Power up Prompt #14: 9.20.25

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

Sep 20, 2025

Welcome to our fourteenth Power up Prompt! You voted, and this week, we’re doing Crime Noir! It’s time to put on your black and white filters and don your best trench coat. We’ve got a mystery to solve in a city that just wants to chew you up and spit you out.

While you wait for the next 30-day challenge (Beginning October 1st!), 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

Submitting a story will also get you a shout-out from me on my weekly writing podcast, Saved as Draft. I’ll feature a quick look at stories each week in the show during their own segment.

Your genre this week is Crime Noir. This genre focuses on the darker side of humanity, usually with a gritty setting, some sort of mystery, and a strong theme of disillusionment.

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 Corrupted City. This city is on the brink. Crime runs rampant in the streets, buildings sit abandoned, and all manner of dangers hide in the darkened alleys.

No one is going to save this place, either. The police are all in the pocket of the mob, and the mayor built his entire re-election campaign on a foundation of blood money.

In this town, everyone’s got skeletons in their closet. No one is free of sin, and it’s only getting worse. This city sold its soul a long time ago, and the devil wants his due.

Element 2: Character(s)

This week’s character is The Retired Detective. Once known for being a hero on the force, this character is long past their prime.

Something happened to them, something that knocked them off the pedestal they had spent their entire career building. Something that shook them to their core.

Once that domino fell, the whole damn thing came crashing down. These days, the once great detective is drowning in a river of booze and drugs. The only time they’re happy is when they're numb enough to forget that thing that ruined their life.

Element 3: Conflict

The conflict for this week is The Cold Case. There’s that one mystery that never got solved. It could be from a long time ago, or it could be more recent. Was it a kidnapping? A murder? Any crime counts, but it must remain unsolved at the beginning of the story.

A new lead emerges. Maybe the killer strikes again? Or perhaps someone claims they saw the person who supposedly disappeared years ago without a trace?

Something brings this case back into the limelight, and now, your characters will need to try and finally solve it.

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.

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! I’m leaving out horror since we’re about to start a horror challenge in October.