Creative Writing Prompts You’ve Never Seen Before

Creative Writing Prompts – Why You Need Them

Most writers are idea-generating machines. We literally can’t turn it off. But there are times when you just want to write something different. You may have just gotten over writer’s block. (See my post about cures for writer’s block if you’re still stuck.) Or maybe you’re just in the writing mood when disaster strikes – you have NO IDEA what to write about. That’s why creative writing prompts are super useful.

Most successful writers aim to write at least one thing every day. Some go so far as to write 10,000 words a day (e.g. Ray Bradbury wrote at least that much every day of his life.) These prompts will help you when you don’t know what to write. Even though writers are idea-generating machines, sometimes you need help coming up with the right idea. So I made this list of creative writing prompts.

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This list of creative writing prompts will help you on your writing journey:

1. Person, place, and thing: This one needs some explaining, but it’s pretty fun. You write out those words: person _____ ; place ______ ; thing _____. Then fill in the blanks with the first word that pops into your mind. Then use those three items to create a short story.

2. Write a letter to your past or future self: I’m sure they’d love to hear from you! If you write a letter to your future self, save it and look back on it in the actual future.

3. Create a short story or poem about a world without color: It could be that the world lost its color somehow. Or maybe there never was color. How would that make you feel? What would be different about how you interact with the world?

4. Where do the stars sleep? Write a story or poem about where the stars go during the day.

5. Ask a child: It works, trust me. My daughter helps me come up with ideas all the time. She’s four and her imagination is in constant overdrive. Children are pretty good at developing all things creative.

6. Write a FanFic about your favorite fairy tale: I say fairy tale because lots of people write them about shows and books, but fairy tale FanFic is a little less common.

7. Create a TO BE list: I heard about this a while back and it’s something everyone should try. If you’re looking to write something, this is probably going to be the most valuable thing on the list. More info on what exactly a To-Be List is here.

8. Write a book review of your most recent read: I’m not telling you to get all Ebert on us. Just write down your thoughts on the last book you read. What did you like; what didn’t you like? Did the writer use some literary magic that impressed you? Could it have ended better? What rating would you give it overall; why?

9. Write an article on something you’re passionate about: This will be a little more involved, as I highly recommend doing some research and then writing. But if you have some downtime and are looking for a real project, this is a good idea to try. Make sure you share your findings on your favorite social media platform.

10. Create a character backstory: This is great for when you’re working on a novel, but aren’t quite up to actually writing it. Pick one of your characters and create a backstory for them. Turn it into a short story and explain why they are the way they are. I love doing these because they’re fun, but they’re also a form of progress on my novel without actually having to write it.

11. A Day in the Life of Your Phone:  Write a short story, poem, or journal entry about the trials and tribulations of your poor little phone over the course of one day.

12. Island Society: Write a short story about a secluded island with just one population on it. They have no idea there are other places in the world. They think their island is an entire planet. Describe their trades, language, religious beliefs, how their leadership works. Maybe tell it from the perspective of a child who thinks there might actually be something else out there. Have fun with it!

13. Write about your writing ritual or process: People actually like to read about that kind of stuff. You could post it on your blog if you have one, or save it for your author profile.

14. Rewrite it: Take a book with an ending you did not love and write your own.  

15. Elaborate on a comic strip from the Sunday Paper:  Kind of like the fairy tale FanFic, turn your favorite comic into a short story.  

16. Journal it: Write about the fact that you can’t think of anything to write about. Start keeping a log of these days in a journal. Spend time writing about your struggles. Maybe you’ll figure out why your mind is stubbornly remaining blank. Maybe these times revolve around something specific in your life. It’s always a good idea to keep a journal, especially if you’re a writer.  

17. Try the #vss365 from Twitter: It’s a cool challenge. You take a short story and condense it down to 140 characters. Do this every day for a year and you’ll actually end up with a legit full-length story. If an entire year sounds too crazy, try it for a month. (Tag me if you post on Twitter, I’d love to read it: @inkwellspills.)  

Don’t leave without checking out my Ultimate Guide to Twitter for Writers!

18. Write a poem about the first thing you see: Whether it’s a banana or a gorgeous sunset, poem it up!  

19. “And Dragons”: This is an idea from a social media trend. Take your favorite show or book, and add “and dragons” to the title. Next, write a FanFic short story with the added bonus of Dragons. Obviously, everything is better with dragons.  

20. Fear Factor: What are you most afraid of? Write a story or journal entry about yourself facing that fear (or those fears if you’re just so scared you can’t pick one). How did you face them? What did it feel like before and after? Are you still afraid of said thing(s)?

21. What’s in the Box?: Write a story about a mystery cardboard box that no one will open because they don’t know what’s inside.  

22. I Love Me: Write a list of everything you love about yourself. You can also write a list of everything you don’t love about yourself. But that one must be destroyed by fire after you’re done. You’re perfect just the way you are.  

23. Picture Perfect: Find a photo you absolutely love. Next, write a story, poem, or journal entry inspired by that picture.  

24. Tea Time: You’re invited to a tea party with your favorite historical person. What do you talk about? What do you wear? Write a story, poem, or journal entry about the magical day.

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Now you have a bunch of creative writing prompts.  

If these weren’t enough, here’s another person that did a great job coming up with a list of things to write, three hundred and sixty-five of them to be specific. If you’d like, share some of what you’ve written with me in the comments. It’s scary to share your writing, but without feedback, you’ll never get any better. Plus, I really enjoy reading stuff written by people like me – a struggling writer just trying to figure this writing thing out.

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