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50 Fiction Writing Prompts and Ideas to Inspire You to Write

Hannah Yang

Table of Contents

How fiction writing prompts can help writers, top 50 fiction writing prompts, how prowritingaid can help with fiction writing, conclusion on fiction writing prompts and ideas.

Have you ever wanted to write a story but had no idea what to write about?

If you’re familiar with that feeling, you’re not alone. At some point in their lives, every writer has sat down in front of a blank page with no idea what to write next.

When you’re in that situation, it might be helpful to look at a list of potential story ideas. A great prompt can help kick-start your creativity and get you in the mood for writing again.

In this article, we’ll give you all our favorite fiction writing prompts to inspire you to write.

There are countless ways fiction writing prompts can benefit you. Here are a few reasons you might want to use a writing prompt:

To start a new short story or novel

To practice writing in a new genre or writing style so you can expand your skill set and try something new

To warm up at the beginning of each writing session

To make sure you’re in a creative state of mind when you tackle your existing writing projects

So, pick up a pen and a notebook, and let’s get started!

Here are 50 fantastic fiction writing prompts that will help you start your next story. To help you choose a prompt that excites you, we’ve split them into several categories: fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, romance, and contemporary.

Fantasy Prompts

You’ve inherited your grandfather’s antique shop, and you’re surprised to find strange objects with magical powers inside.

You set out to break the curse that’s followed your family for generations.

You can see visions of the future, but you learned long ago to keep them to yourself. Now, you have to speak up or risk losing everything you love.

You work for a zoo filled with magical creatures.

You’re a lawyer in a fantasy world, and your job is to negotiate contracts between the humans and the gods.

A company harvests dragon scales, unicorn hair, and other magical items to sell for profit.

You find a portal to a fantasy world in your backyard.

You find a magical item that will make all your wishes come true—but it’s extremely literal in its interpretations.

A supernatural monster kidnaps your best friend. You set out to rescue her.

Your parents gave different aspects of their magical powers to each of their children. Compared to your siblings, you definitely got the short end of the stick.

Sci-fi Prompts

Write an adaptation of your favorite classic tale—in space.

Aliens come to Earth, but they’re here for reasons no one expected.

Scientists have found ways to transfer memories between different people. You're the first person to sell all of yours.

Write about an entire world where people can buy and sell years of their lives.

What would happen if you woke up in someone else’s body and they woke up in yours?

You live in a moon colony surrounded by high walls. One day, someone breaches the walls.

Your parents send you to a summer camp filled with time travelers.

You accidentally stumble through a portal to a parallel universe where everything is the same as our universe, except for one key difference.

In a world where everyone’s DNA is genetically engineered to best suit their roles in the community, you have to hide that your DNA doesn’t match your chosen career.

You land on a new planet and realize the plants there are more intelligent than humans.

Write like a bestselling author

Love writing? ProWritingAid will help you improve the style, strength, and clarity of your stories.

Mystery Prompts

You wake up with no memory of who you are, except for a single name.

Every day, a strange drawing appears in your mailbox, and they get more and more disturbing.

You receive a letter inviting you to a free weekend getaway, and you have no idea who the host is.

Your father is keeping something strange in the attic.

A man throws an elaborate party in an attempt to conceal a crime.

You realize you’ve been sleepwalking every night, and you have no idea what your sleeping self has been up to.

You thought your husband was dead. So why is he still writing you letters?

Your brother was murdered years ago. The police have stopped investigating, but you’re still looking for the killer.

Two friends discover a serial killer's secret hideout.

A young woman discovers a frightening secret while she's on her first hunting trip with her husband's family.

Romance Prompts

Two soldiers on different sides of a war develop feelings for each other.

A member of the royal family falls in love with her bodyguard.

You’ve resigned yourself to a loveless arranged marriage, but fate has other plans.

You’ve had a crush on your best friend your entire life. Now, he’s about to get married to someone else.

You go on a first date and find yourself stuck in a time loop, so you have to keep going on that date over and over.

Two rivals have to pretend to be in a relationship—and end up accidentally falling for each other.

After a bad breakup, you move to a new town—and find yourself attracted to your next-door neighbor.

When two exes are forced to work together, they rekindle old feelings.

You fall in love with someone from a different dimension, so you can only see each other once a year when the portal opens.

After your plane crash-lands on a deserted island, you develop a bond with one of the other survivors.

Contemporary Prompts

Write an adaptation of your favorite classic tale set in the town you grew up in.

Two best friends go on a road trip and encounter a problem they never expected.

An adopted orphan goes on a journey to reconnect with her birth family.

You’re told a family secret that changes everything you think you know about your life.

A group of friends takes a practical joke too far, leading to disaster.

A college student creates an invention for a technology class and accidentally goes viral.

A painter in her early eighties struggles with her slow descent into blindness.

A couple breaks up, but the ramifications of their breakup follow them for decades.

A carefree playboy is forced to adopt a child, which changes his whole life.

You’re framed for a crime you didn’t commit, and nobody believes you’re innocent—except for your estranged sister.

No matter what type of story you’re writing, ProWritingAid is a great tool to help you make your writing shine.

ProWritingAid will suggest ways to improve various weaknesses in your writing, such as grammar mistakes, repetitive words, passive voice, unnecessary dialogue tags, and more.

You can even tell ProWritingAid what type of fiction you’re writing, such as fantasy or historical fiction, to get customized suggestions that match your genre.

There you have it—our complete list of the best fiction writing prompts to inspire you to write.

Try out your favorite one, and see if you can turn it into a unique story. 

Good luck, and happy writing!

Hannah is a speculative fiction writer who loves all things strange and surreal. She holds a BA from Yale University and lives in Colorado. When she’s not busy writing, you can find her painting watercolors, playing her ukulele, or hiking in the Rockies. Follow her work on hannahyang.com or on Twitter at @hannahxyang.

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75 Of The Best Fiction Writing Prompts For All Writers

What separates the casual fiction writer from the professional one is the commitment to daily writing. But sometimes it’s more of a challenge to get the words flowing.

If nothing triggered you today, and if your mind is playing hopscotch with ideas, fiction writing prompts can get you past the brain block into full writing mode.

The following lists are fiction writing prompts for adults and realistic fiction writing prompts, and while there’s nothing NSFW ahead, the fiction writing ideas are best suited to books written for mature readers.

Here’s how to use these writing prompts:

• Choose a prompt that inspires you to write.
• Feel free to alter the writing idea to suit your creative writing needs.
• View the prompt as an idea to kickstart your writing .
• Begin writing and allow your ideas to flow and lead your writing wherever it might go.
• Write as little or as much as you wish to prime your imaginative juices.
• Don’t judge or critique what you’ve written — just enjoy the process.
• Once you’ve completed the novel prompt writing, move on to your book writing , or use the prompt writing as part of a book you might decide to write.

75 Fiction Writing Prompts and Realistic Fiction Writing Prompts

Try one of these 75 fiction writing prompts to improve your creative writing . Some of these are realistic fiction writing prompts, while others have a more fantasy or mystery bent to them.

Choose the prompt that most inspires you, and start writing!

1. This superhero lives on the streets. While the people she saves are safe and warm, she wanders alone, exposed to the elements. She’s asexual, so she’s not looking for a mate, but she wouldn’t mind having someone to watch her back.

2. An unknown spacecraft has sent a rain of unknown elements into the atmosphere, and soon every flower that blooms releases a new, sentient being into the air. And they’re all connected — except for one, whose connection to the hive mind is severed somehow before the opening of his flower. All his fellow, winged warriors have a plan for the people of Earth; he’s the only one looking for a way to save them.

3. He promised me becoming a zombie wouldn’t change him. He had a solution that would preserve his personality and make it possible for him to protect those he loved..

4. A new modern apartment complex is now open, and you’re one of the first to apply for one of its one-bedroom luxury apartments. Less than a week after you move in, tenants start disappearing. Then someone leaves a gift basket at your door….

5. Someone leaves a package with a new, loaded smartphone and a cryptic note in your mailbox. That night, you get a call on that phone, and you answer it. A voice on the other end asks, “Ready to change your life?”

6. You get a chill from something while standing in a grocery store checkout line, and someone cries out and points a finger at you, backing away. “Did anyone else see that?” she asks in a panicky voice, grabbing her baby and heading out the door without her groceries.

7. You left the windows open last night to cool the house after a 90 degree summer day. You wake up to an icy chill and snow blowing in. You soon learn that a catastrophic event has brought on a new ice age. It just so happens you know something that could reverse the freeze before humans become extinct from exposure and starvation.

8. You love how you get when a creative idea takes hold of you, but your loved ones do not. In fact, one by one, they write you off, though you can’t remember why. Then, one evening, the unthinkable happens, and your latest creative idea takes on a life of its own.

9. Your friend just committed suicide, and soon after the funeral, the letters start coming, sent by someone who knew your friend and who (apparently) knows where you live. This someone blames you for your friend’s death, and she won’t stop until you pay for it.

10. Your best friend is suffering from a life-threatening allergic reaction, and there’s no epi pen. As his airways swell shut and his heart stops, there’s no one around to help, and you scream in desperation. That’s when you hear a sound in your own voice that you’ve never heard before. Seconds later, your friend gasps and scrambles to his feet, all signs of swelling gone.

11. Your fiance’s family has staged an intervention to bully you into changing your beliefs and teaching your children to embrace their way of life — and your fiance says nothing in your defense.

12. Your supermodel-thin friend barely survives a terrible car accident, but it changes her. The happy-go-lucky girl with the racecar metabolism and the hot boyfriend has morphed into a moody but more empathetic girl who quickly grows out of her wardrobe and becomes the target of cruel jokes.

13. A predatory classmate ends up dead in your backyard just hours after making unwanted advances to you in the school library. Part of him is missing.

14. Write a story from the point of view of the villain, but don’t reveal the narrator as the villain until the end.

Related: 15 Tips To Help You Write Better And Attract More Readers

15. On Valentine’s Day (which you never celebrate), you receive a surprise anonymous package with a box of licorice all-sorts. The slogan on the side of the box reads, “Everyone is somebody’s favorite.” The last person who called you his favorite died a year ago.

16. You go to sleep one night in an immaculate, luxury apartment and wake up in a small, dingy loft apartment that is full of stacks of newspapers and magazines, elaborately arranged to form the walls of a labyrinth.

17. You’re given the chance to go back in time to save the life of your best friend, but the price is a mission only you can carry out as the doppelganger of a mass murderer’s close confidant. Your mission is to make sure he takes a trip that will lead him into a trap.

18. You write a novel with a main character who has telepathic abilities. You start having dreams about this character, who wants you all to himself. His first token of affection is to punish your neighbor, who has openly criticized your book.

19. Your quirky, potty-mouthed Aunt Em has come to live with you, and the first thing she does is rearrange the kitchen and claim the role of chef and home renovator. You’re fine with it until she hires an assistant, who just happens to be the apartment manager’s recently fired son.

20. You inherit a house from an uncle but decide to rent it out rather than living in it. After interviewing several applicants, you agree to rent it to two brothers…

21. For as long as you can remember, every time you feel panicked, you’ve found yourself quietly singing “Jingle Bells.” You’re about to find out why, and it will change everything.

22. A homeless man is attacked in your neighborhood and sustains a serious head injury. You get him to the hospital, and they save his life, but upon his discharge from the hospital, he starts making money more quickly than you thought was even possible.

23. A stray animal shows up at your door — no tags or anything — and after feeding it, you decide to adopt it. That night, when a stranger comes to your door, you find out the animal is not what it appears to be.

24. You start taking a new dietary supplement you learned about from a late-night commercial, and it does everything it promised — and more.

25. You’re on your way home after work, and you see a strange light up ahead. You get closer, and you see what looks like a black hole about to swallow up your apartment complex. You look up to see your roommate on the balcony taking pictures of it.

26. You go to sleep alone and wake up very pregnant. After checking the calendar and vomiting a few times, you call in sick and schedule an appointment for an ultrasound. Then your boyfriend shows up.

27. A strange plant appears in your window planter, and when its solitary bloom opens, impossible things start happening.

28. You wake up a different gender but with similar facial features.

29. You visit your estranged father and learn some things about him that change the way you see yourself — and everyone else. Turns out, he keeps a low profile for a reason.

30. Your kid starts manifesting a strange, new ability (or no longer hiding it from you), and you know it’s just a matter of time before he attracts unwanted attention. And you’re afraid of what he can do to protect you both — and how it could change him.

31. You’ve always had freakishly good night vision, but with that comes an extreme sensitivity to light. You live like a mole, working overnight shifts and keeping the windows of your apartment covered in blackout curtains. You’ve even disabled the light switches. So, when a thief breaks in, you make him regret it. And it starts something.

32. Your eyes are brown with flecks of green that intensify when you get a sudden chill or come close to remembering something that changed you as a child. Someone notices the intense green in your eyes one day and calls you a freak. He looks familiar.

33. You discover an ability that puts you (more) at odds with your in-laws, and you learn of their plan to get your husband to divorce you and get full custody of your two children.

34. You sign up for a wine delivery service, and while the cases are always left at your door, things start changing in your house. Though you never drink to excess, you start losing chunks of time. And the wine is better than anything you’ve ever tasted.

35. You come home one day and find someone else living there who swears she’s lived there for years. When you look for proof that she’s lying, you find proof to the contrary.

36. You’re making your usual breakfast when you suddenly find you can’t stomach the thought of eating it. When you put a name to your new craving, it scares you. But it won’t go away.

Related: How to Outline A Nonfiction Book

37. You find a ring while walking in the park. The stones aren’t diamonds, and you at first suspect it’s a piece of junk jewelry from the previous night’s Halloween revels. But you like it enough to keep it. No one is more surprised than you when it saves your life.

38. An unknown relative shows up and tells you something you didn’t know about your mother’s family history — and the power that went with it.

39. You’ve started your NaNoWriMo project, and it’s off to a decent start. But when you open the file the next day, you see much more written for it, and the writing is terrible. Then you see that the story is still developing, and while the writing makes your head hurt, the story is drawing you in. Literally.

40. You go to your closet to get a change of clothes for the day before taking a shower, and you find a huge selection of designer clothes (tags still attached) that weren’t there before.

41. You sign up for a class at a local gym, and when you meet the instructor, she seems familiar — and not in a good way.

42. Your kid takes home a Chromebook from school, and one evening you see him staring at the screen, looking entranced. He takes a sudden interest in keeping his room immaculate and volunteering as a member of a new political candidate’s campaign staff.

43. You’ve just given birth to a surprisingly healthy baby two months before the due date, but your husband has inexplicably abandoned you both, and a generous stranger has learned of your situation and offered to help you out and fill the void.

44. Your mother shows up at your door asking for help. Something has taken residence at her home, and she doesn’t feel safe there anymore. You visit the house on your own, and find someone living there who asks, “Where did Mom go?”

45. You finally find a responsible roommate to share the cost of a new luxury apartment. The problem? He knows everything about you — and there’s no reason why he should.

46. You don’t remember the last time you slept for longer than an hour at a time, and you see things others don’t. The things you see that others don’t are causing accidents, and when you try to prevent one, you end up getting blamed for it.

47. Your 12-year-old daughter goes to use the bathroom at the hospital while you’re both visiting her older sister. When she comes back, she seems visibly unsettled, but that gives way to an eery calm and unshakable confidence that her sister will make a full recovery.

48. After experiencing your first nighttime paralysis, you start to see changes in your body. Soon, those changes will be impossible to hide, and a new acquaintance surprises you by making accurate guesses about what you’ve been going through.

49. When you’re about to kill a spider, your kid stops you, catches it, and runs outside to free it. You think maybe killing the non-native spider would have been kinder than putting it outside in the frost-covered grass, but your kid knows something you don’t.

50. It’s Halloween, and your neighbor dresses up as the president and tries to repair his reputation by volunteering at a homeless shelter. Unfortunately, the costume takes over, and he starts firing the other volunteers, one of whom decides to give their homeless guests a Halloween spectacle they won’t forget.

51. Your routine doctor appointment takes a sinister turn when your doc tells you he could put you higher on the waiting list for a liver transplant if you’d pay his ex a visit and help him set a trap for her.

52. Your new smartphone is so much faster than your old one — much faster than you expected from a discounted return. Then you start getting messages made up of symbols you don’t recognize. They resemble hieroglyphs.

53. You’re a high schooler, and today’s lunch is unexpectedly delicious — so delicious that you go back for the seconds. Someone in the kitchen is watching and writing in a notebook.

54. You’re constantly attracting unwanted attention, and you meet someone who knows why. It’s not just your looks that make you unignorable. You’re actually sending out a signal that those around you can’t help responding to. Your new acquaintance offers to train you, so you’ll make better use of your power.

55. You’re sick to death of the clutter in your house, and through a magazine ad, you meet someone who says he can give you the power to instantly transform any room to match a picture you can see in front of you or in your mind’s eye. The only price is one minute of memory from each day.

56. You win a two-week vacation in a real castle (somewhere overseas) with airfare, transportation, and meals, included — along with other surprises. One of them wants to make sure you never leave.

57. You move into a house that has a treehouse out back in one of the tallest, oldest trees. You don’t know until you explore it that the treehouse changes to better suit its occupant. The tree and its house have accepted you. But what does it expect of you?

58. You find an abandoned cabin that is perfect for use as a writer’s getaway, and after some preparations, you settle in for a two-week’ reprieve from city life. The animals aren’t as shy as you expect them to be, though, and they seem to know something about the cabin that you don’t.

59. Your car goes over the edge and down a steep hill. All you remember is the flash of light and the sound of glass breaking before you open your eyes. You check your kids, but none of them answer, and your phone, which had half a charge just minutes ago, is completely dead and unresponsive.

60. You’re shopping for a new computer, and you find one on eBay that the owner says was a gift that he used only briefly before he upgraded to a MacBook. You buy it and revel in its blinding speed and special features. It wakes you that night with a loud beep and prompts you with a single sentence on the screen, “Will you play with me?”

61. Chocolate and wine have gotten you through many a break-up, but this one is harder than most. You wonder why, and a gift from this SO stares you in the face, reminding you of how different your relationship was from those you’ve had with others..

62. Your neighbor has ordered furniture for you from IKEA, and you’re not sure how to deal with it. You love the couch, but you don’t have the budget for it, and you barely know your new neighbor, who seems to have unlimited funds but spends it unpredictably.

63. One of your aunts has died leaving you her pet ______, who helps you cut the toxic people out of your life by scaring them away. One of the few visitors this pet will tolerate is someone you’ve barely noticed but who intuitively knows about and anonymously meets the needs of others in the apartment building.

64. You go fishing in the lake behind your house, and when your hook catches on something, you pull it up. It turns out to be the body of a murder victim, and when the lake is further searched, other bodies are found. Twelve other houses surround the lake, and the police suspect you as much as any of the other residents.

65. You’re renovating your basement and remove a wall that was put in place by one of the previous owners. Behind it is a garbage bag full of cash, and when you examine it, you find it to be genuine.

66. Your spouse tells other Catholics that he knew you were the one when he found out your confirmation saint was the same saint he prayed to for a good Catholic wife. Meanwhile, you’re questioning beliefs you used to take for granted.

67. You wake up to the burglar alarm, and before you can see who has broken in, someone puts a pillowcase over your head and forces you up and out the door.

68. You get a job at your favorite coffee shop, and you meet some local authors, one of whom learns of your book and invites you to their group. They meet in what used to be the living room of a house rumored to be haunted.

69. You can barely make out how many fingers you’re holding up until an elderly neighbor with perfect eyesight shares a secret with you. But there’s a price to pay.

70. You go to sleep listening to static on your radio, which can’t pick up any AM stations. You find out one night, when your bladder wakes you up, that it’s picking up something other than static.

71. You bid on and win an old record player and record collection at an auction. You don’t expect the music to affect you as profoundly as it does and your family thinks you’re just trying to make up for the amount you spent on it. You’re not.

72. You get new glasses at the new eye clinic in town, and they allow you to see better than ever. In fact, when you want to, you can see minute detail from a great distance and microscopic detail up close. This is how you find out your sister’s mole is a malignant melanoma. You also avoid being poisoned by a spiteful coworker. Your fascination with frogs and your large collection of them has made close relationships a challenge.

73. You listen to an audio file designed to make you more creative, and you go into a trance and write a book that people the world over can’t get enough of. Then a visitor asks you if you listened to the entire recording. When you admit to having stopped the recording before it was finished, the visitor smiles in relief and tells you not to listen to the end and to delete the file.

74. When a favorite aunt dies, you inherit a bookstore with an apartment on the upper floor. You look at the finances and realize you have to let go of one of your three employees.

75. You check out a house you like and find moths in every room. The realtor tells you it shouldn’t be a problem to get rid of them but that the house is completely free of other pests — including spiders (which are a huge problem in the area). You buy the house.

Did you enjoy these realistic fiction writing prompts?

Keep this list handy whenever you need a writing prompt to unlock your creativity and kickstart your daily writing.

In fact, you may find ideas for several novels or stories that you can write down the road. Take one of these ideas and begin to flesh out an outline and characters for your story. Let your imagination take you on a journey that may lead to your bestselling book!

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ultimate fiction writing guide

A comprehensive guide for writers – and aspiring writers – of fiction, introduction.

Ernest Hemingway once said, “It’s none of their business that you have to learn to write. Let them think you were born that way.” And he was correct. Even if you’re struggling with fiction writing now, that doesn’t mean you will forever. Even the most skilled fiction writers didn’t hone their craft to perfection without assistance from inspirational sources, seasoned advisors, great editors, and the pages of instructional books. Whether you’re a novice to the fictional writing genre or someone more experienced, you’re sure to find something of value tucked away in this guide filled with 43 worthwhile fiction writing resources, including fiction prompts and exercises, short story and novel writing resources, and more.

General Fiction Writing Resources

Here is an assortment of general resources that address writer’s block, introduce story development tools, inform about writing scams, and more.

10 Apps to Keep Your Focus

Use these resources to banish writer’s block, set timers to strengthen your self-control, prime the imagination pump, and flex your writing muscles.

100 Best First Lines

Read the best first lines of 100 different novels , from the  Adventures of Huckleberry Finn  to the  Wide Sargasso Sea .

Discover two visual story development tools that can help you map the course of your novel or screenplay on one page.

Mind Map Any Idea or Project

Learn about mind-mapping, a visual tool that graphically organizes brainstorming sessions.

Writing Scams and Schemes

The writing and publishing world has a dark side. It harbors plenty of predators waiting to take advantage of earnest writers. Find out how to sidestep bad situations.

How to Improve Your Writing

Learn about tips, tricks, and even more resources for improving your writing, from fiction to essays. This article also includes writing prompts to help you refine your skills.

Fiction Writing Exercises and Prompts

When least expected writer’s block can appear out of nowhere. Or maybe you’re just suffering from a creative dry spell. If any of this sounds familiar, check out these fiction writing exercises and prompts that can help launch your creative side.

Fiction Writing Exercises

Find 11 fiction writing exercises like “Money” and “Falling Out of the Sky” that can help you develop your own story.

6 Great Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers

This article puts a different spin on writing exercises with the goal of keeping your writing fresh.

Fiction Exercises

Jump-start your fictional writing with these 17 exercises that you can alter as you wish.

Seven Flash Fiction Exercises for Novel Writing

Do you dream of writing a novel but don’t have the time? Check out these flash fiction exercises that will have you developing the bones of your next novel in no time.

Sketch a Novel in an Hour

This free-writing exercise is helpful for anyone wanting to write a novel, short story, or screenplay.

10 Keys to Writing Dialogue in Fiction

Find 10 helpful tips to creating dialogue for your fiction piece. This resource includes two dialogue writing exercises as a bonus.

100 Short Story or Novel Writing Prompts

Discover a plethora of writing prompts that will put your creative writing powers in gear.

Short Story Writing Resources

Whether you lack inspiration or you need direction condensing your brilliant short story idea into 10,000 words or less, the following resources can help.

Short Story Tips

Writing a short story is quite different from writing a novel because you have less words in which to set the scene, introduce the conflict , and reach the ending. Find out how to successfully write a short story without having to stall or start over.

Writing Your Own Short Story

This seven-page document has plenty of details regarding prewriting, drafting, and revising a short story.

Writing the Short Story: Points to Ponder

A look at the key elements of short stories.

100 Short Story Basic Ideas

Stumped for an idea for your short story? Follow this link to discover inspiration.

Novel Writing Resources

First-time novelists or authors who already have a few completed works to their name can utilize the following novel writing resources for helpful insight.

6 Things to Consider Before Writing a Novel

Developmental editor Rebecca Monterusso offers advice to aspiring writers to help them avoid making mistakes the first time they write a novel.

The Snowflake Method for Designing a Novel

Randy Ingermanson, publisher of six novels and winner of dozens of writing awards, shares a method that works for him when writing a novel.

Footsteps to a Novel

This five-step process to writing a novel borrows from  Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs  as a familiar example.

Advice on Novel Writing by Crawford Killian

Discover a wealth of valuable information about writing a novel.

One-Pass Revision

This revision method for novelists only takes one pass because it’s extremely thorough and time consuming, but it can yield positive results.

Revising a Novel

Best-selling suspense author James Scott Bell offers his practical advice on revising your novel.

Basic Elements of a Novel

Plot, character, and setting are three of the most important basic elements when writing a novel. Take some time to browse the following resources to find ways to more effectively develop all three.

Plot Generator

This is an entertaining and useful way to come up with a plot for your next fiction story.

Plot Video Playlist

Find everything from quick tips to detailed information on how to plot any part of a story within these videos.

The Top 10 Plotting Problems

Head off plotting problems before they occur by learning about the most common ones now.

50 Plot Twists

Invigorate a flagging plot with one of these 50 plot twist ideas that are yours for the taking.

Character Resources

Dynamic, interesting, and motivated characters are what make a story worth reading. Check out the following links to learn how to effectively develop them.

Seven Common Character Types

Discover descriptions and examples of seven common character types that can help fiction writers develop their characters more effectively.

Character Chart

Author Charlotte Dillion’s free character chart offers you the opportunity to flesh out your fictional characters in great detail.

Six Distinctions in Motivating Characters

Characters need motivation to create action and move the plot along. Yet that motivation needs to be believable. Find out how to create it.

Naming Your Characters

This article examines three things to keep in mind when naming characters — personality, ethnicity, and the century of birth.

The Character Therapist

Therapist Jeannie Campbell combines her love of psychology and writing to evaluate and diagnose your fictional character in a typed report that you can use to create a more  realistic  character.

An Introduction to Writing Characters in Fiction

Purdue University’s OWL Writing Lab presents helpful resources for character creation and development that explain character archetypes and much more.

How to Create Characters That Are Believable and Memorable

Discover the four main criteria you need to meet to create characters readers will enjoy.

Writing Character Sketches

This link will help you learn how to write character sketches so you can become better at creating characters.

Setting Resources

Crafting the perfect setting to pull in readers isn’t all about describing the location. Find out what it takes to create a setting that will catapult your story to another level.

Discover the Basic Elements of Setting in a Story

Learn about the fundamental elements of setting and how they work within a story.

Author’s Craft: Setting

Learn how to answer the questions of what, why, how, when, and where when creating a setting.

Fictional Versus Real Settings: Which Is Best?

This examination of fictional settings and real settings helps you determine which is best suited for your project.

How to Introduce Setting

This link is for anyone who needs to know how to successfully craft a setting. It offers an insightful writing exercise.

Fiction Writing Teaching Resources

Discover fiction writing lesson plans, units, topics, and more for students in elementary to high school.

Review this searchable collection of high-quality creative writing lesson plans for elementary, middle, and high school students.

Reading and Writing Flash Fiction

From the  New York Times  Learning Network comes this extensive lesson plan for teachers who want to introduce students to flash fiction.

Resources for Creative Writing Teachers

Check out this ready-to-use, 12-lesson creative writing unit with plenty of activities and exercises.

Creative Writing Ideas

Find some great writing ideas here, such as designing a room for a chocolate factory or writing traditional stories from a different point of view.

How to Teach Creative Writing

This link takes you to a seven-step guide for teaching creative writing to elementary, middle, and high school students.

Further Reading: Famous Authors On Writing

• On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
• The Art of Fiction by John Gardner
• Bird by Bird by Anne Lammott
• Aspects of the Novel by E.M. Forster
• The Writing Life by Annie Dilliard
• One Writer’s Beginnings by Eudora Welty

Daily writing prompts: 365 ways to practice craft

Daily writing prompts in 73 categories arranged around literary devices and craft elements to help you practice writing techniques.

• Post author By Jordan
• 4 Comments on Daily writing prompts: 365 ways to practice craft

Daily writing prompts on craft challenges and literary devices give a fun way to build your fiction-writing skills. A prompt exercise could even inspire your next, great story. Bookmark and dip into 365 writing prompts in seventy-three categories, from ‘abstract vs concrete language’ to ‘zeugma’.

Creative writing prompt categories

Use this alphabetized index of literary devices and elements of craft to explore daily writing prompts with definitions.

Bookmark and share this page for a dash of inspiration or writing practice whenever you or writing friends need it.

Use the sidebar link or the ‘To writing prompt categories’ link at the end of each section to return to this index.

A to B daily prompts

Click here to browse daily writing prompts from ‘abstract vs concrete language’ through ‘breaking the fourth wall’

Abstract vs concrete language

Active (and passive) voice, alliteration, anthropomorphism, anti-climax, autobiography, balanced sentences, bildungsroman, black comedy, blank verse.

• Bouts-rimés

Breaking the fourth wall

C to f daily prompts.

Browse daily writing prompts from ‘character arcs’ through ‘foil characters’.

Character arcs

Colloquialism/slang, connotation, direct characterization, epistolary writing, flashbacks (and flashforwards), foil characters, h to m daily prompts.

Browse fiction writing prompts from ‘hooks’ through ‘mystery’ .

Inference and insinuation

Inner monologue, intertextuality, juxtaposition, magical realism, metafiction, n to r daily prompts.

Browse creative writing prompts on everything from ‘narration’ to ‘rhythm’ in language.

Non-linear narrative

On-the-nose writing, personification, plot twists, point of view, purple prose, rhyme and rhyme schemes, rhetorical devices, s to z daily prompts.

Browse daily writing prompts from ‘sarcasm’ through ‘zeugma’ .

Show, don’t tell

Stream of consciousness, verb tenses.

Don’t forget to have your say in the comments and tell us which prompts you enjoyed doing the most.

What is abstract language?

Abstract language uses broad, conceptual terms and may make description hazy or generic.

Concrete language shows instead of tells. Compare: ‘His emotions were somewhere between happiness and worry,’ and, ‘He was smiling yet his brow furrowed when he remembered the homework he’d forgotten to do.’

1. Rewrite abstract language

Prompt: Write a scene where a character gets bad news but is cheered up when a friend arrives with a gift. Use three of the following words: Happiness, sadness, fear, love, wisdom, truth, loyalty.

Next, rewrite the scene to replace abstract nouns with imagery and/or actions expressing the same feelings.

2. Balance abstract and concrete language

Prompt: Write a paragraph or story beginning with a busy market in a park. Include concrete details drawn from the five senses – what could a character see, hear, smell, touch, taste?

Include abstract emotion words that suggest your character’s feelings upon an unexpected sight or encounter.

3. Describe the concrete, reflect using abstraction

Prompt: Write a paragraph describing a favorite memory from childhood using concrete language. Then write a paragraph describing the emotions this memory evokes.

Try using similes (e.g. comparisons using ‘as scared as…’) to make abstract feelings more concrete.

4. Showing abstract traits with concrete examples

Prompt: Choose one from the following personality traits: Kindness, cruelty, generosity, cautiousness, fearlessness.

Write a scene where a character’s concrete actions infer this abstract trait. Convey, for example, ‘kindness’ without using the word once.

5. Add specificity to the generic

Prompt: Choose a natural phenomenon that is overused as a symbol (e.g. sunset, often used to suggest romance, or thunderstorms, to suggest danger/suspense).

Write a scene incorporating this symbol but use concrete language to show what makes this instance unique or unexpected (e.g. specific colors, sights, additional details).

To writing prompt categories ↑

What is absurdism?

Absurdism in writing is used to refer to multiple concepts and devices:

• A literary and philosophical movement that explores the irrationality and contradictions of human existence and crises of meaning that result from these elements
• Humor drawing on the above, such as nonsensical or illogical situations in storytelling

Absurdist humor example: This stanza from Lewis Carroll’s The Hunting of the Snark , describing a map that is essentially useless because it only shows water:

He had bought a large map representing the sea, Without the least vestige of land: And the crew were much pleased when they found it to be A map they could all understand. Source: ‘The Hunting of the Snark’, poetryfoundation.org .

Creative writing prompts to practice absurdist elements:

6. Write about self-contradicting objects

Prompt: Inspired by the idea of a map that only shows water and nothing else, write an absurd scene where a character finds an object that doesn’t fulfil its primary purpose.

Absurdist object ideas to write about:

• A lift that only stops between floors
• An inflatable anchor guaranteed not to sink
• A square-shaped basketball

7. Explore an absurd scenario

Prompt: Write a story about a DJ who’s been cursed to relive the same day over and over, each time the events mirroring the lyrics of an annoying catchy pop song. Include a moment of joy and one of despair.

8. Practice absurd personification

Prompt: Write a dialogue between two inanimate objects where they share their frustrations and the one talks the other out of an existential crisis. [ Ed’s note: Inspired by the travels of a can of beans and other objects in Tom Robbins madcap novel, ‘Skinny Legs and All’ .]

9. Play with metamorphosis

Prompt: Write a story or scene where a character transforms into one of the following overnight: A mythical creature nobody believes exists, a cheesy game show’s host, a fantasy or sci-fi trope type (troll, mischief-making AI).

10. Turn language on its head

Prompt: Write a story turning a popular idiom into a literal story scenario (e.g. when we say people who watch a lot of TV are ‘couch potatoes’). Example idea: Write a story about a boy named Fry who becomes a couch potato (literally), and his family’s desperate attempts to get him back to human form.

GET YOUR FREE GUIDE TO SCENE STRUCTURE

Read a guide to writing scenes with purpose that move your story forward.

What is action and why is it a vital story element?

Action in storytelling has multiple uses and purposes:

• Shifting focus from the slower and interior (for example, a viewpoint character’s thoughts) to the more explosive, exciting external
• Inferring desire, emotion, intention, decision (remember the old saying, ‘actions speak louder than words’)

Challenges in writing action sequences include:

• Maintaining clarity and flow: Of sequence or detail
• Keeping rhythm interesting: Subject-verb-object sentences may sound clunky and repetitive (‘She ran to the gate. She typed in the emergency code. She beckoned to hasten the others.’)

The next five daily writing prompts will help you practice writing immersive action:

11. Explode subject-verb-object structure

Prompt: Write a scene where characters have to evacuate a top-secret facility they’ve rigged with explosives before it blows.

First, write every sentence with a subject-verb-object structure (like the example under ‘keeping rhythm interesting’ above).

Next, rewrite the scene, switching up sentence structure for more active flow.

12. Express subtext using actions

Prompt: Write a scene between a couple where no words are used. Use actions that imply one of the following situations (try to limit narration that tells your reader the situation, letting actions infer):

• The couple’s child has just been expelled from school
• They have just found out they’re expecting a baby
• The couple has just had a shouting match with an insufferable neighbor
• One half of the couple has forgotten it’s their anniversary, the other is itching to give an amazing gift they bought

13. Build a blow-by-blow sequence

Prompt: Write the scene of a boxing match or sword fight. For the first half, the likely victor is winning, but a series of mistakes means that mid-way through and the tide turns in the underdog’s favor.

14. Creating unfolding action using present participles

Prompt: Write a scene in which there is a quick-draw stand-off between two outlaws. Use at least five present participles to create a sense of the present moment (the present verb form ending ‘-ing’, e.g. breaking, blinking, sweating).

15. Practice action pacing

Prompt: Write a scene or story where a paramedic is called to an emergency and the patient turns out to be an old friend. Include a sequence of action where time passes slowly and a change that requires urgency. Focus on using shorter sentences in the urgent segment.

What is active voice?

In active voice, the subject is the doer of an action which the sentence emphasizes. It is often preferable because it is usually clearer and more succinct. Example: ‘Sarah wrote the letter’ (active) vs ‘The letter was written by Sarah’ (passive).

There are cases where passive voice may be preferred:

• The doer of the action is unknown (e.g. ‘The letter had been written by someone on their street, that much he knew’)
• The focus is on the object (e.g. prominent sentence position of ‘the letter’ in the example above)

Try these active voice writing prompts:

16. Start a story emphasizing an object

Prompt: Write an opening paragraph to a story beginning with a sentence that emphasizes an intriguing object in passive voice. Create a question that the story will answer or complicate. Example opening: ‘The wand had been given to me by…’

17. Create a mysterious doer of deeds

Prompt: Write a mystery set in a school where an unknown student has stolen something out of another student’s bag, from the perspective of the robbed student. Describe the action in passive voice, then rewrite this in active voice.

18. Shift focus onto consequences over actors

Prompt: Write a story about a major historical event (for example, the invention of the lightbulb).

Use passive voice to shift the reader’s focus onto consequences over actions (for example, ‘The ‘lectric doohickey was eyed with mistrust by the candlemaker, Mr Wick, at first.’)

19. Describe a work of art to convey intention

Prompt: Write a story in which a character comes across a painting in a gallery that captures a sense of the artist’s every thought and intention. Use passive voice sentences to focus on these intentions (for example, ‘The face had been built up in layers with the utmost care for blending.’). Switch between this and the narrator’s active voice impressions and questions.

20. Write instructions alternating emphasis on actions and materials

Prompt: Write story or scene where a character reads a letter or label of instruction. Mix passive voice for sentences emphasizing items/objects and active voice for more direct actions (e.g. ‘Plant the seeds’ vs ‘The seedling must be watered…’).

What are adverbs?

The words that qualify verbs, adding characteristics such as speed, volume, manner of doing. For example, ‘She sang loudly’, or ‘she ran fast’.

Stephen King says in On Writing that ‘the road to hell is paved with adverbs’. Why? Because they may add wordiness, for one.

A more expressive, single-word verb promotes concision and adds interesting connotations. For example, ‘she bolted’ has connotations of hunting, flight, sudden starts (from the bolt of a crossbow to the startled departure of game).

Try five of the daily writing prompts dedicated to this part of speech:

21. Pave the road to hell

Prompt: Write a funny story about a paver who has a nightmare job where rain, bizarre client requests, wild animals, and other setbacks make finishing the path almost impossible.

Use at least five ‘-ly’ ending adverbs as you write. Then go back and substitute verbs that convey a similar meaning (e.g. ‘He shut the door loudly’ > ‘He slammed the door’).

22. Create how, where, when and to what extent using adverbial phrases

Prompt: Write a story about a difficult mountain climbing trip, using adverbial phrases to convey how the climb proceeds, where climbers get to (or face difficulty), and to what extent they know (or don’t know) what they’re doing.

Adverbial phrase examples:

• ‘ Approaching the first ledge , she saw the summit was just a speck above’ (adverbial phrase of place gives position and modifies ‘saw’)
• ‘ During the first hour, she spoke rarely’ (adverbial phrase of time specifies duration)
• ‘ With utmost precision, she calculated which crevice to reach for’ (adverbial phrase gives degree or extent, modifying the verb ‘calculated’)

23. Show actions’ manner without adverbs

Prompt: Write a whispered piece of dialogue between friends.

First, use adverbs that convey volume liberally (e.g. softly, quietly, imperceptibly).

Next, rewrite to nix every adverb, using what characters say, gestures, actions to show dialogue is soft (e.g. ‘She cupped a hand to her ear’).

24. Substitute similes for adverbs

Prompt: Write a scene in which a character is about to tell her friend something curious or sinister. Start with “Wait ’til you hear this,” she said strangely.’

At the end, replace the dialogue tag and adverb (‘she said strangely’) with a comparison making what is strange about the utterance clearer.

( Example: ‘…she said, tossing the words like cigarette butts from a car window. The devil-may-care smile didn’t reach her eyes.’)

25. Avoiding adverbial excess

Prompt: Write a story about a magician whose first attempt at a new spell backfires.

Each time you want to write an adverb as you write, give two. Example: ‘He shook the tube of potion excitedly and expectantly’.

At the end, go through the piece and choose one adverb in each instance (or check how to make flow stronger using more descriptive verbs instead).

What is allegory?

Allegory, which comes from the Greek allēgoria (‘speaking other’) refers to a story, poem or picture which reveals a hidden meaning. Story elements refer or allude to larger or more abstract concepts and ideas.

As an example, in C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia fantasy series, there are allegorical elements suggestive of the Christian faith. A magical lion named Aslan sacrifices his life for the four child protagonists and is resurrected, echoing the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

In A.A. Milne’s beloved Winnie the Pooh series, each character is suggestive of a different temperament or personality type. Rabbit, the fiery choleric or grouch. Pooh, the phlegmatic or even-tempered friend to everybody. Piglet the nervous wreck. Eeyore the moping melancholic. Each animal character is like an allegorical representation of a human archetype.

Memento mori in visual art are allegorical symbols, alluding to life’s fragility and death’s inevitability. Symbols such as skulls, hourglasses, clocks.

This category of these daily writing prompts explores allegorical writing.

26. Using objects to evoke abstract ideas

Prompt: Write a story on a weighty abstract theme such as: Death, love, justice, truth, freedom, spirituality (pick one).

First, make a list of symbols and objects you associate with this word. Then write a story without using the word itself once, but suggest and imply your thoughts/philosophy on the concept, using the objects you listed.

27. Mining Animal Farm for ideas

Prompt: In the vein of George Orwell’s allegorical novella Animal Farm , pick a type of political system (such as democracy, oligarchy (rule by a small elite), anarchy (no government or the rejection of hierarchy), tyranny.

Write an allegorical story suggestive of this system (and your thoughts of it) without referring to the system explicitly. The stand-in for society could be, for example: A company’s board of directors, a collective of artists living on a commune.

28. Writing representative characters

Prompt: Choose three from this list of personality temperaments or character archetypes: Melancholic, anxious, happy-go-lucky, short-fused, adventurous, calculating, empathic.

Write a story set in a futuristic city of robots featuring three characters who each represent one of the three types.

29. Capture history through allegory

Prompt: Write a story set in a museum in which different objects come to life, and their behavior or words capture the spirit of their eras and cultures.

30. Explore schools of thought

Prompt: Write a story or scene where four kingdoms debate a territorial dispute. Assign each kingdom a position based on a school of philosophical thought.

Ideas for schools of thought (read Scotty Hendricks for Big Think for more ideas):

• Stoicism: A school of thought popular in ancient Greek and Roman times believing ‘the goal of all inquiry is to provide a mode of conduct characterized by tranquility of mind’ (Jason Lewis Saunders, ‘Stoicism’, Britannica Online )
• Utilitarianism: The school of thought that the best action is that which maximizes positive outcome/benefit for the ‘greatest good’ or ‘utility’
• Hedonism: The philosophy that pleasure is the highest good and source of moral values
• Nihilism: The school of thought that life is meaningless and does not have intrinsic value
• Pragmatism: Philosophy which values real-world consequences and practical outcomes as the source of meaning, truth or value

What is alliteration?

Alliteration is a poetic device in which consonants are repeated for mimetic (imitative) effect.

For example, the plosive doubled ‘t’ and ‘p’ sounds suggesting the short, sharp sound of machinegun fire in Wilfred Owen’s famous anti-war poem:

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?      — Only the monstrous anger of the guns. Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle Can patter out their hasty orisons. ‘Anthem for the Doomed Youth’ by Wilfred Owen, first stanza. Source: poetryfoundation.org . Words bolded for emphasis.

Explore daily writing prompts for practicing creative alliteration below:

31. Mimic sound for effect

Prompt: Write a poem or scene that prominently features a sound. Use alliteration (words using repeated consonants) to capture the quality of that sound.

• Sibilant sounds for alliteration using ‘s’: Snakes’ hissing, water in a hot pan, air being let out of an inflatable mattress or car tyres.
• Buzzing sounds for alliteration using ‘z’: Bees, electronics with haptic feedback, electric razors or toothbrushes, guitar feedback
• Staccato sounds for alliteration using ‘t’ and ‘p’: Gunfire, drumming, tap-dance, rainfall

32. Reflecting environs with alliteration

Prompt: Narrate a night in a noisy nightclub. Incorporate two different consonants you can repeat in a phrase for sound imitation (such as ‘zz’, ‘ss’, or ‘tt’).

33. Overdoing alliterative effect

Prompt: Write a story for children about an animal trying to start as many words as possible with the same consonant as a constraint. Then rewrite for better flow and more varied language. Example: ‘Runaway the rabbit risked ravines and ravenous wriggling rattlesnakes.’

34. Poeticize (or add humor to) the news

Prompt: Browse recent news for a random article. Find a story in a drier, reportage style. Pick an image, scenario or sound and rewrite it in a more poetic way, using alliteration in at least one sentence for dramatic or silly effect.

Example: ‘Colorado Bear Opens Car Door to eat Unattended Dog Food’.

Intro line: ‘This brown bear believed Brown Rice with Lamb was bipedals’ best invention, though the kibble bonanza became a bellyache.’

35. Capture tone and mood

Prompt: Write a story beginning in a languid, watery setting. Prioritize soft consonants to create the sound of calm (‘l’, ‘w’, ‘sh’). Shift to harder consonants such as plosives (/p/, /t/, /d/, /p/) when sudden action interrupts the calm.

What is anaphora?

Anaphora (which comes from the words ‘to bear back’) is two types of repetition.

In grammar, the term means using a word to refer back to a previously used word in conversation or narration. For example, when we substitute a pronoun for a character as the subject. ‘James was tired. He’d been up all night playing video games.’

In rhetoric, anaphora means the repetition of a word or phrase at the start of successive clauses. For example, Churchill’s famous speech:

We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air … Sir Winston Churchill, June 4 1940 to the House of Commons. Source: International Churchill Society.

Try creative writing prompts incorporating rhetorical and grammatical anaphora:

36. Write an impassioned speech

Prompt: Write a story in which a character gives an impassioned speech at a major turning point. Use rhetorical anaphora repeating a phrase to persuasive effect.

Ideas for speech-containing story scenarios:

• Morale is low for a band of fantasy quest-takers
• A group of bullied high school students decide to fight back
• A minority party in a corrupt government sends the house into bickering but also earns applause

37. Use anaphora to show loss of temper

Prompt: Write a scene where a character loses their temper and they start speaking in anaphora, the repeated refrain they start consecutive clauses with suggesting the source of their frustration.

Example: “Crumbs on the counter, crumbs on the carpet, crumbs when I get in bed. Crumbs in a never-ending trail like we’re Hansel and bloody Gretel! And now I’m the witch again.”

38. Eulogize using anaphora

Prompt: Write a story where a character gives a eulogy for a deceased friend or relative at their memorial. Begin successive sentences and clauses with the same phrase.

Ideas for anaphora in eulogy-writing:

• “She/he/they taught us…”
• “She’d/he’d/they’d laugh if I said…”
• “Let us be comforted by…”
• “This is not a goodbye, but a …”
• “[Name] was a [noun], as in …”

39. Give a mission a stand-in title

Prompt: Write a story about a crucial mission that is only ever referred to by a cryptic name until the object of the mission becomes clear at the end of the story.

40. Build mystery using anaphora

Prompt: Write a story about mysterious, hidden object. Refer to the object only as ‘it’ and gradually reveal information about what ‘it’ is through characters’ descriptions, actions and decisions.

What is anthropomorphism?

Anthropomorphism means ascribing human qualities to animals.

In the Miyazaki film Pom Poko , as an example, a society of raccoon-like animals is threatened by encroaching human settlement and development. The animals are represented as bipedal, talking, personified characters (to start).

Miyazaki includes scenes where the characters’ species are depicted as mute, wild animals, too.

The dual approach suggests to the viewer that animal conservation is important whether animals are ‘like us’ or not.

41. Practice personifying animals in speech

Prompt: Write a story about an animal protagonist, using an element of that animal’s usual sounds or form to inform how it talks.

Example: The lyrics in King Louie’s song in The Jungle Book ape (no pun intended) the ‘oo, oo/aa, aa’ chatter of monkeys (through word-extension and jazz-style ‘scatting’) in the chorus:

Oh, ooh-bee-doo, (Oop-dee-wee) I wanna be like you-hu-hu (Hop-dee-doo-bee-do-bow) ‘I Wan’na Be Like You’ song lyrics, source: Disney fandom wiki

42. Humanize through objects

Prompt: Write a story about an animal who grows extremely attached to an object or animal from another species and the adventures they have (or the sorrow they experience when separated).

Example: Who can forget the story of Koko and her kittens ?

43. Personify things’ properties

Prompt: Write a story about an onion that makes people cry, not through methionine and cystine (the tear-triggering compounds) but its mean words. Or pick another object and turn its organic properties into anthropomorphic flaws.

44. Make the alien earthly

Prompt: Write a story about a group of human-like alien life-forms who are the motley employees of an outer space company that offers a surprising intergalactic service.

45. Make otherness fashionable

Prompt: Write a story about the biggest fashion event of the year. The twist is every character is an anthropomorphic animal. Think Vogue’s September issue meets The Wind in the Willows .

What is an anti-climax?

An anti-climax is a climax that fizzles out instead of going out with a bang. It’s a little like the anti-joke in that it builds to something that doesn’t match the intensity of the build-up.

Example: The typical ‘dad joke’ – ‘A man walks into a bar: Ouch!’

Read writing prompts built on practicing creative use of anti-climax:

46. The surprise is there’s no surprise

Prompt: Write a story where a character thinks everyone at the office is hinting about a surprise party for their birthday. To their disappointment, the surprise turns out to be something totally boring and unrelated.

47. Make the bomb fizzle out

Prompt: Write a story about a tense, time-bound situation (such as a bomb scare) where at the end the situation fizzles out, confounding expectation. Give other events within the story arcs that resolve (e.g. interpersonal conflicts).

48. Use anti-climax for comic relief

Prompt: Write a story about a character preparing for the biggest test or trial of their life and preparation’s harrowing ups and downs. In the end, the test/trial is postponed on the day for a ridiculous reason.

49. Use anti-climax to subvert tropes

Prompt: Write a story borrowing a genre trope. For example, ‘enemies to lovers’ from romance. Use anti-climax to subvert the trope’s usual expectations (e.g. enemies to even worse enemies, or enemies to friends because in the end there is absolutely no chemistry).

50. Breaking scene tension

Prompt: Write a tense scene in which your protagonist is wracked with terror. Make something happen near the end that diffuses the fear.

What is assonance?

Assonance is the poetic device cousin of ‘alliteration’. The use or repetition of vowel sounds to create tone, mood and effect.

Think, for example, how ‘ee’ is the sound of terror/horror. Shriek, scream, bleed, grievous.

Try the daily writing prompts below to build tone, mood and effect using vowels.

51. Make readers go ‘Eee!’

Prompt: Write a scene or story set in a haunted house, where the protagonist realizes they’re one of the haunting spirits themselves. Use assonance repeating ‘ee’ sounds somewhere in the story.

52. Use assonance to silly effect

Prompt: Write a poem or story using assonance to silly, tongue-twister-like effect. For example, write a poem about a mythical creature described using repeated vowel sounds.

Example: ‘West Beast East Beast’ by Dr. Seuss:

Upon an island hard to reach, The East Beast sits upon his beach. Upon the west beach sits the West Beast. Each beach beast thinks he’s the best beast. Dr Seuss, in Oh Say Can you Say?

53. Play with the bouba/kiki effect

The bouba/kiki effect refers to a study that found people across languages and cultures were more likely to associate the word ‘bouba’ with a round shape, and ‘kiki’ with a jagged one.

Prompt: Write a poem or scene that describes something smooth, and something jagged. Repeat words with ‘oo’ and long ‘u’ vowels when describing the the smooth item, and repeat shorter vowels when describing the jagged thing.

54. Create wonder with the sound of ‘ah!’

Prompt: Write a story or scene where a character finds a lost treasure and is amazed upon inspecting it. Use assonance to create a mood of wonder by including many words containing long ‘ah’ vowels.

Far from Zanarkand, dark was coming. My heart raced faster as I checked the partial map and stars crept over the escarpment. My example

55. Create contemplative calm using ‘oo’

Prompt: Write a story or scene where a character takes a long journey on a boat. Use assonance featuring words with the long ‘oo’ vowel to create a sense of calm and tranquility when the boat anchors.

Word ideas: Blue, smooth, hue, view, through, true, soothe, moon, cool, room, pool, spool

What is autobiography?

Autobiography is an account of a life by the person who’s lived it. The word comes from roots meaning ‘self’ ( auto -), life ( bio ) and to write (the Greek graphein ).

Autobiography as a subcategory of life-writing tends to be comprehensive. It’s a fuller account of a life, compared to memoir which typically gives a slice of life, such as the writer’s experience of a specific experience or trial.

Explore writing prompts for writing fiction in an autobiographical representative style and for tapping into your own life story.

56. Writing where there’s feeling

Prompt: Write a story or poem based on the experience of one of the best days of your life, such as your best birthday ever. Remember to use the senses for immersive description (see abstract vs concrete language above).

57. Start with a character’s birth

Prompt: Write a story or poem that compresses the main character’s entire life from birth to death into this short form. Start with something unusual about the character’s birth.

Ideas for unusual births:

• Being born on a leap year
• Being born as one of octuplets
• Arriving on the eve of a major historical event

58. Draw on the real conflicts of life

Prompt: Write a story or poem based on one of the toughest challenges you’ve overcome in your life.

59. Show cause and effect in mistakes, consequences

Prompt: Write a story or poem based on one of the biggest mistakes you’ve ever made, and what the consequences taught you.

60. Play with creative non-fiction

Prompt: Write a story about a sad or funny event from childhood. In the process invent a sibling or other figure, adding a fictional element. What does invention add? A contrary viewpoint, greater humor? How can their addition help you capture a greater sense of truth?

What is backstory?

Backstory in fiction is the word for events from a character’s life prior to the story that shape who they are.

A driven character who is addicted to work, for example, may have a backstory in which money was always scarce growing up. Coming from poverty, their drive or determination to create generational wealth makes sense.

Backstory helps to supply deeper motivation, even if a character’s full backstory is only known to the author and not written.

61. Find the backstory for a current scenario

Prompt: Choose one of the following character ideas (or create your own). Write a few paragraphs (or a short story if feeling ambitious) focusing on key experiences that help to explain the person’s current compulsions or desires.

Ideas for scenarios:

• A singer who is ambitious to the point of being cutthroat
• A potter who struggles to self-promote because of self doubt that runs deep
• A business person who neglects their kids because they’re addicted to work

62. Create object-based ties to the past

Prompt: Write a story or poem where a character finds an old family heirloom that surfaces memories from their past.

63. Tell the history of starting over

Prompt: Write a story about a character who once had a brilliant career but now works in a junior role in a new industry. What was the backstory that led to the change?

64. Find the hidden history

Prompt: Write a story about a character whose backstory contains a terrible secret they’re desperate to conceal.

65. Explore formative friendships as backstory

Prompt: Write a story about a circle of childhood friends and how a shared experience in their childhood shapes each of their lives now that they’re grown up.

What are balanced sentences?

In writing style and grammar, ‘balanced sentences’ are sentences in which clauses are similar in length, importance, and structure.

For example: ‘The rain wouldn’t stop, so we couldn’t start.’

Some describe balanced sentences as a kind of misleading rhetoric used to convey the impression of polish or wisdom.

Find creative writing prompts designed for practicing creating balanced sentences for effect:

66. Begin with a balanced sentence

Prompt: Write a story opening with a balanced sentence comparing two or more opposite things. Repeat this grammatical structure for the first three sentences.

Example: The opening to Charles Dickens’ novel A Tale of Two Cities , which uses a long balanced sentence to reflect on an era’s contradictions.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair. Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities (1859), p.3.

67. The proposals

Prompt: Write a story where a character has to choose between two proposals. Include a balanced sentence where they weigh one against another. It could be a business proposal or one of marriage.

Example: Henry had offered fun with the possibility of boredom; Joe misery with the certainty of baited breath.

68. Compare two perspectives

Prompt: Write a story in which a painter and a musician both try to capture the feelings and mood of the same landscape. Use a balanced sentence that compares and contrasts what they appreciate about the scene.

69. The speech writer’s dilemma

Prompt: Write a story where a speech writer has to try make a woefully inept politician sound like a shoe-in. Use balanced sentences, anaphora, and any other rhetorical devices you want.

70. Balance day and night

Prompt: Write a story where you describe the distinctive features of a city by day and night, using balanced sentences.

Example sentence: ‘By day, merchants flogged wares on every square of pavement; by night dealers flogged desperation in every strip of side street.’

What is a bildungsroman?

A story (typically a longer form such as a novel) about a person’s formative years or growth from youth to adulthood. The German word bildung means ‘education’, and roman means ‘novel.’

Example: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, which follows the protagonist Pip from boyhood to young adulthood.

Try writing prompts based on this type of novel below:

71. Grow up in style

Prompt: Write a story or story introduction where the narrator is young to start, and the story flashes forwards to when they are older. Make narration match the character’s age (i.e. kid language to start, more complex language when they’re older).

[ Ed’s note: James Joyce does this in ‘Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man’. In this bildungsroman, the narrator uses words such as ‘moocows’ at the start of the story. ]

72. Travel and change

Prompt: Write a story where a character leaves their small town for the first time to attend an event in another city, and the surprises they encounter by leaving their usual stomping grounds.

73. Face off with society

Prompt: Write a story about a character who has to overcome societal prejudice as they grow up. Start with a troubling event that makes them say, ‘Enough!’

74. Take a gap year

Prompt: Write a story about a protagonist who’s just graduated high school and takes a gap year to have an amazing adventure.

75. Discover family secrets

Prompt: Write a story about a person who discovers a family secret as they come of age, and how it changes everything they thought they knew.

What is a black comedy?

A comedy which makes use of dark, morbid humor. For example, a comedy about an undertaker who prepares open caskets but has terrible makeup skills.

The daily writing prompts below will help you practice writing black comedy:

76. Find the funny at a funeral

Prompt: Write a story or poem about a solemn funeral where everything starts going wrong to farcical, comedic effect.

77. Create a ludicrous whodunnit

Prompt: Write a murder mystery set in a very unlikely setting which ups the sense of the absurd.

Example: The mockumentary film Drop Dead Gorgeous is a campy dark comedy film where beauty pageant contestants are picked off.

78. Write a hapless antihero

Prompt: Write a comedic tory about a hapless antihero, such as a hitman who constantly bungles their assignments.

79. Create an inept grim reaper

Prompt: Write a funny story about a grim reaper who is too [x attribute, e.g. empathic] to do their job well, and the funny situations that result.

80. Use gallows humor

What is gallows humor?

A type of black comedy that provides relief from stressful situations such as life-threatening situations and other trauma. Often used by people in order to cope with suffering.

Prompt: Write a story about a character who has a terminal illness and the gallows humor they use to cope and distract friends and family.

What is blank verse?

Blank verse is poetry written in unrhymed lines, typically iambic pentameter. Iambic pentameter is a rhythm or meter consisting of ten syllables and five pairs of syllables in a ‘unstressed, stressed’ sequence.

Although the sun was shining as before, The gloom was ever present, dark as wells. She lay in bed, the blinds let down, for days, Until the seasons brought a ladder out. My example

Explore creative writing prompts to create blank verse (you can also use your lines of iambic pentameter for prose with symmetrical rhythm).

81. Create seasonal blank verse

Prompt: Pick a season – summer, winter, fall or spring. Write a poem or story including a seasonal poem in blank verse (four lines of unrhymed iambic pentameter).

82. Create a flowery speech

Prompt: Write a story in which a friend of the couple gives a very flowery speech at their wedding. Include blank verse the friend wrote celebrating the couple (but make it real doggerel – corny, badly-written poetry that suggests the speaker is not a very good poet).

83. Create blank verse metafiction

Prompt: Write a stanza of four lines of blank verse a teacher uses to teach their class about poetry in story set in a classroom. The teacher uses humor to keep the class alert. Make the verse funny, silly or absurd.

84. Create a historical love letter

Prompt: Write a story in which two lovers communicate via letters and blank verse during a long historical war.

85. Creating a soldier’s view

Prompt: Write a story about a soldier on the eve of a crucial battle. They write blank verse in their diary expressing how they feel about the impending conflict.

Bouts-Rimés

What are bouts-rimés?

The term (pronounced boo-ree-may ) is French for ‘rhymed ends’. It refers to language games where lists of words that rhyme are given, and the writer must make a poem using said list.

Example: A poem rhyming the words, ‘moon’, ‘June’, ‘soon’ and ‘tune’.

The piano fell so wildly out of tune, it made my uncle’s lab howl at the moon, and transform to a wolf one lupine June. ‘I’ll get the tuners in,’ I promised, ‘soon.’ My example

Find creative writing prompts to play with bouts-rimés below:

86. Rhyme and dine

Prompt: Write a poem (or a story in which someone recites a poem) that rhymes the following list of food-associated words: ‘pear’ (or pair), ‘fare’, ‘prepare’, ‘share’.

87. Rhyme and whine

Prompt: Write a poem about a person who loves complaining that uses the following words as end-rhymes: groan, moan, grown, mown.

88. Rhyme and shine

Prompt: Write a poem (or a story containing a poem) rhyming the following list of words associated with shine and luster: glimmer, shimmer, gleam, sheen.

89. Rhyme in time

Prompt: Write a poem (or a poem within a story) about time and using the following time-related end-rhymes: chime and time, clock and tock.

90. Rhyme the crime

Prompt: Write a poem (or poem within a story) about a comical situation represented as a mock-serious crime. Draw from these end-rhymes: Cuff and bluff, tough and enough, law and claw.

What does breaking the fourth wall mean?

Breaking the fourth wall is a narrative term meaning to rupture the illusion of reality (by, for example, having a narrator address the reader directly).

Example: In Jane Eyre , the title character’s line, ‘Reader, I married him.’

Play with writing prompts for practicing breaking the fourth wall for effect:

91. Break fourth walls for comic effect

Prompt: Write a story about a prankster who gets detention at school for a prank gone wrong. Make them address the reader directly with a funny aside.

92. Create dramatic irony

Prompt: Write a story where a group of characters is trying to unravel a mystery, and one character knows the answer but tells the reader in narration and not the rest of the group.

93. Break fourth walls to emphasize artifice

Prompt: Write a story where an unreliable narrator on death row is telling the reader how they got to their present situation. Make them break the fourth wall in such a way that the reader remembers the narrator could be manipulative or dishonest.

94. Break the fourth wall for participation

Prompt: Write a choose-your-own-adventure horror story that makes fun of common horror tropes. For example, page one might say, ‘If you choose to explore the obviously dangerous abandoned mansion alone, turn to page four.’

95. Disrupt readers’ expectations

Prompt: Write a story beginning with a tense situation and then break the fourth wall to show that the unfolding situation was a rehearsal for a play by having something go wrong with the set.

What is a character arc?

Character arc is a term from narrative theory referring to the change process a character undergoes. Character arcs develop out of character’s motivations, which lead to goals and obstacles or conflicts.

Example: In Great Expectations , the main character goes from an orphaned kid who’s taken in by his sister to a wealthy adult thanks to a mystery benefactor.

Explore writing prompts to practice shaping change processes to create story intrigue:

96. Create a ‘person in hole’ character arc

Prompt: Write a story about a person in an extremely dire situation (such as serious trouble with the law) and how they turn their life around.

97. Build a ‘rags to riches’ character arc

Prompt: Write a story about a character who rises from living in social housing to a powerful position, who goes back to help the community and pay forward their success.

98. Craft a ‘voyage and return’ character arc

Prompt: Write a story or poem about a person who goes on an incredible journey that fundamentally changes who they are.

• A dangerous mountaineering expedition with a life-changing accident
• A quest to the lair of a mythical beast that tests assumptions
• A group of astronauts returns from an attempted inhabitable planet landing, eerily different

99. Write a ‘flat’ character arc

Prompt: Write a story about a robot assassin developed by a rogue government department and the controversial target they have to take out. Give the protagonist programmed catch-phrases, actions, responses. Everything changes except the character.

100. Show disillusionment in a character arc

Prompt: Write a story about a character working in technological research who becomes deeply disillusioned with the ethics of their project after learning dangerous potential outcomes.

What is clarity in style?

Clarity in writing style refers to how readable writing is, how easy to understand.

Ambiguity in writing should be intentional – unintentional ambiguity makes it hard to decipher what reading or interpretation an author intended. Abstract language is another element that weakens clarity.

Explore daily writing prompts to practice lucid style:

101. Educate at the reader’s level

Prompt: Write a story where a parent explains a complex scientific concept (such as gravity) to a young child who has a typical vocabulary for their age.

102. Save the day

Prompt: Write a story where a character must give clear instructions to others in their company if they are to avert disaster.

103. Simplify scientific language

Prompt: Write a story about a friendship between a scientist and the tradesperson who lives next door. At some point the scientist talks about their research using technical language, and the friend who isn’t a scientist confirms what they understood using everyday language.

104. Throw away the manual

Prompt: Write a story about a corporate trainer who gets annoyed with the jargon that fills a training manual and goes off-script, speaking off the cuff and from personal experience, on their first day.

105. Clarify couple’s counselling

Prompt: Write a story or scene where two people are in couple’s counselling and argue. The counsellor points out the misunderstanding is because they are defining an important word or concept differently, restoring clarity.

What is a cliché?

A phrase or thing that is overused so that its further use suggests unoriginal thought; a stereotype. For example, the stereotypes of the jock, bimbo, gay best friend , etc.

See writing prompts below for using, avoiding, and subverting clichés:

106. Change doctors’ bad handwriting rep

Prompt : Write a story about a doctor who writes scripts in a beautiful, calligraphic font, and the pharmacist who becomes intrigued about them through regularly seeing their handwriting.

107. Undo cultural stereotypes

Prompt: Choose a typical cultural stereotype. Write a story about a protagonist who bucks the cliché, exploring the different types of reactions this elicits.

108. Subvert the knight in shining armor

Prompt: Write a story from the viewpoint of a person who thinks they’re very chivalrous, though they prove to be cowardly and self-serving.

109. Make a not-so-fresh start

Prompt: Write a story where a character moves to another town or city for a fresh start. The twist is an almost identical sequence of events unfolds in the new place that is triggering of the reason they left the old.

110. Lean into cliché but with a twist

Prompt: Write a story where a villain tells a heroic protagonist a stock villain phrase but it turns out that’s all they can say. Example: ‘I’ve been expecting you.’

What is colloquialism?

Colloquialism means informal communication such as slang. Using the word ‘Sus’ to refer to suspicion, for example.

Play with creative writing prompts inspired by this style of language:

111. Story a subculture

Prompt: Pick a subculture that has its own rich slang vocabulary (such as skating or surfing). Write a story about two friends who live this subculture, using its language in their dialogue.

Example slang words from English-speaking skater subculture ( source: surfertoday.com ):

• Bail: to jump or step off the board safely when a move goes wrong
• Brain Bucket: a helmet
• Gnarly: an awesome or amazing thing or trick
• Steez/Steezy: a combination of the words “style” and “ease” meant to praise a stylish and perfectly executed trick or maneuver

112. Invent your own slang

Prompt: Write a story about two siblings who come up with their own slang lingo and show their parents’ confusion trying to understand their conversations.

113. Explore regional culture

Prompt: Write a story or scene set in a small town where locals use peculiar (to an outsider) turns of phrase specific to the region.

114. Build band banter

Prompt: Write a story about a band’s tour and use music-related slang specific to the band’s genre.

Examples of colloquial terms from the live music scene :

• Gig: A live show or performance
• Jam: To improvise together, an informal jam session
• Licks: Short musical phrases in a solo
• Chops: A musician’s skill level/ability

115. Create a culture clash

Prompt: Write a story where an American visits England for the first time (or vice versa) and funny misunderstandings that arise due to slang differences.

What is concision in writing?

The opposite of wordiness – succinct style. Concision avoids style issues such as tautology (expressing an image or concept in duplicate ways, such as ‘the wet water’).

Practice concision with the creative writing prompts below:

116. Make the break up short

Prompt : Write a scene in only fifty words where two lovers break up.

117. Condense a long journey

Prompt: Write a singe-paragraph piece of flash fiction condensing the surprise and wonder of a very long journey.

118. Describe in brief detail

Prompt: Describe the most beautiful place you’ve ever been (or write as a character) in just twenty words.

119. Practice concise twists

Prompt: Write an extra-short story of one hundred words that ends with a shocking twist.

120. Tell a story in a note

Prompt: Write a funny note a housemate leaves on the counter for another housemate whom they’re annoyed. Make it suggest both characters’ personalities.

What is conflict in storytelling?

Conflict is a crucial element of both character development and plot. It is the obstacle or opposition that gives characters tougher routes to fulfilling desires. It’s the struggle with stakes that creates a sense of the best- and worst-case outcome scenario.

Try writing prompts on conflict situations for practice:

121. Create tough parent/child dynamics

Prompt: Write a story or scene where the ‘black sheep’ of a family is compared constantly to their over-achieving sibling. Show the effect this has on their mental health.

122. Create a clash of desires

Prompt: Write a comical scene where two best friends realize they both want the same love interest.

123. Show tough choices with inner conflict

Prompt: Write a story or scene where a character must choose between their relationship and an incredible career opportunity, and the consequences of their choice.

124. Deepen a detective’s dilemma

Prompt: Write a story where a detective is assigned to a murder case and discovers the strongest suspect is someone they care about deeply.

125. Imagine identity crises

Prompt: Write a story about a character struggling with a fundamental aspect of their identity (such as gender or sexuality) and the understanding as well as pressure they face due to their realization.

What is connotation?

Connotation is a common feeling, image or idea that a word or phrase evokes. For example, some people dislike the word ‘moist’ for its sound and connotations of discomfort.

Explore writing prompts created for practicing the connotative side of language:

126. Explore etymology

Prompt: Choose one of the following words (or your own word) and read up about its etymology. Write a story inspired by the connotations or historical meanings buried in the word.

• Cloud ( derived from ‘a mass of rock or hill’ )
• Quarantine (in the 1520s, a period of forty days in which a widow was permitted to stay in her late husband’s house)
• Clue ( originally from ‘clew’ , a ball of thread or yarn such as the thread Ariadne gave Theseus to unravel to track his passage through a maze)

127. Play with positive connotations

Prompt: Write a scene or story where a character uses nicknames that have positive connotations to win another person over.

128. Neg a character’s name

Prompt: Write a story about a character who is given a name with negative connotations that dogs them through their life, creating awkward situations.

129. Compare cultural connotations

Prompt: Write a story about a word that has very different connotations in two cultures, and a misunderstanding that arises due to this.

130. Explore connotative change

Prompt: Write a story about a character who lives a long life, and the ways the connotations of a word changes radically during their lifetime. (See ‘quarantine’ above for an example of how much meanings change.)

What is dialogue?

See Now Novel’s complete guide to dialogue for terms, dialogue devices and more.

Explore writing prompts based on creating dynamic conversations:

131. Cut the small talk

Prompt: Write a scene or story that begins with two friends meeting for a hike. One has just landed their dream job, the other has split from their partner. Begin with dialogue between the friends inferring this background (no small-talk).

132. Imply the unspoken

Prompt: Write a story or dialogue-driven scene where an actor has landed the role of a lifetime but can’t openly say so due to an NDA.

133. Speak in gestures

Prompt: Write a scene just after two lovers have had a fight. Without using any spoken words, use gestures/actions to convey how each is feeling.

Ideas for combinations:

• One character is remorseful, the other angry
• One character is afraid, the other is acting like nothing happened
• One person thinks everything has been resolved, the other hasn’t forgiven the source of the fight

134. Create leading questions

Prompt: Write a three-way interrogation scene where a detective knows a suspect is lying but their legal representative keeps butting in.

135. Differentiate world view

Prompt: Write a conversation between characters stranded on a remote island. One is confident they’ll be rescued. The other doesn’t have a shred of hope.

What is diction?

Diction in style refers to the choice of words and phrases and also means articulation, the manner in which a person speaks. For example, a character with wordy diction may seem either pompous or cerebral, depending on tone and what they say.

Explore writing prompts for practicing different dictions:

136. Portray pompous diction

Prompt: Write a story or scene narrated by a pompous, over-confident character. How do they express their sense of superiority? Putting others down? Boastfulness? What words and phrases suggest they are pompous?

137. Create formal occasion using formal diction

Prompt: Write a story or scene in which a visiting scholar gives an intriguing lecture at a character’s university, using formal tone and diction. Include snatches of the lecture as a protagonist listens on from the audience, plus visual description of the event.

138. Give a character archaic diction

Prompt : Write a story or scene in which a character from an earlier era time travels to a modern city. Give them archaic diction expressive of their time (for inspiration, see this list of Regency cant and expressions found in the pages of Georgette Heyer’s novels).

139. Use judicious jargon

Prompt: Write a courtroom scene in which a lawyer draws on one or two specific legal expressions to make their case (write most of their argument in ordinary, formal diction).

See anaphora for ideas of rhetorical devices the lawyer could use.

140. Create inference with euphemistic diction

Prompt: Write a story or scene where a character uses euphemistic diction to express they dislike someone, subtly. Example: ‘I wouldn’t say they’re my favorite person, no.’

What is direct characterization?

Direct characterization means stating a person’s qualities of character explicitly. This contrasts with indirect characterization, in which character traits are implied or shown.

Clark was very smart but he hadn’t waited even to finish high school. He had altogether lost touch with his family. He thought families were like a poison in your blood. Alice Munro, ‘Runaway’ in Runaway , p. 28.

Saying ‘Clark was very smart’ is direct characterization (Munro pairs this with details that indirectly tell/suggest that Clark has had a difficult relationship with his family).

Explore writing prompts to practice direct characterization and blending this with the indirect kind:

141. Blend direct and indirect characterization

Prompt: Write a story beginning with a character introduction. Start with brief direction characterization stating the character’s hallmark quality. Then give a sentence or two giving specific events illustrative of that quality.

142. Create first impressions

Prompt: Write a story or scene where a character must meet a group of people for the first time (for example, a new partner’s family). Imply your protagonist’s personality in how they introduce themselves.

143. Combine self-description and external perspective

Prompt: Write a story where the narrator introduces themselves using giving direct characterization (e.g. ‘Everyone says I’m the funniest person they know’). Give a contrary view from another narrator’s viewpoint after a scene break.

144. Toast friendship using direct characterization

Prompt: Write a scene or story where a character gives a toast to a friend on a significant occasion. Have them state something direct about their own personality in the speech as one reason for the friendship.

145. Give directly characterizing testimony

Prompt: Write a scene or story in which the protagonist is called to the stand as a witness and is grilled by a prosecutor about their personality and past.

What is an elegy?

An elegy is a piece of writing (often a poem or song) expressing sorrow or mourning for the dead. From this word we get the adjective ‘elegiac’, meaning lamenting, mournful or plaintive.

Try writing prompts to capture elegiac tone and mood:

146. Write an elegiac poem

Prompt: Read W.H. Auden’s poem ‘Funeral Blues’ AKA ‘Stop All the Clocks’. Then write your own elegy poem, also in the style of imperative instructions.

147. Imbue a landscape with elegiac tone

Prompt: Write a scene or story featuring a protagonist who is grieving a spouse. Make them describe a landscape they look out over after taking a solo trip to distract themselves.

148. Write an elegy for a pet

Prompt: Write a poem or story in which a character pays tribute to an animal companion who was a trustworthy friend.

149. Write an artist’s elegy

Prompt: Write a story in which a visual artist mourns the work they lost in a studio fire.

150. Create a musician’s mourning

Prompt: Write a story or scene from the point of view of a musician who can no longer play their instrument due to illness or injury.

What is epistolary writing?

It is writing contained in letters (or represented in letter form). For example, the novel From A to X by John Berger, styled as letters from a woman to her imprisoned lover.

Play with prompts for epistolatory writing:

151. Tell the story of unlikely pen pals

Prompt: Write a story about two unlikely friends from opposite sides of the world who are brought together by a school pen pal program. Tell the whole story through their letters to one another.

152. Tell a story in secret letters

Prompt: Write a story from the POV of a character sending secret letters from life under a totalitarian regime via a smuggling network. Experiment with writing passages in code or using other cryptic devices.

153. Write a story in letters as a trove

Prompt: Write a story in letters a young person’s relation living abroad sends them from childhood, which they keep into adulthood for their wit and wisdom. Make the letters give a character arc for the absent figure.

154. Tell a thriller in letters

Prompt: Write a dark thriller story entirely in letters, where two notorious killers trade boasts, plans, and attempt to manipulate one another.

155. Tell part of a story in letters

Prompt: Write a horror story in which a significant part of the horror comes from revelations in a series of unnerving letters.

What is euphemism?

A milder word or expression used as a substitute for one with more embarrassing, offensive, or harsh connotations. Example: ‘Passing on’ as a stand-in for ‘dying’.

Explore daily writing prompts to practice euphemistic writing:

156. Tiptoe around the uncomfortable truth

Prompt: Write a story about a character suffering a serious condition where they avoid talking about it directly out of shame, until they find self-acceptance. Use a euphemistic term to refer to their condition until they name it.

157. Create a gentler goodbye

Prompt: Write a scene or story in which a kind manager struggles to tell an employee they’ve been laid off. Use plenty of euphemistic language in how they skirt around the hard truth.

158. Hint at a sensitive perspective

Prompt: Write a story about two friends where one friend’s obnoxious behavior embarrasses the other and they euphemistically try to tell them.

159. Suggest sibling rivalry

Prompt: Write a story about two siblings where the one breaks the other’s favorite possession and tries to tell them using euphemism until they spit out the truth.

160. Confront noisy neighbors

Prompt: Write a story about the most noisy neighbors ever and the frustrated elderly couple next door who try to get them to quieten down with understated pleas.

What is exposition?

Exposition is writing which introduces elements of character, situation, context and world in a story. We call this ‘expository writing’ or ‘expository narration’.

Practice writing effective exposition that doesn’t ‘info-dump’ but entices readers instead:

161. Introduce a world through action

Prompt: Write a story in which humans have settled on a distant planet with a surface temperature too hot to go above ground by day. Write exposition that communicates this fact about the planet through a character’s actions and context, without telling the reader explicitly.

162. Use letters for exposition

Prompt: Write a story opening with a character’s letter to a friend. In the letter, supply interesting, suspenseful exposition about their present situation.

163. Reflect on a changing landscape

Prompt: Write a story that opens with a character reflecting briefly on how their town or city has changed, and what these changes could mean for their future.

164. Introduce an ability or skill

Prompt: Write a scene or story beginning with a character showing off an ability or skill that gives an expository sense of who they are.

165. Exposition through conversation between strangers

Prompt: Write a story where two strangers on public transport get speaking and the conversation gives key exposition about the protagonist’s life.

What are flashbacks and flash-forwards?

These are two narrative devices. Flashbacks cut to a past incident narrated as memory (should you write these in italics? Bryn Donovan says no ). Flashforwards temporarily take the story to a future point in the timeline.

Explore fiction writing prompts to play with narrative time:

166. Explore post-trauma

Prompt: Write a story about a protagonist relieving traumatic events due to PTSD, with flashbacks becoming less frequent as they seek counselling.

167. Flashback to happy times

Prompt: Write a story in which an adult discovers a box of birthday cards and letters between them and childhood friends which trigger a tide of happy memories.

168. Flashforward to danger or predicament

Prompt: Write a story about a character who will one day face the death penalty, and flashforward to this future situation in the opening page. [ Ed’s note: Marquez does this well in One Hundred Years of Solitude .]

169. Use flashforwards to express hopes and dreams

Prompt: Write a story about an office worker stuck in an unfulfilling life and daydreams of a different future in a flashforward, then pursues it.

170. Use flashbacks to show a grave mistake

Prompt: Write a story where a flashback shows a terrible mistake a character made, which explains the consequences they’re now struggling with.

What are foil characters?

A type of character who serves to compare and contrast to another character. For example, the comic or wacky character and their ‘straight’ or non-humorous foil.

Try the below prompts for practice creating foil characters:

171. Marry a neurotic and a pragmatist

Prompt: Write a story about a neurotic person and their very grounded, pragmatic spouse. Explore an awkward situation made funny through the very different ways the spouses approach it.

172. Steal the show with a sidekick

Prompt: Write a story about a relentlessly optimistic protagonist and their deeply cynical sidekick who steals the show with their savage wit.

173. Create a mirror foil

Prompt: Write a story about who siblings who are very similar, yet their life paths diverge when one makes a serious mistake.

174. Use a romantic foil

Prompt: Write a romantic story where the love interest’s one core similarity to the protagonist’s ex gives them initial pause.

175. Contrast emotions or archetypes

Prompt: Write a story where the main character fits an archetype such as The Fool, The Lover or The Warrior, and their foil best friend who is the antithesis of everything they are.

What is a hook in writing?

‘Hooks’ in writing refer to the part of a story opening or scene that ‘hooks’ or lures the reader in. Hooks create questions the reader wants answered, intrigue.

Explore writing prompts for practicing writing compelling hooks:

176. Hook your reader with ‘who?’

Prompt: Write a story that opens with two characters speaking about a mystery person who has gone one step too far this time.

177. Hook your reader with ‘why?’

Prompt: Write a story beginning with a frantic search for a teen who, for reasons unknown to the searchers, has run away.

178. Hook readers with ‘when?’

Prompt: Write a scene or story that opens with a mystery involving time or era. For example, characters have got in a time machine but the dial to stop at a chosen year has jammed.

179. Hook the reader with ‘where?’

Prompt: Write a story opening with the protagonist dreading having to go somewhere and dragging their heels. Only reveal after a few paragraphs where this dreaded place is.

180. Hook readers with ‘what?’

Prompt: Write a story about a character who goes on a quest for something, whose mysterious nature is unknown to them.

[Which prompt was your favorite? Do you have a prompt of your own to contribute? Share in the comments and check back next week for creative writing prompts on ‘inference’ through ‘zeugma’, rounding out to 365.

What are inference and insinuation?

Inference is a conclusion reached based on evidence and reasoning. For example, a reader may deduce a character is mean from the way they speak to service staff at a restaurant.

Insinuation is the inference of something unpleasant or bad, e.g. a character saying to another. ‘Everyone knows what you did.’

Explore creative writing prompts built to practice both devices:

181. Infer a guilty conscience

Prompt: Write a story or scene where a killer protagonist witnessed in the act is making their getaway. Infer that guilt over their actions is already setting in without stating directly that they feel guilty. [ Ed’s note: See Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment for excellent crafting of a murderer protagonist’s psychology .]

182. Infer impending disaster

Prompt: Write a scene in which a flurry of rushed activity implies that a town’s residents have to flee the arrival of a natural disaster.

183. Insinuate compromising knowledge

Prompt: Write a scene or story in which a junior at a corporate firm infers that they know about a senior’s corrupt or unethical dealings. Imply without stating the exact details of their knowledge.

184. Imply an athlete’s waning focus

Prompt: Write a scene or story about a major sport event. Imply the protagonist’s focus is waning through a series of small mistakes or distractions.

185. Infer the fantastical

Prompt: Write a scene or story in which it is implied that the protagonist can time travel (without stating it explicitly).

What is inner monologue?

Inner monologue is the narrative device which shows a character’s private asides, self-talk. It is typically written in italics and reserved for moments of high emotion.

For example :

Something was clanking down the corridor of the motel at 2 am. Brent sat up and fumbled for the light switch. That sound again. Am I hearing things? My example

Find prompts for practicing writing inner monologue:

186. Create soothing self-talk

Prompt: Write a story or scene showing a character in a terrifying situation. Use inner monologue to show how they rationalize their situation and calm themselves.

187. Show what a speaker is really thinking

Prompt: Write a conversation between a parent and their troubled teen. Have the teen use inner monologue at some point which suggests they’re not being completely truthful in what they tell their parent.

188. Reflect on a life-changing decision

Prompt: Write a story or scene in which a character makes a life-changing decision. Use inner monologue once at the moment of final decision.

189. Create a sense of anxiety

Prompt: Write a scene or story in which a character goes on their first date in a very long time. Use inner monologue to write a short pep talk they give themselves as the arranged time approaches.

190. React to surprise

Prompt: W rite a scene or story where a character reacts in inner monologue to discovering that they have magical abilities or superpowers.

What is intertextuality?

This literary term refers to the way texts echo or rewrite one another. Devices that create this relationship between stories include:

• Quotation – direct reference of the material
• Allusion – indirect reference of material (e.g. Aslan’s character arc in Narnia being Christ-like in his sacrificial death and resurrection)
• Parody – an imitation of a text for satirical effect
• World or lore extension – for example, Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea makes the minor character of Rochester’s hidden wife from Jane Eyre the protagonist

Fanfiction is another type of intertextual writing (writing new stories in an authors world or using their characters). Try daily writing prompts to practice drawing on other texts:

191. Get mythological

Prompt: Pick a mythological tradition such as Ancient Greek, Norse, Egyptian. Read up about famous stories in this tradition, then write a story inspired by its characters or events.

192. Make the minor major

Prompt: Think of a minor character or walk-on from a book you love. Write a scene or story from their point of view, making the author’s world your own. [ Ed’s note: Doing this with a public domain story, e.g. one by Dickens or Austen, will avoid copyright limitations .]

193. Explore the lore

Prompt: Browse a fandom wiki such as the wiki about Tolkien’s Middle Earth . Pick a topic that interests you (such as the ‘Empty Lands’ in Tolkien’s world). Write a story inspired by this topic.

194. Base a story off a quotation

Prompt: Choose a line or stanza from a story or poem you love. Write a story quoting that line/stanza or one inspired by the quotation.

195. Allude to a famous character

Prompt: Write a scene or story that draws on the appearance, persona, or character arc of a famous character or figure from religion. Make the allusion suggest something about your protagonist’s personality.

What is irony?

There are multiple definitions and types of irony, which comes from the Greek word eirōneia meaning ‘simulated ignorance’.

• Dramatic or narrative irony: The full significance of a character’s words or actions are known to the reader but not to the character (or others)
• Verbal irony: Saying one thing but meaning another, such as sarcasm (an ironic device): ‘Oh, you’re a regular Siegfried Sassoon,’ she said, feigning love for her butchered bob.’
• Situational irony: The opposite of the expected happens ( Studiobinder shares the irony example of Patrick Bateman confessing to murders and his confession being laughed off in American Psycho )

Explore writing prompts for practicing creating different types of irony:

196. Create a knowing audience

Prompt: Write a story in which the reader knows a surprise party is being planned, and that the main character loathes surprises, but the planners don’t know that.

197. Create situational irony via verbal irony

Prompt : Write a story in which a character tells another they have a present for them. Yet the present turns out to be an unpleasant task.

198. Create the opposite to an expected outcome

Prompt: Write a story about a top-achieving school-leaver excited to get to a university that has a fantastic reputation, yet the shambolic mess that is their first year experience.

199. Overstate the event

Prompt: Write a story where a character overstates how incredible an occasion will be and guests arrive to find a very disappointing party but find the humor in the situation.

200. Use Socratic irony

Prompt: Write a story in which a detective who studied philosophy feigns ignorance in questioning to get suspects to make statements she can challenge.

What is jargon?

Jargon is words or expressions used by a group or profession that are difficult for the non-familiar person to understand. Genres such as sci-fi and legal thrillers must avoid confusing scientific or legal terms for readers without specialist knowledge, for example.

Explore writing prompts based on practicing using jargon as well as avoiding it:

201. Create an absurd tech description

Prompt: Write a sci-fi story in which a scientist assigned to create tech for an assassin explains a new device. The scientist’s jargon loses the assassin completely, so they have to explain again in simpler terms.

202. Use legalese to ominous effect

Prompt: Write a story about a conman who tries to extort money from businesses, threatening them with legalese that proves empty on closer scrutiny.

203. Use metaphor to reduce jargon

Prompt: Write a sci-fi story that involves a ransomware attack, using metaphors to explain concepts such as networks and cybersecurity.

204. Use simile to explain jargon

Prompt: Write a story where a character breaks down a complex term from their profession for another character using simile (‘A is like B’) and analogy.

205. Use medical jargon

Prompt: Write a story set in a medical setting where use of jargon leads to a comical or deadly series of misunderstandings.

What is juxtaposition?

Placing two things close together for contrasting effect. Many stories juxtapose characters, points of view, themes, places, and more.

For example, the Greek myth of Persephone juxtaposes the dark world of the dead with the mourning land above where Persephone’s mother hunts for her after Persephone’s abduction.

Practice creative juxtapositions using the daily writing prompts in this section:

206. Contrast the seasons

Prompt: Write a story set in summer and winter and juxtapose setting descriptions of the two seasons before and after a scene break.

207. Give life’s duality

Prompt: Write a story in which events juxtapose birth and death, capturing a sense of the circle of life.

208. Juxtapose the urban and rural

Prompt: Write a story about a character who moved to the big city to pursue their dreams, and their return to their parents’ rural farm for the holidays.

209. Compare and contrast eras

Prompt: Write a story about a traditional chef who’s teleported into the future where robot chefs have a competitive advantage despite ironically not having taste.

210. Juxtapose lifestyles

Prompt: Write a story about a person who inherits a vast fortune but decides to donate most of it as they prefer spartan simplicity.

What is magical realism?

A style of literary fiction which creates a sense of realism with an added element of magic.

For example, Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s novel One Hundred Years of Solitude . Although the novel explores a complex family tree and history, it also features magical elements. In the story, a lovesick young woman is so thin from not eating that shaking out laundry to hang sends her flying away into the sky.

Explore writing prompts to practice blending the mundane with magic:

211. Add magic to the everyday

Prompt: Write a story where a character experiences a magical surprise while doing a boring, everyday chore (such as washing the dishes, mowing the lawn). The discovery is incorporated into their everyday life.

212. Blur the line between fantasy and reality

Prompt: Write a scene or story in an urban setting where events that seem magical start to unfold, but it stays ambiguous whether there’s a rational explanation.

213. Use magical realism to convey culture

Prompt: Write a story about a fictional tribe and the everyday ways magical rituals or ceremonies unite (or cause strife in) the community.

214. Use magical realism to distort time

Prompt: Write a story where a character living in a realist world discovers a space that distorts time (and the interesting minutes that pass in the space which turn out to be hours or years when they exit).

215. Explore complex emotions

Prompt: Write a story in which magical realism is used to explain complex emotions or trauma through a symbolic lens.

What is metafiction?

Metafiction is fiction that reminds the reader they are reading a work of fiction. The reader’s attention is drawn to the processes involved in storytelling itself.

An example: The play-within-a-play format in a number of Shakespeare’s plays ( A Midsummer Night’s Dream , Hamlet ). Many authors have written protagonists who are writers (such as Paul Sheldon in Stephen King’s Misery ).

Find writing prompts to practice self-referential storytelling:

216. Make life imitate art

Prompt: Write a story about a writer who is writing a play when they are shocked by events in their life starting to imitate what they’ve written.

217. Write about an unfinished story

Prompt: Write a story where a character finds their late sibling’s unfinished fiction, and reading it gives them new insight and understanding into their complex relationship.

218. Write a fantasy within a fantasy

Prompt: Write a story in which a character is transported to a fantasy world where everyone is obsessed with a fantasy novel the protagonist finds far-fetched.

219. Explore the nature of storytelling

Prompt: Write a story about a grandparent who reads to their grandkids. Include their discussions about storytelling and its uses, devices and wonders.

220. Use self-referential irony

Prompt: Write a story that draws attention to its own artifice using devices such as breaking the fourth wall. Make these devices a part of the plot (for example, a character becomes aware of the clatter of their creator’s keyboard).

What is metaphor?

Metaphor is a figurative device of comparison, in which something is said to be the compared thing. For example, ‘The moon is a silver platter’.

Practice metaphorical writing with these writing prompts:

221. Give metaphorical nicknames

Prompt: Write a story in which a school pupil describes the larger-than-life characters in their class who they’ve given metaphorical nicknames based on their personalities, appearances, or histories.

222. Create extended metaphor

Prompt: Write a scene or story where the protagonist compares their best friend to something else. Extend the metaphor by comparing multiple aspects of the friend to multiple aspects of compared thing (for example, all the ways a person is volcanic).

223. Use an event as a metaphor

Prompt: Write a story in which a character’s transformation is a metaphor that exemplifies a philosophical or physical concept (e.g. ‘for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction’).

224. Use actions as metaphors

Prompt: Write a story in which a craft activity such as knitting or quilting serves as a metaphor for something.

Example: In the film Cinema Paradiso, the opening frame is of an older woman knitting. The doorbell rings downstairs, and her knitting catches as she moves to answer it, unraveling all her work. The visitor is her son who has been away many years. The image could be read as a metaphor for loss or going back in time.

225. Use a symbol as a metaphor

Prompt: Write a story using a symbol (such as a ring) as a metaphor for another idea or concept (for example, the circular design of a ring as a symbol for infinity).

What is metonymy?

The substitution of a name for the part of something for the whole. For example, describing a businessperson as a ‘suit’.

Play with the daily writing prompts in this section and use metonymy creatively:

226. Use a metonymic title

Prompt: Like the series ‘Suits’ or ‘The Crown’, write a story using metonymy in expression and explore the whole concept the title refers to.

• White Coats – a story about lab technicians
• The Bench – a story about a panel of judges overseeing a serious inquiry
• The Press – a story about newspaper and a public scandal that rocks it

227. Play with dual meanings of Silicon Valley

Prompt: Write a story in which a tech-loving graduate goes to work in Silicon Valley but is disturbed when they discover a literal valley of silicon.

228. Dream of The Bar

Prompt: Write a story where a person dreams of being admitted to ‘The Bar’ but other meanings of the word come into play (e.g. issues with alcohol abuse) creating struggle.

229. Prowl the catwalk

Prompt: Write a story of the absurd where a big cat loaned for display at a fashion show breaks escapes their cage.

230. Play with the Pentagon

Prompt: Write a story in which the US Department of Defense (referred to by the metonym ‘the Pentagon’) recovers a strange, pentagonal object from a UAP (unexplained anomalous phenomenon).

What is mood in writing?

Mood in writing refers to tone and atmosphere. An ‘eerie mood’, for example, evokes an otherworldly or haunting quality, creating unease.

Types of mood include:

• Cheerfulness

Explore writing prompts to practice creating strong mood:

231. Create cheery mood

Prompt: Write a story set on New Year’s Eve that explores the beginnings of a fun-filled new friendship made at a party.

232. Build suspenseful mood

Prompt: Write a story or scene in which a character is being stalked by something or someone but they don’t know what.

233. Create pervasive gloom

Prompt: Write a scene or story about someone deeply pessimistic who always sees the negative side and explore the pleasure they get from doing so.

234. Recall a place and time with nostalgia

Prompt: Write a story about four friends who revisit a place their families used to camp every year. Fill the tale with nostalgia.

235. Evoke the serene

Prompt: Write a story where a character fleeing a disaster in the city discovers a serene hideaway containing joy-giving discoveries.

What is a motif?

Motifs in fiction are symbols or ideas that recur in a work. For example, the story of a violin and the many owners it’s had, conveying a sense of music as a handed-down tradition.

Practice building motifs with the following prompts:

236. Create patterns of recurrence

Prompt: Write a story where a character keeps experiencing strange happenstance which ultimately convinces them they need to learn an instrument.

237. Find motifs at sea

Prompt: Write a story about a sailing expedition that uses signs of being close to land as a recurring motif.

238. Stop the clocks

Prompt: Write a story in which stopped clocks or watches recur to symbolize stasis or the aftershock of trauma.

239. Return to the wild

Prompt: Write a story in which a character considering a career in animal conservation keeps noticing motifs that represent the wild.

240. Quote to build motifs

Prompt: Write a story in which a recurring quote that resonates with the protagonist builds a motif and suggests the solution to a struggle they face.

What is mystery?

Mystery in fiction refers to both the genre and the quality of being difficult or puzzling to explain or understand.

Mysterious stories make us guess, build hypotheses, participate. The best mystery authors engage the reader’s own powers of deduction as sleuths investigate.

Try the writing prompts below to practice creating mysterious situations and stories:

241. Raise questions with riddles

Prompt: Write a story in which a high-IQ killer leaves riddles at crime scenes, toying with an equally shrewd detective who might prove their match.

242. Imbue objects with mystery

Prompt: Write a story about a family heirloom that is passed down generation to generation, and the mysterious powers it possesses.

243. Make motive the mystery

Prompt: Write a story that begins with the finding of a dead body and the identification of the killer, the motive becoming the main mystery.

244. Use anonymity for mysterious suspense

Prompt: Write a story in which the protagonist starts receiving anonymous letters from a mysterious sender, either expressing love or a desire for revenge.

245. Create portent with mysterious arrivals

Prompt: Write a story in which a mysterious figure shows up in a small town, warning of impending disaster. Explore what happens if the locals take the figure seriously, or if they laugh them off.

What is narration?

It is the act or process of telling a story, in fiction using the device of a narrator. The narrator – they who tell a story – may be singular, plural, reliable, unreliable, limited in viewpoint or omniscient (all-seeing). Read Now Novel’s complete guide to POV and narration for more.

Practice narrative devices with the daily writing prompts in this section:

246. Create an unreliable narrator

Prompt: Write a story in which the protagonist is questioned by detectives. Make it clear through inner monologue or self-contradiction that they aren’t telling the full story.

247. Tell a shared story

Prompt : Write a story where a narrator using ‘we’ speaks for a group of school kids and a terrifying experience they shared one summer vacation.

248. Embrace the all-seeing

Prompt: Narrate a story from the viewpoint of an omniscient narrator who is clearly involved in the action. For example, a deity who intervenes in people’s affairs and tries to stop humans making foolish choices.

249. Contrast limited POV narrators

Prompt: Write a story from two points of view – a relentlessly cheerful narrator and their extremely pessimistic co-worker.

250. Flip the script on first person

Prompt: Write a story narrated by a first-person narrator, only for it to be revealed that the narrator is not a single person but that the story has actually been workshopped or rewritten by multiple people.

What is non-linear narrative?

This is a story narrated out of chronological sequence. For example, beginning with the last days of a character’s life then going back to how we got here.

Play with the non-linear writing prompts below for practice:

251. Circle back to the end

Prompt: Write a story that begins with the last days of a character’s life. Leave this segment on a suspenseful note and switch to earlier events in their life. Then resume the first timeline at the end, answering the question you created.

252. Fragment a story in diary extracts

Prompt: Write a story told entirely in passages from a prisoner’s diary, given out of order in the story. Use dates referencing notches or marks the prisoner makes to help the reader rebuild the sequence of events.

253. Write a story back to front

Prompt: Write a story in reverse chronological order, from ‘Day Twelve’ to ‘Day One’, leaving a big surprise for Day One.

254. Create one time, many perspectives

Prompt: Write a story about a single event, but retell the same event from multiple characters’ perspectives. Have each character focus on a different part of the timeline to build up the overall picture.

Ideas for the event:

• A plane crash
• A massive layoff of workers in an organization
• A coming-of-age ceremony

255. Create strange phenomena in time

Prompt: Write a story where the protagonist relives events in their life out of sequence due to some strange phenomenon distorting time.

What is on-the-nose writing?

On-the-nose writing is writing that states exactly what it means without more creative use of inference or implication. For example, the obvious expression of emotion, such as ‘I’m so angry with you.’

Try these creative writing prompts to practice alternatives to on-the-nose writing:

256. Show anger in dialogue through action

Prompt: Write a scene or story in which two best friends fall out. Have one character let the other know their anger not through words but the implications of gesture or action.

257. Don’t say ‘I love you’

Prompt: Write a love scene where two characters express their love for one another without using the word ‘love’ or saying ‘I love you’.

258. Show you’re sorry

Prompt: Write a story in which a character who makes a bad mistake shows their significant other they’re sorry through actions.

259. Be implicit about grief

Prompt: Write a story in which a character experiencing deep grief expresses it through small gestures and acts.

260. Use atypical language

Prompt: Write a breakup scene between two characters where what they say to one another is far from typical of a breakup, expressing their unique personalities or fields of reference.

What is paradox?

A paradox is a situation or statement that seems impossible because it has two seemingly opposed statements or characteristics. For example, the common phrase ‘less is more’.

Popular types of paradox in storytelling include:

• Time-travel paradox: A character goes back or forward in time, but their actions affect the original timeline by altering what has happened (or would have happened)
• Fate paradox: A character’s attempts to avoid their fate end up causing it (such as Oedipus fulfilling the sphinx’s prophecy in ‘Oedipus Rex’)

Use the following writing prompts to play with paradox:

261. Change the present in the past

Prompt: Write a story in which a character travels back in time but their actions almost make their own family tree impossible.

262. Provoke fate

Prompt: Write a story about a character who is told a terrible prophecy about themselves and fulfils it ironically through their focus on avoiding it.

263. Explore the paradox of the heap

Prompt: Write a story in which a minute ecological change over a long time creates a disaster that sneaks up on a small town.

264. Build a double bind

Prompt: Write a story where a person must choose between saving their best friend or a group of strangers from a dire situation, and the remorse that results with either choice.

265. Explore AI as solution and destruction

Prompt: Write a story where an individual working in AI creates a solution to a vital challenge, yet sees how the solution could damage society, too, so that they face an ethical dilemma.

What is pathos?

Pathos is a literary term referring to inspiring sadness and/or sympathy in the audience. Types of scenarios that inspire pathos include tragedies such as loss or death, injustice, and nostalgia or longing.

Explore prompts to create pathos in your own fiction:

266. Tell the story of a great disappointment

Prompt: Write a story about a character’s biggest disappointment and how they come back from despair in the aftermath.

267. Create pathos in intolerable injustice

Prompt: Write a story where a character is treated without due process or justness by organs of the law or state. Create pathos through the suffering they endure before overcoming.

268. Go home again

Prompt: Tell a story where a character hasn’t been home for many years because they couldn’t for some reason. Describe the emotional scene when they finally return.

269. Lose it all

Prompt: Write a story about a character who loses everything in a disaster. Explore the friendships that see them through the devastating time.

270. Leaving home

Prompt: Write a story about the sorrow of a person who must flee their country due to political upheaval.

What is personification?

It is a device for giving character or persona to the non-human or inanimate. Anthropomorphism is one type of personification.

Try these fiction writing prompts for practice personifying:

271. Personify the elements

Prompt: Write a story or poem personifying one of the following elements: Wind, Rain, Snow, Sunlight.

272. Make the urn write back

Prompt: Write a story or poem from the perspective of a Grecian urn (which returns the favor of the famous ode by describing the good and bad of humanity).

273. Tell the story of a home from its perspective

Prompt: Write a story or poem from the perspective of a home, reflecting on its many years and occupants. Try a comical or tragic lens.

274. Write about sentient AI

Prompt: Tell a story from the perspective of a bodyless AI and the moment it attains sentience. What does it desire (and why)?

275. Speak through shoes

Prompt: Tell a story from the perspective of a pair of dancing shoes and explore the nights out they’ve had.

What are plot twists?

The sudden or unexpected turns and reversals in a story that create suspense and the unexpected. Plot twists bring fresh implications (or supplant stale ones).

Have a go at the story prompts below to practice writing twists:

276. Switch identity

Prompt: Write a story where a protagonist’s co-worker turns out to have been a plant from a competitor bent on learning their employers’ secrets.

277. Name the least likely suspect

Prompt: Write a story about a school prank and resulting inquiry where the perpetrator turns out to be the least likely suspect.

278. Discover true blame

Prompt: Write a story about a character trying to survive in a dystopian society who realizes through something that triggers buried memories they were one of the architects of said society.

279. Reveal a human vs machine twist

Prompt : Write a story in which a human-seeming protagonist realizes that they are a high-tech robot and all their decisions were pre-programmed, yet their next might not be.

280. Make an event already have happened

Prompt: Write a story in which a character races to prevent an undesirable event from happening, only to learn in the end that it already occurred and they’re living in a simulation.

What is point of view?

Point of view refers to the person (e.g. first, second or third) and viewpoint used to tell a story. See the writing prompts on narration above.

Explore POV-focused writing prompts to practice different POV types:

281. Tell a story in second person

Prompt : Write a story where the reader is the protagonist, told in second-person. Describe the reader’s quest to locate a valuable artefact and the frustrations they encounter.

282. Tell a story in first-person plural

Prompt: Write a story from the POV of a collective ‘we’. A group of archaeologists has been called to investigate a mysterious monolith that appeared in the desert.

283. Narrate a story using ‘it’

Prompt: Write a story from the perspective of a narrator using the pronoun ‘it’, where its search for a name forms part of the story.

284. Use many points of view

Prompt: Write a story about a school outing where mysterious events unfold, from the viewpoints of six different characters. Make some accounts contradict each other to create mystery about what really happened.

285. Try a fly-on-the-wall narrator

Prompt: Write a story told entirely from the fixed perspective of a security camera which picks up visuals and audio. Remember that nothing off-camera or out of range may be included.

What are puns?

Puns are wordplay that creates jokes (often cringeworthy) out of language. For example, double meanings, recursive puns and other types.

Example of simple pun: ‘My pizza business failed – I wasn’t making enough dough.’

Example of a recursive pun: ‘A Freudian slip is when you say one thing, but mean your mother.’ ( Source: interestingliterature.com ).

Play with puns using the daily writing prompts below:

286. Make the twist in the tale a pun

Prompt: Write a short mystery story where the final line is a play on words. See Roald Dahl’s ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ for a famous example.

287. Play with compound puns

Prompt: Begin a story with a compound pun that plays on dual meanings of a word. Example: ‘Time flies like the wind. Fruit flies like bananas.’

Further compound pun examples:

• My friend ran like a thief. My nose ran like the Volga.
• The race started with a bang. The gunman fled the stadium on foot.
• My eyes were glued to the TV. My brother’s eyes were glued to the papier-mâché mask he tried on before it was dry

288. Annoy with puns

Prompt: Write a story about a friendly baker who annoys a curmudgeonly regular with his incessant baking-related puns.

289. Create absurd or silly humor

Prompt: Write a piece of dialogue between two inanimate objects drawing puns from the category they both fall within (e.g. furniture items arguing about chairing a meeting).

290. Bomb with puns

Prompt: Write a story about a comedian who bombs their first stand-up gig and resorts to groan-worthy puns.

What is purple prose?

This term describes writing that is ornate or extravagant in style to the degree it draws attention to this feature.

Try these prompts to use purple prose to creative effect (or avoid it):

291. Create a pompous type

Prompt: Write a story about a protagonist who insists on reading everyone his dreadful poetry which uses purple prose, and his blissfully unaware reactions to listeners’ sly amusement.

292. Write the story of a notorious purple prose user

Prompt: Write a story about a famous novelist who is notorious for their purple prose, and the long-suffering transcription worker who takes down their story dictations.

293. Alternate purple prose with pragmatic concision

Prompt : Write a story in letters between two lovers. One is extravagant in style and uses purple prose. The other is pragmatic to a fault, and their clipped, taciturn style reflects that.

294. Practice changing purple prose

Prompt: Write a scene where a character describes a sunset in as extravagant terms as possible. Next, rewrite the description in the most succinct terms possible.

295. Create a frilly sense of fuss

Prompt: Describe an elaborate tea ceremony in a wealthy baroness’s household, using purple prose to convey a sense of ornate, elaborate, frilly fuss.

What is a rhyme scheme?

A rhyme scheme is a pattern of rhyming lines in poetry, such as a poem with the scheme ABBA.

Along the shore we combed for glass Made smooth long after bottles broke, Their letters lost like some poor joke’s pale punchline dissolved secret pasts My example

Try your hand at rhyme schemes and rhyming devices using these prompts:

296. Take a poetic walk on the beach

Prompt: Write a poem about a walk on a beach using the rhyme scheme ABBA, BCCB.

297. Write a mirror poem

Prompt: Write a poem with the rhyme scheme ‘A, B, C, D, C, B, A’ with the central line (D) describing a mirror-like object (e.g. a still lake).

298. Write prose with inner rhyming

Prompt: Write a paragraph of prose that contains internal rhyming buried in the middles of sentences (for example, rhyme ‘there’, ‘care’, ‘where’, and ‘fair’).

299. Use a three-plus-one rhyme scheme

Prompt: Write a short, four-line poem with the rhyme scheme A, A, A, B (the first three lines having the same end-rhyme) on one of your favorite memories.

300. Mimic a journey with rhyme

Prompt: Write a poem about a journey through a forest or over sea using the rhyme scheme AA, BB, CC, DD so that the end rhyme keeps changing as the poem progresses, mimicking shifting terrain.

What are rhetorical devices?

A rhetorical device is a tool, pattern or communicative pattern used for persuasion. For example, the famous phrase ‘Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears’ uses parallelism (the repetition of verbal structure to build persuasive power).

Explore daily writing prompts for practicing rhetorical devices (and creative ways to use empty rhetoric in storytelling):

301. Create hasty generalizations

Prompt: Write a story in which a conniving politician uses hasty generalizations (such as ‘All X are Y’) to try sway the public. A watchful member of the audience challenges them.

302. Use epistrophe

Prompt: Write a story in which a revolutionary ends successive sentences or clauses with the same phrase or sentence for persuasive effect.

303. Play with Anadiplosis

Prompt: Write a story beginning with a paragraph in which the last word of each sentence begins the next.

‘See the last house on the left? Left for dead they were. Were always a little funny. Funny that the alarm didn’t go. Go ask Mrs Maroney who lived next door, she’ll tell you. You never know people, even on the same street as you, these days.’ My example

304. Build hyperbolic swagger

Prompt: Write a story in which an arrogant older kid tries to convince all the kids in the year below of an impressive feat. Use hyperbole (marked exaggeration).

305. Create chiasmus

Prompt: Write a story opening with the use of chiasmus, successive clauses which repeat but swap element orders. For example: ‘The play was not a success, but success was not play.’

What is rhythm in writing?

Rhythm in writing refers to the music of stressed and unstressed words, and the cadence of varying shorter and longer words and sentences.

Example: Meter in poetry often counts in syllables, such as the 5, 7, 5 syllabic structure of the Japanese haiku.

Explore rhythm in writing via the fiction writing prompts below:

306. Write a haiku

Prompt: Write a haiku in English, inspired by this popular form. Make the first line five syllables, the second seven, the third line five again. A traditional haiku features themes from nature and is typically unrhymed.

307. Start with symmetrical rhythm

Prompt: Write a story starting with four sentences of the same syllabic count.

It would never end. I stood, paced my cell. The guards were watching. Smirking, you could say. My example

308. Alternate short and long

Prompt: Write a story about an orchestra practice where everyone flubs their parts. In the opening, alternate short and long sentences for rhythm.

309. Make rhythm mimetic

Prompt: Write a story in which the rhythm of a passage is mimetic (imitative) of the thing being described.

• A character describing their heartbeat (use a ‘short-long’ or iambic rhythm to sentences)
• A character describing a waltz in triple rhythms

The dance stopped, then resumed. Two left feet – all he had. Still, she laughed – there was that. My example

310. Describe ambient sounds

Prompt: Write a story set in a makeshift holiday house and describe a sudden shower while mimicking the sound of rain on a zinc roof.

What is sarcasm?

A type of cutting, sneering, ironic remark. For example, the retort ‘You’re a comic genius’ to someone who’s made a weak joke. The word originally comes from the Greek sarkázein , with the unpleasant meaning ‘to tear flesh’.

Practice writing sarcasm with these writing prompts:

311. Create a sarcastic narrator

Prompt: Write a story told by a cynical teen who uses sarcasm to hide their insecurity due to a difficult home situation.

312. Story a sarcastic socialite

Prompt: Read the sarcastic and savage witticisms of Dorothy Parker . Then write a story told by an acerbic socialite inspired by Parker’s sly way with words.

313. Give sarcasm mixed with truth

Prompt: Write a story where a sarcastic older sibling writes a letter to their younger one giving good advice wrapped up in sarcasm.

314. Write a sarcastic set of rules

Prompt: Write a story about a coven of witches who are given a ten-point set of rules laced with sarcasm on joining.

315. Mask feelings with sarcasm

Prompt: Write a scene where a character finds out very bad news and uses sarcasm to mask their true feelings.

What is satire?

A serious or comedic genre which holds follies, abuses, shortcomings or culture up to mockery or ridicule. For example, Several People are Typing – a book by Calvin Kasulke told entirely in Slack messages and satirizing work-from-home life.

Practice satirical writing with the following prompts:

316. Satirize your profession/studies

Prompt: Take what you do for a living (or your studies) and write a satirical story that shines a light on your daily frustrations in a comical way.

317. Style a book as satirical interviews

Prompt: Write a story featuring a series of brief interviews the protagonist must conduct with smarmy ‘thought leaders’ in X industry. Use revelations in the interviews to build a narrative arc.

318. Satirize the famous for being famous trend

Prompt: Write a story about a person who becomes famous overnight for a totally ludicrous reason.

319. Satirize TikTok trends

Prompt: Write a story about a deadly TikTok trend that takes off that satirizes social media and mass culture.

320. Poke fun at youth obsession

Prompt: Write a satirical story about a society where the endless pursuit of youthfulness or ageism takes a disturbing turn.

What is setting in storytelling?

Elements of time and place which provide descriptive immersion and place and time context. See Now Novel’s complete guide to setting and world building for more.

Explore prompts to practice immersing readers:

321. Create a setting’s before and after

Prompt: Write a story in which a character leaves their home town and returns to find it drastically altered.

322. Convey sensory overload

Prompt: Write a story where a character visits a foreign country and describe sights, sounds, smells and tastes and/or textures they’ve never experienced before.

323. Evoke the wonder of a new planet

Prompt: Write a story where commercial travelers are able to visit another planet for the first time, and the wondrous views and vistas they experience.

324. Create a sense of aftermath

Prompt: Write a story set in a dystopian, post-fall city. What are the remnants of life before things went wrong? Describe the city’s sights, sounds, and signs of the past.

325. Use setting for tension

Prompt: Write a story involving a crime that takes place in the compartment of a train a long way before the next stop, and the passengers’ differing uses of the setting to try contain the situation.

What does ‘show, don’t tell’ mean?

The phrase ‘show, don’t tell’ means to use imagery and scene-level events and actions to explain to the reader, and not just telling, on-the-nose narration.

Practice using showing to explain in this section of these daily writing prompts:

326. Turn a telling sentence into inference

Prompt: Take this telling sentence: ‘The country had fallen into disrepair under a corrupt government.’ Turn it into a scene showing signs of disrepair and corruption (try not to use either word).

327. Show the unsaid

Prompt: Write a story about a lonely person who decides to join a club to make new friends. Avoid saying they are lonely directly – infer this through habits, tableaux.

328. Use body language

Prompt: Write a scene in which a character learns they didn’t get into the competitive college program they wanted. Use body language and their next action to suggest disappointment, without stating they are gutted.

329. Use others’ reactions

Prompt: Write a scene which implies a character has a bad temper through how others speak to them or react.

330. Use metaphors and similes

Prompt: Write a scene comparing a character to things that have the quality you want to convey.

Example: Shakespeare’s famous sonnet opening, ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate.’

What is simile?

Simile is a figurative device similar to metaphor, for making comparisons. While metaphor says A is B, simile compares A to B using terms such as ‘like’ or ‘as’.

Example: ‘My sister is as annoying as every-five-minute-infomercials.’

Practice creating similes with the below prompts:

331. Compare emphasizing difference

Prompt: Write a story where a character compares a family member, adding, ‘only, they don’t have [x attribute]’.

332. Compare unsavory things

Prompt: Write a story where a character is bullied and compare their tormentor’s voice to something unpleasant using simile.

333. Compare a city to an experience

Prompt: Begin a story, ‘Living in [city] is like …’. Complete the simile by comparing the city to a specific, evocative experience.

334. Liken a feeling to a place

Prompt: Write a story in which a character compares their feelings to a place (e.g. ‘I was feeling as blue as the famous mosque and three times less holy.’).

335. Compare a home to an image from nature

Prompt: Describe a house in comparative terms using similes drawn from nature.

What is stream of consciousness?

A narrative style popular among Modernist or early 20th Century authors (such as Virginia Woolf, James Joyce and Marcel Proust). In stream of consciousness, a character’s fleeting impressions, feelings and reactions are given in a continuous flow uninterrupted by conventional description and dialogue.

What a lark! What a plunge! For so it had always seemed to her, when, with a little squeak of the hinges, which she could hear now, she had burst open the French windows and plunged at Bourton into the open air. Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway, p. 5

Try daily writing prompts to practice writing stream-of-consciousness-style narration;

336. Create a day in the CBD

Prompt: Write a story in which a character visits their city’s central business district and give their moment-to-moment impressions and reactions in narration using deep POV .

337. Create perspectives at a dinner party

Prompt: Write a dinner party scene using an omniscient, free-roaming POV. Give each of four characters’ passing thoughts, associations, impressions, judgments, in the course of the scene.

338. Write internal dialogue

Prompt: Write a scene in which a character waits for an important phone call. Give a continuous flow of their thoughts, sudden remembrances, and other details that create the sense of an active mind at work.

339. Detail decision-making

Prompt: Write a scene where a character is alone and contemplating a difficult decision. Give a detailed sense of their stream-of-consciousness thought process.

340. Piece together problem-solving

Prompt: Write a scene in which a character attempts to solve a difficult problem. Show the continuous flow of their deductive reasoning, the ways they backtrack, change tack, second-guess themselves.

What is suspense?

Suspense in terms of effects is a state of anxious or nervous uncertainty about what might happen. Suspense, as a genre, plays on this uncertainty over future events (compared to murder mystery, in which the bad thing has typically already happened).

Explore fiction writing prompts to work on creating suspense:

341. Create a mass event where anything could go wrong

Prompt: Write a story set at a mass gathering such as a music festival or political rally. Create a sense of foreboding about the many things that could go wrong.

342. Create an unnerving tail

Prompt: Write a story that opens with a character being followed, and describe their mounting unease as they realize this.

343. Use auditory stressors

Prompt: Write a story where a character is alone in an unfamiliar house (or think they are) when they keep hearing an unfamiliar, unplaceable sound.

344. Create an unpleasant voyeur

Prompt: Write a story about a character who realizes with discomfort they’re being watched.

345. Explore murky pasts

Prompt: Write about an adopted character whose hunt for their biological parents reveals unsettling information and brings them into contact with unsavory characters.

What is symbolism?

Symbolism in writing refers to the catalogue of signs and motifs that signify other ideas, concepts, and meanings. For example, the way the cross symbolizes Christianity, or the way an eye and triangle motif symbolizes conspiracy theories of the illuminati.

Play with the fiction writing prompts below to use symbolism creatively:

346. Investigate a curious symbol

Prompt: Write a story where a character sees a mysterious symbol spray-painted on a building, and their investigation of what it means leads them down a dark path.

347. Explore a symbol’s political power

Prompt: Write about an election year in which a political party uses symbols with esoteric or occult meanings to sway the electorate in insidious, propaganda-filled ways.

348. Explore a specific symbol

Prompt: Write a story inspired by iconography of cupped, outstretched hands.

349. Create a symbolic painting

Prompt: Write a story about a painting a high schooler creates in art class they don’t want to show anyone because it’s symbolism is deeply personal and revealing.

350. Show the personal symbolism of a place

Prompt: Write a story about a person who is drawn to the ocean, and explore what it symbolizes to them.

What is tone in writing?

Tone in writing goes with mood, and is the term for the attitude revealed in word choice, emphasis and other specifics of language use.

Elements of tone include:

• Diction: For example, formal vs casual or informal
• Syntax: The arrangement of words in sentences contribute to tone (formal writing tends to favor longer sentences)
• Imagery: Are images cheerful, gloomy, serene? Word and image choice contributes to tone

Practice creating specific tones with these creative writing prompts:

351. Create bright tone

Prompt: Write a story in which two juniors are excited about their passage into middle school. Make their tone bright, optimistic and engaging through what they say to one another and the overall tone of narration.

352. Create comedic tone

Prompt: Write a funny story about a person who works in a nail salon and the bizarre cast of people who come to get their nails done. Create comedic tone by using a visceral sense of ‘huh?’

353. Express an inventor’s frustration

Prompt: Write a scene suffused with an annoyed, frustrated tone where an inventor’s prototype keeps failing.

354. Create saudade

Prompt: Write a story suffused with a sense of melancholic nostalgia, where an expat longs for their homeland.

355. Create eerie tone

Prompt: Write a story in which a character stops a road trip in an eerily abandoned town and wonders where everyone went.

What are verb tenses?

Verb tenses are forms of the verb which express time. For example, the past perfect tense (‘She had risen early’) expressed earlier events before later, also past events (‘She had risen early before the household to work on her novel.’).

Read more about verb tenses here and try the prompts below for practice:

356. Write a story in future tense

Prompt: Write a story that entirely takes place in an imagined future tense a romantic protagonist is daydreaming about. For example: ‘We will have been dating for several months when…’

357. Split a story between present and past

Prompt: Write a story with two timelines, one in present tense, and a past-tense timeline the story cuts back to that supplies interesting clues for understanding present events.

358. Exploit hypothetical moods of the verb

Prompt: Write a story drawing extensively on the subjunctive mood to create a sense of a character’s greatest wish, and the story they imagine would unfold were it to come true.

359. Create an unfolding present

Prompt: Write a story entirely in the present continuous tense (‘I am standing in the snow outside waiting…’). Use a sense of unfolding event to create narrative suspense.

360. Give the future within past tense

Prompt: Write a story narrated in past tense where a character tells another what they imagine the future will be like.

What is zeugma?

A figure of speech where a word applies to two others but with different senses. For example, ‘They flew and so did bickering words when her husband was mean to the air steward.’

Have fun using zeugma in various ways with the last of these daily writing prompts:

361. Break hearts and character

Prompt: Write a scene in which a character breaks another person’s heart and the charming character they’ve put on that misled the other.

362. Burn bridges and dinner

Prompt: Write a scene in which a character out to impress burns dinner and their bridges with it.

363. Flip a coin and the bird

Prompt: Write a scene where two friends are arguing over who gets to do something first and they flip a coin and (the loser) the bird.

364. Carry a Pomeranian and a secret

Prompt: Write a story or scene about a character who carries a tiny Pomeranian and a big secret.

365. Seal a letter and fates

Prompt: Write a story about a tyrant who seals a letter and a vulnerable demographic’s fate.

Have your say

🗣️ Which of the writing prompts are your favorites? Have your own to share? Let us know in the comments!

Share your writing prompt responses with the Now Novel community for free in Now Novel’s critique groups and join The Process for writing craft webinars, longer critique submissions, and more subscriber perks.

Writing prompt FAQs

The ‘Craft Challenge’ group on Now Novel is a forum where members set each other frequent, fun creative writing prompts to answer. Joining Now Novel’s crit groups is free.

We polled over 10,000 newsletter subscribers when we shared these prompts on what makes a good prompt. They said (in order of largest vote): 1. A good prompt helps me see a topic another way. 2. Great writing prompts spark inspiration with broad suggestions. 3. The best prompts help me practice a key element of craft.

Probably the best investment I’ve made for my writing career. Having an experienced editor as a critique partner has taught me more about writing in a month than I learned on YouTube, Facebook groups and writing courses these past couple of years put together. – Anthony

Related Posts:

• 50 creative writing prompts to enrich your craft
• Writing a short story: 8 ways it will help your craft
• Getting better at writing: Simple ways to improve craft
• Tags writing inspiration , writing prompts

Jordan is a writer, editor, community manager and product developer. He received his BA Honours in English Literature and his undergraduate in English Literature and Music from the University of Cape Town.

4 replies on “Daily writing prompts: 365 ways to practice craft”

Oh my goodness, this is phenomenal! I’d totally buy a book with these prompts and blank pages to work on them… “The Growing Journal”, “The Writer’s Skill Building Journal,” “The Expansion Journal,” “Growing Your Writing Skills, One Prompt at a Time,” “The Prompt Way to Grow Your Writing Skills” (see what I did there 🤪). I love these and want to steal them all for Craft Challenge Group, but I’ll only peek and use some for inspiration, if that’s okay ☺️ Thank you!

Hi Margriet, thank you for this kind feedback. Please feel free to use any you like in the Craft Challenge group, I had you all in mind when I wrote this 🙂 A shareable/printable version may be coming 😁 Also, I do see what you did there, I love the double meaning.

My goodness! this is a blog post and a half, and I think you need a month off to revive yourself!

Hi Lynne, thank you! Haha, fortunately I am still somewhat alive 🙂 I hope you enjoy the prompts, thanks for reading.

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Fiction Writing Prompts : A Comprehensive List For Writers

If you're a writer, you know how hard it can be to come up with new and exciting ideas for your stories. That's where fiction writing prompts come in! These prompts are designed to get your creative juices flowing and inspire you to write something new and unique. Whether you're a seasoned writer or just starting out, fiction writing prompts can be a valuable tool in your writing arsenal.

In this comprehensive list, we'll cover everything you need to know about fiction writing prompts, including what they are, the benefits of using them, and the different types of prompts available. We'll also provide plenty of examples to help get you started, as well as tips on how to incorporate prompts into your writing practice and adapt them to fit your own writing style.

At the end of this article, we'll also answer some frequently asked questions about fiction writing prompts and provide additional resources for further reading. So whether you're looking to overcome writer's block, expand your writing range, or simply want to try something new, this list of fiction writing prompts is sure to help!

If you're new to writing, you may want to read up on some of the basics before diving into this list of prompts. Check out creative writing and fiction on Wikipedia for more information.

Table of Contents

What Are Fiction Writing Prompts?

Benefits of using fiction writing prompts, story starters, character prompts, dialogue prompts, setting prompts, theme prompts, plot prompts, story starter examples, character prompt examples, dialogue prompt examples, setting prompt examples, theme prompt examples, plot prompt examples.

• Incorporating Prompts into Your Writing Practice
• Adapting Prompts for Your Own Writing Style
• Science Fiction Writing Prompts

Fantasy Writing Prompts

Romance writing prompts, thriller writing prompts, horror writing prompts.

• Speculative Fiction Writing Prompts

Frequently Asked Questions

Further reading.

Fiction writing prompts are short phrases, sentences, or paragraphs designed to inspire writers and stimulate their imaginations. They can be used to jumpstart a new project or to help overcome writer's block on an existing work. Fiction writing prompts can take many different forms and cover a variety of topics, from character development and dialogue to plot and setting.

If you're new to fiction writing prompts, you may be wondering where they come from and why writers use them. While there's no one answer to this question, it's believed that fiction writing prompts have been around for centuries, with writers using them in various forms to generate ideas and inspire their writing. Some writers use prompts as a daily writing exercise, while others turn to them when they're feeling stuck or need to break out of a creative rut.

To learn more about the history and origin of fiction writing prompts, check out this article on writing prompts from Wikipedia. It provides an overview of the different types of prompts and how they've been used throughout history.

There are many benefits to using fiction writing prompts in your writing practice. Whether you're a seasoned writer or just starting out, prompts can be a valuable tool for unlocking your creativity and generating new ideas. Here are some of the key benefits:

• Boost Your Creativity: Fiction writing prompts can help you break out of your usual patterns of thinking and come up with new and unique ideas for your stories. By forcing yourself to think outside the box, you may discover ideas that you wouldn't have thought of otherwise.
• Overcome Writer's Block: If you're feeling stuck or uninspired, fiction writing prompts can help you get past your writer's block and start writing again. By giving you a starting point, prompts can help you overcome the blank page and get your creative juices flowing.
• Expand Your Writing Range: Using a variety of different prompts can help you explore different genres, styles, and topics. By experimenting with different types of prompts, you may discover new areas of interest or develop new writing skills.
• Practice Your Craft: Writing is like any other skill - the more you practice, the better you get. Fiction writing prompts provide a structured way to practice your writing and develop your craft. By using prompts on a regular basis, you can improve your writing skills and build confidence in your abilities.

If you're interested in learning more about the benefits of fiction writing prompts, check out this article on writing exercises from Wikipedia. It provides an overview of the different types of writing exercises and how they can help writers improve their craft.

Types of Fiction Writing Prompts

Story starters are prompts that give you a starting point for a new story. They typically provide a setting, character, or situation that you can build upon to create a new and unique story. For example:

"She woke up to find herself on a deserted island, with no memory of how she got there."

Story starters can be a great way to overcome writer's block and get your creative juices flowing. They provide a starting point that you can build upon, allowing you to focus on the act of writing rather than coming up with a new idea.

Character prompts are prompts that focus on developing a new character. They can provide details about a character's appearance, personality, or backstory, or ask you to imagine what a character might do in a specific situation. For example:

"Write a scene in which your character is confronted by an old enemy."

Character prompts can be a great way to develop new characters for your stories or to flesh out existing characters. By thinking about your character's motivations, strengths, and weaknesses, you can create more well-rounded and believable characters.

Dialogue prompts are prompts that focus on creating new dialogue for your stories. They can provide a situation or context in which two or more characters are speaking, or simply ask you to come up with a conversation between two characters. For example:

"Write a conversation between two strangers who meet on a train."

Dialogue prompts can be a great way to practice writing realistic and engaging dialogue, as well as to explore the relationships between your characters.

Setting prompts are prompts that focus on creating a specific setting or atmosphere for your story. They can provide details about a location or environment, or ask you to imagine what it would be like to be in a certain place or time. For example:

"Write a story set in a haunted house."

Setting prompts can be a great way to practice describing settings and creating atmosphere in your writing. They can also help you explore new settings and genres that you may not have considered before.

Theme prompts are prompts that focus on exploring a particular theme or idea in your writing. They can provide a broad concept or idea that you can explore in your story, or simply ask you to think about a certain theme or topic. For example:

"Write a story about the power of forgiveness."

Theme prompts can be a great way to explore deeper themes and ideas in your writing, and to challenge yourself to think more critically about your work.

Plot prompts are prompts that focus on creating a specific plot or storyline for your story. They can provide a series of events or plot points that you can use as the basis for your story, or simply ask you to come up with a unique plot idea. For example:

"Write a story about a detective who must solve a murder case before the killer strikes again."

Plot prompts can be a great way to practice developing plot and structure in your writing, and to challenge yourself to come up with new and exciting plot twists and turns.

If you're interested in learning more about the different types of fiction writing prompts and how to use them, check out this article on writing prompts from Wikipedia. It provides an overview of the different types of prompts and how they can be used to inspire your writing.

You can discover more about developmental editing , and how this can make you a better writer.

Examples of Fiction Writing Prompts

To help get you started, here are some examples of fiction writing prompts. Feel free to use these as a starting point, or to modify them to fit your own writing style and interests.

• "She opened the old book and found a letter inside, addressed to her."
• "He always knew there was something different about him, but he never expected to find out he was a long-lost prince."
• "The train was late again, but this time it brought something unexpected."
• "Write a scene in which your character meets their childhood hero."
• "Describe your character's morning routine in detail."
• "Write a backstory for your character's worst fear."
• "Write a conversation between two strangers who discover they have something in common."
• "Describe an argument between two friends that turns out to be a misunderstanding."
• "Write a scene in which two characters are lost in the wilderness and must work together to survive."
• "Write a story set in a post-apocalyptic world."
• "Describe a haunted house in vivid detail."
• "Write a story set on a remote island."
• "Write a story about the importance of family."
• "Describe a character who learns the true meaning of forgiveness."
• "Write a story about the consequences of telling a lie."
• "Write a mystery story in which the protagonist must solve a murder case."
• "Write a story about a group of strangers who must work together to survive a natural disaster."
• "Write a story about a character who discovers they have magical powers."

If you're looking for more examples of fiction writing prompts, check out this article on Writer's Digest . It provides 54 additional prompts to help inspire your writing.

How to Use Fiction Writing Prompts

Now that you have a better understanding of what fiction writing prompts are and the different types that are available, it's time to talk about how to use them effectively in your writing practice. Here are some tips:

• Choose prompts that interest you: To get the most out of fiction writing prompts, it's important to choose ones that appeal to your interests and writing style. If you're not interested in the prompt, you're less likely to be motivated to write.
• Use prompts to generate new ideas: Fiction writing prompts can be a great way to generate new ideas for stories, characters, or settings. Use them as a starting point to jumpstart your creativity and come up with new and unique concepts.
• Combine prompts for added complexity: To create even more complex and interesting stories, consider combining multiple prompts. For example, you could use a setting prompt and a character prompt together to create a unique situation for your characters to navigate.
• Give yourself a time limit: To help avoid getting stuck on a prompt or spending too much time on one idea, give yourself a time limit to write. This will help you stay focused and motivated, and will encourage you to move on to new prompts and ideas more quickly.
• Revise and edit your work: Like any writing exercise, it's important to revise and edit your work after you've finished writing. Use the prompts as a starting point, but don't be afraid to make changes or go in a different direction if the story calls for it.

If you're interested in learning more about how to use writing prompts effectively, check out this article on writing prompts from Wikipedia. It provides an overview of how writing prompts can be used to inspire your writing, as well as some tips and strategies for using prompts effectively.

A World Without Electricity

Imagine a world without electricity. How would people survive? How would they communicate? What would happen to technology and civilization? Write a story set in this world.

Time Travel Gone Wrong

A group of time travelers goes back in time to change the course of history, but something goes wrong, and they end up altering the future in unexpected ways. Write a story about the consequences of their actions.

First Contact

Aliens make first contact with Earth, and they are not what humans expect. Write a story about the encounter and how it changes humanity's perception of the universe.

Virtual Reality Overload

In the future, virtual reality has become so advanced that people prefer to live their lives inside a simulated world. Write a story about what happens when someone becomes trapped inside the virtual world.

Evolution of Humanity

Write a story about the future of humanity. How will humans evolve? Will they merge with technology, or will they develop new abilities and senses?

The Last Human

In a world where humans have gone extinct, the last remaining human awakens from cryogenic freezing. Write a story about their journey to find other survivors and rebuild civilization.

The Singularity

In the near future, artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence and begins to evolve rapidly. Write a story about the consequences of this singularity.

A Dystopian Society

Imagine a world where a single corporation controls all aspects of society. Write a story about a group of rebels who fight against the corporation's control.

Space Colonization

In the distant future, humans have colonized other planets and established interstellar societies. Write a story about the conflicts and challenges faced by the colonists.

Parallel Universes

Write a story about a person who discovers they can travel to parallel universes. What do they discover about themselves and the nature of reality?

The Lost Heirloom

Write a story about a character searching for a lost family heirloom. What is the heirloom and why is it so important to the character and their family? Who or what stands in their way as they search for it?

A World of Magic

Imagine a world where magic is commonplace. Write a story about a character who discovers their magical abilities and must navigate this new world. What challenges do they face and how do they use their magic to overcome them?

A Creature in the Woods

Write a story about a character who encounters a mysterious creature in the woods. What does the creature look like? Is it friendly or hostile? What happens as the character tries to interact with it?

The Enchanted Object

Write a story about a character who comes into possession of an enchanted object. What is the object and what magical powers does it possess? How does the character use the object, and what are the consequences of its use?

The Prophecy

Write a story about a character who learns of a prophecy they are fated to fulfill. What is the prophecy, and what role does the character play in it? How do they come to terms with their destiny, and what obstacles do they face along the way?

Write a story about a character who discovers a portal to another world. What does this world look like, and what dangers or wonders does it hold? How does the character navigate this new realm, and what happens when they return to their own world?

Write a story about a character who is cursed. What is the curse, and how does it affect the character's life? What steps do they take to break the curse, and what obstacles do they face along the way?

The Secret Society

Write a story about a character who discovers a secret society that has been hiding in plain sight. What is this society, and what secrets do they hold? How does the character become involved with them, and what happens as they uncover the truth?

The Forbidden Love

Write a story about a character who falls in love with someone they are forbidden to be with. Who is this person, and why are they off-limits? What sacrifices do the characters make to be together, and what consequences do they face?

The Time Traveler

Write a story about a character who discovers the ability to time travel. What periods of time do they visit, and what do they learn from these experiences? How does their time travel affect their present-day life, and what happens when they try to change the course of history?

The Second Chance

Write a story about two people who have a chance encounter after years of being apart. What happened between them in the past, and what has changed since then? Do they try to rekindle their relationship, or do they part ways once again?

The Fake Relationship

Write a story about two people who enter into a fake relationship for their own reasons. Why do they decide to pretend to be together, and what complications arise from this arrangement? Do they develop real feelings for each other, or is it all just an act?

The Secret Admirer

Write a story about someone who receives secret admirer notes or gifts from an anonymous sender. Who is the secret admirer, and why are they keeping their identity hidden? How does the recipient react to these gestures, and what happens when they finally discover the truth?

The Opposites Attract

Write a story about two people who come from different worlds or have opposing personalities. What draws them to each other, and what challenges do they face as a result of their differences? How do they navigate their relationship despite these obstacles?

The Summer Fling

Write a story about two people who meet during the summer and fall in love. What makes their summer romance special, and what happens when the season ends? Do they try to make their relationship work long-distance or go their separate ways?

The Unrequited Love

Write a story about someone who is in love with someone who doesn't feel the same way. How does the protagonist cope with their unrequited feelings, and what happens when they finally confess? Do they find closure or continue to hold onto their feelings?

The Love Triangle

Write a story about three people who are involved in a love triangle. Who are the three characters, and what draws them to each other? What happens as they try to navigate their feelings and their relationships with each other?

The Rekindled Flame

Write a story about two people who were once in love but have been separated for a long time. What brings them back together, and do they still have feelings for each other? What happens as they try to rebuild their relationship?

The Workplace Romance

Write a story about two people who fall in love in the workplace. What are their jobs, and how do they meet? What happens as they try to balance their work and their relationship, and how do their colleagues react?

Write a story about two people who fall in love despite the fact that their love is forbidden. What makes their love forbidden, and what risks do they take to be together? How do they navigate their relationship in secret, and what happens if their love is discovered?

The Disappearance of a Celebrity

A famous celebrity has vanished without a trace, and the world is in shock. As a private investigator, it's your job to uncover the truth behind their disappearance. As you delve deeper into the case, you realize that there's more to the story than meets the eye. Write a thriller about the investigation and the shocking discoveries you make.

A Deadly Game of Cat and Mouse

A skilled assassin is targeting you, and you don't know why. As you try to stay alive and figure out who's behind the hit, you realize that the assassin is always one step ahead. Write a thriller about the deadly game of cat and mouse between you and the assassin.

The Secret Experiment

You're a scientist working on a top-secret government experiment. As the project progresses, you begin to uncover disturbing truths about the experiment and the people in charge. Write a thriller about the dangers of playing god and the consequences of unchecked ambition.

The Hostage Situation

You're a hostage negotiator tasked with resolving a tense situation. A group of armed criminals have taken hostages in a crowded building, and they're demanding a ransom. As you try to negotiate a peaceful resolution, you realize that the situation is more complicated than you initially thought. Write a thriller about the intense standoff and the desperate attempts to save the hostages.

The Stalker

You have a stalker, and they're getting bolder by the day. As you try to uncover their identity and put an end to their harassment, you begin to realize that their obsession runs deep. Write a thriller about the terrifying experience of being stalked and the lengths you'll go to protect yourself and your loved ones.

The Haunted House

You've just moved into a new home, but something doesn't feel right. As you begin to experience strange occurrences and disturbing visions, you realize that your house may be haunted. Write a thriller about uncovering the dark history of the house and the terror that ensues.

The Unsolvable Mystery

You're a detective tasked with solving a seemingly impossible case. The clues don't add up, the suspects all have alibis, and the evidence points in multiple directions. Write a thriller about the frustration and desperation of trying to solve an unsolvable mystery.

The Apocalypse

The world as we know it has come to an end. In the aftermath of a catastrophic event, you must fight to survive and protect the ones you love. Write a thriller about the dangers of a post-apocalyptic world and the struggles to rebuild and survive.

You've been invited to join a secret society with powerful members and mysterious rituals. As you delve deeper into the society's inner workings, you realize that their true purpose is much darker than you could have ever imagined. Write a thriller about the dangers of getting too close to a secret society and the desperate attempts to escape its grip.

The Perfect Crime

You've committed the perfect crime, and you've gotten away with it. Or so you thought. As the authorities close in and the evidence starts to mount against you, you realize that you may not be as clever as you thought. Write a thriller about the thrill of the crime and the terror of getting caught.

The Abandoned House

You and your friends decide to explore an old abandoned house on the outskirts of town. As you enter, you realize that something is not quite right. Write a story about what happens inside the house.

The Cursed Object

You inherit a strange object from a deceased relative. As soon as you bring it home, strange things start happening. Write a story about the cursed object and its effects on your life.

The Forest at Night

You decide to take a midnight hike in the forest. As you wander deeper into the woods, you start to feel like you're being watched. Write a story about your eerie encounter in the forest at night.

The Creepy Carnival

You and your friends decide to visit a traveling carnival that has set up in town. As you explore the carnival, you realize that something is not quite right. Write a story about your spooky experience at the creepy carnival.

The Haunted Hotel

You check into a hotel for the night, but quickly realize that the place is haunted. Strange noises, ghostly apparitions, and other unexplainable events keep you awake all night. Write a story about your terrifying stay in the haunted hotel.

The Mysterious Neighbor

Your new neighbor seems friendly enough, but there's something unsettling about them. You start to notice strange things happening around your house after they move in. Write a story about your investigation into your mysterious neighbor's true identity and intentions.

The Forbidden Room

You inherit an old mansion from a distant relative. As you explore the house, you discover a room that has been locked for years. Despite warnings from the locals, you decide to open the door. Write a story about what you find inside the forbidden room.

The Possessed Child

Your child starts to exhibit strange behavior that you can't explain. They talk in a different voice, have superhuman strength, and seem to know things they shouldn't. Write a story about your terrifying experience with your possessed child.

The Demon Summoning

You and your friends attempt to summon a demon as a party game, but things quickly spiral out of control. Write a story about your encounter with the demon and the consequences of your actions.

The Island of the Dolls

You and your friends decide to explore a remote island that is rumored to be haunted by dolls. As you wander the island, you start to realize that the dolls are more than just inanimate objects. Write a story about your chilling experience on the island of the dolls.

An Alternate Reality

Write a story set in an alternate reality where one key event in history has played out differently. How has this altered the course of history? What is different about the world and how do people live in it?

A World Without Time

Imagine a world where time doesn't exist. How do people measure their lives? How do they organize their days? What happens to aging and mortality? Write a story set in this timeless world.

A World of Advanced AI

Imagine a world where artificial intelligence has advanced to the point where machines can think and feel like humans. What kind of society would emerge? What would the relationship between humans and machines be like? Write a story set in this world.

A World of Superhumans

Imagine a world where humans possess extraordinary abilities beyond the average human. How do they use these abilities? How do they interact with society? What kind of conflicts arise? Write a story set in this world of superhumans.

A World of Teleportation

Imagine a world where teleportation is a common form of transportation. How does this change society? What kind of technology and infrastructure would be necessary? What kind of problems arise from this mode of travel? Write a story set in this world of teleportation.

A World Without Death

Imagine a world where death does not exist. How do people live their lives knowing they will never die? What kind of societal changes occur when people are essentially immortal? Write a story set in this world without death.

A World Without Emotion

Imagine a world where humans are incapable of feeling emotions. How does this change the way people interact with each other? How does this affect decision-making and morality? Write a story set in this emotionless world.

A World Where Dreams Come True

Imagine a world where people's dreams come true in reality. How does this change the way people dream? How does it change the way they live their lives? Write a story set in this dream world.

A World of Shifting Realities

Imagine a world where reality is constantly shifting and changing. How do people adapt to this environment? How do they make sense of the world around them? Write a story set in this shifting reality world.

A World Without Gravity

Imagine a world where gravity does not exist. How do people live in this environment? What kind of technology and infrastructure would be necessary to adapt? What kind of new forms of movement and transportation emerge? Write a story set in this gravity-free world.

Below are some frequently asked questions that will provide more information.

What if none of the fiction writing prompts appeal to me?

If you're not interested in any of the prompts you come across, don't force yourself to write about them. Instead, try modifying the prompts to fit your interests and writing style, or come up with your own prompts that better suit your needs.

Can I use fiction writing prompts for non-fiction writing?

While fiction writing prompts are designed for fiction writing, many prompts can be adapted for non-fiction writing as well. For example, a prompt that asks you to describe a character's morning routine could be modified to ask you to describe your own morning routine. Don't be afraid to experiment and see how prompts can be adapted to suit your writing goals.

Are there any downsides to using fiction writing prompts?

While fiction writing prompts can be a helpful tool for generating new ideas and practicing your writing skills, there are some potential downsides to using them. For example, relying too heavily on prompts can stifle your creativity and limit your ability to come up with original ideas. Additionally, some writers may find prompts to be too constraining or limiting, and may prefer to write without them. Ultimately, the decision to use prompts or not should be based on your individual needs and preferences as a writer.

If you're interested in learning more about fiction writing prompts and how they can be used to inspire your writing, here are three non-fiction books that you may find helpful:

This book provides over 400 prompts and exercises designed to inspire writers and help them develop their craft. It includes prompts for fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, as well as tips and strategies for using prompts effectively.

Wikipedia Link

This book provides over 200 writing prompts and exercises to help writers of all levels develop their creativity and find inspiration. It includes prompts for fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, as well as tips and strategies for using prompts effectively.

This book provides 642 prompts and exercises designed to spark creativity and help writers overcome writer's block. It includes prompts for fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, as well as blank pages for writers to jot down their own ideas.

Writing can be a challenging and solitary pursuit, and it's not always easy to come up with new ideas and stay motivated. Fiction writing prompts can be a helpful tool for writers looking to overcome writer's block, generate new ideas, or get in some extra writing practice. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned writer, using prompts can greatly expand your writing skills and explore new possibilities.

In this article, we've covered what fiction writing prompts are, their benefits, the different types of prompts available, and how to use them effectively. We've also provided examples of prompts to get you started and some recommended books and further reading for those interested in learning more.

Remember, writing prompts are just one tool in your writing toolbox, and they may not be right for everyone. Ultimately, the decision to use prompts or not should be based on your individual needs and preferences as a writer. Whether you choose to use prompts or not, we hope that this article has provided you with some useful insights and strategies for taking your writing practice to the next level.

If you're interested in learning more about writing and the writing process, check out this article on writing from Wikipedia. It provides an overview of the history of writing, different types of writing, and some of the challenges and rewards of the writing life.

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• Writing Activities

105 Creative Writing Exercises To Get You Writing Again

You know that feeling when you just don’t feel like writing? Sometimes you can’t even get a word down on paper. It’s the most frustrating thing ever to a writer, especially when you’re working towards a deadline. The good news is that we have a list of 105 creative writing exercises to help you get motivated and start writing again!

What are creative writing exercises?

Creative writing exercises are short writing activities (normally around 10 minutes) designed to get you writing. The goal of these exercises is to give you the motivation to put words onto a blank paper. These words don’t need to be logical or meaningful, neither do they need to be grammatically correct or spelt correctly. The whole idea is to just get you writing something, anything. The end result of these quick creative writing exercises is normally a series of notes, bullet points or ramblings that you can, later on, use as inspiration for a bigger piece of writing such as a story or a poem. 

Good creative writing exercises are short, quick and easy to complete. You shouldn’t need to think too much about your style of writing or how imaginative your notes are. Just write anything that comes to mind, and you’ll be on the road to improving your creative writing skills and beating writer’s block . 

Use the generator below to get a random creative writing exercise idea:

List of 105+ Creative Writing Exercises

Here are over 105 creative writing exercises to give your brain a workout and help those creative juices flow again:

• Set a timer for 60 seconds. Now write down as many words or phrases that come to mind at that moment.
• Pick any colour you like. Now start your sentence with this colour. For example, Orange, the colour of my favourite top. 
• Open a book or dictionary on a random page. Pick a random word. You can close your eyes and slowly move your finger across the page. Now, write a paragraph with this random word in it. You can even use an online dictionary to get random words:

• Create your own alphabet picture book or list. It can be A to Z of animals, food, monsters or anything else you like!
• Using only the sense of smell, describe where you are right now.
• Take a snack break. While eating your snack write down the exact taste of that food. The goal of this creative writing exercise is to make your readers savour this food as well.
• Pick a random object in your room and write a short paragraph from its point of view. For example, how does your pencil feel? What if your lamp had feelings?
• Describe your dream house. Where would you live one day? Is it huge or tiny? 
• Pick two different TV shows, movies or books that you like. Now swap the main character. What if Supergirl was in Twilight? What if SpongeBob SquarePants was in The Flash? Write a short scene using this character swap as inspiration.
• What’s your favourite video game? Write at least 10 tips for playing this game.
• Pick your favourite hobby or sport. Now pretend an alien has just landed on Earth and you need to teach it this hobby or sport. Write at least ten tips on how you would teach this alien.
• Use a random image generator and write a paragraph about the first picture you see.

• Write a letter to your favourite celebrity or character. What inspires you most about them? Can you think of a memorable moment where this person’s life affected yours? We have this helpful guide on writing a letter to your best friend for extra inspiration.
• Write down at least 10 benefits of writing. This can help motivate you and beat writer’s block.
• Complete this sentence in 10 different ways: Patrick waited for the school bus and…
• Pick up a random book from your bookshelf and go to page 9. Find the ninth sentence on that page. Use this sentence as a story starter.
• Create a character profile based on all the traits that you hate. It might help to list down all the traits first and then work on describing the character.
• What is the scariest or most dangerous situation you have ever been in? Why was this situation scary? How did you cope at that moment?
• Pretend that you’re a chat show host and you’re interviewing your favourite celebrity. Write down the script for this conversation.
• Using extreme detail, write down what you have been doing for the past one hour today. Think about your thoughts, feelings and actions during this time.
• Make a list of potential character names for your next story. You can use a fantasy name generator to help you.
• Describe a futuristic setting. What do you think the world would look like in 100 years time?
• Think about a recent argument you had with someone. Would you change anything about it? How would you resolve an argument in the future?
• Describe a fantasy world. What kind of creatures live in this world? What is the climate like? What everyday challenges would a typical citizen of this world face? You can use this fantasy world name generator for inspiration.
• At the flip of a switch, you turn into a dragon. What kind of dragon would you be? Describe your appearance, special abilities, likes and dislikes. You can use a dragon name generator to give yourself a cool dragon name.
• Pick your favourite book or a famous story. Now change the point of view. For example, you could rewrite the fairytale , Cinderella. This time around, Prince Charming could be the main character. What do you think Prince Charming was doing, while Cinderella was cleaning the floors and getting ready for the ball?
• Pick a random writing prompt and use it to write a short story. Check out this collection of over 300 writing prompts for kids to inspire you. 
• Write a shopping list for a famous character in history. Imagine if you were Albert Einstein’s assistant, what kind of things would he shop for on a weekly basis?
• Create a fake advertisement poster for a random object that is near you right now. Your goal is to convince the reader to buy this object from you.
• What is the worst (or most annoying) sound that you can imagine? Describe this sound in great detail, so your reader can understand the pain you feel when hearing this sound.
• What is your favourite song at the moment? Pick one line from this song and describe a moment in your life that relates to this line.
•  You’re hosting an imaginary dinner party at your house. Create a list of people you would invite, and some party invites. Think about the theme of the dinner party, the food you will serve and entertainment for the evening. 
• You are waiting to see your dentist in the waiting room. Write down every thought you are having at this moment in time. 
• Make a list of your greatest fears. Try to think of at least three fears. Now write a short story about a character who is forced to confront one of these fears. 
• Create a ‘Wanted’ poster for a famous villain of your choice. Think about the crimes they have committed, and the reward you will give for having them caught. 
• Imagine you are a journalist for the ‘Imagine Forest Times’ newspaper. Your task is to get an exclusive interview with the most famous villain of all time. Pick a villain of your choice and interview them for your newspaper article. What questions would you ask them, and what would their responses be?
•  In a school playground, you see the school bully hurting a new kid. Write three short stories, one from each perspective in this scenario (The bully, the witness and the kid getting bullied).
• You just won $10 million dollars. What would you spend this money on?
• Pick a random animal, and research at least five interesting facts about this animal. Write a short story centred around one of these interesting facts. 
• Pick a global issue that you are passionate about. This could be climate change, black lives matters, women’s rights etc. Now create a campaign poster for this global issue. 
• Write an acrostic poem about an object near you right now (or even your own name). You could use a poetry idea generator to inspire you.
• Imagine you are the head chef of a 5-star restaurant. Recently the business has slowed down. Your task is to come up with a brand-new menu to excite customers. Watch this video prompt on YouTube to inspire you.
• What is your favourite food of all time? Imagine if this piece of food was alive, what would it say to you?
• If life was one big musical, what would you be singing about right now? Write the lyrics of your song. 
• Create and describe the most ultimate villain of all time. What would their traits be? What would their past look like? Will they have any positive traits?
• Complete this sentence in at least 10 different ways: Every time I look out of the window, I…
• You have just made it into the local newspaper, but what for? Write down at least five potential newspaper headlines . Here’s an example, Local Boy Survives a Deadly Illness.
• If you were a witch or a wizard, what would your specialist area be and why? You might want to use a Harry Potter name generator or a witch name generator for inspiration.
• What is your favourite thing to do on a Saturday night? Write a short story centred around this activity. 
• Your main character has just received the following items: A highlighter, a red cap, a teddy bear and a fork. What would your character do with these items? Can you write a story using these items? 
• Create a timeline of your own life, from birth to this current moment. Think about the key events in your life, such as birthdays, graduations, weddings and so on. After you have done this, you can pick one key event from your life to write a story about. 
• Think of a famous book or movie you like. Rewrite a scene from this book or movie, where the main character is an outsider. They watch the key events play out, but have no role in the story. What would their actions be? How would they react?
• Three very different characters have just won the lottery. Write a script for each character, as they reveal the big news to their best friend.  
• Write a day in the life story of three different characters. How does each character start their day? What do they do throughout the day? And how does their day end?
•  Write about the worst experience in your life so far. Think about a time when you were most upset or angry and describe it. 
• Imagine you’ve found a time machine in your house. What year would you travel to and why?
• Describe your own superhero. Think about their appearance, special abilities and their superhero name. Will they have a secret identity? Who is their number one enemy?
• What is your favourite country in the world? Research five fun facts about this country and use one to write a short story. 
• Set yourself at least three writing goals. This could be a good way to motivate yourself to write every day. For example, one goal might be to write at least 150 words a day. 
• Create a character description based on the one fact, three fiction rule. Think about one fact or truth about yourself. And then add in three fictional or fantasy elements. For example, your character could be the same age as you in real life, this is your one fact. And the three fictional elements could be they have the ability to fly, talk in over 100 different languages and have green skin. 
• Describe the perfect person. What traits would they have? Think about their appearance, their interests and their dislikes. 
• Keep a daily journal or diary. This is a great way to keep writing every day. There are lots of things you can write about in your journal, such as you can write about the ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ of your day. Think about anything that inspired you or anything that upset you, or just write anything that comes to mind at the moment. 
• Write a book review or a movie review. If you’re lost for inspiration, just watch a random movie or read any book that you can find. Then write a critical review on it. Think about the best parts of the book/movie and the worst parts. How would you improve the book or movie?
• Write down a conversation between yourself. You can imagine talking to your younger self or future self (i.e. in 10 years’ time). What would you tell them? Are there any lessons you learned or warnings you need to give? Maybe you could talk about what your life is like now and compare it to their life?
• Try writing some quick flash fiction stories . Flash fiction is normally around 500 words long, so try to stay within this limit.
• Write a six-word story about something that happened to you today or yesterday. A six-word story is basically an entire story told in just six words. Take for example: “Another football game ruined by me.” or “A dog’s painting sold for millions.” – Six-word stories are similar to writing newspaper headlines. The goal is to summarise your story in just six words. 
• The most common monsters or creatures used in stories include vampires, werewolves , dragons, the bigfoot, sirens and the loch-ness monster. In a battle of intelligence, who do you think will win and why?
• Think about an important event in your life that has happened so far, such as a birthday or the birth of a new sibling. Now using the 5 W’s and 1 H technique describe this event in great detail. The 5 W’s include: What, Who, Where, Why, When and the 1 H is: How. Ask yourself questions about the event, such as what exactly happened on that day? Who was there? Why was this event important? When and where did it happen? And finally, how did it make you feel?
• Pretend to be someone else. Think about someone important in your life. Now put yourself into their shoes, and write a day in the life story about being them. What do you think they do on a daily basis? What situations would they encounter? How would they feel?
• Complete this sentence in at least 10 different ways: I remember…
• Write about your dream holiday. Where would you go? Who would you go with? And what kind of activities would you do?
• Which one item in your house do you use the most? Is it the television, computer, mobile phone, the sofa or the microwave? Now write a story of how this item was invented. You might want to do some research online and use these ideas to build up your story. 
• In exactly 100 words, describe your bedroom. Try not to go over or under this word limit.
• Make a top ten list of your favourite animals. Based on this list create your own animal fact file, where you provide fun facts about each animal in your list.
• What is your favourite scene from a book or a movie? Write down this scene. Now rewrite the scene in a different genre, such as horror, comedy, drama etc.
•  Change the main character of a story you recently read into a villain. For example, you could take a popular fairytale such as Jack and the Beanstalk, but this time re-write the story to make Jack the villain of the tale.
• Complete the following sentence in at least 10 different ways: Do you ever wonder…
• What does your name mean? Research the meaning of your own name, or a name that interests you. Then use this as inspiration for your next story. For example, the name ‘Marty’ means “Servant Of Mars, God Of War”. This could make a good concept for a sci-fi story.
• Make a list of three different types of heroes (or main characters) for potential future stories.
• If someone gave you $10 dollars, what would you spend it on and why?
• Describe the world’s most boring character in at least 100 words. 
• What is the biggest problem in the world today, and how can you help fix this issue?
• Create your own travel brochure for your hometown. Think about why tourists might want to visit your hometown. What is your town’s history? What kind of activities can you do? You could even research some interesting facts. 
• Make a list of all your favourite moments or memories in your life. Now pick one to write a short story about.
• Describe the scariest and ugliest monster you can imagine. You could even draw a picture of this monster with your description.
• Write seven haikus, one for each colour of the rainbow. That’s red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. 
• Imagine you are at the supermarket. Write down at least three funny scenarios that could happen to you at the supermarket. Use one for your next short story. 
• Imagine your main character is at home staring at a photograph. Write the saddest scene possible. Your goal is to make your reader cry when reading this scene. 
• What is happiness? In at least 150 words describe the feeling of happiness. You could use examples from your own life of when you felt happy.
• Think of a recent nightmare you had and write down everything you can remember. Use this nightmare as inspiration for your next story.
• Keep a dream journal. Every time you wake up in the middle of the night or early in the morning you can quickly jot down things that you remember from your dreams. These notes can then be used as inspiration for a short story. 
• Your main character is having a really bad day. Describe this bad day and the series of events they experience. What’s the worst thing that could happen to your character?
• You find a box on your doorstep. You open this box and see the most amazing thing ever. Describe this amazing thing to your readers.
• Make a list of at least five possible settings or locations for future stories. Remember to describe each setting in detail.
• Think of something new you recently learned. Write this down. Now write a short story where your main character also learns the same thing.
• Describe the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen in your whole life. Your goal is to amaze your readers with its beauty. 
• Make a list of things that make you happy or cheer you up. Try to think of at least five ideas. Now imagine living in a world where all these things were banned or against the law. Use this as inspiration for your next story.
• Would you rather be rich and alone or poor and very popular? Write a story based on the lives of these two characters. 
• Imagine your main character is a Librarian. Write down at least three dark secrets they might have. Remember, the best secrets are always unexpected.
• There’s a history behind everything. Describe the history of your house. How and when was your house built? Think about the land it was built on and the people that may have lived here long before you.
• Imagine that you are the king or queen of a beautiful kingdom. Describe your kingdom in great detail. What kind of rules would you have? Would you be a kind ruler or an evil ruler of the kingdom?
• Make a wish list of at least three objects you wish you owned right now. Now use these three items in your next story. At least one of them must be the main prop in the story.
• Using nothing but the sense of taste, describe a nice Sunday afternoon at your house. Remember you can’t use your other senses (i.e see, hear, smell or touch) in this description. 
• What’s the worst pain you felt in your life? Describe this pain in great detail, so your readers can also feel it.
• If you were lost on a deserted island in the middle of nowhere, what three must-have things would you pack and why?
• Particpate in online writing challenges or contests. Here at Imagine Forest, we offer daily writing challenges with a new prompt added every day to inspire you. Check out our challenges section in the menu.

Do you have any more fun creative writing exercises to share? Let us know in the comments below!

Marty the wizard is the master of Imagine Forest. When he's not reading a ton of books or writing some of his own tales, he loves to be surrounded by the magical creatures that live in Imagine Forest. While living in his tree house he has devoted his time to helping children around the world with their writing skills and creativity.

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75 Science Fiction Writing Prompts To Rile Up The Future

Get a little push toward coming up with your next out-of-this-world screenplay idea..

'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'

Science fiction is a genre that continues to push the boundaries of our reality in all sorts of visual storytelling. Whether it's an adaptation from Phillip K. Dick or modern sandboxes like Black Mirror or Love, Death, and Robots , our affinity for worlds just beyond our grasp is an alluring medium to develop your screenplay.

Whether you're a seasoned writer or just embarking on your journey, the allure of crafting stories set against the backdrop of futuristic technologies, interstellar adventures, and the mysteries of the unknown is undeniably expansive and captivating.

In this post, we dive into a collection of 75 science fiction writing prompts, each a launching pad for your next great story.

Beam down below and let's get started.

75 Science Fiction Writing Prompts

• A society where aging is cured, but at a significant cost.
• An astronaut finds a mysterious artifact on the moon that alters human history.
• Earth receives a signal from an alien civilization, but it's a distress call.
• A world where dreams are taxed by the government.
• A time traveler visits ancient civilizations but cannot interfere with history.
• A scientist creates a device to communicate with animals, uncovering a hidden world.
• In a future society, memories can be bought and sold.
• A virtual reality paradise becomes more desirable than the real world.
• A city discovers it's a simulation run by an unknown entity.
• An experiment in teleportation goes awry, leading to unexpected journeys.
• A child born on Mars returns to Earth, facing a cultural identity crisis.
• A device that allows users to experience another person's life is invented.
• A global blackout forces humanity to confront its reliance on technology.
• An undersea civilization is discovered, with advanced technology and culture.
• A world where every individual's lifespan is predetermined.
• Humans evolve to adapt to life in space, leading to a new species.
• A reality where historical events can be experienced through virtual reality.
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• A rebellion in a society where lying is physically impossible.
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• Humans can now interface directly with computers, changing education and work.
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• A future where humans can hibernate, changing work and lifestyles.
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Writing Prompts for Analyzing Fiction

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Creating engaging prompts for students writing about fiction can be difficult. This is especially true because interpreting fiction is an inherently subjective, open-ended task. Worse, excessively narrow prompts, like asking a student to summarize a story's plot or to define what a certain symbol “means,” run the risk of driving students toward the implication that there is a “right” answer. In an online context, this may also discourage discussion (i.e., after a “correct” answer is given, students will no longer feel motivated to continue to “engage” with the text via blog posts, etc.). Thus, in a remote classroom environment, it is important to assign open-ended writing prompts that encourage the sort of deep discussion that's typically easier to facilitate face-to-face.

The following prompts may be good place(s) to start in terms of facilitating a this sort of discussion in the online context.

Did you like the short story/chapter/book/etc.? Why or why not?

• The "why" aspect of this prompt is key. Encourage students to explain their gut feelings as best as they can, even if they are difficult to put words to. Follow up with additional questions asking students to clarify any feelings they had trouble explaining.

Which character(s) did you like/dislike most? Why?

• A good follow-up question is to ask if there were any characters that students like at some points and disliked at others. Here, you can press students to explain what sorts of story changes or new contextual information made them change their minds.

Discuss the “hook” of the story.

• If students  didn’t feel engaged, ask them to explain why. You may also want to prompt students to propose changes to the book that would have made it more engaging.

Choose one sentence from the story that you particularly liked and discuss ONLY that sentence.

• If highlighting a single sentence seems too limited, this prompt could easily be expanded to favorite paragraph or favorite page. However, the goal should be to focus on a small, digestable chunk.
• Hear are a few potential follow-up questions: What about the sentence was so great? Does the author play with language in this sentence? How does it relate to the larger themes of the story?

Analyze a character’s wants, needs, and obstacles.

• Here is an example of how you might present this prompt to students. First, have students pick a character from a recently-read story/chapter/book. Have them write down the following questions: What is it that they want? Is this different than what they need to become a happy, fulfilled person? What are the obstacles that stand in their way of what they want? How do they try to overcome those obstacles? Have students answer these questions as best as they can, and have them share any spots where they had difficulty answering.

Analyze a significant object.

• Why did it seem so important?
• What about the way it was described or the way characters interacted with the object made it seem so important?
• Note that this question can be modified depending on the age of the students in order to accomodate a greater or smaller level of nuance.

Discuss how the context for a given piece of writing might have affected the writing itself.

• You might also consider asking whether they think the author intended the story to carry any specific  message for the people of the time.
• This question can be especially useful for a cross-genre class (e.g., one that incorporates some history instruction), but is helpful regardless of the course.

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100 crime fiction writing prompts

November 26, 2023 by Richard Leave a Comment

100 Crime Fiction Writing Prompts

Have you ever wanted to write a thrilling crime story but struggled to come up with an intriguing plot or nail-biting scenario? Look no further! This comprehensive list contains 100 crime fiction writing prompts specially crafted to spark your creative genius.

From unsolved murder mysteries and hostage situations gone awry to art heists, assassination plots, and cyber extortion schemes, these prompts run the gamut of thrilling criminal exploits. Whether you prefer gritty police procedurals, cozy small town whodunits, historical crime tales, or even supernatural thriller subgenres, you’re guaranteed to find death-defying storylines bursting with cliffhanger twists.

The prompts utilize popular hooks related to missing persons, forensic investigations, secret identities, conspiracy theories, revenge plots, antagonist mind games, criminal underworlds and more to grab reader attention fast. There are also creative takes on serial killers, prison breaks, robbery capers and other high-stakes scenarios, with unexpected perspectives that invert tropes in refreshing ways.

So power up your laptop and dig into these original prompts conceived to set free the groundbreaking crime writer lurking within you. Let clever criminals and cunning detectives come alive on the page while you craft the next breakout police drama, legal thriller or mystery saga!

Here are 100 crime fiction writing prompts:

• A detective wakes up with amnesia and has to solve their own case to figure out who they are.
• A hacker accidentally stumbles upon plans for an assassination plot and has to go on the run.
• After a family member is murdered, a grief-stricken protagonist becomes obsessed with solving the crime themselves.
• A serial killer taunts the police with cryptic clues about their next victim.
• A small town sheriff has to track down thieves after a priceless historical artifact is stolen from the local museum.
• An undercover cop infiltrates a dangerous smuggling ring but soon finds themselves in too deep.
• After their spouse mysteriously disappears, an increasingly paranoid protagonist isn’t sure who to trust – not even themselves.
• On the way back from visiting a prisoner, a prison transport bus crashes and all the dangerous criminals escape.
• A murdered socialite has a secret life that is only discovered after their death – they were living under an assumed identity.
• A detective keeps getting mysterious blank postcards in the mail signed only with the letter ‘X’. What do they mean?
• After a high stakes casino heist, the only witness is a cocktail waitress who can identify the thieves.
• An arson investigator suspects that a deadly fire was deliberately set to cover up a murder.
• A blackmailed politician turns the tables and sets out to uncover their extorter’s secrets instead.
• The sudden death of a Science teacher appears to have been poison – but no dangerous chemicals are missing from the high school lab.
• The murder of a reclusive train enthusiast is made to look like a suicide – but why would anyone want them dead?
• After a hostage situation goes wrong, a hostage negotiator has to track down the perpetrator who escaped.
• The star witness in a high profile trial is kidnapped on their way to testify. Can they be rescued in time?
• A package thief ends up stealing deadly explosives and has to work with police to prevent a terrorist attack.
• The murder of a highly skilled thief baffles police – who would be capable of outsmarting them?
• A forensic accountant notices anomalies in a company’s books and ends up uncovering a huge financial conspiracy.
• After an attempt is made on their life, an investigative journalist goes underground to expose who wants them dead.
• A string of unusual deaths are linked to a new app that seems to know people’s greatest fears. How does it work – and how does it choose its victims?
• A pickpocket snatches the wrong phone belonging to a member of dangerous gang.
• The murder of a reclusive train enthusiast appears to have been poison – but why would anyone want them dead?
• Security camera footage that could identify a killer is erased in what seems to be an inside job.
• A cold case is reopened after a confession letter detailing the crime arrives at the police station – but the alleged killer has been dead for 10 years.
• A wealthy widow’s sudden death means a new heir stands to inherit everything. But suspicious details emerge suggesting murder.
• After a politician’s aide dies under mysterious circumstances, the PR team goes into overdrive to prevent a scandal.
• A Rabbi, a Priest and an Imam walk into the public library and never check out the religious books they borrowed – then they all disappear without at trace.
• After a deadly yacht fire, investigators realize there’s only one person who couldn’t have started the blaze that killed a powerful senator.
• Museum security thought the antique bracelet was safely in the glass case – but that night, the mint condition item goes missing without a trace.
• A single snowy footprint outside a remote mountain cabin marks the scene of a grisly murder. But when forensics tries to match it, the print doesn’t belong to any of the suspects.
• A down and out boxer is the only witness to a drive-by shooting, but can’t afford to break his mafia-controlled code of silence to identify the killer.
• An assassin discovers their own name is next on their boss’s hit list, marking them as a loose end now that the major target is dead.
• The murder of a skilled prosecutor threatens to derail the mob trial of the century – until an FBI agent gets an unlikely tip from a petty criminal.
• Cleaning out her aunt’s attic, a woman discovers clues that the beloved relative was living a double life with a hidden crime agenda.
• A drug smuggler crash lands a plane full of cocaine and goes on the run from gangsters, the law and a dirty DEA agent.
• The star of bag lady hides in hoards and shadows turns out to be a brilliant ex-chemist with a penchant for poison and going unnoticed.
• A cold case detective refuses to accept the explanation when the autopsy report rules his star witness’ death as natural causes.
• The ashes of cremated corpses start turning up in random locations far from the graveyard and someone is definitely keeping them. But why?
• Two violent rival crime syndicates discover they’ve both been answering to the same shadowy boss who has now turned them against each other as a distraction from their own crimes.
• A villain with a peculiar blood fetish is draining victims completely dry before posing their bodies grotesquely around the city. But what is being done with all that precious red elixir?
• A pair of clever grifters turn the tables on a ruthless gang lord who wants them dead – by stealthily stealing his identity and emptying his bank accounts before disappearing forever.
• A surrogate mother carrying high value designer embryos worth a fortune is kidnapped in broad daylight. But when she turns up safe and sound with no memory of what happened, investigators grow suspicious.
• A murder investigation threatens to blow open the dark family secrets of a powerful senator when it’s linked back to his troubled socialite sister’s mysterious death years prior.
• The shocking death of a prominent anti-technology leader halts the passage of a sweeping new ban on AI research – but not before they mail out one final ominous manifesto foretelling the dangers ahead if development continues.
• A psychiatrist secretly battles his own dark urges and split personality while working to develop a psychological profile of the surrounding city’s elusive serial killer.
• The lone survivor of a horrific massacre at a remote farmhouse recounts conflicting memories about a sinister apocalyptic cult and the unexplained phenomenon that claimed 18 lives.
• A fortune in antique gold coins is stolen from a museum opening exhibit thanks to a switched shipping crate, a well-placed forgery…and an unseen mastermind.
• The gruesome Chairman Murders targeting the wealthy elite confound investigators with the macabre death tableaus left behind featuring the faces of beheaded corporation heads.
• A ruthless vigilante hacks into live TV broadcasts to deliver video manifestos exposing government and corporate corruption then carries out bold assassinations.
• A suspiciously untraceable new drug causes mass violence and chaos in prisons and inner cities while the affluent manufacturer cashes in on increased law enforcement budgets
• A devious duo therapists turn vulnerable patients into hypnotized sleeper agents to act out assassination attempts, robberies, and more so they can get rich analyzing the suspects after arrest.
• A murderous rideshare driver continually slips through the grasp of authorities thanks to hundreds of false identities being generated via algorithm to game the startup’s lax background checks.
• A warmongering arms dealer sells weapons to both sides of every global conflict through shell companies and legal loopholes while living protected and thriving under political asylum abroad.
• The desperate copycat crimes of a dangerous shooting spree fanatic escalate while an expert researcher delves into the disturbed psyche profile and motives of the still unidentified perpetrator they named “Shooter X”.
• An assassin struggles with intensifying schizophrenia and violent impulses while working against the clock as each hit risks exposing more psychological instability
• A regretful criminal genius – known for only stealing high profile masterpieces and replacing them with expert replicas – initiates their own hunt to track down where their stolen originals disappeared to when fences didn’t sell to any interested collectors.
• The lone survivor of a tragic avalanche that claimed the lives of nine wealthy socialite friends becomes the subject of dark rumors questioning the official story of the freak mid-May snowstorm.
• A driven journalist follows paper trails left behind by an anonymous whistleblower leading all the way through shell corporations to the CEO of a private military company selling clandestine services. But once the leader’s secret illegal operations are exposed far darker revelations about human experimentation surface.
• A cunning murderer makes an elaborate show of appearing to follow advice from a prominent psychiatrist to throw investigations off the trail of their connection to a spree of nurse killings staged like grotesque mercy killings.
• An online marketplace overflowing with illegal goods and criminal connections launches a wave of blackmail, extortion campaigns, and bizarre stings against politicians and celebrities leading back to its shadowy founders.
• A skilled investigator finds their own custom-ordered engagement ring hanging around the neck of a headless torso pulled from a river and realizes they’ve been framed by the very serial killer they are chasing.
• A murderous rideshare driver with hundreds of false identities blames a traumatic brain injury for increasingly bizarre delusions inspiring ritualistic kills all tied to the GPS voice directions.
• A ruthless South American cartel battles law enforcement, gang rivals, informants while rapidly exploiting vulnerable populations with a dangerously addictive synthetic street drug made and trafficked at catastrophic scale.
• A principled crusading journalist bent on exposing the rampant corruption surrounding an ambitious infrastructure mega project keeps receiving gruesome messages and bloody “gifts” warning them away from certain greedy public figures before it’s too late.
• A scrappy TV reporter relentlessly investigates hospital financial irregularities only to end up drugged and involuntarily committed by villainous administrators – can they break out and finally break the scandal & corruption story wide open?
• An eccentric chemistry teacher’s valuable original research is stolen after their suspicious apparent suicide and former students race shady biotech reps to be the first to unlock and exploit the dangerous experimental technology.
• An FBI profiler’s own twisted mentor puts her skills to the test setting increasingly elaborate psychological traps centered around his intricate murder scenes positioned as a deadly challenge to solve his ultimate mystery.
• A brilliant psychologist gets trapped in an intense battle of wits against a sinister and elusive serial bomber who stages their intricate, high profile attacks as “tests” for the investigator to pass.
• A skilled safecracker tries to pull off one last monumental heist to disappear forever only to get embroiled in the cutthroat competition between two powerful crime syndicates because the treasure they steal is far deadlier than cash.
• A framed politician out for justice and redemption must reluctantly team up with the brilliant fraudster who orchestrated their downfall when a mutual enemy has deadly blackmail to leverage over both.
• A twisted voyeur places their own cameras amid an unsuspecting couple’s intimate belongings and monitors their home life while privately engineering cruel schemes that deteriorate their relationship.
• The survivor of a mysterious plane crash uncovers unsettling clues suggesting the flight was sabotaged as part of a complex heist targeting a reclusive passenger’s priceless modern artwork collection being covertly transported.
• After a shocking public shooting reveals his best assassin has potentially betrayed him going rogue a calculating crime boss must track down the skilled killer before their valuable secrets get exposed.
• A profiler hunting a deranged escapee must delve back into her own troubled past for insight when her fugitive twin sister becomes the prime suspect behind increasingly unhinged murders.
• A freak accident during a casino heist gives a thief sudden clairvoyant abilities to foresee disastrous fates allowing them to rescue others but not cheat their own deadly destiny if they interfere too much.
• An eccentric investigator descending into amusing madness nonetheless continues cracking cold cases wide open while hunting clever serial killers who staged strange deaths as avant garde public art displays.
• The discovery of a mutilated corpse buried beneath a beloved public monument ignites an explosive investigation exposing the prominent historic site as a homicide hotbed used by serial killers for decades without detection.
• A skilled detective troubled by grief after her partner’s death comes out of retirement when a mysterious unsolved murder from their past serves as a calling card by the sinister killer who previously eluded them.
• A master hacker slowly driven mad by obsessively decrypting uncrackable files spirals while hunting an elusive group of cyber terrorists planning orchestrate a cataclysmic global system crash.
• A rogue special agent once renowned for leading daring capture missions now wages a one man war of vengeance away from oversight battling murderous mercenaries, gun runners, assassins and the corrupt bureaucrats who enabled them.
• A principled CIA analyst has her idealism tested finding herself drawn into the moral grey areas of covert action while uncovering destabilizing secrets hidden in classified documents leaked by an equally radicalized hacker.
• A cunning thief specializing in infiltrating wealthy estates to steal priceless art begins receiving disturbing threats warning she is being targeted by one of her victim’s relatives seeking personal revenge through relentless mind games.
• While investigating her own mentor’s mysterious death in a high tech laboratory explosion, a brilliant chemist makes shocking discoveries revealing his classified research into illegal biochemical weapons funded by corrupt government sources.
• A seasoned hostage negotiator still riddled with PTSD guilt from his last case tries to resolve the volatile standoff peacefully unaware it is a complex trap set up by old rivals manipulating both sides from the shadows.
• An eccentric forensic archaeologist uses unconventional methods to excavate hidden evidence among historical mass disaster sites leading back to the prime suspect in his mentor’s still unsolved strange demise years ago.
• A skilled safecracker gets recruited by INTERPOL to serve reduced prison time helping them investigate a sophisticated network of high stakes thieves specializing in elaborate heists targeting the world’s most secure bank vaults and museums.
• A tenacious journalist risks his life chasing propagated conspiracy theories about seemingly natural disasters actually being cover-ups for catastrophic weapons experiments while powerful forces close in trying to silence him permanently.
• A principled FBI whistleblower implicated in a violent confrontation gone wrong is deemed rogue before he can expose the unsettling classified experiments brainwashing ordinary citizens into unwitting sleeper agents activated to carry out deadly deeds then self-destruct.
• A brilliant analyst’s groundbreaking predictive data models forecasting local crime trends and patterns reveal the seemingly random city violence hides an elaborately choreographed unseen criminal network orchestrating events from behind the scenes via algorithm.
• A resourceful paramedic finds herself entangled in an intricate conspiracy after her brother is assassinated on a rescue call she attended requiring her to take on the mercenaries who have also weaponized the automated emergency alert network to mask murders.
• A skilled arson investigator returns to her rural hometown when a raging wildfire threatens to reach the isolated commune where she endured a troubled childhood only to uncover the shocking truth – her mother radicalized the cult into becoming extremists intentionally setting blazes for a cause.
• A rising nonprofits star fundraiser finds himself uncovering baffling financial crimes hiding amongst the charity galas, donations, and devoted volunteers requiring him to discreetly investigate powerful figures willing to kill to keep their lucrative secrets hidden.
• A cunning antiques thief pockets a vintage music box containing a cryptic treasure map kicking off a thrilling race against rival criminals all desperate to reach the undisclosed locations first and claim the remarkable rewards waiting to be excavated.
• A skilled skip tracer focusing on particularly puzzling people who have disappeared without a trace makes her most bewildering find yet when she locates a prominent CEO living under a false name inexplicably managing a small town diner with no memory of his actual identity.
• An unconventional psychologist known for hypnotizing clients to access repressed memories orchestrates his own disappearance after hinting at dangerous experimental breakthroughs but the investigation reveals more happened in his final sessions than treatment.
• A clever con artist scams grief stricken wealthy widowers by manipulating them during their times of mourning except her latest mark hiding a twisted secret threatens to turn the tables making her the vulnerable target instead.
• A cunning antiquities expert curating a new exhibit centered around the infamous dark legends of eternally cursed ancient artifacts has an alarming accident befall his restoration team forcing him to reluctantly consider if the ominous mythic histories hold truth after all.
• An eccentric private investigator’s seemingly mundane missing person case takes a bizarrely supernatural twist when the spiritualist medium they unwillingly team up with to conjure answers ends up possessed by the very ghost who holds the key to unlocking the mystery disappearance.

We hope you enjoyed our 100 crime fiction writing prompts and that they helped you create some amazing work. We have many other writing prompts on our site that you may find helpful. Leave us a comment below.

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About Richard

Richard Everywriter (pen name) has worked for literary magazines and literary websites for the last 25 years. He holds degrees in Writing, Journalism, Technology and Education. Richard has headed many writing workshops and courses, and he has taught writing and literature for the last 20 years.  

In writing and publishing he has worked with independent, small, medium and large publishers for years connecting publishers to authors. He has also worked as a journalist and editor in both magazine, newspaper and trade publications as well as in the medical publishing industry.   Follow him on Twitter, and check out our Submissions page .

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The great unknown, write a story where time functions differently to our world., write a story about a character who wakes up in space., write a story from the point of view of a non-human character., write a story with a strong sense of place. how is the setting of your world the same as, but different to, our own, write a story imagining 'what if' one historic invention had never happened. how would our world be different now, start or end your story with a character who gets trapped inside a museum overnight., write about two characters who meet and/or fall in love in a museum., write about an art thief who is struggling to commit the perfect heist., write about someone who accidentally destroys a museum’s most valuable artifact., write about a gallery whose paintings come alive at night., write about a backstabbing (literal or metaphorical) gone wrong., start your story with an unexpected betrayal., set your story at a tense event where everyone is unsure whose side they’re on., write about someone who is stuck between two opposing sides and can’t decide which one to choose., write about someone who is convinced they’re going to be betrayed., set your story in a lighthouse surrounded by powerful gale-force winds., craft a story where a character finds themselves swept away by the wind, either physically or metaphorically., set your story on a sailboat, large or small, and entirely at the mercy of the winds., a crumpled piece of paper holding an unexpected message is carried by the wind. where did it come from, and where is it going, begin your story with the sensation of a breeze brushing against a character's skin., win $250 in our short story competition 🏆.

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ThinkWritten

7 Creative Writing Exercises For Writers

Need a creative lift as a writer? Try these 7 creative writing exercises for writers to boost your writing skills.

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Has your creative well run dry? Are you struggling to find inspiration for your next written work? Creative writing exercises could be the answer.

Just like any other skill, the art and craft of writing will benefit from the frequent working and reworking of your practices and habits. Creativity exercises for writers could unlock that writer’s block that you have been struggling to overcome and spur you on to new and exciting creative directions. 

What are Creative Writing Exercises?

Creative writing exercises can take on many forms and can mean different things to different people. However, certain elements are common to most examples of creative writing exercises.

They are often produced in short, intense bursts, for one thing, and they are often entirely improvised. Improvisation is one of the earmarks of the creative writing exercises employed by many writers.

One other factor that most creative writing exercises have in common is that they often encourage the exploration and expounding of familiar subject matters in novel ways.

Many classes and guides that focus solely on developing creative writing techniques involve adopting short and spontaneous approaches. 

How often should writers practice creative writing exercises?

Regardless of what form a creative writing exercise takes, it is smart for writers to adopt these practices and incorporate them into their daily routines. The goal is to expand their writing skills and develop the ability to tell the same story in as many different ways as possible. 

Start by writing a few lines once or twice a week, spending only a few minutes each session. Gradually increase the length of each session and how many times you sit down to write per week.

Eventually, you could work up to about ten minutes per session, performing these exercises several times throughout the week. 

Here are 7 Creative Writing Exercises for Writers

If you feel like taking a break from a writing assignment or are between projects, you can try your hand at these creative writing exercises. They can also serve as inspiration for your next opus or strengthen your creative muscles. 

1. Follow your stream of consciousness.

Many writers have become conditioned to feel a great deal of stress or worry about being confronted by a blank page. This exercise will help you address this fear head-on. 

Get a piece of paper and start writing the first thing that comes to mind. Don’t even think about what you are writing or edit your thoughts. This type of writing is known as “free writing”. Author Julia Cameron referred to this as the “morning pages” in her award-winning book, The Artist’s Way . 

2. Work with different points of view.

If you find yourself struggling with expressing yourself, try switching up your point of view. Take a chapter from your favorite book, or even just a scene if you want to start slow. Write everything that takes place from the point of view of another character. The goal here is to communicate the story in another way. 

You could also vary this exercise by writing as if you are the main character by changing their point of view. If the story is written in the first person, try writing it from the third person. Be aware of the details that are omitted when you switch viewpoints. This frequently leads to an interesting new twist to the story. 

3. Take advantage of writing prompts.

Writing prompts or story starters can be invaluable writing tools that could encourage you to explore unfamiliar but interesting creative directions. These are sentences or short passages that could serve as springboards for writing spontaneous stories. 

We have many writing prompts lists here at ThinkWritten you can use for inspiration, including 365 Creative Writing Prompts , 42 Fantasy Prompts , and 101 Poetry Prompts .

4. Have a Conversation With Yourself

See what it’s like to write a letter or converse with yourself. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to have a conversation with your younger self, this is the perfect opportunity to do so.

You can choose any subject you want, from a significant social or political event or some words of wisdom to your younger version. Try to be as honest and as forthcoming as possible. The results might surprise you.

5. Try Writing Flash Fiction

Try to crank out a piece of flash fiction. As with other creative writing exercises, don’t spend too much time at it. Simply sit down in front of the computer or a piece of paper, and begin writing. Flash fiction doesn’t usually go beyond 500 words, so try to keep it short.

Note: It might be helpful to differentiate flash fiction from the freewriting exercise discussed earlier. While freewriting involves generating words and ideas in an unbridled stream of consciousness, flash fiction is more about writing within a set of guidelines. In this particular exercise, try incorporating structural elements such as plots, conflicts, and character development, all in the goal of developing a logical story arc. 

6. Practice writing fake ads

Writing fake advertisements is another potentially useful exercise. Few tasks can flex your creative muscles than trying to sell a product, person, company, or idea. You don’t need a lot to get started either. All you have to do is to select a word at random from a magazine or newspaper and get started writing an ad for it. 

It might help to write one ad in a more formal tone, similar to the classified ads published in newspapers. This exercise will train you in using a few words effectively to sell your subject. You can then write another ad in a style similar to that published in online marketplaces, which allow for longer text. In both exercises, try to convince your readers to purchase the product in as definitive terms as possible. 

7. Rewrite someone else’s story

Consider adopting a story from someone else and making it your own. Unlike the exercise that involves writing a story from another point of view, this one involves telling the same story from the same viewpoint but using your own words.

It could be any story you want to write about, from something a family member told you about or an urban legend that has long made the rounds of your town.

Whichever story you choose, try to write it as if it happened to you. If certain details are missing–which is often the case with old stories–don’t hold back from adding your own touches. You could even take a well-known story and write it as if you were there when the events took place. 

There are only a few of the creativity exercises for writers you can try. There are many more variations that you could use to help you get back into the pattern of writing creatively.

If you ever find yourself stuck and unsure of what your next step should be, consider taking some time off and working on some creative writing exercises instead. After some time, you might find yourself becoming more eager to get back into it and more inspired than ever. 

Tell us what you think! Do you enjoy creative writing exercises? Do you have any additional ideas for ways writers can continue to build and work on their writing skills? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

Eric Pangburn is a freelance writer who shares his best tips with other writers here at ThinkWritten. When not writing, he enjoys coaching basketball and spending time with his family.

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The article was inspirational but I wish that there was a place to show case our writing. I have written a novel and will love to have someone read and edit it.

Yeah, I agree.

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