10 Writing Prompts That Don’t Suck

I love writing prompts. Some people hate them. I totally get that. Bad writing prompts have a distinctly high-school English 101 flavour. But good writing prompts are fun, shake things up, bust you out of a writing funk, and help you hone your craft in new ways. 

Sometimes all you want to do is write but you can’t think of a good idea to get started. But these 10 writing prompts should give you a big enough ledge to jump from. Just remember what Aaron Sorkin says and focus on making intention and obstacle clear in your narrative. And have fun!

• In addition to writing prompts, the best way to get writing inspiration is to take a writing MasterClass with one of the world’s best writers. You can check out a huge catalogue that includes Margaret Atwood, Malcolm Gladwell, Neil Gaiman, Joyce Carol Oates, and more here.

Here are 10 writing prompts to whet your writing whistle.

Writing Prompt #1

5 mortal enemies from 5 different continents are trapped in a bank after hours. Why do they hate each other? What are they doing in the bank? What happens next?

Writing Prompt #2

A secret meeting is taking place in a temple with a Buddhist terrorist group planning to blow up the world’s greatest monuments. Write that scene.

Writing Prompt #3

A gay man wakes up to find himself straight and everyone else in the world has become gay overnight. Write his first day. What are his thoughts? What is the world like? What happens next?

Writing Prompt #4

What is the harshest truth you ever had to learn the hard way? Put it into a character’s mouth as they talk to the person they love the most in the world.

Writing Prompt #5

A boy and a girl have fallen in love online without seeing each others face. They are about to meet for the first time. Write that scene but write every sentence in the style of a different genre like this: romance, mystery, thriller, horror, science-fiction, repeat.

Writing Prompt #6

Write the most beautiful/inspiring thing you have ever witnessed and the ugliest thing you have ever seen. Write a scene in which these two exist at the same time. Write the scene through the eyes of someone innocent who doesn’t fully understand the ways of the world (e.g. a child or a dog).

Writing Prompt #7

What is the most politically incorrect thing you could possibly say? Now put those words into the mouth of an articulate, intelligent, and likeable villain in a courtroom drama. Make it impossible to argue against it. Now make your hero/heroine argue against it.

Writing Prompt #8

You fell into a coma last month. You wake up and the calendar says the year is 2025. What happened? What do you see? What is the world like?

Writing Prompt #9

You’re back in your 10-year-old mind and body. List 10 things you are crazy about (e.g. Beyblades, Pokemon cards). Now write a tragic narrative that features all of them but has an uplifting ending.

Writing Prompt #10

What is one thing about yourself you would never want anyone to know? Write a character who sees that trait as a strength and show how it helps them overcome their biggest obstacle.