Forensics is the study of evidence—small, specific traces that help us piece together what happened. As writers, we do something similar. We leave narrative evidence on the page: hints, patterns, symbols, objects, absences. The details we choose are what guide a reader’s understanding of character, conflict, place, and emotional stakes.

This prompt invites you to write with the mindset of a forensic investigator—but also as someone aware that you’re planting evidence of your own. What will a reader find if they look closely?

Journaling

Conduct a “trace sweep” of your last 24 hours.

• List five small items, smudges, or moments (e.g., a receipt, a half-finished text, a stain on your shirt, a forgotten to-do, a photo on your camera roll).
• For each, write 2–3 lines about what it suggests—where you were, what mattered, what you ignored, what repeated.

Fiction

Write a scene or short story where the only way the truth is revealed is through small pieces of evidence.

• Choose 3–5 objects that act as clues (a broken earring, a note in a jacket pocket, a mismatched mug, etc.).
• Let the reader discover what happened not through dialogue or exposition, but through these traces.
• Challenge: Write toward an emotional truth that’s being revealed through these clues, not a crime to murder mystery.

Creative Nonfiction

Write a short essay that explores what story your life is telling—based on physical evidence.

• Choose three small, real-world objects you’ve interacted with lately. They could be mundane (an old grocery list) or meaningful (your mother’s mixing bowl).
• Describe them in detail: what they look like, where they live, what you use them for.
• Then, reflect: What do these objects reveal about your current state of mind, priorities, habits, or relationships? What patterns emerge?
• Push further: What would a stranger misunderstand about these clues? What deeper truth would only you know how to read?

Poetry

Write a poem about someone who mattered deeply to you through the lens of forensic detail..

• Imagine you’re building a case file on this person. What traces did they leave behind? What objects, habits, scents, or sayings could you dust for prints?
• Focus on small, specific details: the contents of their glove box, the sound of their footsteps, the way they folded towels, the groceries they always bought.