25 Writing Prompts About Aliens
The universe is freaking huge, right?
It’s gotta be hiding some awesome alien civilizations and out-of-this-world secrets just waiting for a writer like you to uncover them.
So, if you’re ready to take your stories somewhere seriously epic, here’s the deal: I’ve got a whole bunch of wild prompts and ideas to turn your writing into an interstellar odyssey.
Let those creative juices flow, and who knows?
You might just write the next space-age bestseller.
Here we go.
25 Alien Writing Prompts and Story Ideas
Alien Cultural Exchange: Imagine a world where the existence of extraterrestrial life is not only known, but also openly communicated with. These aliens, advanced yet peaceful, have proposed a cultural exchange program to learn more about humanity and offer insights into their own civilization. Write a story about the first human delegate selected to visit the alien civilization for a year. Detail the trials, triumphs, and transformation they go through as they encounter a completely different way of life and try to explain the intricacies of human society to alien beings.
First Contact Gone Wrong: Scientists have finally received an encrypted message from outer space, undeniable proof that we’re not alone in the universe. However, a grave error occurs when the message is mistranslated due to our lack of understanding of the alien language. Write a thrilling narrative where humanity must rectify this miscommunication before it leads to disastrous consequences, like interstellar warfare.
Secret Invasion: The aliens have already arrived, but not in the way we’ve always imagined. They have been living among us, disguised as humans for decades, subtly influencing the course of human history. Your protagonist, a curious journalist, stumbles upon this enormous secret. Write a suspense-filled story around this journalist’s pursuit of the truth and the subsequent fallout of the revelation.
Alien Conservationists: In this scenario, Earth is a part of an interstellar nature reserve, protected by an advanced alien species who value the planet’s biodiversity. The aliens, having been silently monitoring human activities, decide to reveal themselves when the Earth’s ecosystem is on the brink of collapse due to climate change. Write about the initial confusion, fear, and ultimately the collaboration between humans and aliens to save the Earth.
Alien Refugee Crisis: In a twist, the extraterrestrials are not the advanced and formidable beings we’ve always imagined. They are refugees, escaping from a devastating catastrophe that obliterated their home planet. They seek asylum on Earth, arriving in gigantic spaceships that hover over major cities. Write a story exploring how humanity reacts to this unexpected turn of events.
Galactic Olympics: Every millennium, a grand cosmic event known as the Galactic Olympics is held, where various alien civilizations participate in unique sports and games, showcasing their skills and strengths. For the first time, Earth has been invited to participate. Write a story detailing the preparation, excitement, and the actual games, highlighting both the human and alien perspectives.
Alien Artefacts: An alien artifact is discovered in an archeological dig. The artifact is ancient and is full of advanced technology that far surpasses anything humans have developed. Write a story about the scientific and ethical challenges humanity faces when they try to reverse engineer and utilize the technology without fully understanding its implications.
Reverse Abduction: Your protagonist, a daring astronaut on a solo deep-space exploration mission, comes across a stranded alien creature. This being is far from home, just like the protagonist, and an unlikely friendship blossoms. One day, the alien falls ill, and the only cure is on its home planet. Write a heartwarming story where the human decides to ‘abduct’ the alien back to its home planet to save its life, navigating through alien terrains and cultures.
Alien Historian: Imagine an alien race that has observed humanity from the very beginning, meticulously recording every detail of human history. Upon their reveal, they offer to share this history, including periods and events lost to human records. Write a story focusing on a historian’s perspective, who gets the unique chance to learn about the lost parts of human history from an extraterrestrial viewpoint.
Stowaway: During a routine mission to the International Space Station, an astronaut discovers a tiny, harmless alien creature that had unknowingly become a stowaway during their last moon landing. Write a narrative about this unexpected space friendship, detailing their communication, bonding, and the astronaut’s efforts to keep the creature a secret from Earth.
Alien Inspiration: What if major technological breakthroughs were not completely human-made, but inspired by contact with an advanced alien species? Write a story revolving around a secretive organization that has been translating and distributing alien knowledge to selected scientists around the world for the betterment of humanity.
Extraterrestrial Anthropologist: A peaceful alien anthropologist comes to Earth with the mission of understanding human society. However, their presence is accidentally revealed to a small rural town, causing panic and fear. Write a story from the anthropologist’s point of view as they try to calm the town’s fears and make them understand that they come in peace.
Prophets of Space: The aliens didn’t arrive in spaceships. Instead, they have been subtly transferring their consciousness into select humans over generations, living their lives as prophetic individuals who influence the course of human history. Write a story from the perspective of such a ‘prophet’ who is just realizing their true nature and purpose.
Earth’s Trial: Earth has been put on trial by a consortium of advanced alien civilizations for its reckless behavior towards the planet and its lifeforms. The aliens have decided that unless humans can defend their actions and show promise for change, Earth will be put under an interstellar quarantine. Write a compelling courtroom-style narrative where humanity must argue for its redemption.
Invasive Species: Imagine an alien life form that arrives on Earth as what appears to be an invasive species. They start impacting Earth’s ecosystems in unpredictable ways. Write a tale about the global efforts of ecologists, biologists, and governments trying to understand, manage, and communicate with this alien life form, balancing the preservation of Earth’s biodiversity and alien rights.
Galactic Marketplace: Earth gets an invitation to participate in a Galactic Marketplace where planets trade goods, technologies, and resources. This is the first opportunity for humans to interact with a multitude of alien species, each with their own culture, language, and etiquette. Write a story about a human delegation’s journey to the marketplace and their efforts to establish trade without causing diplomatic incidents.
Extraterrestrial Educators: Alien educators arrive on Earth, offering to teach humanity some of their advanced knowledge. They bring with them new perspectives on math, physics, and even philosophy. Write a story from the viewpoint of a student in this alien-led class, their struggles, insights, and the ultimate transformation of their understanding of the universe.
Unwitting Ambassadors: A group of tourists, on their dream vacation, are accidentally teleported to an alien planet due to a cosmic mishap. With no immediate way back, they must become Earth’s unplanned ambassadors. Write a story detailing their adventures and encounters as they navigate through alien cultures, trying to communicate and negotiate a way back home.
Galactic Music Festival: The first interstellar music festival is announced, where musicians from all over the galaxy are invited to perform. Earth sends its best artists, who must create music that resonates not just with humans, but with a multitude of alien species. Write a story detailing the process of creating such music and the grandeur of the festival itself.
Extraterrestrial Therapy: An alien race renowned for their emotional intelligence and advanced understanding of mental health offers to help humans heal from individual and collective traumas. Write a story that explores the impact of this unique form of therapy on a human individual, including the revelations, healing, and the subsequent changes in human approaches to mental health.
Artifacts of Destiny: Deep-sea explorers discover an ancient alien artifact at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. The artifact starts showing images of the future, revealing Earth’s potential fate. Write a suspense-filled narrative about the scramble to understand the artifact’s messages and the global responses to a glimpse of the future.
Space Farming: Aliens provide humans with the knowledge to cultivate plants from other planets. These plants have unique properties, like absorbing pollution, providing new nutrients, and some even have the potential to solve the energy crisis. Write a story about a farmer’s experience growing these alien crops, the challenges faced, and the societal impact.
Message from the Past: A time capsule from a now-extinct alien civilization is found floating in deep space. It contains their knowledge, history, and a warning about the event that led to their extinction. Write a story about the decryption of this time capsule and humanity’s reaction to the tragic history and ominous warning of an advanced civilization.
Extraterrestrial Sport: A friendly and athletic alien race challenges Earth to a match of their most popular sport. This sport, while non-violent, involves complex tactics and physics-bending maneuvers. Write a story about a team of humans learning and playing this sport, their training, the match, and the camaraderie formed with their alien competitors.
Alien Adoption: In a heartwarming twist, an alien child is accidentally left behind on Earth during an unnoticed exploratory mission. A human family discovers and decides to adopt this child, facing the challenges of raising a being from another world. Write a story detailing the family’s journey through the various stages of bringing up the alien child and the impact of this unique adoption on their community.
