Power up Prompt #13: 9.13.25

A Setting, A Character, and a Conflict to Use However You'd Like!

Welcome to our thirteenth Power up Prompt! You voted, and this week, we’re doing Science Fiction! Of course, this is lucky number thirteen, though, so there will be a bonus challenge. Read on to learn more!

While you wait for the next 30-day challenge (who knows, maybe October?), Power Up Prompts will be here every Saturday going forward. Read on for a reminder on how they work, and to see this week’s new options!

A Prompt with Three Levels

My vision for Power Up Prompts is to put the power in the hands of my fellow writers. Most prompts give you a single idea to run with, and those are great, but I’m always looking for ways to keep you on your toes.

So, these weekly prompts are going to have three separate parts that can fit together, but they can also work on their own. This will allow you to mix and match to your heart’s content and set the challenge accordingly!

Should you decide to participate, here’s how you can figure out which power level your story or poem falls into:

• Level 1 = A story or poem that uses one of the three elements

• Level 2 = A story or poem that uses two of the three elements

• Level 3 = A story or poem that uses all three elements

For the time being, going for level 3 will also get you a shout-out from me on my weekly writing podcast, Saved as Draft. I’ll feature a quick look at Level 3 stories each week in the show during their own segment.

This week’s prompt is Science Fiction. And, since we’re on our 13th Power up Prompt, I’d like to throw in a bonus: In addition to our typical three elements, I challenge you to do a Genre Mashup!

Basically I want you to add a second genre to your story. I myself will be reviving an old sci-fi horror story of mine, but you could do sci-fi and romance, sci-fi and fantasy (D’veen, anyone?), or any other combination you can create! So, will you take on the bonus challenge?

The Word Count Limit for Power Up Prompts is 2.5K words.

Also, remember to check out the poll at the end to vote on which genre we should do for next week’s Power Up Prompt!

Element 1: Setting

This week’s setting is The Simulation. There is a paper written by Nick Bostrom in real life called “Are You Living in a Computer Simulation?” You can read the paper here if you’re curious, but this single piece has given rise to what’s known as Simulation Theory.

For this week’s setting, I want you to assume this is true. Our entire universe is a computer simulation. You know, like The Matrix.

Which begs the question: does anything exist outside the simulation? Who created it? What happens when we die? Are we just deleted?

This setting has a lot of different possibilities. Let your creativity run wild!

Element 2: Character(s)

This week’s character is The Enlightened One. This character has learned a fundamental truth about their reality. If you choose to use the setting this week, then they are the only one who knows for certain they are living in a simulation.

Now, crucially, the character does not need to know this at the beginning. You can have them become “enlightened” by this fundamental knowledge as part of their character arc. Or, you can have them find out in the first paragraph.

The choice is yours, but once they obtain this knowledge, they will never be the same.

Element 3: Conflict

The conflict for this week is A Glitch in the System. Something is wrong with reality. Things you know to be true are suddenly different. People you’ve known your entire life suddenly don’t recognize you.

Or maybe, the glitches are more prominent. Does the sky look weird to you? Are those birds flying backwards? Why is everyone staring at you?

If you choose to use this conflict, there must be some sort of strange things happening that cannot be ignored. They can subtle, or it could be the result of a more serious problem. The choice is yours.

***Bonus Challenge***

Since this is our 13th Power up Prompt, I’m adding an optional bonus challenge! You can choose to make your story a Genre Mashup!

This means you’ll need to add in another genre to your science fiction story. It can be sci-fi/ horror, sci-fi/fantasy, sci-fi/romance, or any other combination you’d like!

Let Inspiration Strike

You may use all three elements for a level 3 story or poem, or you can take just one or two and run in a different direction entirely. When your story or poem is ready this week, be sure to tag me and share which level it falls into. Also, since this week has a bonus, let me know if you decided to try your hand at a genre mashup!

As always, I will do my best to read every single piece, and of course, level 3 submissions will be mentioned in next week’s episode of the Saved as Draft podcast.

I can’t wait to see what you come up with! Check the poll below to vote on which genre next week’s prompt will fall into!

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Thanks for Reading! Here’s Your Musical Pairing

Listen to this while you contemplate whether or not we’re living in a simulation…