realistic fiction essay topics

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50 Fiction Writing Prompts and Ideas to Inspire You to Write

Hannah Yang

Table of Contents

How fiction writing prompts can help writers, top 50 fiction writing prompts, how prowritingaid can help with fiction writing, conclusion on fiction writing prompts and ideas.

Have you ever wanted to write a story but had no idea what to write about?

If you’re familiar with that feeling, you’re not alone. At some point in their lives, every writer has sat down in front of a blank page with no idea what to write next.

When you’re in that situation, it might be helpful to look at a list of potential story ideas. A great prompt can help kick-start your creativity and get you in the mood for writing again.

In this article, we’ll give you all our favorite fiction writing prompts to inspire you to write.

There are countless ways fiction writing prompts can benefit you. Here are a few reasons you might want to use a writing prompt:

To start a new short story or novel

To practice writing in a new genre or writing style so you can expand your skill set and try something new

To warm up at the beginning of each writing session

To make sure you’re in a creative state of mind when you tackle your existing writing projects

So, pick up a pen and a notebook, and let’s get started!

Here are 50 fantastic fiction writing prompts that will help you start your next story. To help you choose a prompt that excites you, we’ve split them into several categories: fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, romance, and contemporary.

Fantasy Prompts

You’ve inherited your grandfather’s antique shop, and you’re surprised to find strange objects with magical powers inside.

You set out to break the curse that’s followed your family for generations.

You can see visions of the future, but you learned long ago to keep them to yourself. Now, you have to speak up or risk losing everything you love.

You work for a zoo filled with magical creatures.

You’re a lawyer in a fantasy world, and your job is to negotiate contracts between the humans and the gods.

A company harvests dragon scales, unicorn hair, and other magical items to sell for profit.

You find a portal to a fantasy world in your backyard.

You find a magical item that will make all your wishes come true—but it’s extremely literal in its interpretations.

A supernatural monster kidnaps your best friend. You set out to rescue her.

Your parents gave different aspects of their magical powers to each of their children. Compared to your siblings, you definitely got the short end of the stick.

Sci-fi Prompts

Write an adaptation of your favorite classic tale—in space.

Aliens come to Earth, but they’re here for reasons no one expected.

Scientists have found ways to transfer memories between different people. You're the first person to sell all of yours.

Write about an entire world where people can buy and sell years of their lives.

What would happen if you woke up in someone else’s body and they woke up in yours?

You live in a moon colony surrounded by high walls. One day, someone breaches the walls.

Your parents send you to a summer camp filled with time travelers.

You accidentally stumble through a portal to a parallel universe where everything is the same as our universe, except for one key difference.

In a world where everyone’s DNA is genetically engineered to best suit their roles in the community, you have to hide that your DNA doesn’t match your chosen career.

You land on a new planet and realize the plants there are more intelligent than humans.

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Mystery Prompts

You wake up with no memory of who you are, except for a single name.

Every day, a strange drawing appears in your mailbox, and they get more and more disturbing.

You receive a letter inviting you to a free weekend getaway, and you have no idea who the host is.

Your father is keeping something strange in the attic.

A man throws an elaborate party in an attempt to conceal a crime.

You realize you’ve been sleepwalking every night, and you have no idea what your sleeping self has been up to.

You thought your husband was dead. So why is he still writing you letters?

Your brother was murdered years ago. The police have stopped investigating, but you’re still looking for the killer.

Two friends discover a serial killer's secret hideout.

A young woman discovers a frightening secret while she's on her first hunting trip with her husband's family.

Romance Prompts

Two soldiers on different sides of a war develop feelings for each other.

A member of the royal family falls in love with her bodyguard.

You’ve resigned yourself to a loveless arranged marriage, but fate has other plans.

You’ve had a crush on your best friend your entire life. Now, he’s about to get married to someone else.

You go on a first date and find yourself stuck in a time loop, so you have to keep going on that date over and over.

Two rivals have to pretend to be in a relationship—and end up accidentally falling for each other.

After a bad breakup, you move to a new town—and find yourself attracted to your next-door neighbor.

When two exes are forced to work together, they rekindle old feelings.

You fall in love with someone from a different dimension, so you can only see each other once a year when the portal opens.

After your plane crash-lands on a deserted island, you develop a bond with one of the other survivors.

Contemporary Prompts

Write an adaptation of your favorite classic tale set in the town you grew up in.

Two best friends go on a road trip and encounter a problem they never expected.

An adopted orphan goes on a journey to reconnect with her birth family.

You’re told a family secret that changes everything you think you know about your life.

A group of friends takes a practical joke too far, leading to disaster.

A college student creates an invention for a technology class and accidentally goes viral.

A painter in her early eighties struggles with her slow descent into blindness.

A couple breaks up, but the ramifications of their breakup follow them for decades.

A carefree playboy is forced to adopt a child, which changes his whole life.

You’re framed for a crime you didn’t commit, and nobody believes you’re innocent—except for your estranged sister.

No matter what type of story you’re writing, ProWritingAid is a great tool to help you make your writing shine.

ProWritingAid will suggest ways to improve various weaknesses in your writing, such as grammar mistakes, repetitive words, passive voice, unnecessary dialogue tags, and more.

You can even tell ProWritingAid what type of fiction you’re writing, such as fantasy or historical fiction, to get customized suggestions that match your genre.

There you have it—our complete list of the best fiction writing prompts to inspire you to write.

Try out your favorite one, and see if you can turn it into a unique story. 

Good luck, and happy writing!

Hannah is a speculative fiction writer who loves all things strange and surreal. She holds a BA from Yale University and lives in Colorado. When she’s not busy writing, you can find her painting watercolors, playing her ukulele, or hiking in the Rockies. Follow her work on hannahyang.com or on Twitter at @hannahxyang.

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Home / Book Writing / Realistic Fiction Story Ideas: 50+ Prompts to Get You Started

Realistic Fiction Story Ideas: 50+ Prompts to Get You Started

For some writers, it's easy to come up with a story about space aliens, vampires, superheroes, or magical beings. But what if you're looking to write a more grounded, realistic short story or book? Well, you might need some realistic fiction story ideas. Luckily, that's just what we have for you in this article. We'll talk about different ways to come up with realistic fiction ideas, and we'll provide you with a list of realistic fiction story prompts to get you going.

Let's get going!

• What realistic fiction is
• How to come up with story ideas in this genre
• Prompts for realistic fiction stories
• How to test your idea before you write

Table of contents

• What is Realistic Fiction?
• Choose a Theme
• Draft Some Characters
• Realistic Fiction Story Prompts
• Vetting Your Realistic Fiction Idea
• Realistic Fiction Story Ideas: Final Thoughts

As the name suggests, realistic fiction defines fictional stories that are grounded in reality. There are believable characters , the situations are easily recognizable, and the conflicts are genuine. These storylines can take place at any time, but they're usually contemporary to the author's life. A realistic fiction tale may seem like a true story, but it's not.

Realistic fiction is not a genre of its own. There is some definite overlap with other genres , like literary fiction and historical fiction. The main characters can be anyone from high school kids to elderly adults. Even children can be major players in a realistic fiction story. But one thing has to hold true: they need to be realistic characters in realistic settings.

Coming Up With Realistic Fiction Story Ideas

There are about as many ways to come up with story ideas as there are writers. Obviously, no one can tell you what to write, but you can get inspiration from anywhere. And the following tips should help do just that.

Writing with an overarching theme in mind can help get the ideas rolling. And there are some common themes in realistic fiction that have held true over the years.

• Love – All different types of love — new, old, unrequited, platonic, fading — make excellent themes for realistic fiction.
• Growing Up – Some of the best realistic fiction is about changing from childhood to adulthood, or from adulthood to old age.
• Life Changes – From divorce and sickness to getting fired and learning to truly live, life changes have made for many a great story in this literary genre.
• Self-Discovery – The successful woman realizes there's more to life than working 60 hours a week. The college student suddenly realizes that his true passion lies in religion after a near-death experience. Everyone goes through self-discovery, which makes it an excellent theme.
• Bravery/Perseverance – Finding the will and the way to face unbeatable odds is a very human thing. We take solace in others learning to live their best lives in the face of great adversity.
• Social Issues/Injustice – Some of the most impactful realistic fiction stories deal with social issues such as racism and injustice. Creative writing in the realistic fiction genre is all about exploring these kinds of issues through compelling and believable characters .

You may have noticed that all these themes are very human. Of course, you could argue that every story is, at its core, human. But these themes are especially human because they're about struggles that people from all walks of life have to deal with. They're about humans dealing with very human problems . If you keep that in mind, you won't go wrong while crafting your realistic story.

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Remember that characters in realistic fiction won't have superpowers, magical abilities, or the ability to read other people's thoughts. They won't live in a futuristic science fiction civilization. They're just people, which means you can take inspiration from real life .

Try to nail down some character specifics for your protagonist first. Will she be an aging woman who just lost her husband of forty years? Will he be an accountant who saves a young boy's life on his way to work?

Your main character should absolutely have a story arc , so think about what you want that arc to be. Uplifting stories generally have a positive arc with a relatively happy ending. But, like life, there's no guarantee of a happy ending in realistic fiction.

Also, think about some traits or quirks you want your main character to have. Not only physical traits, but beliefs, habits, and compulsions, as well . Check out this article for more on making believable characters .

The following prompts are designed to get the ideas flowing. You can choose a writing prompt and stick close to it, or you can let it take you in any direction you please. The story you end up with may look nothing like the writing prompt you started with! Let each prompt be the story idea that sparks a novel or a short story.

1. Write a story about a character learning that the most important aspect of a relationship isn't what she once thought it was.

2. Write a story about a group of close friends becoming a family after one of their own passes away.

3. Explore the meaning of love through the eyes of two different characters from opposite sides of the world.

4. Write about a character learning about self-fulfillment vs happiness the hard way.

5. Write about an old couple finally going on a train trip through Europe in an effort to save their marriage.

6. Write a story about a character who struggles with self-esteem and vanity.

7. Explore where true confidence comes from.

8. Write a story about characters learning what's truly important as they move from adolescence to adulthood.

9. Write about a woman who meets the love of her life as a result of the 9/11 attacks.

10. Explore the importance of learning to help others during tough times.

11. Write a story in the form of a personal narrative from the perspective of a cult leader.

12. Explore the life of a fictional 19th-century suffragette.

13. Weave the story arcs of several seemingly disparate characters into one surprise ending where they all get what they've been searching for — together.

14. Write a story about a character who loses one of their five senses but learns to live better for it.

15. Write about a character overcoming drug addiction.

16. Write about a character who willfully decides to turn around their philosophy about life, learning to live with intention.

17. Write a story about an author who struggles with writing until something drastic happens in their life.

18. Explore where morals come from and why there's such a big wide range of them.

19. Explore a situation (either real or fictional) in which the majority was wrong about something that affected people's lives.

20. Write a story about a character learning that his concept of love is unhealthy.

21. Write about a family of refugees struggling to survive as they flee their war-torn country.

22. Write a story about an aging athlete who does the impossible.

23. Write about two characters struggling to shift their priorities and keep their relationship intact as they age.

24. Explore a character's trip through the criminal justice system as she is wrongfully convicted of a crime.

25. Write about an entrepreneur's journey to start a small business while his larger competitor sabotages him.

26. Write about a man's journey to return a lost child to his parents.

27. Write about a character learning to love herself before she can love anyone else.

28. Explore the implications of obsession.

29. Write about two characters who used to be best friends when they were kids reconnecting after many years.

30. Start your story with a small moment that has outsized and unforeseen consequences.

31. Write about a teenager who runs away from home after an argument with his parents.

32. Write about the last citizens of a dying town, struggling to revitalize the area.

33. Explore a historic earthquake or natural disaster through the eyes of fictional characters experiencing it.

34. Write about two children who are accidentally left at an amusement park.

35. Write a story about characters during the Great Depression.

36. Write about a dispute between neighbors that gets quickly out of hand.

37. Explore the meaning of Christmas through the eyes of a character who has just lost her family.

38. Explore the trials and tribulations of a character who was devastated by the 2008 financial crisis.

39. Write about a person who leaves everything behind to join a cult (e.g. Peoples Temple or Heaven's Gate).

40. Explore the implications of a husband who is caught spending time with a son he's just learned about.

41. Write a story about parents who struggle with a teenager who has mental health issues.

42. Write a story about siblings who struggle to deal with the mental and physical deterioration of one or both parents.

43. Write a story about a kid who has to deal with bullying at his new school.

44. Write a real-life fairy tale without the magic. Set it in modern times.

45. Explore the high-stakes corporate world through the eyes of a woman who encounters a glass ceiling.

46. Write about a poll worker who is accused of doctoring ballots during a particularly virulent election.

47. Explore the implications of a gender reassignment operation through the eyes of the person undergoing the operation.

48. Write a story about a young woman who struggles with anxiety as she makes her way through the world.

49. Write a story about a pair of identical twins who have to learn to live their own lives after spending so much time together as children.

50. Write a story about a town that suffers a severe earthquake.

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In the realistic fiction genre, good writing is a combination of compelling story elements , characters that feel real, and situations that are easily recognizable. Of course, a knack for narrative writing is also a plus. Fortunately, all these things can be learned.

But in the competitive fiction market, you need more than just a great story to succeed . For the best chance of success, you need to position the book into the correct categories and ensure you have the best metadata so readers can find it.

And the easiest way to do this is with Publisher Rocket. If you find a story idea that you like, you can vet it with Publisher Rocket, ensuring that the category isn't too competitive. Publisher Rocket can also tell you if there is a demand for the type of realistic fiction story you're going to write.

• Publisher Rocket's keyword search tool can help you determine what phrases and keywords Amazon shoppers are actually using when looking for realistic fiction books on Amazon.
• The Competition Analyzer helps you to see what other realistic fiction authors are doing and approximately how much they're making from their books.
• The AMS Keyword Search function can help you formulate the best Amazon Ad campaigns for your realistic fiction book .
• Lastly, the Category Search function helps you to choose the best categories when you publish your book on Amazon . This is very important for visibility!

This tool does the heavy lifting for you, searching through Amazon to bring you information on keywords, categories, and competition. Learn more about Publisher Rocket here .

Each writer has their own writing process, but the prompts and tips above should help you get into the creative flow. Whether you use a prompt as the spark of inspiration for a full-length book or for a short story idea doesn't really matter. Many great realistic fiction writers got good with short stories before moving on to novels. What matters is that you stay consistent and keep writing. The more you write, the better you'll get!

Dave Chesson

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

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83 Fiction Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best fiction topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on fiction, 💡 most interesting fiction topics to write about.

• Elements of Modern Fiction Time and realism is a crucial element of modern literature.”Time, in Modernist literature, may take the reader through a day in the life of a narrator, whereas in Realism, the reader is taken into a […]
• Cinematic Techniques in Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” The producer used Samurai Swords to help audiences understand that criminal activities are not devoid of conduct and order. He used different camera angles to create variation and jiggle the memory of his audiences. We will write a custom essay specifically for you by our professional experts 808 writers online Learn More
• The Influence of Realism and Naturalism on 20th Century American Fiction. The aim of the modernist writers was not only depiction of life “as it is”, but search of solutions to dilemmas and problems of the society of the 20th century.
• Opening Scene in Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino The purpose of this paper is to discuss the formal, aesthetic, and narrative elements of this scene to make an argument about the significance of the movie as a whole.
• Concept of Science Fiction Genre in Books “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed” by Ray Bradbury, and “Nightfall” by Isaac Asimov Science fiction has found its place among the ‘great’ literatures of the word and hence a contribution in the field of literature. Some of the most sales in literature are in the genre of science […]
• 20th Century Dystopian Fiction and Today’s Society The author considers the fiction works of that era as an attempt to convey the destructive nature of violence and everything related to injustice.”The tone of dystopia is of despair and the feel it gives […]
• Imagery of Rural Injustices in Literature Therefore, the author of the short story has managed to show various rural injustices in the Chinese rural society through the use of themes, styles and characters as discussed in this paper.
• Pulp Fiction: Moral Development of American Life and Interests Quentin Tarantino introduces his Pulp Fiction by means of several scenes which have a certain sequence: proper enlightenment, strong and certain camera movements and shots, focus on some details and complete ignorance of the others, […]
• “Technoculture” Concept in Modern Fiction The first is changes in the scope and uniqueness of the main sectors technology, information, and industry. In sum, the term and concept of “technoculture” reflect the essence of modern society and its overdependence on […]
• Growing Popularity of Science Fiction Films in 1950s Most of the science fiction films reflect the socio-political environment in both the US and the rest of the world. Science fiction has presented not only some of the greatest stories in the contemporary literature, […]
• Zadie Smith’s Non-Fiction Writing Style This essay is very emblematic of Smith’s work, which is perhaps the reason that she chose to open her book with it.
• Coming-of-Age Fiction: “The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath In the opening chapters of the novel, the author introduces the initial situation by illustrating the life of Esther, a college student, working as an intern at a women’s magazine in New York together with […]
• Demystifying the Fiction Movie “The Matrix” The second world is a generic world created by the machines in order to pacify the human being as the machines siphon energy from people by plugging the human beings into an artificial intelligence system […]
• Unhappy Relationships in Hemingway’s Life and Fiction In “The Short and Happy Life of Francis Macomber”, Hemingway reveals his latent fear of strong women and being dominated as he depicts the story of a middle-aged man who is finally beginning to understand […]
• Global Warming: Facts and Arguments In fact, the argument is that human activities are not substantial to cause global warming. They believe that changing human economic activities to reduce the impact of global warming is very expensive and is not […]
• The Evolution of Dragons in Fantasy Fiction One of the most significant figures among the range of the animals inhabiting the land of fantasy is a dragon, the symbol of wisdom and power.
• To Live: a true story or biased fiction? The third episode from the novel to support that Yu Hua is not biased against the nationalist period is that the civil war ended in the victory of the communist ideology.
• The Use of Puzzle Game Elements in Detective Fiction Story This gives a logical scene of the murder to the reader, making the reader to have familiar settings that are helpful in interpreting the rhymes correctly.
• Solar System Colonization in Science Fiction vs. Reality Mars, also known as the Red Planet, the fourth in the distance from the Sun and the seventh-largest planet in the Solar System, is a favorite destination for colonization of science fiction authors, and the […]
• “The Dragonslayers” Kid’s Fiction by Bruce Coville The setting of the novel takes place mainly in a fantastic kingdom, which is ruled by King Mildred, and partially in the Forest of Doom that is terrorized by a fierce dragon.
• Genre: Science Fiction Dystopia The western genre is the most common movie genre used to highlight the dominance and development of both American and European cultures and economies to the rest of the world.
• Science Fiction Literary Analysis The story takes the reader through an intriguing encounter of human beings with a variety of extraterrestrial beings with the aim of outlining the theme of life.
• History & Fiction in the ”Free State of Jones” Film Newton managed to survive until the end of the war, but he was forced to wage the struggle for the civil rights of blacks also in the era of Reconstruction.
• The Science Fiction Movie “Inception” The first half of the film attempted to explain to the audience the meaning and purpose of a technique that allows for the extraction of information as well as the planting of the same.
• Greene’s “The Destructors”: Commercial vs. Literary Fiction There is the existence of various obstacles along the chain of events that hamper the processes aligned towards the achievement of the protagonist’s goals. In the whole story, this theme is reflected in the destructors […]
• Analysis and Interpretation of Short Fiction Her anger is symbolizes that she is ready to fight for her rights and that of the minority people in the society.
• Elements of Fiction in ”A Good Man Is Hard to Find” by O’Connor For example, the first literary element, the setting, emphasizes the serene and simple beginning of the story. The author wants to show the real face of the character and her treatment of other characters.
• Is Kafka’s The Metamorphosis Horror Fiction? It also forces readers to rely on their own interpretations and inferences to understand what is happening in the story, adding to the overall sense of uncertainty and ambiguity.
• Science Fiction Elements in Stories by Asimov, Bradbury, and Vonnegut The events illustrated in stories of the science fiction genre occur in a world that is in many ways different from reality.
• Analyzing Science Fiction: “Vintage Season” When We Went to See the End of the World is an incredible story that shows the variety of people’s perceptions about their ends of the world.
• The “Bang Bang Baby” Science Fiction Musical After watching the trailer first, I was surprised by the energetic nature of the music and the characters in the film.
• A Comic Science Fiction Film “Back to the Future” In addition to the fact that the plot is exciting and adventurous throughout the whole film, the film’s creators raise acute societal problems. In addition, the film is full of references to political and social […]
• Domestic and Adventure Fiction Domestic and adventure fictions have several characteristics that distinguish them from other types of imaginative writing.”One Crazy Summer” and “Hoot” are some of the most intriguing novels that show the features of domestic and adventure […]
• Use of Strangers as Symbolism in American Fiction Symbolism reflects in the stories “Young Goodman Brown,” “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” and “A&P” through the use of strangers in their plots.
• Technology and Cyberculture in ‘The Machine Stops’ Fiction The research interprets Edward Forster’s science fiction story, ‘The Machine Stops’, and its relationship with the current overreliance on technology and the increasingly growing cyberculture.
• The Accuracy of “The Machine Stops” Fiction The machine is a metaphor that represents those at the top of a hierarchy or the government who control people and run all the activities within the system.
• Temporal Perspective in Fiction This paper focuses on the perspectives of time in the following books Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood, Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, The Time and the Conways by JB Priestley, and The Dragon by Ray […]
• The Fiction Character`s PTSD Diagnosis: Rambo According to the American Psychiatric Association, experiencing traumatic events, witnessing the events, learning that a traumatic event occurred to a close person, and is exposed to aversive details of events are the triggers of PTSD.
• “Pulp Fiction” Film by Tarantino In Pulp Fiction, Tarantino introduces postmodernism into cinema, a form of art in which it will probably get its best manifestation, and one of the main characteristics of postmodern fiction, in general, is the lack […]
• The Passenger Is One of the Best Science Fiction Movies This twist is certainly not uncommon to the genre, but the ease with which the story flows, and the plot woven together with the main story in In this case is very interesting.
• “Pulp Fiction” , “Out of Sight”, and “Back to the Future” Analysis For example, such famous and successful films as Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino, Out of Sight by Steven Soderbergh and Back to the Future by Robert Zemeckis present a different approach to the story order […]
• Commercial and Literary Fiction Analysis The marshal is illustrated as a positive person.”He, the town policeman of Yellow Sky, was a man known, liked, and feared in his community”.
• Fiction in “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien In the story, the author portrays the inner nature of each of the characters via the symbolic features of the things carried by them.
• Reasons of Success of Amateur Detective Fiction Authors The essay will analyze the success of amateur detective fiction authors, paying special attention to the narrative voice and character, as well as the interest and complexity of solving a problem.
• Pulp Fiction (1994): Tarantino’s Mesmeric Thriller Many classical tales and more of these outlooks of classic crime films draw ideas from the hard-edged pool of crime fiction that later on invaded the film industry in the farther side of the United […]
• Critical Aspects of Film Pulp Fiction The film begins with two small-time thieves in a diner taking breakfast and then they decide to rob the place, the writer then moves to another story where there are two characters involved, Vincent and […]
• Empires and Science Fiction In his article “Race, Space and Class: The Politics of the SF Film from Metropolis to Blade Runner”, David Desser had made a perfectly good point while stating: “…the themes and techniques of such films […]
• Elements of Fiction in Colette’s “The Hand” The author further takes the point of view of a third person character in narrating the story; as he tells the story from an invisible point of view where he is not one of the […]
• Six-Words Fiction and Memoirs According to Schwarz A six-word fictional story is a work of fiction because it presents unreal facts, while a six-word memoir is a work of non-fiction which presents reality and is able to evoke a certain response in […]
• Science Fiction in Literature and the Human Condition Since the publication of Darwin’s science of evolution, mankind has been attempting to solve one of the major problems of our age where will this sort of evolution lead the human race and what implications […]
• Psychology of Biomedical Fiction The chances of giving a more correct description of hospital incidents and the weaving of crimes into medical life cater to the fancies of the public.
• American Studies: Fan Culture Around Pulp Fiction This paper aims to draw a profile of the fan culture around Pulp Fiction and the different layers of the same.
• “Science Fiction” by Roger Luckhust The analysis of this genre focuses on the series of fiction works with the purpose of disclosure of unique qualities of fiction theory. The history of technology and science contributes to the formation of contextual […]
• The Genre of Science Fiction in Movies In this paper we will analyse “The War of the Worlds”, “Star Wars” and “The Fifth Element”, as movies that reflect the genre of science fiction being transformed from something that used to help people […]
• The Theme of Death in Fiction-Writing Nevertheless, while it is emotional, having to deal with death, the pain of losing a son, and having to deal with the sympathy of people around them, the story disguised the emotion of the individuals […]
• Poetry v. Prose: Their Differences and Overlaps Fiction can possibly include the happenings of everyday life and is reliant on the person that narrates the happenings, the manner of its narration, and its composition.
• The Concept and History of Dystopian Fiction Thus, the goal of this paper is to study the phenomenon of DF based on the examples of Orwell’s and Huxley’s fiction and determine the presence of the themes that overlap with the contemporary social, […]
• “Downsizing” Science Fiction Film by A. Payne J rgen Asbj rnsen, who was the inventor of the downsizing technology and one of the first people to undergo the procedure.
• Science Fiction Films Definition Furthermore, science fiction films can be considered as the sub-class of horror films because both genres depend on the Discovery Plot which focuses on establishing the presence of the specific monster in the film, and […]
• Translating Non-Fiction Works Written by Mench , the book is known as The Discourse of the Other: Testimonio and the Fiction of the Maya has as many controversies around it as its author does around her.
• The Story of Historical Fiction and Nonfiction for Children According to Rahn, through the stories told to the young children by the old women, the children ended up intermingling the past cultures and forces with the current cultures of the world.
• Environmental Problems in Literary Fiction While the year is never specified explicitly, it is apparent from the description of the technology that the novel describes the United States of the second half of the twentieth century.
• Faster-than-Light Travel in Science and Fiction By the laws of physics that are known today, faster-than-light travel is nothing but science fiction, and up to now, no significant discoveries have been made in this area.
• The Role of Location in Crime Fiction Thus, the paper argues that the representation of crime in nineteenth-century literature was based on disparities between the regions of the city as well as the countryside.
• Dystopian Fiction for Young Readers First of all, it must be noted that the article of the current analysis is devoted to the impact of dystopian fiction on young people.
• Lucid Dreaming in Science Fiction and Technology The author provides an interesting and intriguing article about the phenomenon of lucid dreaming and its representation in culture and media.
• Femme Fatale in Hard-boiled Fiction The convention of the femme fatale is of great significance for the noir fiction as far as it can reveal the historical and cultural background of Los Angeles in the 1930s.
• A Science Fiction Movie “Primer” by Shane Carruth I feel that the plot of the movie does not draw in the audience and is the kind of a movie that one may opt to stop watching halfway.
• Tarantino’s Films Comparison: Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction It is possible to consider a number of thematic and stylistic devices to understand the essence of Tarantino’s surrealism that is manifested in his characters’ inability to live a real life and to be real […]
• Social Criticism Work in the Scandinavian Crime Fiction Novels The issue of revenge being a better option in the Swedish society is evident when, at the end of the novel, Blomkvists makes efforts to bring down the executive who worn the lawsuit mentioned at […]
• Rural Injustice, the Fiction Thus, the author chooses the technique of reportage to represent the story of Chen-chen, and she relies on the use of the realistic tone in order to describe and emphasize all the details of the […]
• Witchcraft: Women’s Victimization and Affirmation The three postulations have been nullified in the Malleus Maleficarum as none of them adequately explains the effects of the devil and witches.
• Subversive Literature/ Dystopia in science fiction novels In the endeavor to place a case in support of this line of argument, the paper considers the key traits of dystopian literature then showing how Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep possesses them in […]
• Science fiction has less to do with science and more to do with an endless reworking of the human condition Going by the words of Hopkins “science of fiction is a genre of fiction in which the stories often tell about science and technology of the future- these stories involve partially true-partially fictions laws or […]
• The Fragmented Self in American Fiction He presents dual identity in; the ability of the white Americans to effectively generalize the blacks by compelling them into not standing up for their people when they know the truth of the situation, the […]
• Pain, Cyber Punk and Science Fiction in the Moon is a Harsh Mistress In the last part of the book, the federation warships come to the moon. This is evident in the book as the people on the moon are being controlled by the governments of the earth.
• Fiction-Narrative Story Reflecting the Claims in The Queen and The Philosopher According to Descartes, the supporter of the rationalist perspective and the author of the phrase “I think, therefore I am”, declined the importance of emotional and sensuous perception of the world because it does not […]
• Representation of Women in History As Opposed To Fiction The omission of women in history has been the cause of fictionalization that misrepresents the female gender. The ancient history of women is seen to suggest that the only role they played was in the […]
• Global Warming: Fact or Fiction According to, global warming is the average persistent increase in the atmospheric temperature near the earth’s surface leading to changes in global climate patterns over a given period of time.
• British Empire Adventure Fiction – Cosmopolitanism/Citizenship The Boys’ Literature and the Idea of Empire, 1870- 1914, one of the adventures literatures tried to argue that; boys as the role model of Britons “are you proud to be a Briton?”. Overtime, the […]
• A Scholarly Study of Two Different Literary Genres Fiction and Poetry, Using the Works of Alexie, Kincaid, and Hughes In the Seventh and Eight Grade he discovered that villains are not only found in schools and the school playground but they can also be the unknown force called discrimination and this is a debilitating […]
• Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama: Article Review He notes that denial is very prominent in the story of” A Rose for Emily” and in the play “Death of a Salesman” and in the poem “The Raven”.
• Flannery O’Connor: Grandmother’s Act in “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” The most dominant opinion though is that the grandmother’s final deed was graceful, thereby implying that “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” was penned by the author to depict a gradual change in the […]
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Story Ideas for Realistic Fiction

Fiction is narrative that covers a series of events that are not factual, but invented. It is a pure creation that stems from the writer’s imagination. For any person, regardless of how creative or inspired that person is, realistic fictional storytelling can be a daunting task, since it deals with events that although untrue, could still happen. These story ideas are realistic, because they aren't dependent on magic or imagined technologies. You can change the places, time periods, characters' genders and other details and still craft realistic fiction from this sampling of ideas.

Theme: End of Love

A young couple living in a small town somewhere in Missouri find themselves tired of their lives and the people around them. They start to forget what made their relationship so different and so exciting. They decide to move to Barcelona. The first few months are great and refreshing as they roam the streets and eat in tapas bars. It is only until the novelty of a new city wears off that they realise they are only tired of one another. As the young man falls for a young Spanish woman he meets, his partner falls into a deep, unwinding depression and they find themselves fighting for the spark they had once found in each other.

Theme: Starting Over

A mother and her 17-year-old son are living in a rundown one bedroom apartment in Queens, New York. Drunk and jobless, she finds herself struggling with the memories of her losses while witnessing her son fall into a life of crime and drugs. When one day she falls ill, her son decides to go back to school and find a part time job in a laundrette. As he winds up working and supporting his mother, he battles with the consequences that his former life left him with, while trying to make up for his mistakes.

Theme: Imitation of Life

An aging novelist living in Italy loses his wife to another man. Heartbroken, a decade passes and he cannot bring himself to be with any other woman. Because of this, he has resigned himself to a life of isolation and bitter loneliness. When he sees a young woman at a book reading, he finds something in her warmth and her smile that he has not known for over ten years. She leaves and he feels in himself a deep and painful longing. He decides to shut himself away and live the rest of his life through his final piece of work, writing as he wishes to live.

Theme: Self Discovery

Waking up alone, in a Chicago apartment, on a mattress on the floor, a small-time accountant decides to sell his home, quit his job, empty his bank account and set off on a journey of self-discovery. He travels on down to Mexico, before buying an old Volvo and driving to Argentina where he meets a beautiful woman with whom he starts a family. Family life teaches him a little bit about the kind of man he is, and the years he has wasted as a bachelor in a small Chicago flat.

Angeliki Coconi started writing in 1999 with the theater comedy "Loop," produced in Athens. In 2001 she wrote and produced another comedy, "Modern Cinderella." In 2006 she was awarded a Master of Science in literature from the University of Edinburgh. In 2009 Coconi obtained the Postgraduate Certificate in Screenwriting from Napier University of Edinburgh.

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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21 thoughts on “ 50 science fiction plot ideas and writing prompts ”.

As much as I love reading and writing books, I’d definitely be interested in interacting with a virtual fantasy world. I’d also like the automatic fitness and mood trackers. I don’t write science fiction, but I’d love some of these to be real someday. Great prompts!

Hi Renea! Yeah, a few of these were wishful thinking. 🙂 Thanks for the kind words!

Hi, what a wonderful list! Thank you. I noticed that there are two #25’s listed so the list is actually 51. 🙂

Hahaha! Hey, I’m a writer, not a numbers gal. 😉 I re-numbered it so #51 is a bonus. Thanks, Laurie!

I like you list as well. “Bryn laughed as she posted her answer for miscounting her plots. Then the total number of characters in her post quickly appeared in her mind. “That’s never happened to me before.” as she smiled to herself. She started to get up to get a bottle of water. As she looked down pressed the keys to lock her computer screen, she quickly counted the pores on the back of her hand. “Wait a minute. What the heck is going on?”

Thanks for all the great sci-fi prompts, Bryn. 🙂 — Suzanne

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34. Is interesting. Outsourcing anything to other civilizations by means of games is a great idea.

Well written and interesting! You should check out my article on the physics of Black Holes: https://therealsciblog.wordpress.com/2018/06/20/black-holes/

Also I will follow anyone who follows me, so please please please follow me!

“In a world where pain and suffering have been eliminated, people pay to experience a variety of negative sensations under safe and controlled circumstances.”

That was actually the plot of a Star Trek: Voyager episode (Random Thoughts) in the 1990s. The only exception is that the trade of negative sensations was illegal, and sanctioned by the government.

Hello! I love your ideas. But what if someone uses one of your story plots and publishes the book? Would you want credit?

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I think you meant to say that Napoleon invades Austria, not Australia?

I have a good plot. the idea itself has been forming and ripening in my mind for 15 years. can i share with you? if so, please contact me by this mail. [email protected]

Science fiction is not just about aliens, mermaids, time travel, and more. Here, you can also write about deep and philosophical stuff, and even tackle societal issues. For example, issues on technological advancement such as the possible takeover of robots and the impending destruction of the planet are commonly emphasized in numerous science fiction novels. These and all the other issues in the society today are tackled in length in science fiction because there is no better place to explore them than in this genre.

Fantastic Plot Ideas! Thanks for sharing. Science fiction stories often illustrate the social reality of the current times. These stories give us a clear picture of how the technologies of today are affecting our daily lives, particularly our interaction and connection with one another. These stories help us understand the things that make up our current reality.

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Thankyou very much! I often write dilemma stories for my ethics class pupils to start or to complement a teaching unit. Fantasy and Science Fiction help us to talk to children even about explosive subjects. But I have less imagination as everyone thinks: Four or five ideas, and that´s it. So I just visited your collection to find more Ideas for my pupils. This was very helpful. Thanx in the name of the children.

Hi Cora! Ow wow, that is so cool! Your class sounds like so much fun. I’m so glad this was useful!

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100 Fiction Essay Topics

🏆 best essay topics on fiction, ✍️ fiction essay topics for college, 🎓 most interesting fiction research titles, 💡 simple fiction essay ideas.

• Science Fiction as “Literature of Change”
• Perseverance in American Fiction and Non-Fiction: “The Soft-Hearted Sioux” by Zitkala-Sa
• The Movie “Back to the Future”: The Genre of Science Fiction
• Characteristics and Similarities Between Realistic and Historical Fiction
• Theme of Sexuality from Both Fiction and Non-Fiction Context
• Science Fiction Then and Now
• Fiction Elements in Chopin’s The Story of an Hour
• Fiction Analysis: The Exposition in “Avatar” The exposition in “Avatar” begins with the presentation of the main character, a military officer who is permanently wheelchair-bound due to an injury.
• Implications of Fiction for Children Fiction is a genre of literature that involves invented characters, usually in prose. This paper discusses the implications of fiction for children, both negative and positive.
• Compare and Contrast Fiction Analysis Both The Cathedral and A Rose for Emily use characterization and symbolism as stylistic devices to share the positive and negative effects of embracing transformations in society.
• Science Fiction in Literature and Movies This paper argues that science fiction has less to do with science and more to do with an endless reworking of the human condition.
• Stranger Than Fiction: Critical Analysis of Film Stranger Than Fiction entertains, educates, and creates awareness of the virtue of fate and the inevitability of death.
• Postmodern Ideas and Realism in Works of Fiction Postmodernism is a broad academic term that came into the limelight in the mid- 1980s. It refers to certain aspects of works done after the Second World War.
• Summary of “Women in Diaspora: A Study of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s Fiction” To survive and compete in the USA, the Indian women retrospect and recognize the requirements of the new culture.
• Pulp Fiction as Iconic Gangster Cinema Pulp Fiction is analyzed from the standpoints of genre theory, presenting it as a prominent example of gangster films and describing the work’s design techniques.
• Decolonization Through Fiction: Indigenous Horror in Canada North American cinema was largely synonymous with Hollywood-made films. Canadian Indigenous films represent a new distinctive branch of independent North American cinema.
• Concept of the Fiction in Writing In writing, fiction is a type of story that can be characterized by a specific set of features. Fiction commonly refers to the kind of setting or a scenario that was made up by the author.
• History vs. Fiction of Oroonoko, Inkle and Yarico There are uncertainties as to what is absolute truth or exaggeration within fiction based on stories told centuries ago. That is the case with Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko.
• American Dream as a Symbol of Hopelessness in Gothic Fiction This paper aims to provide evidence that the characters of Lutie Johnson and Robin both failed to fulfill the American Dream.
• Human Behavior Depicted in Science Fiction Works The purpose of this paper is to analyze the situation described in the novels Fahrenheit 451, Night and Things Fall Apart and the changes in human behavior brought out in them.
• “The Revenge of Babylon”: Historical Fiction Story This paper aims to present a historical fiction story titled “The Revenge of Babylon” – an original own short piece of historical fiction.
• Contrast Between the Women of Fact and Women as Portrayed in Fiction In the “What if Shakespeare Had Had a Sister” article, Virginia Woolf imagines the possibility of a female Shakespeare and the things that would have become of her.
• The Mix of Race, Ethnicity, and Culture in the Fiction Unit This paper examines the manner in the different authors have embraced the concept of race, ethnicity, and culture.
• Standards of Quality Prose Fiction High quality prose fiction is characterized by several unique features. These features include a properly chosen point of view, precise themes, appropriate stylistic devices.
• Science Fiction in Qaqish’s “Before Arrival” Film In this paper, the elements of science fiction that are displayed in the film “Before Arrival” by Joseph Qaqish will be analyzed.
• Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill Films by Quentin Tarantino The director of the films Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill is Quentin Tarantino. In each Tarantino created an entire universe in which the heroes of his movies live.
• The Definition of the Science Fiction To define science fiction, one should first look more closely at the two parts its name consists of – science and fiction.
• The Future of Artificial Intelligence in Fiction and Science Although there are numerous technological advancements, not many of them have caused such a tremendous controversy as artificial intelligence.
• Artificial Intelligence in Scientific and Fiction Works I decided to research what possible benefits can come from cooperation between scientists and science fiction writers regarding the negative image of artificial intelligence.
• The “Criminal Minds” and “Brady Bunch” Fiction Films Schwartz and Thomas produce great movies which are watched worldwide. They are of great importance to society and change the lives of people.
• Ursula Le Guin: Science Fiction Genre Writer Career As one of the most prolific and innovative science fiction writers, Ursula K. Le Guin has definitely left her mark on the landscape of science fiction as a genre.
• The Novel “Hoot” by Carl Hiaasen: Domestic and Adventure Fiction Traits The paper examines Hiaasen’s novel “Hoot”, determining its features of domestic and adventure fiction, as well as exploring the essentials of this book – plot, characters, ideas.
• Facts From Fiction and From the Internet With the abundance of information that is thrown at Internet users from every corner of every site, the range of false data is huge, and taking this information may cost well-being.
• Artificial Intelligence: Science Fiction Novels Many writers created stories and novels in the science fiction genre in an attempt to predict how the life where robots are not just machines but equal members of society would be.
• “Why We Need More Science in Fiction?” by A. Gambis In this speech, Gambis discusses his scientific work. His main intention is to convince the audience that real science can be entertaining and inspiring for filmmakers.
• Newspeak as a Language of Fiction Newspeak can be defined as a language of fiction that was invented by a writer called George Orwell in his book called “Nineteen Eighty-Four”.
• Cyber-Science, Fiction or Modern Reality? According to the authors, within the matter of the next twenty years, people will not only be able to enhance their physical existence by becoming increasingly cyborg-like.
• Future in American Science Fiction Short Stories Science fiction is meant to be read with a purpose in mind. Works of this genre provide a nod to realism and present a thoughtful perspective of society’s future.
• Young Adult Fiction’s Influence on the Worldview In “Darkness too visible,” Gurdon discusses the problem of young adult fiction, which often appears to be too brutal and gory to be introduced to young readers.
• Gender in Fiction and Sociological Literature This paper addresses the question of why people study literature from the perspective of gender using three books, “Beloved,” “Bros before Hos,” and “Becoming 100% Straight.”
• Fiction and Human Society
• Chinese and Japanese Similar Fiction Stories
• Language Race and Identity Creative Non-Fiction
• Fact, Fiction, and Perception: Understanding Schizophrenia
• Fiction and Devilish Woman Epithet
• Juvenile and Young-Adult Mystery Fiction Analysis
• Immigrant Fiction: Treading the Narrow Path
• Literature Theory and Gothic Fiction
• Monetary Policy Inertia: Fact or Fiction
• Historical Fiction and Its Importance in Society
• Feminist Science Fiction Analysis
• Popular Fiction and Development Studies
• Dismembering the American Dream: The Life and Fiction of Richard Yates
• African Americans and Their Evolution in Fiction and Nonfiction
• European Stock Market Integration: Fact or Fiction
• Madame Bovary and Techniques in Fiction
• Making Physics More Realistic With Fiction
• Fiction and the Portrayal of Management Leadership
• Imperialism, Colonialism, and Identity in 20th-Century Fiction
• Gothic Fiction: The Representation of Evil in Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto
• Facts and Fiction Regarding John F. Kennedy
• Fact and Faith Within Detective Fiction
• Humor and Science Fiction by Kurt Vonnegut
• Literary Fiction and Self Discovery
• King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table: Fact or Fiction
• Fiction Comparisons Through Symbolism and Settings: “A Pair of Tickets” and “Volar”
• George Orwell’s Fiction Novel 1984
• Facts and Fiction Regarding the Bermuda Triangle
• Nineteen Minutes: Fiction Imitating Reality
• Fact, Legend, and Fiction of King Arthur
• Fiction and Australian Identity
• Film and Broadcast Fiction
• Gender and Sexuality Debates in the Genre of Science Fiction
• Narrative Fiction and the Portrayal of Female Characters
• American Lit: Regionalism, Gothic Fiction, and Naturalism
• Bermuda Triangle: Facts vs. Fiction
• Demonic Possession and Exorcisms: Fact or Fiction
• Facts and Fiction Regarding Jack the Ripper
• Arthur Miller’s The Crucible: Fact & Fiction
• Altered Cognition and the Reading of Fiction
• Dubois and Washington: Realism in Fiction
• Native American Fiction Analysis
• Fiction and Basic Terms
• Monetary Policy and Financial Imbalances: Facts and Fiction
• Japanese Long Fiction Analysis
• Dystopian Fiction Often Paints a Frightening Picture of the Future
• Genre and Narrative Establishment in the Opening of Pulp Fiction, the Krays, and Goodfellas
• Crossing: Fiction and Story
• Combining Fact and Fiction in the Writing of Frederick Douglass’ the Heroic Slave
• American Politics Through Film and Fiction
• Feminism and Gender Bias in Science Fiction
• Literary Fiction and Commercial Fiction
• Henry James and the Art of Fiction Term
• Danielle Steel’s The Ring – A Thin Line Between Fiction and Reality
• French Mystery Fiction Analysis
• Anne Bronte’s Gothic Romantic Fiction
• Fiction and the Depiction of Women
• Fiction Works and Conceiving of Creative Writing in Literature
• Asian Mystery Fiction Analysis
• African American Long Fiction Analysis

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StudyCorgi . "100 Fiction Essay Topics." March 1, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/fiction-essay-topics/.

StudyCorgi . 2022. "100 Fiction Essay Topics." March 1, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/fiction-essay-topics/.

These essay examples and topics on Fiction were carefully selected by the StudyCorgi editorial team. They meet our highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, and fact accuracy. Please ensure you properly reference the materials if you’re using them to write your assignment.

This essay topic collection was updated on January 8, 2024 .

• Jan 13, 2022

Realistic Fiction Writing: Narratives with Meaning

When I was told I was going to be teaching a 7th grade section this year (I only ever taught 6th and put my heart and SOUL into 6th), I was instantly stressed. What OTHER writing could I possibly do that I haven't done with my 6th graders? I do personal narrative , fiction writing in response to reading , research essays , eBooks, literary essays , and fantasy writing in 6th...that's a whole lot! When I prepped my 6th grade units, my intention was to cover everything .

Well, I always search first for Units of Study by Lucy Calkins. I know many people have mixed feelings about her, as do I, but I love her units as a basis for my own units. I do not use her units religiously and never use the scripted writing. So, I got the 7th grade writing units and started digging through the material.

One of the first units is Realistic Fiction Writing. I read the unit and here's my take on it.

The Process

I start with revisiting personal narrative writing. I have them brainstorm ideas for personal narratives and actually write those narratives. As always, I sample one for them. This also allows me to see their writing abilities since this is my first writing unit for the school year.

After they write their narrative, I continue the process of brainstorming based on their own lives . I like to give a lot of real-life examples of movies or shows that were inspired by the creator's own life. I reference the book Ghost by Jason Reynolds, a read-aloud they had the year prior, and how that was inspired by his own childhood.

So, they list more moments from their lives that could inspire fictional stories. I then have them start listing story ideas, encouraging them to focus on a problem that could occur .

After every brainstorm, they write about a topic. They try out the stories .

Next up, and this is where I want them to zero in, I have them focus on current events and social issues . We discuss issues in the world, list those issues, and write ideas based on those issues. I have them go on Newsela for inspiration on topics.

Once they lock down an idea for a story, the next important aspect of realistic writing is character! They complete a slide that focuses on the main character , what they want, what motivates them, what obstacles get in the way, and attitude toward themself/others.

We touch upon the opposing character but not a ton as I want this to be focused more on the issue and on the main character. I did a lot of character developing the year prior with their fantasy stories. I also don't do a lot with setting because, like I said, this was more important with the fantasy writing. I wanted this story to be character-centered .

Writing Scenes

I love teaching students to write scenes as opposed to a set structure. The Lucy Calkins' unit has a lesson on putting the character in an everyday scene . I elaborated on that, having the students use this scene as an opener. Putting the character in their world DOING something is a great introduction in a story. Having them in school, at camp, at home...interacting with people (or not). This all can pave the way to what could happen in the story.

The final step before getting into the drafting of the full story is planning out the story. I always use a story structure chart as my go-to for this. First, I have them use the chart with a mentor short story...one I've used before. Then, they plan their stories based on the chart. You could get this chart for free if you subscribe to my site!

Last but not least, they write! I have a story that I show them. I go through it with them, working through revisions, etc. It's super important that you write what you expect them to write .

That's Not All

There are so many lessons you can do within this unit. Some other lessons you should get into, if not addressed already:

I do show don't tell , focusing on description.

A few lessons on dialogue . Not just punctuating it, but using it to elaborate.

Giving characters problems. You could do this by analyzing some mentors and how the characters always have problems. Interpret how the author presents the problem.

Speaking of mentors, I spend a lot of time having them look at mentor stories, analyzing author's craft and story structure. This also follows my investigating characterization unit .

You may want to consider going over mood and tone , as well, although I focus on this more during fantasy.

Bottom Line

My students loved my story. They actually cheered at the end! They really liked writing about realistic situations because they were able to relate to the scenarios.

It's a great unit to follow a character unit or a personal narrative unit. It's also a great way to start the year with writing.

You can get this entire unit by clicking the picture below!

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The best nonfiction writing prompts

Are you an author looking for nonfiction writing prompts to spark your creative muse? You're in the right place: we created this directory to house all the story ideas about life, people, and history you might need to succeed as a nonfiction writer. 

The great thing about nonfiction writing is that ideas can come from anywhere: in-house family drama with the parents, an argument over the Internet with a stranger about money, or a heart-to-heart talk with friends about your beliefs. So whether you're writing an essay or creative nonfiction, feel free to scour this page for inspiration. Who knows? Maybe one of the stories you write in response to a prompt will turn into your next book. 

If you're looking to cut to the chase, here’s a top ten list of our favorite nonfiction writing prompts:

• Write a story about inaction.
• Write a story about activism.
• Write about a date that was so terrible you’ll never forget it.
• Write about a secret you’ve never told the person you love.
• Write about someone (or something) you loved that you shouldn’t have.
• Pick one of the five senses. Write a descriptive piece about your surroundings based on that sense. 
• Write about a time when you helped someone. 

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Essay on realist fiction.

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Realist fiction is a very different sort of literary genre than others related to it. Realist fiction attempts to create a world in which the fantastic nature of characters and events are intertwined into the daily life of the story's key elements and offers a realistic and surreal-like impression of the world that the author creates. This is a sample essay  provided by the custom writing services at Ultius , goes into depth regarding the literary conventions used by Gabriel Garcia Marquez in his novella, Chronicle of a Death Foretold . 

Realist fiction in literature

As a magical realist author, Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a master of creating subtly fantastic universes with such believable characters that a reader often finds it difficult to remove the story from the real world. It is entirely possible that somewhere the Vicario twins of Chronicle of a Death Foretold  are even now stalking some poor fool simply because their sister said he had done wrong. Just walking down a crowded street it might be possible to spot the majority of the story’s characters, going about their lives and silently wondering if Santiago has been killed yet and if he actually deserved it. 

Gender roles in a realistic setting

Such an acute connection to reality makes a story like this the perfect platform to observe and analyze a generality like gender roles . The role of women in Marquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold  is complicated and nuanced. It could certainly not be said that they are underrepresented or ignored, but they are also clearly submissive to the men. Angela Vicario is no exception to this, except for the one thing she does that precipitates the entire plot of the story. While she is weak even by the standards of other women, she can ultimately be seen as the most powerful of all the female characters, both in terms of self-empowerment and as a cause of action in the story.

Portrayal of women in realist fiction

When discussing the women in the novella, it has to be acknowledged that there are all kinds. There are servants like Victoria and her daughter, independent working women like Angela eventually, and even business owners like Clothilde. But the most important label for all women is familial. Everyone is someone’s mother or daughter or wife or sister; whenever possible they are one or more of those things in terms of a male character. This method of identification is so thorough and seamless that a reader might find it natural by the time the story is in full swing and never once consider what that means in terms of personal identity.

Subtle misogyny of Marquez's female characters

If every woman is referred to in terms of her closest male relationship, then she is placed below him on the social ladder, at least from an outside perspective, and a woman's rights aren't apparent. A sympathetic reader might begin to feel like part of the fictional community to make this vaguely misogynistic habit feel more good-natured while a reader comfortable with male dominance might feel a comradely connection to the narrator. The smooth usage makes Marquez’s male-centric labeling system almost invisible, but a reader with an eye for gender roles would notice it immediately and probably find it aesthetically unpleasing. The labeling of women in terms of men does not appear to be malicious, though. As often as the narrator identifies female characters in terms of other male characters, he also refers to women with respect and consideration. 

Santiago's Mother - His own mother and sister are frequently cited as credible sources of information, sometimes information that would have otherwise been difficult or impossible to get. The story begins with an account of Santiago and his death from Santiago’s mother (3-4). This immediately places a woman in a position of authority to the reader since even the narrator is relying on her for insight. Within the first few pages it is clear that the subjugation of women to men, even in terms of identification, is a condition of the world Marquez is writing, not his own views as a writer.

Victoria - Most women have middling power and are in very stable positions. Even a servant like Victoria, literally subjugated to Santiago, has power over the man thanks to her protective instincts and world-weary grittiness. Her power is proved when she deliberately unsettles Santiago just to punish him for being a generally unpleasant person. He might be her boss, but he is not free to use or abuse her. But, as with all other women, her power in that way is limited. She knows she can’t ultimately stop Santiago from having his way with her daughter (6). This kind of darkness is a big part of what makes Marquez’s world so believable. Even a moment of triumph, ruining Santiago’s breakfast, does not mean that there aren’t bleaker days ahead, like him taking advantage of young Divina.

Clothilde - The milk store proprietor Clothilde is an even purer example of the general weakness of women in this setting. When the time comes for the Vicario twins to wake up and kill Santiago she is standing there watching it unfold. She sees it happening and wants to stop it but the only power she has to dissuade the twins—even though at that point they are only following through out of obligation to the town’s expectations—is to invoke the name of the passing bishop (10). So from a writer’s perspective, this serves as another example of the ingenuity and wisdom of some of the female characters, but within the story itself it is just another case of a woman needing the force of a man’s identity, even if the communication is non-verbal , to achieve her ends. 

Bayardo's Mother -  When Bayardo’s family comes to town the narrator introduces the most socially powerful woman in the story, Bayardo’s mother. She is described as

“in her youth had been proclaimed the most beautiful of the two hundred most beautiful women in the Antilles” (19).

But still this is her only remarkable quality, and it is one of the past. Though she has high station as the wife of Bayardo’s father, a man of great power and importance, she is still only his wife and that is all she achieves in the story’s present time.

Angela as a realist heroine

Angela exists in a much lower social bracket. As the youngest daughter in a poor family, she has little material value to anyone and absolutely no influence upon the social hierarchy as an individual (18). It is possible that, if she had not lost her virginity prior to catching a powerful man’s eye, she would have never done a single remarkable thing in her life. She is physically very attractive, which is what catches Bayardo’s eye, and that is perhaps the only thing that catches his eye. It is clear that he is more interested in acquiring her than he is in winning her heart, as he spends almost all his time courting her family rather than her (20). At this point, Angela is quite possibly the least powerful of all characters in this story and she is poised to become a nobody if everything goes according to plan.

Angela's Power in Society

It is only the way that she is overtly devalued that Angela ultimately gains all her power. By being flawed and incomplete, as a bride, she lost her chance for a typical life (19). From that moment, she began withering because youth never lasts and she had no chance to gain social or political prestige as a single woman, rejected for lacking her virginity. The first and last time she exerts any power as a typical member of society is when she names Santiago as the one who deflowered her. Even though the narrator raises doubt about this, by way of his sister’s insight into the situation, Angela’s word is all it takes to doom Santiago (19). For the time it takes her brothers to find and murder Santiago, Angela has more power than anyone else in the story because no one else has the power to cause or to stop a man’s death in the sleepy setting.

Joined at last

Like her beauty, Angela’s power over Santiago’s life is fleeting. She lives a life of solitude, pining for Bayardo and working as a seamstress, but she ultimately is proven a true heroine . After seventeen years he returns for her, won over solely by her persistence. She was no longer a prize to be won and he was no longer in a position to simply claim her as his own. Even though they wasted so many years, she was responsible for claiming the victory in the end. For this reason, she is the most powerful female character in the story and the only one to make a man bend to her will on her terms.

Overall, the female characters in Marquez’s story are subordinate to the men, but absolutely essential to the society. The novella itself centers mostly around men and women and the relationships they share . While all action is taken by men or in the name of men, the women are in no way disregarded. Though most women are referred to as someone’s mother or sister, making their identity contingent on men, those women are also respected for their knowledge and wisdom as mothers and sisters and ultimately keepers of secrets and traffickers of information. The narrator’s reliance on his own mother and sister suggests that even if men are the center of society, very little would get done without women to keep the men informed. When Angela abuses that power of knowledge it is clear how unquestioningly the men take her word, illustrating how subtly powerful the women can be. The truest power ia revealed when Angela is accidentally removed from the traditional power structure. What seems at first like a ruined life, ultimately leads to her winning a man’s heart through force of will and getting him to come to her out of devotion. Angela is powerful because she has a vibrant heart and is rewarded for her determination while everyone else remains part of the system.

Works Cited

Márquez, Gabriel Garcia. Chronicle of a death foretold. New York: Knopf :, 1983. Print. 

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‘Bless These Books’: How Karen Kingsbury Is Extending the Reach of Christian Fiction

She’s sold more than 25 million copies, but isn’t slowing down. An Amazon series and a film getting wide distribution mark a new phase.

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By Alexis Soloski

Reporting from Nashville

In the early years of her career, the novelist Karen Kingsbury often prayed for success. “Lord,” she would say, “bless these books beyond anything I could ask or imagine. Let them be bigger than anything I could envision and let them change culture.”

Was it right to pray for something so worldly? Kingsbury, seated at a table in the well-appointed kitchen of her home in an upscale suburb here, smiled. The question was perhaps naïve. “I feel like it’s OK,” she explained. “God knows what you’re thinking anyway, you know?”

Kingsbury, 60, has long been hailed as the queen of Christian fiction . That is perhaps a slender crown. Until fairly recently, Christian fiction was siloed from the mainstream market, sold only at specialty bookstores. Crossover authors were rare, and as with the writers of “This Present Darkness,” “The Shack” and the “Left Behind” series, almost exclusively male. Will Kingsbury join them?

“Depending on what you think of as the mainstream market, I think she already has,” Daniel Silliman, a news editor at Christianity Today, said.

The author or coauthor of nearly 100 books, she has sold more than 25 million copies , according to Simon and Schuster (Its Atria imprint has published her latest novels). Three of her books have become Hallmark movies. A fourth, “A Thousand Tomorrows,” was adapted as a series for the faith-based streaming site Great American Pure Flix .

On the flight to Nashville, my seatmate, a nurse and a practicing Catholic, clocking my reading material, confessed her love for Kingsbury. “Her books make me happy and they give me peace,” she said. My ride-share driver knew her, too. Still, she is not yet a household name.

“I’m not John Grisham,” she said. “I’m not Nicholas Sparks.”

That may change. This week, Amazon Prime Video premieres “The Baxters,” a three-season adaptation of Kingsbury’s most popular series, produced by Roma Downey and Mark Burnett’s Lightworkers Media. And on April 2, Kingsbury’s new production company will release the romantic drama “Someone Like You” into 1,500 theaters, which may markedly increase her visibility.

That day in March, Kingsbury wore a sapphire-blue coat and a matching flowered necklace, intimations of spring. Her daisy-yellow hair fell in gentle ripples and in the hours we spent together I lost count of her offers of tea, coffee, pastries, fruit, chicken in various preparations. (Later, she wouldn’t let me leave without a baggie full of apples and string cheese.)

Entwined with this maternal energy is a rigor that has allowed her to write as many as five books each year while raising six children — three biological, three adopted as boys from Haiti — with her husband, Donald Russell.

“I’m compassionate,” she said. “But I’m competitive and I’m passionate and not passive.” Still, she tends to downplay that drive, crediting God’s grace.

A few hours before I arrived, the marketing team at Amazon had called to tell her that “The Baxters” would have a billboard overlooking Sunset Boulevard. “It does feel like an answer to a prayer,” she said. “I just feel like I can almost see God smiling.” Then she offered cookies.

Kingsbury grew up mostly in the San Fernando Valley; her voice still carries that sunshine lilt. She matriculated at Cal State Northridge, pursuing a journalism degree. The Los Angeles Times hired her onto its sports desk before she graduated, even though she knew nothing about sports.

A few years later she was poached by the Los Angeles Daily News. Around that time, at the gym, she met Russell, a clean-cut trainee teacher who insisted on bringing a Bible to their dates. Kingsbury, who had never read the Bible, found Russell infuriating. She also found him cute. Eventually, she bought her own Bible and a concordance, mostly so that she could prove to him that the Bible didn’t prohibit premarital sex.

Soon, she and Russell were baptized. Then they were married. She was pregnant six months later. An agent reached out and a contract for a nonfiction book, based on one of her newspaper crime stories, followed. Kingsbury wrote that book and three more. But the work, which relied on interviews with accused killers and grieving families, wore her down. So she tried fiction, taking 10 days off to write “Where Yesterday Lives,” inspired by her childhood.

Her publisher, Dell, didn’t want it. Other mainstream publishers passed, too. Kingsbury didn’t know much about Christian fiction. “I thought it sounded cheesy,” she said. But when a friend gave her a copy of Francine Rivers’s 1991 book “Redeeming Love,” a classic of Christian romance, Kingsbury intuited that her books might find welcome there. She was correct—“Where Yesterday Lives” was published by Multnomah, a small Christian imprint, in 1998. Still, she resisted that label, exchanging “Christian fiction” for “inspirational fiction,” then trademarking her own term, “life-changing fiction.”

Kingsbury writes quickly. That 10 days per book? It’s an average, not an outlier. (She once wrote a book in four days; she doesn’t recommend it.) Each begins with an idea, usually drawn from her own life. “I go through a day looking for miracles, looking for moments, looking for people,” she said. She spends about a week researching and another week outlining. Then she writes 10,000 words per day, typically in six hours, faster than most of us can type.

Her son Tyler Russell, who had dropped by for Scrabble and a chat, recalled that while watching his mother write was a feature of his childhood, she always put her family first. “It was never like, ‘Leave me alone. I’m writing,’” he said. “It was like, ‘I’ll sit with you, we’ll watch ‘American Idol’ and write together.’”

Most of Kingsbury’s books are romances, but they are romantic dramas, not romantic comedies. The characters experience terrible things — abuse, addiction, illness, accident. Yet each book ultimately affirms faith and family. Her father, Kingsbury said, coined a term for her genre: “hope operas.”

“It’s not necessarily a romantic happily ever after,” Kaitlin Olson, Kingsbury’s editor at Atria, said. “But these stories end with people coming to terms with themselves and their faith and moving forward.”

Kingsbury’s use of real-life problems distinguishes her from her contemporaries. “She was really early to a broader trend we see now of tackling less sweet topics,” Silliman said. “Not exactly gritty, but more realistic.”

The characters in her novels do reflect a particular reality: They are nearly always Christians, practicing or lapsed, and seemingly all straight. As the mother of three Black children, she does employ some racial diversity.

But she believes that introducing other diversity would feel too forced. “In terms of L.G.B.T.Q. or trans, any of those communities, I’m so removed from that in my day to day, it wouldn’t feel authentic,” she said. “It would just be agenda-ized.”

She is similarly cautious about sensitive issues. “Someone Like You,” for example, deals with in vitro fertilization and embryo adoption, but neatly skirts any political debate.

“I want to be authentic to the issues today, but not so much that it takes you into controversy,” she said.

Still, Kingsbury does have an agenda, or perhaps several agendas. She wants to tell a good story. She wants each book to be better than the last. (“I’m competitive with myself,” she said.) And while she believes that secular readers can enjoy her books, each is an invitation to faith.

“I would hope, when people finish a book, that coming in through the door of the heart — not like a hammer, but like a whisper — is the fact that maybe there’s something more,” she said.

In her first decades in fiction, she passed through many imprints, some owned by major publishing houses, some independent, always pursuing better marketing, better publicity, more ambitious print runs. “During those years, my least favorite place to go was a bookstore,” she said.

Because often the bookstores wouldn’t have her books at all.

That began to change, slowly, with the Baxter novels, which were initially co-written with the relationship expert Gary Smalley. The story of the Baxters begins with “Redemption” (2002), in which Kari Jacobs, née Baxter, the second eldest of five children, discovers that her husband is having an affair with one of his students. Some in her family urge her to divorce him. But Kari, who believes that marriage is a commitment, trusts in God instead.

Those books and the ones that followed increased Kingsbury’s renown and market share. Women began to show up to her readings in homemade “Baxter Babes” T-shirts. Signing lines lasted hours.

Downey, an actress (“Touched by an Angel”) and an advocate for faith-based work, was given “Redemption” years ago. She read it. Then she read all the other books in the series. Downey’s company, Lightworkers, a division of MGM, shot three seasons, in 2017 and 2018. The series languished, seeking a streamer, before finally finding its way to Amazon, which had acquired MGM in 2022, as part of a growing slate of faith-based programming.

The years that the series sat on a virtual shelf pushed Kingsbury to found her own production company, giving her more control over subsequent adaptations. She chose “Someone Like You” as her inaugural project because, as she finished it, she said she heard God say, “This is going to be your first movie.”

Her son and frequent co-writer, Tyler, was recruited to direct. Another son acts in the movie, a third was a production assistant. Each day began with devotion.

Kingsbury would like to make more movies. She is competitive about film, too. And she plans to publish more books, the next three via Forefront, a hybrid of traditional and independent publishing that she will believes will offer more flexibility.

At the moment, as far as her career is concerned, she has little left to pray for.

“There were times in my life when this was just a dream, and then there were times that in the last few years where I could see it coming,” she said. “But now it’s here and I’m ready.”

Alexis Soloski has written for The Times since 2006. As a culture reporter, she covers television, theater, movies, podcasts and new media. More about Alexis Soloski

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