Police Stories writing prompt
The Missing Artist's Letter
The chief of a small coastal town's police department retires, leaving behind a sealed letter only to be opened when the first major crime after his retirement occurs. Write about the new chief's reaction and the ensuing investigation when a prominent local artist is found mysteriously missing.
Suggested length: A short story: 1,500 to 5,000 words, or flash fiction under 1,000
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Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- 1Let the most helpful witness be the one with the most to hide.
- 2Tell it from the point of view of a suspect who is lying about something else.
- 3Give the victim a secret the reader learns before the detective does.
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- The Social Media CrimesImagine a scenario where a seasoned detective pairs up with a tech-savvy intern to solve a series of crimes orchestrated through social media. Detail their generational clashes and mutual learning as they track down the increasingly elusive digital-footprint left by the perpetrator.
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