Written by March 17th, 2014

Writing Prompt: Wrongly Accused

In The Fugitive a doctor is accused of killing his wife. In Double Jeopardy a wife is accused of killing her husband. Both did not commit the crime they are accused of. They are both innocent. That has been a reoccurring theme in movies and literature for a very long time.

It can be a lot of fun to play with this theme. You can learn a lot by putting characters, new or already created in such an unusual situation.

You should write this prompt from one character’s point of view. This main character does not have to be accused, but they can be. They can also be a detective investigating the case, or a close friend or family member of the accused.

The story can take place at any point during the plot. You don’t have to write the whole plot arc. You could just focus on the initial accusation, or on the trial, or any other aspect of the story.

Just think of this as a 15 minutes exercise, and it is up to you whether you want to write more. You don’t even have make it clear that one of the characters is falsely accused, however it should be something that you keep in mind.

Explore this prompt, it is a good way to see how characters react under pressure.

 

We Send You Publishers Seeking Submissions.

Sign up for our free e-magazine and we will send you reviews of publishers seeking short stories, poetry, essays, and books.

Subscribe now and we'll send you a free copy of our book Submit, Publish, Repeat

45 Themed Submission Calls and Contests for March 2026

45 Themed Submission Calls and Contests for March 2026

▾ Filter listings Fiction Poetry Contest Essay ✕ Showing all These are themed calls and contests for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from 45 outlets; a couple of the outlets are open for more than one call. Some of the call themes are: strange Dear John; reverse evaluation; maps; bad science; the aftermath; pandora; vegetal; birthday;…

Cool Springs Press

Cool Springs Press

Cool Springs Press was founded in Nashville more than 30 years ago. They initially only focused on gardening in Tennessee and the region surrounding it. However they were successful and started to expand even before they were acquired by The Quarto Publishing Group. Quarto incorporated its existing line of DIY focused book into Cool Springs…

White City Press: Accepting Manuscript Submissions

White City Press: Accepting Manuscript Submissions

White City Press is focused on publishing mysteries across a range of sub-genres. They are currently open to cross-genre mysteries (for example scifi/mystery) as long as mystery is the key element. They are also open to mysteries aimed at young adult and new adult readers, as well as mysteries with protagonists over the age of…

Notes from the Editor’s Desk: February 2026

Notes from the Editor’s Desk: February 2026

Phaidon's Owner Implicated in the Epstein Files; Writing Workshop Instructors Wanted; 4 Submission Calls.