Writing prompts are a great way to develop your writing style without the hassle of constructing an idea or narrative already planned in your head. Prompts are an opportunity to stimulate your creativity and focus on your writing. If the novel is the literary equivalent to a marathon, writing prompts are the training periods before the big day.
Here are 25 writing prompts to get you started:
1. Write about a character who one day discovered they possess superhuman strength.
2. Start or end your story with your character watching the sunset.
3. Write about a character who is reminiscing on an impactful event that happened years ago.
4. Start your story with an explosion.
5. Write about a character who returns to their hometown to deal with unfinished business.
6. Incorporate the color “magenta” into a story about a dinner party gone wrong.
7. Write about a character’s strange obsession and its effect on others.
8. Write about a character using a secret ingredient.
9. Start your story with someone accepting a dare.
10. Write about the aftermath of a party gone wrong.
11. Evidence of extraterrestrial life has been made public. Write about the effects of this revelation from the point of view of a long-time skeptic.
12. End your story with a clock striking midnight.
13. Set your story in a newly constructed office building, after hours.
14. Write about a character who gets lost on their way back home.
15. Write your story from the perspective of an animal who has been brought to a zoo.
16. Start or end your story with the sound of a closing door.
17. The power has gone out in a remote town, leaving everyone in darkness. Write about the effects of this situation on the residents.
18. Write about a character trying ways to overcome a longtime fear.
19. Write a story about two characters who form a connection after sharing their secrets.
20. End your story with a character diving into a body of water.
21. Write from the perspective of a character who is the sole survivor of an accident.
22. Explore a character’s ruminations after making a discovery that could up-end society’s understanding of how the world functions.
23. Write from the perspective of a child who has experienced a significant historical event.
24. Set your story in the only library left in the world.
25. Write about a character trying to overcome writer’s block in unconventional ways.
About the Author:
Aaron Talledo is currently pursuing his BA in English at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He finds inspiration from literature, music, and film and expresses creativity through writing. In his free time, Aaron enjoys fitness, meditation, and video games.