Writing Prompts to Get You Started

Here’s a list of prompts to help spark your creativity. Choose one or more, and let your imagination take the lead:

1. Character-Driven Prompts:

• Write a scene from the perspective of a character who has just been told a devastating secret.

• Your protagonist is faced with a moral dilemma: Do they help a stranger in need, or do they stay out of it? What do they decide, and how does it change them?

• Describe a character meeting their childhood hero for the first time. How does this encounter go, and what happens afterward?

• Write a letter from your protagonist to someone they’ve lost, but they can’t bring themselves to send it.

2. World-Building Prompts:

• Imagine a world where everyone can read each other’s thoughts. How does society function? What are the consequences?

• A seemingly normal town hides a deep secret. Describe an ordinary day in the life of a townsperson who is unaware of what lies beneath the surface.

• In a world where time travel is possible, but only in short bursts of five minutes, how do people use this power? Who abuses it?

• You discover a hidden door in your home that leads to another dimension. Write about your first experience stepping through it.

3. Emotional and Psychological Prompts:

• Write about a character who is forced to confront their greatest fear in a way they didn’t expect.

• What happens when your character wakes up in someone else’s body for one day? How do they navigate the new life, and what do they learn about themselves?

• A character is hiding a deep regret. Write a scene where they come face-to-face with someone who reminds them of it.

• Write about a moment in time when your protagonist has a sudden realization about their identity, and how it shifts their understanding of the world.

4. Plot-Driven Prompts:

• A natural disaster forces strangers to work together for survival. Write a scene where they begin to trust each other.

• A character stumbles upon a crime but is unsure whether they should report it. What do they do next?

• Someone receives a mysterious package in the mail with no return address. What’s inside, and what happens when they open it?

• Your character is offered an incredible opportunity, but there’s a catch they must accept. What’s the catch, and will they go through with it?

5. Creative Concept Prompts:

• Write about a character who wakes up with a new talent or ability, but they have no idea how to use it—or control it.

• Create a scene where an inanimate object (e.g., a watch, a book, a lamp) becomes central to the story. What makes it so important?

• Imagine a day when everything goes wrong. Write a scene where nothing happens according to plan, but the protagonist finds a way to make it work.

• A character enters a room and sees something that cannot possibly exist. What is it, and how does the character react?

6. Flash Fiction Prompts:

• In 500 words or less, write a story that begins with the line: “The moment the clock struck midnight, everything changed.”

• Write a one-paragraph scene where two strangers meet at an airport and experience an instant connection.

• Create a scene that begins with: “It wasn’t supposed to happen this way, but it did.”

• Write a flash fiction piece about a character who is trying to outrun something—whether literal or metaphorical.

7. Genre-Specific Prompts:

• Fantasy: A magical object is stolen from a powerful kingdom. The thief leaves only a cryptic note. What happens next?

• Sci-Fi: The world has run out of natural resources, and the government has instituted a rationing system. Write about a character caught in this crisis.

• Romance: Two people meet in a bookstore under unusual circumstances. What brings them together, and how do they react?

• Thriller: Your character has been accused of a crime they didn’t commit, and the only way to prove their innocence is to uncover the real culprit.

Final Thoughts on Prompts

Writing prompts are just a starting point, a gentle nudge to help you dive into a creative space. The beauty of prompts lies in their ability to take you down unexpected paths and lead you to fresh ideas. Don’t worry if your first response doesn’t seem perfect—let the prompts guide you, and see where the process takes you. The more you practice, the more natural creativity will flow. Happy writing!