Power up Prompt #4: 7.5.25

A Setting, a Character, and a Conflict to use How You See Fit

Jul 05, 2025

Welcome to the fourth Power up Prompt! The votes from last week are in, and this week we’re doing horror!

While you wait for the next 30-day challenge, 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 horror. Check out the poll at the end to vote on which genre we should do for next week’s Power Up Prompt!

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

Let’s see what we’ve got for this week’s options! Remember you can do a story or a poem!

Element 1: Setting

This week’s setting is The Abyssal Pits. This is a region dotted with gaping holes in the landscape that lead deep into the planet. Each of these pits houses an underground nest inhabited by a native species of intelligence insect-like creatures.

At night, the insect’s haunting song can be heard echoing through the barren landscape. Are these insects dangerous? How intelligent are they? Has anyone ever tried to explore these pits that litter the region?

The answers to those questions are up to you.

Element 2: Character

This week’s character is The Acolyte. They are a devout follower of a local cult that lives in the region. These cultists worship the insects that live in the pits, believing them to be gods. Their rituals often include a sacrifice to their gods, which they deliver by casting a person into one of the pits as an offering.

Is there more to this cult than meets the eye? What do they know about these insects?

If you choose to utilize The Acolyte, all of those questions and more can be answered in your story or poem.

Element 3: Conflict

The conflict for this week is a Crisis of Faith. If you choose to use this aspect of the prompt, your character must discover a truth or have a realization that leads them to question their beliefs.

Will they discover something that invalidates their faith? Or, will they uncover corruption that undermines everything they believe in? The choice, as always, is yours.

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.

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!