115 Mystery Writing Prompts

1. Driving down the highway at eleven at night, Aly suddenly hears thumping coming from inside the trunk. Pulling over to the side of the road, she looks in all directions, realizing there isn’t another car in sight. She blows out a breath and slowly reaches for the latch of the trunk, bracing for what she’s about to find.

2. The first snow of the season blankets the ground, burying the secrets beneath.

3. A plane with 113 people on board suddenly drops from the sky. Oxygen masks fall while panic in the cabin becomes suffocating.

4. The only view he’ll ever have is the inside of a jail cell.

5. I always knew this game would end with me six feet under.

6. “Who drives with shovels in their trunk?”

“Just be happy we were prepared this time.”

7. Years of fighting comes down to this moment. He always promised he’d make all her nightmares come true.

8. Let fate decide with the flip of a coin. Neither outcome benefits me anyways.

9. Rock climbers have just discovered a hidden room behind Mt. Rushmore with the biggest secrets of the USA’s past.

10. Scars often tell a story of an unforgotten past. And I have enough for an entire series.

11. Write about a white-water rafting adventure that doesn’t go as planned.

12. I’ve never ventured beyond the walls. The government always told me it was dangerous. Scary. But they were wrong. It’s magnificent.

13. The big screen at an NBA game reveals someone Jason never thought he’d see again.

14. “Of all the people I thought wanted me dead, I didn’t think you’d be the one to come.”

15. Tainted water turns an entire town zombie like. They’ve slowly turned on one another, going crazy one by one.

16. “Stop running. I’m not the one you need to be afraid of.”

17. A hair stylist is a dangerous person. Someone you open up to. Someone who holds all your secrets. Someone who could destroy you.

18. Newly discovered tunnels under a small town unveil a past that nobody expected.

19. Write about a murder with an unlikely weapon.

20. Anna’s uncle, who she never met, just died. He's left her with the burden of his biggest secret.

21. Write a story that takes place inside a police dispatch room.

22. A secret society is uncovered, bringing years of lies to the surface.

23. The summer air has turned cooler. Leaves are falling and the wind is stronger. A gust of wind unearths something unexpected.

24. An item ordered off the internet finally arrives. Excited to tear into it, you rip the tape off only to find…

25. The main character finds out they’ve been living in an alternate dimension for years. The family they once knew just sat down to eat breakfast. What happens? Why are they there?

26. You just bought a stack of books from a book sale at the community center. Paging through the first one in the stack, a folded note tumbles out. What does it say? What do you do about it?

27. A celebrity has quietly settled to a small town of less than 2,000 people. What are they running from?

28. Just receiving her new identity, Sara hits the road. Leaving the past behind, she focuses on moving forward. Too bad you can only run so far.

29. The hot air balloon tour was supposed to be a relaxing scenic view of rolling hills and the city from above. Now we’re plummeting toward Earth and all I can think is “Did I turn the stove off this morning?”

30. “Stop looking at me like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I have.”

31. I’m afraid to close my eyes because every scene that flashes through my unconscious mind becomes an unbearable agony the next day.

32. They say the first step to happiness is to purge the things that don’t bring you joy. My cleansing journey starts tomorrow. With her.

33. Write a scene in the middle of a war zone. A child is wandering the streets. The intel the team received was vague.

34. Grading papers is the last thing Mr. Jameson wants to do. A life that once held so much promise, diminished to mediocracy. The same routine every day between seven in the morning and nine at night. Nothing of notice until a man in a pressed black suit knocked on his door at midnight.

35. A raid on a casino begins right as Allen wins his biggest hand yet.

36. I haven’t slept in fifteen days. I’m not sure how I’m still alive, but I wish I wasn’t. Lights blend together, illuminating the fresh set of bruises on my arm. I know he’s coming back for the next injection, but I can’t make out reality from illusion to try to escape. Eventually this will end… right?

37. Write from the point of view of a soldier who’s been wounded on the battlefield. All units have either been taken out or left behind. Now he’s forced to crawl to safety.

38. You wake up to someone standing over you. The only sound is his breathing bouncing off the walls.

39. Write about a character who’s just woken up in shackles. After realizing they’re chained to a wall in an old musty old basement, they have to try to remember what happened and figure out what to do next.

40. Jared and Mila spent six months planning their honeymoon in Yellowstone National Park. After nine hours of driving, they finally arrive at their first camp. They’re full of excitement to experience the park for the first time. But they could have never planned for what’s about to happen.

41. What happens on the railroad tracks stays on the railroad tracks.

42. Every good business person knows the best goals are written in a SMART format. Write the goals for a serial killer as SMART goals by ensuring they are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely.

43. Write a short story or scene where fire plays an important role.

44. It was a storm like nobody has ever seen before. Hurricane winds leveled buildings across town, tsunamis flooded the streets, and derechos destroyed crops. So how is it that one single building at the heart of the city remained standing and unharmed as if nothing happened?

45. Write a story about two hikers lost in the woods. How do they survive?

46. “You’re running the wrong way!” The woman shouted as if I didn’t feel the intense heat rolling off the flames.

47. We always said math was a useless thing to learn. Little did we know, it would one day save our lives.

48. She curled into herself, sobbing for the unspoken truth.

49. Turns out the fortune teller was right after all.

50. After tomorrow, we’ll never have to suffer again.

51. One minute I was playing the game, the next I was the game.

52. With nothing left to lose, she leapt from the platform. Taking off in a sprint, she was determined to catch them.

53. Money flew in all directions like a tornado while people rushed the streets to stake their claim.

54. “Tell me you didn’t really do it.”

“I wish I could, but a lady never lies.”

55. The moment the ink dried, I felt instant regret.

56. With the wind slipping through her hair, freedom never felt so good.

57. Write a story about a day in the life of a serial killer.

58. Write a story with an unexpected tragic ending.

59. A fun day at the beach turns grim when a fishing boat washes to shore with nobody inside.

60. Write a story about a group of people who get stuck on an elevator together.

61. A group of friends are celebrating the Fourth of July when an explosion stuns them into silence. Chaos follows as embers fall from the sky and the ground begins to shake. Write about what happens next.

62. Who knew a volcano eruption would bury the Midwest. How did it reach the middle of the country, where did it come from, and what happened to the rest of humanity?

63. Sneaking into the cemetery in the dark was our way of showing no fear. I only wish we hadn’t released the definition of evil.

64. With a train barreling toward us, we raced to escape the tracks and our untimely fate.

65. Her eyes follow me everywhere I go. I can feel them hiding around every corner of the world. No matter what I do, she’ll never let me escape.

66. Amazon Prime day used to be my favorite day of the week. It was like opening Christmas presents every day of the year. Until today’s box revealed a single toe; nobody wants that for Christmas.

67. You’d think waking up in the hospital would be the worst thing to happen. Turns out not remembering who you are is far worse.

68. I’ve been running for seventeen years. I didn’t know that night would take away nearly two decades of my life. Now I’m done running.

69. A Marine has been MIA for over a year after disappearing in the desert without a trace. After all hope seems to be lost, he shows up on the doorstep of the home he shares with his wife. What does he find?

70. A 1,000 piece puzzle seemed like a good activity for family night, only the image on the box is not what they got. Write about the message received through puzzle pieces.

71. You’ve just been kidnapped off the street. Hood covering your head, phone missing, and a man speaking a foreign language in the front seat. What do you do?

72. Describe fear.

73. The Zodiac Killer’s got nothing on me.

74. All cell phones have suddenly disappeared from the planet. Who’s to blame?

75. Watching the last firewall fall, Michael smiled with satisfaction. Finally, he’d make the ones who ruined his life pay.

76. Write a story with a premise of war on the battlefield but from a medic’s perspective.

77. Grasshoppers are everywhere, blocking out the sun and eating the crops. Soon they’ll wipe out life as we know it.

78. “Drive faster, he’s catching up!”

79. Write about a lie your character believes and the unfortunate consequences that unfold as a result.

80. Mel set off on a lone voyage across the ocean in her sailboat nine days ago. Now with waves rolling higher than the boat and black clouds painting the sky, she fears her journey may be tragically cut short.

81. Roses are red, violets are blue. Keep on running, I'll always find you.

82. The ferris wheel at the state fair has come to an abrupt stop. Three teenagers swing in a gondola, one important bolt missing. In a race against time, emergency workers run to save them.

83. Write a scene where ice fishermen have just plunged beneath the ice.

84. I’ve just found the key to immortality. The only problem? My evil sister knows and will do anything to take it from me.

85. What if we knew the amount of time we have left on this Earth? An hourglass hanging around our neck so we can watch the sands of time fall. And what if I had far less sand than everyone else around me?

86. With headlights barreling toward me, the life I wish I had flashes before my eyes. If only my steering wheel weren’t locked so I still had the chance to live it.

87. Every dream I have turns to reality. Most people chase their dreams. I’m busy running from my nightmares.

88. An escape room seemed like the perfect family activity. If only we’d escaped in time.

89. I’ve been blind my entire life, but I see more than anyone else.

90. There’s nothing extraordinary about my life. I get up, commute to work, give more of my soul to the corporate empire, go home, then do it all over again the next day. Except on my commute this morning, I passed a girl holding a sign that said “Help.” That’s when my routine changed.

91. “Hi, we’re the Allens. We’re staying in the camper next door. It’s so nice to see someone so young and unfortunate in our presence.”

92. The most interesting things happen in the tunnels after dark. Only a few of us have had the privilege of experiencing it.

93. “Why did you invite me to this dinner party? Now we’re never going to escape this dreadful place.”

94. “Tell me how I hurt you.”

“Don’t you remember killing me?”

95. Giving birth was the easy part. Stalking my son has become the more difficult task.

96. Every winding road must come to an end with a cliff drop off.

97. I wanted to ring in the new year with a bang, not blow it up.

98. I wasn’t always on the run. But these days running is all I know.

99. April showers bring May disasters.

100. A mysterious key is found in an unexpected place.

101. “I thought you said you’d only run if someone was chasing you.” “Turn around.”

102. “There’s only room for one of us on this boat.”

103. You’d think dropping the casket would be quite horrifying And it was. Until we realized it was empty.

104. We’ve been trapped under the snow in this ditch for two days with snow continuing to bury us and zero evidence of humans for miles. Our hope is running out.

105. Yesterday we had cell phones, lightning quick computers, and electric cars. When I woke up this morning, all technology vanished like it’s 1902 again.

106. The sooner you realize you aren’t alone in the morgue, the better.

107. Crime scene tape surrounds us as officers and medics rush toward the front door. Red and blue lights light up what was supposed to be a peaceful night.

108. Jamie packed up her house, quit her job with zero notice, and is now starting the trek across the country. Starting tomorrow, nobody except her dog will know where she is.

109. Write about a day in the life of a Detroit beat cop.

110. Nobody would expect the security analyst with the highest clearance in the FBI. That was their first mistake.

111. The Wall Street killer has been dormant for nearly twenty years. Now a body has turned up with his signature written all over it.

112. This morning I received a text that was clearly meant for someone else. I shouldn’t have responded. I knew the second I hit send that my life would be turned upside down.

113. A mysterious illness has wiped out nearly half civilization. To the shock of the entire world, scientists have just tracked its origin back to a lab controlled by the United States government.

114. Mysterious noises echo from the attic, raising the hairs on the back of my neck. I walk through the area, searching every corner and under every box. But for the third day in a row, I find nothing.

115. I feel him staring everywhere I go. At work, the store, even in my sleep. He’s always there.