Need Science Fiction writing inspiration? Here are 660 narrated writing prompts to help you launch your next Science Fiction writing endeavor. Using these story starters, you can craft your own Science Fiction universe from the ground up. These kinds of sci-fi stories can give readers a virtual escape – the kind of experience Science Fiction fans are expecting and craving. This video includes writing prompts from 33 Science Fiction subgenres including aliens, robots/A.I., space exploration, space opera, dystopia, steampunk, apocalyptic, cyberpunk, young adult, and more.
More than any other genre, Science Fiction writing requires a solid initial concept. Sci-fi is a popular genre that has covered a lot of ideas over the years, so it's important for writers to develop a fresh concept that has rarely been tried before. Our writing prompts can get you on the right track for unique storytelling, igniting your imagination in a direction that your readers will not anticipate but will appreciate.
While listening to this video, think about how you can take one of these concepts and make it your own. Combining ideas from writing prompts—like the ones in this video—with your own personal experience can be a great way to develop a story that resonates with your audience.
By the way, you don't have to credit us for any of these ideas, but it would be much appreciated if you do! A simple link to our website, ServiceScape.com, is the best way to do that.
If you would like the text from any of these prompts, you can find them written down here: 660 Science Fiction Writing Prompts That Will Get You Writing at Warp Speed
Chapters
- Aliens - Extraterrestrial beings from a far away world encounter humans.
- Alternate History - The world as we know it is different due to alternate events taking place in history.
- Alternate/Parallel Universe - This subgenre offers a glimpse of an alternate plane of existence.
- Apocalyptic/Post-Apocalyptic - A disaster has devastated the world and humanity must now survive the aftermath.
- Biopunk - The story focuses on the use of biotechnology, genetic manipulation, and/or eugenics.
- Children's Story - This subgenre focuses on elements that appeal to children.
- Colonization - Humans move to a distant area or world and create a new settlement.
- Comedy - The stories contain a lot of humor and satirization of Science Fiction.
- Cyberpunk - Man and machine are merged and virtual reality is a reality within these types of stories.
- Dying Earth - A subgenre where the Earth is dying and landscapes are barren, making it hostile to human life.
- Dystopia - A vision of the future in which there is oppression and suffering throughout society.
- Galactic Empire - This subgenre involves a far-reaching empire that encompasses many worlds throughout the galaxy.
- Generation Ship - An extended spaceship voyage in search of a distant, habitable planet.
- Hard Science Fiction - A subgenre in which characters and settings take a back seat to scientific and technological detail.
- Immortality - There are characters who live forever—often with the use of an advanced technology.
- Lost Worlds - This adventure-oriented subgenre involves the journey to a far away land.
- Military - The story is set within interstellar or interplanetary war.
- Mind Transfer - This subgenre explores the possibility of moving a mind into either a different person or a machine.
- Mundane Science Fiction - The story contains technology that is either available now or will be available in the near future.
- Mythic - This subgenre combines a Science Fiction setting with myth, folklore, and fantastical elements.
- Nanopunk - An offshoot of cyberpunk in which the plot delves into the promise and dangers of Nanotechnology.
- Robots/A.I. - These stories show both the benevolent and darker sides of robotics and A.I.
- Science Fantasy - This subgenre blends soft science with magical powers and fanciful creatures.
- Science Horror - Science Fiction that evokes fear, dread, and/or dismay.
- Slipstream - A surreal science fiction story that is illogical and jarring.
- Soft Science Fiction - The story is focused on human activity and affairs rather than technology.
- Space Exploration - This subgenre contains themes of humanity's place in the universe and the exploration of its farthest realms.
- Space Opera - These large-scale Science Fiction adventure stories contain daring, swashbuckling characters.
- SpyFi - An espionage story with high-tech duels and over-the-top gadgets.
- Steampunk - Set in the 19th-century, these stories use steam to power advanced machinery.
- Time Travel - Science Fiction that focuses on traveling to the past and/or to the future.
- Utopia - Human society has become idyllic due to advanced technology.
- Young Adult - Science fiction written for people in their teens or early twenties.
Credits
A special thanks to Helen Langford for her narration, Catherine Gilson Highton for her illustrations, Shubham Narayan for the visual effects, Jim Dyer for the sound editing, and all of the writers who created these fantastic prompts: