Menu

Prompts

Contests

Stories

Blog

Menu

✕

CONNECT

Editing Design Marketing Publicity Ghostwriting Websites

BLOG

Success Stories

APPS

TOOLS

Book Promotion Sites Book Review Blogs Booktube Channel Guide Book Title Generator Character Name Generator Independent Publishers Literary Agents Literary Magazines Pen Name Generator Plot Generator Publishers Directory Short Story Ideas Writing Contests Writing Exercises Writing Scholarships

ABOUT

About Reedsy Terms Privacy

BEST MYSTERY WRITING PROMPTS

Join (probably?) the world's largest writing contest. Flex those creative muscles with weekly writing prompts.

Sign in with Google

Showing 76 prompts reset

This week's contest:

Win $250

Yummy

33 contest entries /

25 stories

--

days

--

hours

--

mins

--

secs

View details

Closes at 23:59 - Dec 15 EST

They say a picture is worth a thousand words but you knew the one you'd just taken was worth a million.

Mystery

You were the oldest person still living in the town and you remembered things no one else did.

Mystery

Looking through old family photos, multiple generations back, you notice there is a cat in almost every group photo. The same cat — color, pattern, one docked ear: the cat that is currently purring on your lap.

Mystery

"...and that's why dividing by three is illegal."

Mystery

You're a serial killer who murders anyone you see hitchhiking up your mountain. One day, you pick up a hitchhiker who kills anyone who picks them up.

Mystery

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

Mystery

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

Mystery

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

Mystery

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

Mystery

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

Mystery

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

Mystery

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

Mystery

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

Mystery

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

Mystery

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

Mystery

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

Mystery

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

Contest #228 LIVE

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: Yummy

$250

Prize money

33

Contest entries

25

Stories

--

Days

--

Hours

--

Mins

--

Secs

Closes at 23:59 - Dec 15, 2023 EST

View details

Recent contests ✍️

#227 – Snowed Under

#226 – Temptation Time

#225 – Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

#224 – Night Owls and Early Birds

Recent winners 🏆

Chris Campbell – read

Olivier Breuleux – read

Mallory Jones – read

AnneMarie Miles – read

Leaderboard 🥇

#1 Zilla Babbitt

32289 points

#2 Deidra Whitt Lovegren

28349 points

#3 Abigail Airuedomwinya

22392 points

#4 Graham Kinross

13424 points

13182 points

#6 Thom Brodkin

10389 points

#7 Rayhan Hidayat

10198 points

#8 Deborah Mercer

9596 points

#9 Michał Przywara

8862 points

#10 Corey Melin

8478 points

Explore more writing prompt ideas:

Adults Writing Prompts ⭢

Adventure Writing Prompts ⭢

Angst Writing Prompts ⭢

Character Writing Prompts ⭢

Christmas Writing Prompts ⭢

Dark Writing Prompts ⭢

Dialogue Writing Prompts ⭢

Dramatic Writing Prompts ⭢

Dystopian Writing Prompts ⭢

Fall Writing Prompts ⭢

Fantasy Writing Prompts ⭢

Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Fluff Writing Prompts ⭢

Funny Writing Prompts ⭢

Halloween Writing Prompts ⭢

High School Writing Prompts ⭢

Historical Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Holiday Writing Prompts ⭢

Horror Writing Prompts ⭢

Kids Writing Prompts ⭢

Middle School Writing Prompts ⭢

Mystery Writing Prompts ⭢

Narrative Writing Prompts ⭢

Nonfiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Novel Writing Prompts ⭢

Poetry Writing Prompts ⭢

Romance Writing Prompts ⭢

Sad Writing Prompts ⭢

Science Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Short Story Writing Prompts ⭢

Spring Writing Prompts ⭢

Summer Writing Prompts ⭢

Teens Writing Prompts ⭢

Thanksgiving Writing Prompts ⭢

Thriller and Suspense Writing Prompts ⭢

Valentine's Day Writing Prompts ⭢

Vampire Writing Prompts ⭢

Winter Writing Prompts ⭢