50 Inspirational Writing Prompts
- Anika Schmid
- Dec 10, 2022
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 14, 2022
Do you want to write but need a little kickstart? The following sections are different approaches to beginning your writing journey, like characters, dialogue, settings, and conflicts. You can use these writing prompts for short stories, poems, or any creative writing. Feel free to mix and match ideas.
About Yourself
1. Think of a song you enjoy and shape the lyrics into a story.
2. Write about a unique tradition that your family has.
3. Think about a trope you dislike. How would you have characters fix it?
4. Look at your surroundings and create a narrative with the first three items you see.
5. Recall your favorite vacation or trip. What made this experience memorable?
6. Write an exaggerated story about an experience you have faced. You could turn it into a pretend newspaper story with an absurd title and headline.
7. Explain the importance and meaning of your favorite quote.
8. Describe your favorite color without using the word.
9. Write about a memory related to a car.
10. Imagine that your favorite mythical creature exists. How would it make our world different?
Character
11. A character similar to yourself, except braver. Does eating at a restaurant alone intimidate you? Afraid of crying in public? Have your character do these actions unashamedly.
12. A teenage girl with a reputation for being a pushover finally stands her ground.
13. A character loses something important.
14. A character receives an unexpected gift from an enemy.
15. A character with the ability to read minds falls in love with a daydreamer.
16. A villain who can create wormholes loses his powers after teleporting to your hometown.
17. A resourceful character who is highly motivated by money.
18. A rude character who is only nice to his mom.
19. A character who laughs at everything yet has a very serious best friend.
20. A character who documents life through scrapbooks and photography.
Dialogue and Opening Lines
21. Write the dialogue between two characters having a disagreement, but the issue is never explicitly stated.
22. A protagonist narrates actions out loud, which greatly annoys others.
23. An incident occurs, but no one will answer your questions.
24. When you arrive at work, everyone starts whispering. Feeling embarrassed by the attention, you ask, "What's wrong? You all look like you've seen a ghost."
25. Begin with the line, “This wasn’t your fault. It was mine.”
26. “I can’t believe I’m asking for help from you.”
27. “Have we met before? I feel like I’ve seen you in my dreams.”
28. “Are you going to arrest me?”
29. “I’ve been chasing after others all my life but never stopped to think if there’s something more I want.”
30. A character lets out an exasperated sigh and says, “Fine. I’ll do it myself.”
Setting
31. Confrontation on an icy bridge
32. Store that sells overpriced jewelry with an unhelpful staff
33. Elevator that leads to another dimension
34. Ice skating rink for a young girl’s birthday party
35. Castle built on a cliffside
36. Large village with narrow and maze-like streets
37. City with gloomy weather year-round
38. Museum inhabited by zombies
39. Private high school with a futuristic look
40. Greenhouse full of plants that come to life
Conflict
41. You receive a letter in the mail explaining that you now have ownership of a café since you are the last living relative of the recently deceased owner. You have no business skills, hate coffee, and are terrible at baking. Do you have what it takes?
42. A rumor spreads around the town that your doctor is not entirely human. Even though you think it is bogus, you mention the rumor to your doctor during your next appointment. You expect her to laugh, but she looks at you solemnly and says the rumors are true.
43. You work night shifts as a security guard at a government building that pays well. The job is dull since nothing exciting ever happens. One night, you notice something strange on the security monitor that is undetectable to the human eye. You begin to suspect that your employers are hiding a secret.
44. You receive your yearbook near the end of the school year. When you open it, you find a message written in red pen with tomorrow’s date and a location. You really want to focus on your last weeks of school but are tempted to investigate.
45. As a high school graduation gift, your aunt gives you a music box and a deadline. You have exactly one week to figure out and solve the box’s secret message.
46. You move into a new house, despite the realtor's warnings of it being haunted. Move-in goes smoothly, and the neighbors are polite. Despite your productive day, you are unable to fall asleep. After tossing and turning for hours, your eyes finally feel heavy. Then you hear a strange voice whisper, “Welcome back. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you.”
47. You are a journalist tasked with investigating a top-secret political corruption. All of the clues point toward someone you thought you could trust forever: your younger brother.
48. Tired of hearing complaints about the monster that terrorizes your village, you decide to slay it. The monster agrees to leave everyone alone if you complete a few errands. You agree and realize that the monster just has really bad coping mechanisms for stress.
49. An elderly author enlists the help of her biggest fan after her fantasy characters come to life. The fan must convince the characters to return to the book.
50. Your new puppy loves to bring back items he digs up from your backyard: rocks, various coins, and an old ring. You think the habit is cute until he returns with a mysterious key. You realize that the other items were clues to discover what the key unlocks.
I hope these prompts can spark ideas for your writing!
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