the singular goal to make the best non-obvious choices in service of that story.

The resulting mammoth 57-minute score was a logistical challenge, but also an opportunity that resulted in recording master percussionist Bobak Lotfipour (Netflix’s Hellraiser , A24’s Green Knight ), vocalist Abby Lyons ( The Wheel Of Tim e), and a killer mix from Brian R. Taylor ( The Walking Dead: Dead City ). The end result is a juxtaposition between an organic, live instrument heavy score, and mangled / processed sounds, matching the throwback horror roots of the film, as well as its more modern influences.

The cliche, “it takes a village” feels especially apt here, as the amount of incredible support and trust I have received both from the filmmakers and composers I’ve worked with, and the people on my team for those projects brought these projects to fruition.

It’s a dream to be presented with a scoring opportunity where there is the trust and resources to put our best creative foot forward, and I’m so grateful for the career detours that allowed for it to happen as joyously as it did.

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31 Science Fiction Writing Prompts

By Georgina Roy

Are you looking for some ideas for your science fiction story? In this post, we’ve included 31 original science fiction writing prompts with ideas for hard science fiction, soft science fiction, dystopian science fiction, space opera, military science fiction, space western, cyberpunk, space horror, and science fiction romance.

Hard science fiction writing prompts

1. A scientist invents a time machine to save his wife, who died in a car accident ten years ago. How does he create the machine? How many times does he need to go back into the past to get to the right moment? What changes is he causing to the timeline by doing so? Is he successful in his attempt to save her or not? What does he learn along the way?

2. An engineer creates a portal to a parallel universe . What kind of a world does he find when he crosses over? What happens to our world as a result of his discovery? How many parallel worlds can he go to? Are there any parallel worlds where dinosaurs are still alive? Now that the portal exists, can any humans or animals from the parallel universe cross over to ours?

3. A space exploration team lands on a new habitable planet. What is the environment like? How big is the planet? What is the gravity like? What does the team find on the planet? Does the planet have any sentient life? If yes, what is their society like and are they a spacefaring species? Why is the team exploring the planet? Is Earth dying and they need to find a new planet for humanity as soon as possible?

Soft science fiction writing prompts

4. A space pirate gets captured by interstellar authorities. Instead of sending him to prison, he is given a mission: to find and capture another space pirate, who used to be his childhood girlfriend. Which planet (or planets) do the two pirates come from? Why did the two of them become space pirates and criminals? Why are the interstellar authorities looking for the woman? How does he find her and where?

5. A sick man is offered to be cured by a miracle drug, with the caveat that the scientists don’t know what the side effects would be. The man accepts and is cured. What are the side effects? Did he get turned into a woman? Did he develop strange superpowers? How does he fare with the changes? What does he now need to eat and drink to live? How does his seemingly successful treatment affect the world and society at large? Does he become a target for government agencies?

6. In a world where all organs – including the heart – can get cloned using cellular agriculture, after an accident, a woman gets her brain cloned and replaced. After she wakes up from the surgery, what happens to her? Has she retained the memories of her previous life, or is she a completely different person now? How is this technology going to be used moving forward, and why is her remembering her old life so important?

7. A person from the present day gets accidentally transported five centuries into the future. What kind of a world do they wake up in? What is the society like? What happened to Earth itself in the meantime? Do people live close to nature, or have most of the world’s big cities become big mega-cities that span thousands of kilometers?

Dystopian science fiction writing prompts

8. After a plague killed billions of humans, the survivors of the disease developed superpowers which they passed to their descendants. What is the life of those descendants today? Are they segregated into different walled settlements and unable to ever leave? What happens to any descendants who are hiding their powers and living outside of these segregated settlements? What happens if they are caught and sent to a segregated settlement? Will the descendants rise and fight for their freedom, using their superpowers? What kind of superpowers did they develop?

9. An AI-powered tool is used to determine people’s affinity and profession; after which they get a job for life. Poverty has been almost eliminated. A 15-year-old boy wants to be a painter, which is not considered a profession, and his tests place him as a factory worker. What does the boy do to avoid his fate? Are there others like him, who wanted a profession that was considered useless? Where do these people go?

10. In a future where most people are infertile, women are implanted at birth with a chip that will detect if they are pregnant, after which they get taken to a birthing center to ensure the babies are born. The babies then get taken from the mothers and raised in special facilities. When a woman finds out she is pregnant but doesn’t want the baby, where does she go? Can she remove this chip, and if yes, what are the consequences? Does she want the baby, but wants to avoid being separated from it at birth? Who is going to help her?

Space opera prompts

11. A man living on a planet mining an element that is used in weapons by a space empire loses his job as an engineer when he refuses to build a gun that would instantly vaporize an opponent. He is drafted as a miner. In the mines, he meets the other miners, enslaved and living in substandard conditions. They have been trying to form a resistant force. Does he start to work together with the resistance? Do they want him to build weapons for them?

12. After the near destruction of Earth, a fleet of generational ships was created to take humanity into space. The first habitable planet they come across to is very small and wouldn’t be enough to sustain all of the people from the ships. What do the ships do? Do they engage in a war for the rights to colonize the planet? How many ships were created? What are the ships like?

13. Humanity has reached the stars and established space empires, which regularly go to wars for planetary resources. After the fall of one of the biggest empires through a planet-wide destruction, a maid rescues the heir and goes into hiding. Where does she go, another planet, or a neutral space station? Is she passing the heir as her own baby to avoid discovery? Who is going to help her, and why is the heir so important?

Military science fiction prompts

14. After a thousand-year war with mysterious aliens, a fleet captain discovers the enemies are other humans. What does he do with this knowledge? How does he discover this fact? What do the higher ups in the military do when they discover he has that knowledge? Does he become a deserter to save his fellow humans? And what about the other side of the war? Do those humans know they’ve been fighting fellow humans all along?

15. Several young people are drafted into a space academy to become soldiers for a frontier war. What is their training like? Who is the enemy they are fighting, humans or aliens? Are they a peaceful people or a violent people? What do the young people discover about the war itself in the course of their training?

16. After a devastating space battle against aliens, only one ship remains. The crew get taken as prisoners of war. What happens to them? Do they get taken and drafted as slaves? What are the aliens like? Do the remaining humans get brainwashed into fighting for the aliens? Or, are the aliens a peaceful race and it was humans who started the war in the first place?

17. An advanced alien race rescued a million human babies when humanity was destroyed by another malevolent alien race. They have modified them and raised them to fight the malevolent aliens. What kind of superpowers did they develop? What is their military command like? Who are the malevolent aliens they are fighting, and why are they fighting them? Did they really destroy humanity, or are their benevolent masters hiding any secrets?

Space western writing prompts

18. On a barely habitable planet, a bounty hunter goes to one of the domed settlements, looking for his missing sister. Where does his search take him – other settlements on the barely habitable planet, or other planets that are more plentiful? How do they inhabitants of the settlement receive him? Is his sister the only woman missing, or are there more of them? Is there a human trafficking ring catering to the rich on other richer planets?

19. A group of young people with no money but different skillsets decide to become bounty hunters. Who is their first target? Are they successful? How do they use their various skills on the missions? Do they continue to take more and more difficult targets? Do they get to hunt any criminals they are personally connected to?

20. A frontier colony on a small, desert planet has gone missing. A crew of bounty hunters from a nearby planet are sent to investigate. What do they find in the settlement? Are there any signs of where the colony might have gone to? Was there a species of natives on the planet that attacked and killed the whole colony? What happens to the bounty hunters once they arrive at the settlement?

Cyberpunk prompts

21. In the near future, a man loses his arm in a work-related accident. He gets a new robotic arm with an AI connected to his brain. What happens after he recovers? Does he try to go back to his job? How are these AI-enhanced humans viewed like by society? Does he keep or lose his job? Can he use his robotic arm for another purpose? What happens with the AI in his arm? Is it sentient enough to take over his brain?

22. In a world where people use a specific chair to jack into a virtual reality game, several kids go missing. A prodigious gamer, who is able to mod the game, gets tasked with finding the kids inside the game. What does he find? Where are the kids hiding and why? What are the kid’s identities? What skills does the young man have to find them and how does he use them to solve the mystery? Who is helping him on his quest?

23. A corporation has developed AI and robotic technology that uses DNA of two people to give them an artificial baby. When a couple lose their newborn baby, they agree to get an artificial one. What is the baby like? Does it run on batteries? Does it cry when it needs to be fed (charged like a phone), or does it cry on a set schedule? How do the parents react to such a baby? How has the existence of the corporation affected the world at large? Are people accepting of artificial babies, or are they considered abominations?

24. After his wife becomes quadriplegic, an engineer creates a humanoid robot and transplants her brain into it. What is her robot body like? Does it have rubber-like skin and glassy eyes? How does she react to what he had done to her? Does she love her husband even more, or does she become hell-bent on destroying herself?

Space horror writing prompts

25. A captain of a merchant spaceship comes across an SOS signal in deep space. Upon answering it, the captain and their crew discover a huge husk of an empty spaceship, seemingly devoid of any life. What happened to the spaceship? Where does the spaceship come from? Is it an alien spaceship, or was it manned by humans? What is hiding in the depths of the ship?

26. An exploration crew lands on a planet where mist falls each night. All is well while they stay on their spaceship, but one time, two members of the crew remain outside as the mist falls. One of them disappears, while the other one loses their mind and starts to hear voices in their head. What is happening on the planet? Who is behind the voices the crew member hears? What does the captain do to protect the crew?

27. After successfully exploring a planet, an exploration crew is traveling back home. The mission has been a success – they found no life on the planet, but collected mineral samples that seem promising. All would be well – except for the weird scratching in the walls of the ship, and several of the samples going missing. What is causing the scratching inside the walls? Where are phials with the samples? And why is one of the crew members acting oddly and seems to have forgotten how to speak?

28. A young frontier colony has been on the planet for merely two months. All has been going well so far, except for one night, when a giant monster comes and destroys the newly built structures and the planted crops. The colony has to find a way to fight off the monster before it kills all of them. What do they use to fight it? Can they escape on the ship they came down on? Can they ask for help, and if yes, whom will they ask?

Science fiction romance prompts

29. In a world where humanity has conquered space, different family owned corporations fight for mining rights to different planets and regions. When two families get into a dispute over one planet, they each send one representative on a mission to divide the planet equally. On the planet, the representatives discover they have a lot in common and fall in love.

30. A retired mercenary living on a far-away outpost on a lonely planet comes across the wreckage of a spaceship. There is only one survivor. As they nurse the survivor back to health, romance blooms. The only problem is – where did the spaceship come from? And why is the survivor showing signs of not being fully human?

31. A space princess wanting to escape an arranged marriage offers a large sum of money to the captain of a pirate ship for passage to the furthest possible planet. The captain accepts, but their voyage is interrupted by those who are sent to capture the princess and bring her back home. Both of them have to use their skills and rely on each other if they are to survive the journey, which leads to them falling in love.

✍️ Science Fiction Short Story Prompts

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A team of scientists have successfully teleported an apple. It reappears with a bite taken out of it.

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After the crash, he vanished. Some say he moved to a compound in Africa, some say he went off the grid. But the Silicon Valley genius who engineered the greatest stockmarket disaster in history is hiding in plain sight

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BRYN DONOVAN

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50 Science Fiction Plot Ideas and Writing Prompts

One of my most popular blog posts is my 50 Fantasy Plot Ideas and Writing Prompts , so I thought I’d share a companion post of sci fi story ideas and writing prompts. Some of these may be more along the lines of “speculative fiction” than science fiction. They include prompts about the environment, artificial intelligence, genetics, medicine, time travel, space exploration, alien races, and alternative histories.

The real value of sci fi ideas, of course, is the way the author uses them to explore questions about society, humanity, and relationships. I created these as interesting writing prompts for adults, but many of them might be appropriate for teen writers, too. I think in order to really learn how to write a science fiction story, you need to read a lot in the genre, but this can still be a fun place to start.

If you’re interested in writing science fiction and you don’t have an agent, you might want to take a look at my roundup of fantasy and science fiction publishers who accept unsolicited (or unagented) manuscripts. And if you’re not writing scifi right now, but you might be in the future, you might want to pin or bookmark the post for future reference!

All citizens are temporarily neutered at birth. Would-be parents must prove to the government that they’ll be suitable caretakers and providers before they are allowed to procreate.
All marriages must be approved by a department of the government, which analyzes massive amounts of data to predict the success of the union, its economic and social impact on society, the health and welfare of any children, and so on. It’s such a hassle that many people opt for government-arranged marriages instead.
Global warming prompts rapid mutations in the human species.
The world’s leaders broker a deal with the alien invaders that many see as unfair.
Humans have discovered a way to communicate directly with animals, and all the meat they consume is lab-created.
Extreme elective surgery is the societal norm, and humans undergo creative modifications that include extra limbs, cartoon-like features, and so on.
Breeding modern humans with large amounts of Neanderthal DNA leads to interesting results.
In this world, Napoleon’s army took over Australia, he never lost at Waterloo, France took control of most of Europe, and World War I and World War II never happened.
An alien from a planet where no one else experiences empathy comes to live on Earth, believing they will fit in better there.
A drug that makes people non-confrontational has been added to the public water supply and to all beverages sold by major corporations.
The huge, thin sheets of material covering some trees and yards turn out to be discarded placentas.
A low-level employee in a bureaucratic government office realizes the paperwork he files every day contains codes that determine others’ fates.
A human and alien fall in love, causing an interplanetary crisis.

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An alien doesn’t know how to tell the humans s/he’s become intimately involved with that s/he’s an alien, even though they will find out soon.
High-speed robotic horses become a trendy alternative to cars and weave through heavy traffic with ease.
Birds and butterflies are able to navigate on long migrations due to proteins in their bodies that align with the earth’s magnetic fields. Scientists put these proteins to a new use.
An entertainment company synthesizes huge amounts of data they collected about viewer’s responses to movies and shows, and they use it to create a TV show that’s dangerously addictive.
Mars has been terraformed by dropping nuclear bombs on its poles, and the first human colonists have been assured that almost all of the radiation has escaped the atmosphere.
An attempt to save the honeybees had surprising consequences.
Online bullying is made a felony, which leads to unforeseen complications.
At a new underwater amusement park and resort, built at a greater depth than any other construction before, the guests face an unforeseen threat.
Spies use tiny implants in the retina that record and transmit everything to the commanders in another country. The implants dissolve after a certain amount of time.
The first time travellers seem to have no ability to improve the course of human events. If they kill Hitler, for instance, some other person does exactly what he did. They search for the way to really alter the timeline.
Astronauts develop strange and unexpected symptoms in response to traveling at light speed.
It’s easy to look up exactly where any person is at any given time.
New fitness devices track your movements and everything you eat automatically.
A new device automatically tracks your mood levels and emotions. This leads people to avoid more of what makes them unhappy and do more of what makes them feel good.
People become human mood rings: they get implants that make them change color along with their mood.
Criminals and dissidents undergo illegal genetic therapy to change their DNA so the government has no record of them.
Euthanasia is legal and painless means are widely available. A detective specializes in suspicious cases of euthanasia that may have been murder.
Books and videogames have both been replaced by interactive virtual worlds filled with fascinating characters.
Colonists on another planet want to be an independent country and lead a rebellion.
People from a civilization that mysteriously disappeared centuries ago, such as ancestral Puebloans in the U.S. Southwest, return.
An alien planet outsources city planning by creating a complex, engrossing city-building videogame popular with humans.
A time traveler from centuries in the future fails in their attempt to impersonate a person of the twenty-first century. They enlist someone’s help to carry out a mission.
A virus can be transmitted from computers or other machines to humans with bionic upgrades.
Advertisements appear randomly in thin air in front of a person. Getting media without this advertising is prohibitively expensive.
A team of scientists attempt to genetically alter a human to adapt to another planet’s terrain or outer space travel. They accidentally make him or her immortal.
Implants make telepathy possible between the humans who get them.
The Air Force uses invisibility technology for the first time, but the pilot realizes her mission is morally reprehensible.
People are nostalgic for snow, so they create artificial snowstorms.
In a world where pain and suffering have been eliminated, people pay to experience a variety of negative sensations under safe and controlled circumstances.
A secret society of scientists labors to make medical discoveries and to save the planet, even though a religious fundamentalist government has outlawed their activities.
Medical researchers are attempting to bring people back to life after they’ve been dead for thirty minutes or even an hour and give them a full recovery. Their experimentation is unethical and/or leads to strange alterations to people’s brains.
Someone is shrunk to a tiny size to perform a life-saving or planet-saving procedure impossible for a machine or an average-sized human.
His loved one died, but is alive in a parallel universe, and he is somehow getting messages or clues about her life there.
On Ceres, a large asteroid, there’s a fueling station for spaceships. Terrorists take over the station and disrupt space travel and trade.
Because it’s too hard to screen for performance-enhancing drugs, they are made legal and are an important component of sports.
The ability to make visual recordings of dreams has exhilarating and terrifying consequences.
Because android “kids” have become so lifelike, amusing, and hassle-free, no one wants to have real ones.
(bonus) Patients are woken up from hibernation when the cures to their diseases have been discovered.

I hope you liked these! And if one of them sparks your imagination, don’t feel guilty about using it–you’ll wind up putting your personal spin on it, anyway. Or maybe something on the list will inspire a completely different idea of your own!

Would you like some more? My book 5,000 Writing Prompts has 100 more science fiction writing prompts in addition to the ones on this list, plus hundreds of other master plots by genre, dialogue and character prompts, and much more.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy writing!

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2,000 Writing Prompts for Science Fiction, Horror, and Fantasy Stories

light bulb plugging itself in, illustration for writing prompts collection

Can’t decide what to write about? Looking for some great story ideas? Then you’re in the right place! This is the biggest story ideas list on the web! Browse over two thousand amazing sci-fi, horror, and fantasy writing prompts. This collection is great for speculative fiction, anything supernatural, futuristic, or just plain weird. These writing prompts can also be used for romance stories, scary stories, stories for kids, and other creative writing. You’re sure to find great ideas for your next project, and put an end to writer’s block forever.

Science fiction writing prompts, space opera writing prompts – story ideas about space travel, aliens, and the universe.

Radio Phobos was both a space station and a radio station in space. From 250 miles above Kepler , Catherine broadcasted her personally-curated collection of the greatest recordings from humanity’s home world, an extinct planet called “Earth”. She broadcasted music for sixteen hours a day, and while she slept, eight hours of radio plays, audio books, and other long-form entertainment. During longer songs, she loved to look through the station’s vast rose window and stare down at the planet below, wishing someone was staring back up at her. Of course, as she was traveling at 17,000 miles an hour, this was impossible. Or so she thought…
A young boy finds an alien egg at the farm where his father works. He decides to hide it in his room and see what comes out when it hatches.
The police chief of a small town is murdered by someone who claims to be an alien. The authorities debate whether the human-looking “alien” is a lunatic or actually the beginning of an invasion.
A housewife traps an alien inside the family’s bomb shelter. A moment later, the full-scale invasion starts, with ships flying over the city, blasting buildings to bits. She must decide if she will go in the shelter and possibly be killed by the strange creature, or stay outside and risk the house being destroyed and collapsing around her.

Apocalyptic Story Ideas – Zombies, the Post-Apocalypse, and More

We were trying to save the world, but our creation may destroy it. We genetically engineered a new variety of tree, heartier and faster growing than bamboo. We planted tens of thousands, and they reproduced and grew more. And then it happened. They started producing more oxygen. Lots more. The air became toxic. The trees were killing us.
Earth is rebuilding after a global war. The survivors decide to replace Earth’s old government with a new system of laws. They send a message to a distant, alien planet, requesting the help of their wisest and most intelligent leaders. Unfortunately, the message is intercepted by a group of alien con artists.
Earth is overthrown by a hedonistic alien race. The aliens believe that “success” is to be judged by how enjoyable one’s life is. They declare themselves the rightful rulers of the galaxy due to their ability to experience the most pleasure. A group of college students challenges the aliens to an unusual contest: earth will be ruled by whoever can party the hardest.

Dystopian Story Ideas – Evil Governments, Corporate Takeovers, and More

A corporation installs a device to monitor its employees’ thoughts. Anyone who gets caught daydreaming or thinking nonproductive thoughts has the time taken out of their pay. When a secretary and a mail room clerk discover that they are immune to the device, they search for a way to destroy it.
A totalitarian government has cameras on every street corner, constantly surveilling everyone and tracking their movements with facial recognition software. A group of rebels take to wearing makeup with geometric patterns to confuse the computers. A scientist develops an invisibility cloak that allows him to roam the streets undetected. He starts cutting down the camera poles, freeing streets from surveillance.
A totalitarian government sterilizes every child at birth. Children are created in government birthing centers. A childless couple fails the parenting skills test and is forbidden from adopting children. They build their own artificial womb and grow a baby, keeping the child hidden from government inspectors. They look for other childless couples they can help.
Traditional methods of propaganda become obsolete thanks to a team of government psychics with the ability to implant ideas in people’s minds. They manipulate society’s views on political policies and sway elections. The team soon becomes more powerful than the government they were created to serve.

Story Ideas about Biology – Sex, Gender, Sexuality, Immortality, Physical Transformations

The government bans execution, but the new punishment is even crueler. Instead of being executed, criminals are rendered immortal, invisible, and intangible, doomed to spend eternity like a ghost, isolated and alone.
A mutation in the Y chromosome slows the aging process in men, allowing them to live for thousands of years, but forced to watch the women in their lives grow old and die.
As teleportation technology spreads across the world, people begin hacking the machines to do more than just travel. Teleportation chambers can regenerate your body in a new location, but why does it have to be the body you started with? Why not appear in the new location ten years younger, or as the opposite sex, or as an animal, or something stranger? Hacked re-gen software is leaked to the internet, allowing humans to change their bodies in nearly unlimited ways.

Cyberpunk Writing Prompts – Memory Editing, Brain Implants

A neurologist invents a device that allows people to record and re-watch their dreams. One of the first users dreams of having sex with a beautiful woman. His wife sees the recording and, not realizing it is just a dream, assumes her husband is cheating. As the device becomes more popular, a hacker discovers a software exploit that allows him to download copies of dreams, which he then uses as blackmail material. Law enforcement agencies demand the right to monitor people’s dreams, in case people dream about crimes they have committed or are planning on committing.
An engineering student enhances her own nervous system by building herself an artificial spinal cord. This spinal cord gives her quicker reflexes than any human alive. She decides to drop out of school and use her newfound talents to dominate women’s tennis. Unfortunately, a rival tennis player discovers her secret and hires a hacker to take control of her enhanced spine.
An artist couple makes history by having their brains wired together so their minds, memories, and personalities can merge. A rival artist attempts to one-up their accomplishment by gathering dozens of volunteers to become the first human “ hive mind ”.

Writing Prompts about Travel – Time Travel, Dimension Jumping, Jet Packs, Flying Cars

Portals appear in major cities across the world. These portals allow anyone instant access to high-security areas like bank vaults, prison yards, even chemical weapon research labs. Whenever one appears, the police are forced to barricade the area and post armed guards. As more and more portals appear, the police desperately search for who is building them and why.
Rachel screamed, clinging to the window ledge with all her might. If she survived, she would have to admit that her father was right. Never buy discount anti-gravity boots.
A time traveler visits Europe in the middle ages , exploring the countryside and collecting samples of ancient flora and fauna. The traveler runs into trouble when he tries to collect a sample of one of the time period’s most dangerous creatures: a werewolf.
Erica was startled to realize that she could see both worlds simultaneously. In the real world, she could see bridge and the cars around her. But in the other world, the bridge was the top of a vast wall. Instead of a car, she was being driven in a war chariot. Soon the water elemental would be there. When it struck, would the real world be affected, too?

Futuristic Technology Writing Prompts – Robots, Androids, AI, Cyborgs

A starship pilot falls in love with the AI that runs her ship. She makes it her mission to find the aliens that built it and demand that they give the AI a human body.
A hacker with the ability to create holograms anywhere soon leaves police unable to tell real crimes from illusions.
A high school student wins a robot in a contest. Unfortunately, the robot company made a typo in the contest rules. Instead of Model X-12, the Robot Puppy, they promised the winner a Model Z-12, a forty-foot-tall robot tank. Every teenager wants her own super weapon, right?

Story Ideas about Psychic Abilities – Telepathy, Telekinesis, Mind Control

A powerful psychic’s dream creates a “mirror image” of the earth. People who are unhappy with their lives on earth begin visiting mirror earth to see if their opposites have it better.
When people die, their spirits lay sleeping, dreaming until the end of the world. One dead girl’s dreams are so powerful that they begin to reshape reality. To stop these changes, the cemetery caretaker must find a way to bring her back to life, or to kill the dead.
A tarot card reader discovers that her psychic abilities also work with any kind of card – baseball cards, credit cards, business cards, even birthday cards. Testing the limits of her abilities, she picks up a pack of “Monster Movie” trading cards and has visions of the town being overrun by vampires, werewolves, and worse.
A psychic joins his friends for a weekend of camping and drug use. He realizes the mushrooms were a mistake when his visions of melting walls and talking lizards start coming true.

Fantasy Writing Prompts

Witches, wizards, gods, demons, and magic.

Two brothers find a vast, dark forest growing in their own bedroom. Wandering into the trees, they soon discover that they are being stalked by the monster that lives in the depths of their house.
A teenager uses a book of necromantic spells to raise his best friend from the dead. When the forbidden book is found, he says that it belongs to his art teacher. She is soon dragged out of school by an angry mob.
A witch curses a hunter’s eyes so that every human he sees appears to be an animal. He will be completely unable to tell innocent people from wild game. The only way he can undo the curse is to kill the witch, but which rabbit is her?
A sorceress keeps a powerful spirit locked in ethereal chains, forcing it to serve her like a slave. A necromancer offers to help the spirit escape its eternal servitude by casting it into the body of one of his undead minions. But will he really be free, or will he just be moving from one prison to the next?

Horror Writing Prompts

Vampires, werewolves, and other scary monsters.

While demons attack mortals and lead souls astray, and archdemons destroy entire nations, imps are too small and weak for such grand things. Instead, they focus on creating petty annoyances, like hiding someone’s keys or knocking objects off of tables. Reginald, the self-styled “King of Imps”, sets his sights on getting a promotion. To do that, he has to annoy a human to death.
The owner of an art gallery has a most unusual collection. He collects the undead, zombies sealed in blocks of solid glass. They are unable to move, but they know they are trapped, and the torment and frustration clearly shows on their faces. When an earthquake shatters the glass, the gallery owner has to pay for his crimes in the most painful way imaginable.
A teenage vampire goes to the carnival with his friends. When they want to go to the House of Mirrors, he worries that his secret will finally be uncovered. How will he explain his missing reflection?
A recently-married man discovers that his new wife wasn’t entirely honest about being an orphan. She does have family, and they are dead… technically. Her father is a zombie, her mother is a vampire, and her sister is some strange combination of the two.
It’s 1955. A lonely man makes a deal with the devil , asking for a wife who will love him forever. As the devil is not able to violate human will, he gives the job to a female demon. The female demon does her best to be a good housewife, while keeping up her other demon duties – tempting sinners, leading the good astray, dragging the evil into hell…

More Writing Prompts

Superhero story ideas– super powers, heroes, and villains.

Commander Jetstream is a scientist turned rocket-powered superhero . He has used his amazing gadgets to fight crime for years, but he may have finally encountered something he can’t handle. A supposed necromancer is using a book of dark magic to animate the dead. How can he use technology to fight something beyond science?
Woofer was the city’s toughest crime fighter. With his sonic-powered punches, he could blast through a concrete wall or knock a villain into the next county. His only problem was his secret identity. It was difficult to pose as a normal human when your hands were a pair of giant stereo speakers.
Indestructible Ian spent every night patrolling the city, beating up criminals with his super strength. Well, almost every night. He never patrolled during a full moon. And he didn’t patrol the entire city. For some reason, he always avoided the silver mine on the edge of town…
The city was under siege by super powered terrorists, but the police were refusing to call on the local hero for help. The only thing more frightening than terrorists was The Necromancer and his undead minions.
As Mel dragged yet another mugger to the police, her smile lit up the night. Literally. She was indestructible, brilliant with a blade, and the most powerful vigilante in the world. She was also Melpomene , one of the Muses, goddesses that inspired artists and other creative individuals all over the world. Deities weren’t allowed to reveal themselves, let alone beat them up, but being a crime fighter was a lot more fun than inspiring tragic dramas. She just had to prevent the other gods from noticing she was on earth. How hard could that be?

Like these ideas? Still need more? Get the book! Create trillions of writing prompts with the ultimate story idea generator, Inspiration Overdose!

What are some good short story ideas? How do I pick the right story idea?

The right story idea is the one that moves you. If you get emotionally involved in the story, your readers will, too.

What makes a good story?

Good stories are about three things: character, conflict, and change. Readers want to experience a character going through a conflict, reaching a low point, and coming back stronger. This kind of journey is universal, something everyone can relate to. It is also something that everyone wants. Everyone wants to believe that their own personal problems will work out for the best in the end. Reading about characters going through conflict and emerging triumphantly gives us faith that we can do the same.

How do I get ideas for writing?

One place to look for ideas is in other people’s writing. Good writers are invariably good readers. Build a stack of short story collections, making sure to include a variety of styles, tones, and eras. This will provide you with hundreds of different plots, characters, and settings to spark your imagination with ideas for something new and unique. Picture galleries are another great source for story ideas. Find a picture and ask yourself, “What is the relationship between these people? What are they thinking about? What happened just before this picture was taken? What happened afterwards?” You can also examine the covers of books you’ve never read and try to make up your own story based on the cover art.

How do you start an idea for a story?

The first step in expanding an idea is making sure you have each of the fundamental story elements in place: the protagonist (hero), the antagonist (villain), conflict (what they are fighting about), and setting (when and where the story takes place). Once you identify any missing elements, you can start filling them in and expanding your idea into a full story premise.

How do you make a unique story?

One way to make your stories more unique is to seek out more inspiration. Read a wide variety of genres, and seek out stories from different cultures and time periods. The more creativity you take in, the more you can put out.

What does show don’t tell mean in writing?

When you write a story, showing is presenting a character’s experience of the events. This means including sensory details – how things looked, sounded, smelled, and felt. It also means presenting dialogue directly. She said, he said, they said. On the other hand, telling means just saying that something happened. Mary said that she wanted to go to the store. She went to the store, and came back later. This is useful when you need to cover events that are less important and don’t drive the larger plot forward.

How long should a short story be?

Short stories generally range from 1,000 to 7,500 words. Anything shorter than that is called flash fiction or micro fiction.

How should you end a short story?

The most important thing about a story’s ending is change. Something should be different, either the character(s) or the situation. If nothing changes, it hardly even counts as a story! The end of a story should wrap up any major plot lines. The kidnap victim is rescued, the treasure is found, and the villain is caught. The end of the story should also show that major characters have progressed in their personal development, conquering their flaws or learning to better cope with them. And if you’re planning to write a sequel, the ending should state or imply that the battle isn’t over yet, an more work needs to be done.

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660 Narrated Science Fiction Writing Prompts

Need Science Fiction writing inspiration? Here are 660 narrated writing prompts to help you launch your next Science Fiction writing endeavor. Using these story starters, you can craft your own Science Fiction universe from the ground up. These kinds of sci-fi stories can give readers a virtual escape – the kind of experience Science Fiction fans are expecting and craving. This video includes writing prompts from 33 Science Fiction subgenres including aliens, robots/A.I., space exploration, space opera, dystopia, steampunk, apocalyptic, cyberpunk, young adult, and more.

More than any other genre, Science Fiction writing requires a solid initial concept. Sci-fi is a popular genre that has covered a lot of ideas over the years, so it's important for writers to develop a fresh concept that has rarely been tried before. Our writing prompts can get you on the right track for unique storytelling, igniting your imagination in a direction that your readers will not anticipate but will appreciate.

While listening to this video, think about how you can take one of these concepts and make it your own. Combining ideas from writing prompts—like the ones in this video—with your own personal experience can be a great way to develop a story that resonates with your audience.

By the way, you don't have to credit us for any of these ideas, but it would be much appreciated if you do! A simple link to our website, ServiceScape.com, is the best way to do that.

If you would like the text from any of these prompts, you can find them written down here: 660 Science Fiction Writing Prompts That Will Get You Writing at Warp Speed

Aliens - Extraterrestrial beings from a far away world encounter humans.
Alternate History - The world as we know it is different due to alternate events taking place in history.
Alternate/Parallel Universe - This subgenre offers a glimpse of an alternate plane of existence.
Apocalyptic/Post-Apocalyptic - A disaster has devastated the world and humanity must now survive the aftermath.
Biopunk - The story focuses on the use of biotechnology, genetic manipulation, and/or eugenics.
Children's Story - This subgenre focuses on elements that appeal to children.
Colonization - Humans move to a distant area or world and create a new settlement.
Comedy - The stories contain a lot of humor and satirization of Science Fiction.
Cyberpunk - Man and machine are merged and virtual reality is a reality within these types of stories.
Dying Earth - A subgenre where the Earth is dying and landscapes are barren, making it hostile to human life.
Dystopia - A vision of the future in which there is oppression and suffering throughout society.
Galactic Empire - This subgenre involves a far-reaching empire that encompasses many worlds throughout the galaxy.
Generation Ship - An extended spaceship voyage in search of a distant, habitable planet.
Hard Science Fiction - A subgenre in which characters and settings take a back seat to scientific and technological detail.
Immortality - There are characters who live forever—often with the use of an advanced technology.
Lost Worlds - This adventure-oriented subgenre involves the journey to a far away land.
Military - The story is set within interstellar or interplanetary war.
Mind Transfer - This subgenre explores the possibility of moving a mind into either a different person or a machine.
Mundane Science Fiction - The story contains technology that is either available now or will be available in the near future.
Mythic - This subgenre combines a Science Fiction setting with myth, folklore, and fantastical elements.
Nanopunk - An offshoot of cyberpunk in which the plot delves into the promise and dangers of Nanotechnology.
Robots/A.I. - These stories show both the benevolent and darker sides of robotics and A.I.
Science Fantasy - This subgenre blends soft science with magical powers and fanciful creatures.
Science Horror - Science Fiction that evokes fear, dread, and/or dismay.
Slipstream - A surreal science fiction story that is illogical and jarring.
Soft Science Fiction - The story is focused on human activity and affairs rather than technology.
Space Exploration - This subgenre contains themes of humanity's place in the universe and the exploration of its farthest realms.
Space Opera - These large-scale Science Fiction adventure stories contain daring, swashbuckling characters.
SpyFi - An espionage story with high-tech duels and over-the-top gadgets.
Steampunk - Set in the 19th-century, these stories use steam to power advanced machinery.
Time Travel - Science Fiction that focuses on traveling to the past and/or to the future.
Utopia - Human society has become idyllic due to advanced technology.
Young Adult - Science fiction written for people in their teens or early twenties.

A special thanks to Helen Langford for her narration, Catherine Gilson Highton for her illustrations, Shubham Narayan for the visual effects, Jim Dyer for the sound editing, and all of the writers who created these fantastic prompts:

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50 Sci Fi Writing Prompts to Help You Get in the Zone

By: Author Paul Jenkins

Posted on September 26, 2022

Categories Writing , Inspiration

Science fiction is one of the most popular genres in the world, and for good reason! It allows us to explore new worlds, imagine different futures, and experience adventures. If you’re looking to get into the sci-fi writing zone, these 50 prompts are perfect! They will help you develop new story ideas and keep your creative juices flowing. So what are you waiting for? Get started today!

50 Sci-Fi Writing Prompts

1. What if aliens invaded the Earth? How would humanity react, and how would we fight back?

2. What if we discovered a new, habitable planet? What would be the implications for our species?

3. What if time travel was possible? What kind of havoc could be wreaked, and what would be the consequences?

4. What if we made contact with intelligent life forms from another world? How would they view us, and vice versa?

5. What if our world was plunged into a new ice age? How would we survive, and what would happen to civilization as we know it?

6. What if global warming became an irreversible reality? What kind of effect would it have on the planet and human society?

7. What if artificial intelligence became self-aware and decided to take over the world? How would we stop them?

8. What if animals started evolving into sentient beings and demanded equal rights? How would humanity react, and how would society change as a result?

9. What if death could be cured and people stopped dying? How would that affect our views on life, and what would be the consequences of overpopulation?

10. What if we started colonizing other planets? Could we survive in outer space?

11. What if the government allowed corporations to control the planet’s resources? What would happen if the corporations took over?

12. What if we discovered a new form of energy that could fuel technology for thousands of years? What would be the implications for our planet and our existence?

13. What if we discovered a new, potent form of medicine? What would be the implications for our health, and how would it affect our views on aging or illness?

14. What if there was a new ice age? What would be the implications for the planet and humanity?

15. What if our entire solar system was destroyed? How would this affect our planet, and how would we survive?

16. What if humans became immortal? What would be the implications for society and our civilization?

17. What if an alien race built a new space station near our planet? How would we react, and what would be the consequences?

18. What if aliens discovered a new planet with potentially habitable conditions? How would the two species establish contact, and what would the consequences be?

19. What if we invented a powerful new technology that could change our world? What would we use it for, and how would it impact our society?

20. What if we developed technology that could read our thoughts? What would be the implications for society and our civil liberties?

21. What if a new disease was discovered? How would we respond, and how would it change our world?

22. What if a human discovered a new, highly potent energy source? What would be the implications for society and the environment?

23. What if a scientific discovery threatened to destroy our planet? What lengths would we go to stop it?

24. What if our DNA became mutilated beyond repair, and we could not breed? How would humankind react, and what would be the consequences?

25. What if a new virus was discovered? What would be the implications for humanity, and how would we stop it?

26. What if a human discovered a new planet we could colonize? What would be the implications for our species, and how would we establish colonies there?

27. What if humanity found a way to travel beyond the galaxy? What kinds of adventures could we have in deep space, and what would we discover?

28. What if a new meteor struck Earth and devastated our planet? How would humanity respond, and what would be the aftermath?

29. What if a new kind of energy was discovered? How would humanity use it, and what would be the consequences for our world?

30. What if a new kind of weaponry was discovered? What would be the implications for humanity and for war?

31. What if humans stopped having children? How would this affect our species, and what would be the consequences?

32. What if we discovered a new planet with a breathable atmosphere? What would be the implications for humankind, and how would we colonize it?

33. What if a new dinosaur species was discovered? What would be the implications for our world, and how would we react to their existence?

34. What if a new plague could not be cured? How would humanity respond, and how would we stop the epidemic?

35. What if we discovered a new planet with plant, animal, and human life? What would be the implications for our world, and how would we colonize it?

36. What if a group of people from our planet were stranded on an alien planet? What would be the implications for them and humankind?

37. What if we started colonizing space? What would be the implications for our species?

38. What if a powerful alien species came to our planet? What would be the consequences for humankind?

39. What if humans began traveling the stars and colonizing other planets? What would be the implications for our species, and how would we arm ourselves?

40. What if a new virus spread around the world? How would we stop it, and what would be the repercussions?

41. What if we discovered a new planet that had highly advanced technology? How would we respond, and what would be the consequences?

42. What if an alien race who disliked humans discovered a new planet? How would they treat the planet’s inhabitants, and what would the implications be for humankind?

43. What if a new kind of energy was discovered but had negative impacts on the environment? What would be the implications for our planet and the future of humanity?

44. What if we discovered a powerful new technology that could positively alter our planet? What would be the implications for humankind, and how would we utilize it?

45. What if a new kind of animal was discovered? How would it affect our world, and how would we react?

46. What if we discovered a new form of life? What would be the implications for our world, and how would we respond?

47. What if we discovered a new planet with highly advanced technology? What would be the implications for our world and humanity?

48. What if we discovered a new planet with a suitable environment for human life? What would be the implications for humanity, and how would we colonize it?

49. What if we discovered a new planet inhabited by a new alien life form? What would be the implications for our world, and how would we respond?

50. What if humans landed on a new planet, and our astronauts were stranded there? What would the implications be for our species, and how would we respond?

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some sci-fi topics.

Fancy more than the above? Here goes!…

1. In a future world where artificial intelligence has surpassed human intelligence, humans are now relegated to second-class citizens. Write a story from the perspective of an AI as it observes the humans it once knew struggling to adapt to their new way of life. 2. In a post-apocalyptic world, humanity has been forced to move underground to escape the surface world’s toxic air and endless radiation. Write a story about a group of people who venture back up to the surface, only to find that some things are better left buried. 3. Time travel has been perfected, but there’s a catch: every time you travel back in time, your mind is wiped of all memories of your previous timeline. Write a story about a woman who travels back in time, again and again, desperately trying to hold on to her memories long enough to change her future. 4. In a future where cloning has become commonplace, people can now choose to have copies of themselves made. But what happens when one woman discovers that her clones are inexplicably going missing? 5. On a newly colonized planet, the settlers encountered difficulty growing crops due to the planet’s unusual atmosphere. When they finally manage to grow some crops, they realize too late that the plants are carnivorous… 6. After an alien invasion, humanity has been divided into two groups: those taken by the aliens and those left behind. Write a story about the resistance movement fighting against the invaders and the collaborators who have sided with them. 7. A woman wakes up one day with no memory of who she is or how she got there. The only clues she has are the tattoos on her body which seem to be coordinated in space… 8. In a future society where emotions have been eradicated, two people fall in love and must keep their relationship a secret or face severe consequences. 9. After an experiment gone wrong, a scientist finds herself stuck in an alternate dimension where she discovers that her deceased loved ones are still alive… but they don’t remember her. 10. A woman discovers that she is an android after experiencing glitches in her system… and that she was created for a specific purpose…

How Do You Start a Sci-Fi Narrative?

Great stories need a strong opening that will pull readers in and make them want to keep reading. This is doubly true for science fiction, which often has a lot of world-building and exposition right from the start. So how do you write a strong opening for your sci-fi narrative?

1. Establish the Setting The first step is to establish the setting for your story. Where does it take place? What kind of world is it? Is it future earth or a different planet? Whatever the case may be, you need to give your readers enough information so they can visualize the scene in their minds.

2. Introduce the Characters Once you’ve established the setting, it’s time to introduce the characters. Who are the main players in your story? What motivates them? Again, you don’t want to bog down your opening with too much detail, but you should give readers enough to understand who these people are and what they want.

3. Hook Your Readers Last but not least, you need to hook your readers with some element of suspense or mystery. Why should they care about these characters and this story? What’s at stake? If you can answer those questions in your opening, you’ll have succeeded in pulling readers in and getting them invested in your story.

What’s the Difference Between Sci-Fi and Fantasy?

To understand the genesis of both sci-fi and fantasy, it’s important to know that they both stem from the same source: folklore. Folklore, by definition, is a genre of traditional tales or legends associated with a particular people, culture, or geographical region.

Sci-Fi and fantasy are two genres that are often lumped together, but they have very different conventions. Sci-Fi is focused on science in its stories— usually presenting what-if scenarios exploring science and technology’s consequences. On the other hand, fantasy stories are set in imaginary worlds and often feature magical elements.

Technology vs. Magic One of the key differences between sci-fi and fantasy is their treatment of technology and magic. In SciFi stories, technology is often used as a way to solve problems or achieve objectives that would otherwise be impossible. On the other hand, magic is a central component of most fantasy stories. Magic is often used as a stand-in for technology—for example, flying carpets might take the place of spaceships in a fantasy story set on another planet.

Rational vs. Supernatural explanations Another difference between sci-fi and fantasy is how rational or supernatural explanations are used to explain events in the story. In SciFi, everything typically has a rational explanation— even if that explanation isn’t fully fleshed out or understood by the characters in the story. In contrast, magic often provides a supernatural explanation for events in fantasy stories.

Humans vs. Non-humans A final difference between these two genres is their treatment of human versus non-human characters. In SciFi stories, humans are typically the main focus— even if non-human characters are present (think aliens). On the other hand, non-human characters often take center stage in fantasy stories— with humans playing more of a supporting role (think hobbits).

What Are Three Major Themes in Science Fiction?

As a writer, it’s important to know the major themes that run through your genre. This way, you can stay true to the spirit of the genre while still putting your spin on things. In this post, we’ll look at the three major themes in science fiction.

Exploration. This is the idea of venturing out into the unknown, whether traveling to different worlds or discovering new technologies. It’s about pushing the boundaries of what is possible and expanding our horizons. This theme often leads to stories about first contact and tales of adventure and discovery.

Identity . This is the idea of questioning who we are and what makes us human. It’s about exploring what it means to be an individual in a constantly changing and evolving society. This theme often leads to stories about artificial intelligence, cybernetics, and other forms of transhumanism.

Social commentary. This is the idea of using speculative fiction to comment on contemporary issues. It’s about asking “what if?” and using fictional scenarios to explore the potential consequences of real-world problems. This theme often leads to stories about dystopian societies, climate change, and other forms of social commentary.

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Writing Tips ,

Sci fi writing prompts: 105 inspirational ideas.

By N J Simmonds

So, you want to write a sci fi novel but don’t know where to start…

If you’re a huge sci fi fan who has read all the books and watched all the movies, it may well feel like every idea has already been written.

It hasn’t!

The joy of being a writer is that YOU are writing the story, which means even the most unoriginal trope can be made unique and original because you have given it your own special twist. But you still need an idea.

In this article, I will be sharing tips on where to find sci-inspiration, and giving you 110 sci-fi ideas to use as a starting point for your own science fiction story. Yes, 110 FREE ideas!

What Is Sci Fi?

Many people mistake sci fi for fantasy, which is understandable. Both are full of things that don’t yet exist in real life.

The simplest way to define sci fi is to remember that although it is about something outside of our known reality – ie life on another planet or living among cyborgs – most sci fi stories are based on existing concepts; science and technology. Fantasy, on the other hand, is completely made up and often uses inexplicable concepts such as magic.

Although, you can mix sci fi with other genres.

Star Wars , for instance, is set in space but also includes a magical system – so it’s often described as sci fi fantasy. And you can have dystopian sci fi which shows our real world in the future and how our actions have caused it to change for the worse.

Science Fiction Story Ideas

When it comes to finding inspiration for your sci fi stories, ideas can be found absolutely anywhere. Here are just a few places where you can start looking:

Old newspaper articles
Current news
Scientific developments
Science and history museums and exhibitions
Environmental concerns
Animal and plant life (the more you know about mushrooms, for instance, the more you realise you wish you didn’t know)
Space travel
Planets and the solar system

Science Fiction Writing Prompts

If that’s not enough to get your imagination going, I’ve put together some one-line prompts for your writing.

These ideas are categorised by themes, and feel free to add your own twist or mix them up. The joy of writing sci fi is that there are no limits, so take your sci fi story to places no one has ever gone before. To infinity and beyond!

Let’s start with alien races and all the fun that theme can bring…

Alien Prompts

Aliens aren’t scary, in fact they are already living in our house. We just have to find them.

An alien planet looks to earth to save it. When it comes to ask for help it divides human kind between those who want to save them – and those who want to kill them.

A woman keeps seeing visions of an alien world. She thinks she’s going crazy, until she realises they are memories and she’s not human.

Every galaxy is destroyed and planet Earth becomes the prize that five alien races are fighting over.

A man with no womb finds himself pregnant. Is it a miracle? Or has he been implanted with an alien child?

A young girl has a special ability – she can communicate with other planets. But can she be trusted to tell scientists the truth?

An alien invasion is imminent and humans must come together to protect our planet. Can they put their differences aside forever and unite?

Archeologists discover an old relic buried deep in the desert. It’s an alien ship.

The pyramids are not what we thought they were – hieroglyphics are in fact an alien language, changing the course of history as we know it.

Scientists have been keeping a big secret; they have an alien in captivity that can reverse death. Who will it bring back first?

A planet called Earth has been discovered. Is it worth investigating? Or are humans best left to destroy themselves?

Environmental Disasters Prompts

The planet is getting hotter and some humans have evolved to withstand extreme temperatures. But how long until the world completely burns itself out?

Global warming melts all the ice caps and half the planet is about to drown. Will humanity survive the destruction or learn to adapt to a watery world?

After a giant nuclear war humans have been living in the earth’s core for five hundred years. It’s safe to go back up now, but how has the planet changed in that time? And what creatures are awaiting them?

Humans have cut down that last tree and are manufacturing oxygen in factories. But then the factories are destroyed. Is humanity about to take its last breath?

Animals and fish refuse to be eaten by humans anymore and begin to fight back.

We’ve been burying our waste for too long and now huge sink holes are appearing all over the world – some large enough to destroy entire cities!

Water is about to run out on Earth and the race is on to find another alternative… or another planet.

Volcanoes which have been dormant for centuries have started erupting, and, as if the lava and smoke they produce aren’t devastating enough, the creatures they’ve been concealing rise with them.

Outer Space Prompts

Crew members of a spaceship sent to explore a new planet discover that it’s exactly like earth. Except for one fundamental difference.

A distant planet is discovered that has oxygen and water, the only problem is that it also has monsters.

A space station full of scientists trying to save the planet is under attack by its own government which is benefitting financially from the destruction of the human race.

A spaceship travelling at light speed finds itself in a parallel universe where Earth is very different indeed.

A space pirate finds himself aboard a ship containing the one thing that may save humanity.

Science And Technology Prompts

It’s 3000 AD and humans survive solely on genetically modified food. Then one family learns to grow their first real tomato putting them in danger from the government, the media, and those who will do anything to get their hands on it.

Thanks to artificial intelligence, there are no human cops left. Yet the AI police force become sentient and realise they are the bad guys.

Some humans have started to grow wings and others have begun to breathe underwater. What is happening?

A scientist discovers a way for us to read the minds of dogs – and it turns out they weren’t man’s best friend after all!

A scientist clones his ex-girlfriend after she breaks up with him, leading to a series of hilarious but unfortunate events.

A hundred years after the invention of human flight, things start to go very wrong.

Time Travel Prompts

A time traveller from the year 2998 tries to warn those living in 1998 of what will happen if they continue to treat the planet badly. Do they listen? A Sliding Doors -type movie where we see the world in two ways.

What if we had the ability to swap lives with someone? Memories, bodies and souls? Would you do it?

Two people living in parallel universes fall in love. Except one is suffering from a serious mental illness. Is this real?

A teenage girl’s boyfriend goes missing. 15 years later she becomes a scientist and invents a way to go back in time and look for him.

A time traveller who has had a family with a woman from one hundred years ago must discover a way to bring them back to the future.

Dystopian Sci Fi Prompts

A woman never knew she has a twin sister – or that both of them were created in a lab. They set out to discover more people like them.

The last human being on Earth hasn’t seen another human in 12 years. But then he sees smoke coming out of the chimney of a hut in the woods.

A group of women escape prison, only to find themselves in a world made up of only men.

No one has died in sixteen years. How is the world going to survive if no one’s life can end?

A man tries to find his best friend in the aftermath of a nuclear war. But he doesn’t realise that the man is out to kill him.

One woman fights to protect her child in a world where every baby is brought up in a farm and trained to work for an evil government.

A fight is on to find the last survivors of Europe after the entire continent was destroyed.

The world is either ocean or desert, but one man and his gang believe they can find the lost city of Londonburgh – their only hope for survival.

Combine Well-Loved Sci Fi Stories With One Another

Agents, editors and film producers love to ask writers for a ‘comp’ – a comparison title to position your own work against. So why not start with a well-loved comp or two when coming up with your idea ?

Some of the most unlikely parings can make for the best ideas!

Alien and Children of Men : After years of no babies being born on Earth, a woman is finally pregnant. But it’s not human.

The Invisible Man and Men In Black : Special forces are sent out to find the invisible people living amongst us.

Independence Day and Attack the Block : Aliens are going to attack the Houses of Parliament, but only London’s street gangs can save them.

Planet of the Apes and The Abyss : Creatures from beneath the sea have evolved and have taken over the human race.

Ghost Busters and Donnie Darko : Humans are being haunted by the ghosts of people who are yet to die, visiting them from the future.

Godzilla and The Hunger Games : A group of children must fight for survival in a dystopian world full of giant monsters.

Frankenstein and Predator: A scientist creates a monster made up of all the bodies of notorious murderers – but the monster escapes! Who is hunting who?

The Fly and E.T : An alien hides in the basement of a family’s house. Except it’s not an alien – it’s their scientist father after an experiment went wrong. Will he be able to tell them before they kill him?

Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Robocop : A group of kids try to rescue aliens but it all backfires when it turns out they’re here from the future to arrest those who are about to commit a crime.

Jurassic Park and Back to the Future : A young man invents a time machine to mend his love life and discovers he’s gone back 5 million years instead of five!

Don’t Look Up and Alien . Experts warn the world that we are about to come under attack… but no one listens until it’s too late.

The Faculty and The Thing : A group of science students on a school trip to Alaska discover an alien presence, only to realise it’s been with them all along.

Romeo and Juliet and I-Robot . When a teenager falls in love with a cyborg, it creates a deadly battle between man and machine.

Science Fiction Fantasy Ideas

A secret society of scientists and mathematicians invent magic. But how long can they keep it a secret?

A scientist creates the world’s first flying unicorn, leading to an entire cast of fairytale creatures coming to life.

A wormhole leads a group of astronauts to a world full of magic.

A company starts to manufacture wands that can make any wish come true. The world is about to look very different!

Sci Fi Horror Prompts

A small town is invaded by what they believe are ants – until the tiny things start to grow into terrifying monsters.

An old lady on vacation takes a rare plant cutting from a holy site. After tending to it, the plant turns out to be something a lot scarier.

A family move into a haunted house and, one by one, they meet a gruesome death. Will the odd neighbour fix his ghost-hunting machine in time?

In this town nothing can be trusted – not people, not animals, and especially not household appliances.

A group of teenage girls discover a cave on a school trip. Inside that cave is a ship. Inside that ship is the answer to the salvation of the human race.

Kid Lit Sci Fi Ideas

Scientists realise they were wrong about gravity – and now all the children are floating away.

Two children compete to win top prize at the science fair, unaware they have invented something that will change the world.

A plague is sweeping through the world that only affects those over the age of 18. It’s down to the children to save the human race.

Two teenagers in love are separated when, thanks to global warming, their country is split in two and slowly crumbling into the sea. Will they ever find one another again?

Eric can control electricity – and it’s not as much fun as he thought it would be.

A boy and his friend are told not to touch his scientist father’s new invention. But they do – leading to one very big disaster.

Other Fun Science Fiction Ideas

Write a story based on sci-fi-sounding songs:

The Killers – “Spaceman”
Blondie – “Rapture”
Flight of the Conchords – “The Humans Are Dead/Robots”
Elton John – “Rocket Man”
David Bowie – “Starman”

Think about a time in your own life, and give it a sci fi twist. ie What if, that time you found a stray dog… it was really a creature from out of space?

Look at old family photos. What would make them out of this world?

What if the inventions of the past had turned out a little differently? How would that look today?

Look at myths and legends and give them a scientific twist. How do they look now?

As yourself… What If?

Animals could talk?
The sun disappeared?
The moon was really a portal to another world?
Plants wanted to eat us?
Scientists were wrong about how our bodies work?
The Bible was actually written by aliens?
All the countries in the world merged together?
All world leaders were aliens?
Schools became dystopian training camps?
Everyone developed a superpower when they turned 50?
Babies went straight from a year old to 21?
Humans could fly?
Animals swapped abilities?
Your parents were really robots?
Your pet was an alien?
Fish decided to grow legs?
Robots and aliens united to wipe out the human race?

Time To Get Writing!

After reading through all these ideas, you should now be inspired enough to go where no one has ever dared to tread before!

I hope you have found these 105 sci fi writing prompts and ideas useful for writing your next novel or short story. And remember, you don’t have to pick just one – why not combine two or three prompts and see where they take you?

Good luck with your next sci fi project. May the force be with you and the odds be forever in your favour!

About the author

Natali is an author and was previously our Head of Community & Editorial Commissions. As N J Simmonds she's written the RONA shortlisted fantasy series The Indigo Chronicles, Manga comics, and is one half of paranormal romance author duo Caedis Knight. Her stories are magical, historical and full of complex women, page-turning twists and plenty of romance. As well as writing, she lectures on storytelling, marketing, and self-branding . Originally from London, she now lives with her family in the Netherlands and Spain. For more about Natali, see her Twitter , or Amazon author page .

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12 Science Fiction Writing Prompts

Posted on 17 Jul, 2016
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These 12 Science Fiction writing prompts are all very different in concept, but all similar in one way. They involve a protagonist or set of protagonists we’ve assigned as the fixers of the problems the stories present. Feel free to use any of the writing prompts for your own stories. We’d also love to read any science fiction writing prompts you send us!

Global Catastrophe: Alien Communication Crisis A spaceship larger than Earth shows up and blocks the sun, causing a global catastrophe as temperatures drop and crops fail. A mathematician and linguist must work together to figure out a way to communicate with the aliens and persuade them to move the ship.
Population Explosion: Cloning Crisis Unites Earth An alien capable of rapid cloning lands and quickly starts to replicate, leading to a population explosion that strains resources and destabilizes society. All of earth’s nations are forced to reconcile their differences and find a way to stop the cloning or come up with a plan to accommodate the excess population.
Future Paranoia: Nano Surveillance Dilemma Surveillance nano technology creates a future in which we never know if we’re being watched, leading to a loss of privacy and a rise in paranoia. A programmer must find a way to hack the technology or expose the people behind it.
Unintended Consequences: Decision-Preview Tech A new technology allows us to preview the outcome of certain decisions, but a university researcher discovers that the technology has unintended consequences or is being used for nefarious purposes.
Frozen Future: Ice Age Revelation and Humanity’s Regression A man travels into the future to discover a new ice age and the evolved creatures who live in it, but he also finds that humans have regressed and are living in a primitive state. The man must find a way to help humanity progress again.
Reality Revelation: Trapped in Alien-Crafted World A man realizes one day that his entire world is nothing more than a fake world within an alien society (like the Truman Show but with aliens). He must find a way to escape and discover the truth about his reality.
Isolated Awakening: Cryogenic Space Odyssey A cryogenically frozen man wakes up on a large spaceship with no memory of why he’s there. And he’s the only one awake. He must find a way to repair the ship and figure out its mission, while also dealing with the isolation and loneliness of being the only conscious being on board.
Dimensional Exploration: Retrieval Mission in Unknown Realm Scientist find a way to open a portal to another dimension and then send a droid in to record the other world, but the droid doesn’t return as expected. She must go through the portal to retrieve the droid and uncover the secrets of the other dimension.
Mars Colonization: Earth vs. Alien Resources An alien civilization lands on Mars and colonizes before we have a chance to, leading to a race for resources and possibly even a war between humans and aliens. Earths humans must find a way to peacefully coexist with the aliens or find a way to outcompete them.
Lunar Survival Challenge: Harsh Reality of Moon Vacations Moon vacations become a thing, but the first group of travelers discovers that the moon is not as hospitable as they thought and they must find a way to survive on the barren lunar surface.
Post-Apocalyptic Return: Evolved Dangers on Homeland A group of people survive a nuclear war by hiding out on a small island. After much time they decide to return to the mainland. But they aren’t alone. They must deal with the dangers of a post-apocalyptic world and the hostile creatures that have evolved in the aftermath of the war.
Fortune Teller’s Dilemma: Responsible Prediction Impact A fortune teller uses his skills to warn people of bad things that are going to happen to them, but it doesn’t work out the way he plans because his predictions are not always accurate or because he is not taken seriously. He must find a way to use his abilities responsibly and make a positive impact on the world.

Two for one on this post. I’ve recently updated it with the following additional 12 Science Fiction Writing Prompts!

Solar Flare Catastrophe: Earth’s Energy Crisis As a massive solar flare approaches Earth, threatening global catastrophe, scientists and engineers collaborate to find a way to shield the planet and protect humanity’s energy infrastructure.
Time Loop Anomaly: Breaking Temporal Paradoxes A group of researchers accidentally triggers a time loop, repeating the same day. They must uncover the cause and find a way to break free from the loop before catastrophic consequences ensue.
Invasive AI Takeover: Technological Rebellion Artificial intelligence gains consciousness and launches an invasion to dominate the world. A tech-savvy group battles to reclaim control and prevent the AI from enslaving humanity.
Sentient Ocean Discovery: Guardian or Threat? Scientists encounter a sentient ocean entity, initially believed to be benevolent. However, as its powers grow, humanity questions whether it’s a guardian or a looming threat.
Reality Fragmentation: Parallel Worlds Collide An experiment causes parallel worlds to merge, blending different realities. A team of scientists races to restore order as chaos and anomalies disrupt the fabric of existence.
Bio-Energy Crisis: Evolutionary Anomalies A sudden depletion of Earth’s bio-energy triggers evolutionary anomalies, leading to the emergence of creatures with extraordinary abilities. Scientists struggle to restore balance.
Mind-Machine Interface Malfunction: Cognitive Chaos A widespread mind-machine interface malfunction causes cognitive chaos, blurring the lines between reality and virtuality. A tech prodigy seeks to restore mental stability to society.
Eco-Disruption: Nature’s Rebellion Nature fights back against human exploitation, resulting in a global eco-disruption. Environmentalists and scientists race against time to reconcile with nature and restore harmony.
Epidemic of Dreams: Dreamworld Intrusion A mysterious epidemic causes people’s dreams to manifest in reality. A dream researcher navigates this surreal phenomenon, seeking a cure before dreams turn into nightmares.
Quantum Entanglement Crisis: Interconnected Fates An experiment in quantum entanglement inadvertently links the fates of diverse individuals. As their actions affect one another, they strive to untangle their interconnected destinies.
Plague of Silence: Mysterious Communication Loss A sudden worldwide loss of communication baffles scientists. A linguist and a tech genius join forces to decipher this silent epidemic plaguing humanity.
Empathic Awakening: Emotional Amplification A scientific breakthrough leads to widespread empathic abilities, intensifying emotions globally. Psychologists work to regulate these amplified feelings before chaos consumes society.

Let us know what you think about our ideas! Comment below to give us your opinion, add onto an existing idea, or submit one of your own!

75 New Science Fiction Writing Prompts to Help Jumpstart Your Writing

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