Power up Prompt #23: 12.27.25

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

Welcome to the weekly Power up Prompt! These weekly prompts offer up a genre, a setting, a character, and a conflict for you to use in a story or poem however you’d like! Submissions that use all three elements also get a guaranteed shout out on The Saved as Draft Podcast!

Power up Prompts will show up every Saturday until the next big writing challenge. I’m also excited to announce that this week’s stories will also be eligible for a feature in DREAD Reviews written by Derek James Kritzberg!

Derek and I will be selecting seven stories at random for his upcoming newsletter, so you’ve got even more reasons to submit this week!

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

This week’s genre is Western. This genre is typically set on the American frontier during the mid to late 1800s, but the true spirit of westerns comes down to their combination of cowboys, outlaws, and themes like justice, freedom, and, of course, manifest destiny.

It’s a genre that asks what happens when you leave civilization and try to strike out somewhere new. Do the old laws even apply? What dangers await in these uncharted lands you venture into?

Keep in mind, I love genre mash-ups! So, please feel free to set your Western in an alternate version of history, or in a far-flung future that incorporates sci-fi elements. As long as the spirit of the Wild West is there, that’s all I care about.

Oh, and remember:

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

You have until Friday at Noon Eastern Time to submit your stories for a shout out on the Saved as Draft Podcast. That being said, if you’re running late, let me know, and I can always feature your story in the following episode!

Element 1: Setting

This week’s setting is The Ghost Town. This is a place where the dream of the Wild West died. It was supposed to be an ambitious frontier town. The beginning of a new era, but instead, it fell apart. Corruption, lawlessness, and the dangers of frontier living have turned this place into nothing more than a haven for nomads and bandits.

Thanks to its location, though, it is often used as a meeting place for those who would rather not visit more civilized towns.

Element 2: Character(s)

This week’s character is The Disgraced Deputy. This is a character who grew up believing in the dream of the frontier. They believed that the law could provide structure, order, and guidance. That was before, though.

Something happened to them, a single event that left them ostracized and stripped of their badge. Their dreams of becoming sheriff went up in smoke. They’ve fallen into ill health, turning to creature comforts to numb their pain.

They’re seeking a way forward. They would do anything to get their reputation (and their life) back.

Element 3: Conflict

The conflict for this week is Delivering Justice. Should you choose to use this element, your character should be in the company of an infamous outlaw. They’ve successfully captured them alive, and now they just have to get them to the nearest civilized town to face justice.

Now that they’ve met this outlaw in person, though, they realize the stories were exaggerated. This person isn’t the ruthless and chaotic killer that the stories portray. They have reasons for what they’ve done. Good ones.

What does justice look like in this scenario? Does this outlaw truly deserve to die for their crimes? Or, is there more to the story here? This conflict requires your characters to wrestle with the answers to these questions.

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. Or, you can drop the link in the comments here as well!

Check the poll below to vote on which genre we should do next week. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

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Thanks for Reading! Here’s Your Musical Pairing

Listen to this while you plan your western. See you later, space cowboy…