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Best Mystery Writing Prompts

Join our ongoing contests and win up to $1,500. Flex those creative muscles with these writing prompts.

Showing 91 prompts reset

This week's contest:
Win $250

Whodunit?

15 contest entries /
16 stories

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View contest
Closes at 23:59 - Jul 24 EST

You are legally allowed to commit murder once, but you must fill out the proper paperwork and your proposed victim will be notified of your intentions.

You hire two private investigators to investigate each other. One month later both come to you to present their findings.

20 years after your daughter was abducted a detective finds you to reopen the case. The detective turns out to be your daughter.

You are the world's greatest detective. With your near superhuman intellect, you have never failed to solve a case before. One day, you finally meet your match: a criminal so unbelievably stupid that you cannot possibly comprehend and predict what he's going to do next.

A genius serial killer has been killing successfully for a decade. His only weakness is that he can never, ever lie. He finally gets caught and is facing trial for all murders in court. Yet, he walks, acquitted of all charges.

You're shaking hands with a stranger at a networking event when you ask for their name. I have no name, they reply.

The first day you opened your own office as a private investigator, you didn't expect it to be busy. You were wrong.

The detective didn't realize they were being foiled by a competiting detective.

Write a story about a character waking up to the best news of their life.

Write a story about a character waking up to something completely absurd.

As you're paying for your groceries, you mention to the clerk, There's a mess in aisle 16. They give you a puzzled look and reply, There is no aisle 16.

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