Are you a mystery writer not sure where to start on your next writing project? Looking to get in a quick writing sprint to loosen up those writing fingers and wake up your creative brain?

Check out the list below. It’s been curated with different styles of prompts in mind to make sure there’s something that’ll really put you in the sleuthing mood.

Mystery Prompts: Three Things 

Like The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe, these prompts are simply three things to include in your story; though, at first, it may not be obvious how they fit together. Perfect for a mystery!

1.  A red lace glove - broken glasses - a guard dog
2.  The heel of a broken stiletto - a pool of greenish liquid - a glimpse at a brown hair figure
3.  A ripped piece of pinstripe fabric - a gold pocket watch - small sewing scissors
4.  Cookie crumbs - a lock of blue hair - a glass eye
5.  Embers in a fire - an empty flask - a strong scent of lavender
6.  A letter in code - a tube of pink lipstick - a tight lipped bartender
7.  A prosthetic arm - half of a business card - a velvet loveseat
8.  A small leaking boat - a soaked pair of trousers - an labelless prescription bottle, still full
9.  A chatty barista - a footprint in mud - a smashed ornament
10.  A trail in the snow - a fishing pole - a fire poker 

Mystery Prompts: Start With This Sentence

The idea is simple, you have to start with this sentence. No changes allowed; that’s the law. (But maybe you’re not the detective of this story, and you don’t abide by the law.)

1. She sat at the table ignoring the hustle and bustle of the cafe, deeply entrenched in the leather bound notebook in front of her.
2. I stepped gingerly around the broken glass and peered into the bedroom from the flowerbed outside.
3. The bark of a dog caused him to jump; he knew he shouldn’t be outside at this hour.
4. If she hadn’t grown up on the farm, the scent of manure here would be unbearable.
5. The ice in her glass clinked, so I offered her a top up.
6. He sat, red rose on his lapel, waiting for who he hoped would be the woman of his dreams.
7. By the time I reached the corner the footsteps had faded leaving only the ripples in the puddle as a sign he’d really been there.
8. The husband said he was home alone, and the wife said she was home alone; something wasn’t adding up.
9. He closed the blinds and locked the door before flicking the light off and retreating to the motel bathroom.
10. A cool breeze rustled the leaves outside my window; it finally felt like autumn.

Mystery Prompts: A Scene

This scene can occur anywhere in your story. The site of the crime? A confounding lead? 

1. A woman lays in bed next to a widow being battered by the rain. Despite the noise of it and the thunder, she sleeps soundly. In the next room, two figures dressed in fancy clothes giggle and shush each other.
2. Kids in bright colours run around at the park kicking balls and flying kites. Their parents sit on benches dotting the edges of the field. Others walk the trail by the river or read on blankets under trees.
3. The library is quiet and relatively empty. Someone sits with a laptop and notes spread across the whole table. The librarian clacks away at their keyboard, and a teen stocks the shelves.
4. A local rusty spoon has every table occupied during the lunch rush. Servers move in an elegant dance around each other serving and clearing on an endless loop. A single seat at the counter just opened.
5. Dark clouds rage in the east, the wind seems to be going south, perhaps the storm will slide by the mountain. A few people still dot the ski trail. The chalet has become packed. 
6. A group of young girls float across the room practicing their sautes while a mean looking woman claps a rhythm. When she notices the person entering the studio, she smiles and the meanness is gone.
7. A shattered bottle spreads across the apartment floor. A clear liquid lends a sheen to the dull tile flooring. A gasp from the person who dropped it accompanies the crash as a figure steps out of the shadow.
8. A running group gallops down a dusty trail leaping over roots and avoiding hanging branches. The leader seems overjoyed, while some of the others show great frustration with the running path. As the run continues the speed discrepancies cause them to spread out further and further.
9. A family of four sits down to dinner at their quaint dining table. They have a pleasant conversation over a simple roast chicken dinner before the mother stands up and retreats to her office.
10. A man stands in front of a mirror adjusting his tie over and over again. He sighs audibly and his partner comes in to help him and offer words of encouragement.

Mystery Prompts: Dialogue

Did you hear that? A whisper from the shadows. Is it a clue? A red herring? A Warning? Only time and your creative flow will tell.

1.  “Meet me where the wild flowers grow and the great oak shades them.”
2.  “It’s not always the weapon that is the greatest clue but how the weapon was used”
3.  “Pancakes, waffles, crepes. It’s all the same thing.”
4.  “Black cats aren’t bad luck. They’re an omen of a change in luck. Maybe we’ll stop running into trouble now.”
5. “Gin and tonic, hold the tonic.”
6. “When the tide goes out, I fear there will be much more to see.”
7.  “Where have I smelled that scent before? Vanilla, cloves and,” he paused, “Formaldehyde?” 
8.  “In the name of love,” he sang in response before bolting the other direction.
9.  “How many crimes have come to light because of melting snow? Climate change is gonna make it real weird in the tundra.”
10.  “Tiny notebook? Check. Favourite pen? Check. Signature hat? Not check, where the heck is it?”

Mystery Prompts: The Setting

At least part of your story will take place here. Each place has an optional clue attached to really inspire you.

1. A small coastal village on the edge of a pine forest. Contemporary. Your optional clue: a pile of cleaned marine animal bones.
2. A large church with impressive stained glass windows. Contemporary. Your optional clue: not all of the stained glass depicts traditional christian symbology.
3. A remote inn along a well travelled highway. Historical, late 19th century. Your optional clue: the previous owner had a sordid history.
4. A birthday party at a crowded children’s restaurant. Historical, Mid 20th century. Your optional clue: the server the character was looking for called in sick.
5. A forest trail just outside a big city. The year you were born. Your optional clue: A ribbon tied to a tree branch at eye level.
6. A private room in a low security prison. Contemporary. Your optional clue: A new tattoo on the inmates arm.
7. An assisted living facility. Contemporary. Your optional clue: That necklace is very familiar; was it at the crime scene?
8. A mountain resort with a main chalet and a dozen or so private cabins. Historical, early 20th century. Your optional clue: two sets of ski tracks become one.
9. A tropical island town with a bustling tourism-based economy. Historical, late 19th century. Your optional clue: a trail of fruit peels leading into the wilds outside of town.
10.  A family run farm that employs workers at sowing and harvest time. Historical, 16th century. Your optional clue: A woman’s shoe was found in the seasonal worker's lodgings.

Mystery Prompts: The Problem

Every good story needs something to go wrong, and for this piece it’s been decided for you. How will you and your characters fix it?! Who is this tripping up? Is it getting in the way of the getaway? Or maybe it's stifling your problem solver.

1. The weather refuses to cooperate.
2. A character keeps losing articles of clothing: shoes, coat, scarf. They can’t be this absent minded.
3. Allergies. So many tissues needed, can’t smell a thing, they’re even struggling to see! 
4. A minor injury: broken finger, twisted ankle, achy back.
5. Communication is a struggle. Could be set in a time without phones, phones are down, the mailman is missing…
6. Hunger. Plain and simple, this character needs some food before they can continue. 
7. An earworm. This character cannot get this song out of their head, but maybe there's a reason.
8. They’re mom keeps calling at the most inopportune times. They will answer.
9. They have a day job, and it’s the busy season. Think accountant at tax time.
10. They feel the need to hide from one of the other characters. Perhaps it's a scorned lover, their 2nd grade teacher, their sibling?

Mystery Prompts: A Character 

Simply a character to add. Maybe this is your main character, a victim or just a passerby.

1. A woman with multi coloured hair and a penchant for floral scents. She works as a server at a cafe and has two small children.
2. An old bespectacled man who regularly wears crisp button downs and jeans. He enjoys spending time at the beach with his partner and grandchildren.
3. A young man with long brown hair who loves to crochet. He works at an ad agency and loves to drink lemonade. 
4. A teen girl who always wears her blond hair in a bun. She shows her creativeness in everything she does from unique makeup to unorthodox clothing to wild embroidery on her handbags. 
5. A middle aged bachelor who works as a highschool science teacher. On the weekends he spends his time at museums, conferences and with his parents.
6. A young entrepreneur who just opened a cake shop. They went to business school, while working as a cake decorator at the grocery store. They spend what little free time they have bingeing soapy tv shows or reading sweet romances and cozy mysteries.
7. An old woman with streaks of purple in her long grey hair who spends all of her time in the garden. She’s a gardener, a painter and a former accountant.
8. A middle aged boxer who’s looking for their last big hurrah. They’ve had enough of the ring and want to spend time with their family, but not before one last big payout. 
9. A boy who loves Sherlock Holmes. He runs around with a magnifying glass and a notebook; he’s always on the lookout for clues.
10. A girl who can’t get enough botany knowledge. Despite her age, she has a wide knowledge of local flora. 

Mystery Prompts: Tropes with a Twist

We’ve taken some classic mystery tropes and thrown them for a loop. Test your writing with a little out-of-the-box thinking!

1. The nosy neighbour/reporter/whatever - they don't seem to be asking the detective the questions but rather providing answers. None of the answers are correct. They genuinely think they’re helping.
2. Criminal consultants - you’re talking to the wrong kind! (is it because it's a serial killer hidden by a heist or is the consultant not actually a heist master?) 
3. History returns - due to a past case the detective does everything different to avoid past mistakes but this time those tactics would have worked. 
4. Amnesia - something happens part way through and the detective doesn't remember the first half of the case (and maybe more.) It’s up to their assistant to take the reins.
5. Missing person - They weren’t even kind of missing. It was in their daybook and everything. How’d you miss that? 
6. Secret society - there is a secret society involved; just not the one you were looking into 
7. Isolated setting - A cave system with two entrances and two groups escaping the blizzard. They don’t know the other is there.
8. Early suspect - not a twist to be the murderer nor are they completely innocent. They hold a key piece of the puzzle and are holding back.
9. Murder - There isn’t one, maybe there isn’t even a crime! Consider a mystery focussed around a scavenger hunt or a treasure map. 
10.  Misjudged death - despite the detective thinking the “accidental” death wasn’t an accident, it was, but it leads to a real crime/murder.

Mystery Prompt Special: The Five W’s

Every detective's goal: to figure out the who, what, when, where, why and ultimately how. We’ve only given you three. The rest is up to you to discover. Do they even go with each other?

1.  Who? A dancer. What? An important document When? Twilight.
2.  Who? A teacher. What? A lone left shoe. Why? Jealousy.
3.  Who? A scientist. Where? A corn field. Why? To gain intelligence.
4.  When? Winter. Where? A lakehouse. Why? To escape.
5.  What? A bag of marbles. Where? The beach. Why? Revenge.
6.  Who? A nurse. When? Dawn. Why? To save a life.
7.  What? A broken gold chain. When? Midnight. Why? To cover it up.
8.  Who? An author. When? Afternoon. Where? An arboretum.
9.  Who? A comedian. When? Spring. Where? A bowling alley.
10.  Who? A tour guide. What? An abandoned backpack. Where? Next to a large tree.

Mystery Prompts: A Few Extras

These might have fit elsewhere, or maybe they’re a completely different style, but we like a nice round list of 100, so here’s the final ten.

1. A clue based on your favourite food.
2. The story ends with a wedding.
3. From a different POV than you usually write.
4. Someone has a baby (or puppy or kitten or chick…)
5. The story happens right after a natural disaster.
6. “You taking the train or a plane?”
7. A pink dress - a muddy pair of boots - a monogrammed handkerchief
8. A kettle whistles in the apartment across the hall. It continues for too long. This doesn't seem right, so you go knock on the food.
9. Set in your hometown (or current town) ten years in the future. 
10.  An octopus (literal, symbolic or metaphorical) is what breaks the case wide open.

I hope these prompts were able to get your creative juices flowing. Keep your eyes peeled for more genre prompt lists to come!

-- This post was written by Jerrica Black