Summer heat can do strange things—warp the air, slow time, and stir something ancient just beneath the surface. For today’s writing prompt, we’re leaning into that surreal energy. What if the heatwave wasn’t just uncomfortable… but supernatural?
Here’s your prompt:
Writing Prompt: A Heatwave Awakens a Forgotten Power
The heatwave hits harder than ever before. Temperatures soar, power grids strain, and everything wilts under the unrelenting sun. But something else wakes with the rising heat—an old, buried magic or power that has long been dormant.
Your character didn’t know it was inside them. Or maybe they buried it on purpose. But now, with each rising degree, something begins to burn under their skin.
Is it a blessing? A curse? A long-lost inheritance?
Write the moment it first awakens.
Need Ideas to Get Started?
- Your character lives in a city where the sun has turned oppressive. A dream leads them to an ancient well that steams under the full sun, and when they touch it… the power floods back.
- A young teen passes out from heatstroke and wakes up with memories that aren’t theirs—and the ability to manipulate heat and flame.
- The local lake is drying up, revealing carvings on the lakebed. When your character investigates, they hear whispers that only grow louder the hotter it gets.
- A witch sealed away her fire magic decades ago after a tragedy. Now, the heatwave triggers flashbacks and spontaneous magic surges that she can’t control.
- The town’s elders speak of a prophecy: “When the sky burns and time slows, the ember-soul will return.” Guess who’s running a fever?
A Few Reflection Questions
- What does your character feel physically as the power awakens? Is it painful? Euphoric? Confusing?
- How do they react—fight it, embrace it, deny it?
- Is the power connected to nature, ancestry, a forgotten god, or something else?
- What happens next? Who’s watching?
Let the heat simmer in your story. Let the tension rise with the temperature. Whether you turn this into a short piece, a scene for your novel, or a flash fiction experiment, explore the possibilities of what awakening power feels like—especially when the world outside is melting.
If you use this prompt, tag me or share a line in the comments—I’d love to see what sparks for you!
Happy Writing ^_^
Sara's Writing Sanctuary 