Best Thriller and Suspense Writing Prompts

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The best thriller and suspense writing prompts

Thriller and suspense are among the publishing industry's most popular genres, churning out book after book and series after series every year. But where do all of these Dan Browns, Lucy Foleys, and John Grishams find their book ideas for such crime?

If you're in the middle of figuring out where you can find inspiration for your thriller and suspense stories — whether they're short stories or novels — give a writing prompt a whirl. No matter if you're dying to write an action thriller where the protagonist has to stamp out crime across the city or a husband-wife pair who commit murders in a small town, creative writing prompts exist to provide you with that seed of a story idea, giving you the time and space to do what writers do best: write it out.

If you're looking to cut (figuratively) to the chase, here's a top ten list of thriller and suspense writing prompts:

If you're interested in becoming a thriller and suspense author, check out our free resources on the topic:

Ready to start writing? Check out Reedsy’s weekly short story contest for the chance of winning $250, plus potential publication in our literary magazine, Prompted! You can also check out our list of writing contests or our directory of literary magazines for more opportunities to submit your story.

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