Writing Prompts
10-1 and 11-1-24 - write a story about finding a treasure map
- write a poem or story about Thanksgiving day
- write about making the basketball team at college
- a summary of a recent vacation or event
- article on what means the most to you
- write about the stars or the planets
8-1 and 9-1-24 - make a story about finding a lost key
that opens a treasure
- write about a large clock in center of town that breaks down
and changes the lives of its residents
- write a picture book for young children having a tea party
- make a list of characters for your new novel
- describe your favorite time of year
- describe the best part of your childhood memories
- write a story about "the Flower people"
7-1-24 - write a science fiction story that includes a monkey
- write a non-fiction short story about your favorite sport or hobby
- try several pages of your memoir - the beginning of a novel
6-1-24 - put yourself in a Star Trek episode
- write a children's treasure hunt story
- try your hand at writing a picture book for ages 4-8
5-1-24 - write a non-fiction book on a hobby you have or about
something of interest that requires research
- write a picture book for ages 4-8
- is there a photo or art picture you like or admire?; if so,
write what you see in it or like about it, or what it inspires
in you
3-1-24 - write a mystery story where things in your house
keep disappearing
- work on a picture book about living on a farm
- write a holiday story on different ways to color
Easter eggs
2-6-24 - write a story about a robbery
- write a love story for Valentine's Day
- write a story about being lost in a winter storm
1-1-24 - write a story using three words: birthday; flashlight; basement
- write about a wish you would like to come true
- write about two young children that become friends
12-1-23 - write a list of all the things you would like to do or be
- write about a trip you take overseas
- write a story about a ring that you find on the street in
your neighborhood
11-1-23 - write a ghost story
- write a non-fiction story or article on how to save our planet
- write about your favorite author
10-1-23 - write a non-fiction book on how to make something,
like jewelry or boats, or on anything you are interested in
- a young adult that takes daily walks and finds lost or placed
items along the way which turn into clues - a mystery
- a story of two women lost on an island that find each other
9-1-23 - write a mystery story for middle graders or any age
- what would it be like to be stranded on an island alone
- taking a child to the dentist for the first time
8-1-23 - write about an undiscovered world
- write a story about a favorite pet
- write a non-fiction story about animals you love or types of jobs that
work with animals locally or in the wild
7-1-23 - write a story about a vacation to an amusement park
- write a fairy tale of your own or retell one
- write a story about a summer camping trip you take with friends
6-1-23 - write about winning a big prize - what kind of prize is it?
- write about the most fun you ever had or about a day that was best
- do you dream a lot? Make a story from one of your dreams
5-1-23 - write about the start of a new romance
- two teens find themselves lost in the woods
- write a picture book about a magical swan that a little girl or boy find in their backyard pond
4-1-23 - every night I dream of other worlds
- I woke up one morning and found many items in the house that were missing - what happened and why?
- a secret hiding place
3-1-23 - the dog that saved you from disaster
- write a poem about your childhood
- tell a mystery story of something that's been lost or a murder mystery
2-1-23 - there once lived a cat who met a dog, who met a squirrel, who met an owl, who met a wizard
- tell a story of a heartbroken boy or girl
- a story with mysterious noises in a house
1-1-23 - a pair of scissors, a cotton ball, candy, and string - place these words in a story
- write a story in Dr. Seuss style
- a storytelling of the day that Frankenstein knocked on your door
12-1-22 - a paranormal you went to see tells you that something good is expected, yet the following month, she foretells that there will be trouble. What happens?
- write a story about a severe storm that leaves you stranded
- what happens when you find out that the girl you've been dating for some time has also been dating one of your good friends
11-1-22 - write a Halloween creepy story for middle grade or YA
- write a story about a boy or girl falling overboard off a ship during a storm who gets swept out to sea landing on a beach. What happens? Is he/she rescued? Does the boy or girl survive?
- you find a briefcase on a bus ride to work. What do you find inside?
10-1-22 - a first trip to an aquarium
- an unexpected visitor for dinner – was it someone you knew from the past? did a family member bring them over for dinner to surprise you? or is it someone maybe you didn't want to ever see again or thought that you would never see this person again?
- an alien spaceship arrives landing in your yard
9-1-22 - write about the first idea you thought of today or the first incident of the day
- something on a plane causes it to crash in a snow bound country; does everyone live and what was on the plane?
- a love story between two teachers where the students try to pull them apart. Why and what happens?
8-1-22 - a woman doing wash by the river discovers something floating in the water. What is it?
- a young, very slim man goes to sleep and wakes up to a new body; a body full of large muscles. What happened - how and why?
- an old man sits in a likeable, very comfy chair he finds at a thrift store. He tries sitting in it, and suddenly feeling more energetic, he buys it, and brings it home. Each time he sits in it at home, he starts becoming younger and younger.
7-1-22 - a young girl keeps having visions when awake and dreams about a land of ice that has a giant and other snow creatures living there. Weave a story why, where it is, and does she actually enter into this dimension. If so, how?
- parents disappear and a twelve-year-old decides to find them since the police do not believe his story and no evidence has been found of foul play. What happened?
- a boy and his friend always dreamed of becoming police officers and when they are age appropriate, enter the police academy, but finds that their dream is not what they expected which becomes a nightmare for them both.
6-1-22 - two children newly arrive at a foster home and develop a quick friendship
- a dog finds his way on the streets and gets adopted by a neighborhood gang
- write about an island of misfit pets - where did they come from and how did they arrive?
5-1-22 - a story about a person who hears a song that suddenly mesmerizes him/her
- something happens at a coffee shop that makes the news - what happened?
- a balloon floats into an open window of a child's room with a note tied to its string - what does the note say?
4-1-22 - a story about lies and what happens to others because of them
- a children's story about making pancakes - what could go wrong/right?
- a story about keys to a magical kingdom
3-1-22 - describe a happy memory
- write about living in poverty and then rising up from it
- a story about finding children lost in a forest - why were they there and how
2-1-22 - a fantasy train where dreams come to life
- what happens when a witch's pot is stolen
- two middle grade aged friends surprise each other with the same birthday gift and discover the gifts have magical properties
1-1-22 - a broken heart
- changing the world - fiction or non-fiction story
- what happens when a young girl finds a locket - what's inside? is it magical? or a contemporary story where the locket belongs to someone she must find
12-1-21 - Write a Christmas story - non-fiction or fiction - what might happen if you didn't get something on your list or what you had hoped for
- a Christmas secret that changes your life when it's found out
- write a children's story about a Christmas kitten for Grandpa and Grandma
11-1-21 - An orphaned Asian child that's nine years old is left at a monastery. Monks take him in. Write a story about his adventures as a child living amongst the monks.
- a girl aged twelve wants to enter a skateboarding competition but the boys in the neighborhood ridicule and bully her to keep her out of the contest. What happens?
10-1-21 - Each day a delivery of flowers appears at your door. A secret admirer? Or something else?
- A homeless person follows you home. Every morning when you leave for work, he's still there on your doorstep waiting to help you down the front steps. He doesn't speak. You try writing a message, but it seems he doesn't read either. What do you do? What happens? What do you find out?
9-1-21 - You've run away from home with just a backpack of some necessities. You don't have much of a plan. You deliberate whether to hitch hike knowing its dangers. Do you put your thumb up and hitch a ride or not? Either way, what happens?
- You spend a year full of friends that have turned petty and jealous. Why? What happened? You write down your feelings every night in a journal. Write the story from the journal entries.
8-1-21 - You follow a group of high school students into a forest for a seance. What happens?
- A storm brews on an island and there is no shelter nearby. What do you do? Where do you go? There's no reception for a phone and the island is deserted.
- Write a summer love story.
7-1-21 - Walking through a dark forest, trees sway and bushes shake and when the wind calms down, there's one bush still shaking. Who or what could it be?
- a cat takes refuge on a docked boat looking for food and ends up on a journey before he can get off. When he's found by a crewman, the cat starts talking.
6-1-21 - there's a hidden door in a castle - what's behind it and who finds it?
- a newspaper reporter discovers a hidden treasure when vacationing and goes on a journey into the unknown
- a frightened mouse finds a friend (children's story)
5-1-21 - write a story or paragraph about a jealous ghost
- a young girl and boy find a deserted house with many cats in it
- walking in the woods, a woman gets lost; she finds a path of gold coins and follows it - where does it lead to? And why was she in the woods?
4-1-21 - where do you hide your Easter eggs? Make a story or paragraph on hiding places.
- what if an Easter bunny visited you - was it in a dream, or maybe when you opened the front door, the bunny greeted you with a package. What was in the package?
- when she opened the mailbox, several cards slid to the ground - what kind of cards were they and why were they there? make this a story about the mystery cards and include clues throughout the story.
3-1-21 - The man with rumpled clothes sat in the kitchen smoking a pipe talking to his wife and said. "What you see is what you get. What more do you want? Whatever it is, I'm sure I don't have it." The wife didn't answer him. Instead she got up and walked over to the sink. Filling a pot with cold water, she proceeded to dump it on her husband's head. "I just wanted you to pour me a cup of coffee. Since you wouldn't, I'll find someone who will." Within seconds, she grabbed her coat and pocketbook, slamming the door behind her.
- In a land far, far away where glaciers live long lives, sat a giant, a very lonely giant.
2-1-21 - a valentine card is left at your door with no signature as to who it's from
- two children discover a treasure in their backyard
- a twelve-year-old wakes up one morning and is not in her/his house, but whose house is it? Or do they wake up in a field or a garden or where?
1-1-21 - A box is left at your door. What's in it? Does it say who it is from?
- You leave town only to find the same problems and the same type of people. Do you leave and move again? If so, where do you go?
- Write about a newfound friend.
12-1-20 - The hole in the wall grew bigger and bigger.
- Santa came down the chimney and when he landed, there was a surprise. What was it?
- "It's time to leave. We have to go now!"
11-1-20 - Everything has changed. (Where, Why, Who, What, When)
- Jennifer hears sounds on the roof, sits up in bed, and shouts, "don't you hear it? Tom, wake up!" Tom is immovable. What happens next?
10-1-20 - I decided to change the world today.
- When the cow jumped over the moon, he landed in a new world.
- "I don't care what you think, I care what you do and you've done nothing to ease the pain, to further our relationship, plus you left dirty dishes in the sink again!"
9-1-20 - The child knew what was going to happen before it did.
- "Whatever you wish for will be given," said the witch.
8-1-20 - The nature of things is in the heart of things.
- A call from the wild sent sensations through the forest.
7-1-20 - "You were trained to ____________. What have you done?"
- "Watch for the signal. Then we start running."
6-1-20 - a magic seed that grew into ?
- a young boy was often told as he grew to "follow his heart." One night he dreamt of following his heart to discover what he wanted and where he was going. He actually found himself inside his heart and there was a path and a wizard within the heart's chambers waiting for him. Continue the story. What did he discover? How did the wizard help him?
5-1-20 - follow a trail of bird seed - what did you find? where did it end?
- proceed with caution; why?
- she carried her heart in her purse; one day she left it on a park bench - why? what happened? write the story.
4-1-20 - what if you couldn't speak? Describe how you express your love, your anger, your bliss without words
- eyes on the prize
- the wind blew ferociously, the flower petals fell on the grave, and I heard a whisper - what did it say and who said it?
3-1-20 - what would following your heart look like
- take a stroll through a park; write about what's most impressive to you and why
- a funny Easter
2-2-20 - "A strange thing happened the other day. I had a visitor which was utterly supernatural and scary, at first. He looked like someone I knew once, but no one came to mind. He gave me a note to read on wrinkled paper." (What did the note say?)
- describe a newborn
- a trip through the galaxies
1-1-20 - write about your first kiss
- what kind of disguise would you wear when you show up for a masquerade party?
- take a trip to the North Pole; what would that be like?
12-1-19 - What would you write if a stuffed animal, doll, or toy of yours came to life?
-What if your date took you to see a movie you hated from the start. Would you just up and leave the theater? Would you say anything to him/her?
-The night was chilly as I walked the lonely, deserted streets. The lights from the street lamps comforted me until suddenly they went out. Lights flickered in and out from lamps inside buildings and then everything went dark. A complete blackout. What do you do?
11-1-19 - Write a paragraph or story about "integrity."
-Alice leaned over the side of the boat pulling the rope towards her, trying to bring ______________back on board, but there was nothing at the end of the rope.
-He lay sprawled on the sidewalk and everyone just walked by.
-10-1-19 - How do you know when your heart is breaking?
- what fiend or friend climbed into your bedroom window?
- did you ever get in trouble for something you didn't do, because maybe you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, or with the wrong person?
9-1-19 - the universe - it hiccupped, then it had bad indigestion, and then it went pop.
- write a story about a love you once had and why it was the best or the worst
- the boy kicked the metal bucket around the neighborhood, up and down the street, causing a racket - why? what happened? what was he feeling?
8-1-19 - I opened the cupboards. Empty. There was nothing to eat except a stale, molding bologna sandwich in the 'frig. This was the last house to find anything. "Where to next?" asked her robber friend. "I don't know. There's not another house on this road."
- Describe your bedroom in full detail.
- Write about your first kiss.
7-1-19 - What happens when taking a walk in the park or what do you see along the way?
- Are women equal yet? A paragraph or story of equality or inequality
- Write something about what a person you think dysfunctional might be
6-1-19 - Once there was a lion with a bellyache who ate too many people.
- Lying in the shade heated thoughts died, worries turned into ice cream, and sadness skipped away over the grass to make a home away from home.
- Turn your troubles of the day or a day in the past into a short story. Even one page or a paragraph is enough.