V is for Virus

For the A to Z challenge this year, I’m sharing science fiction and fantasy story ideas…

I’ve been thinking about this since a story came through the Team Ambitious critique group about getting magic powers from a virus. (Written by the incomparable Wendy Lambert.) Since reading it, I’ve been starting to wonder what you could do with beneficial viruses and super-powers from a harder sci-fi angle.

Viruses are pretty much the whole mystery of DNA after all, wrapped up in a pretty little protein sheath. Could you have a virus that makes somebody change shape? Heal wounds quicker? A virus that could spread to other people and heal them? What other remarkable abilities could you get from a virus?

If you’re interested enough to pick this up and write your own version, feel free; ideas are cheap. And let me know! I’ll be keeping the notions vague enough that lots of different stories might be written from them.

Thanks for visiting!