100 Writing Prompts to Kick-Start Your Writing

Is writer’s block diminishing your creativity? Are you trying to get stuck back into your novel? Or maybe you want to take a step back from your novel so you can see it in a new light?

For some creative inspiration, The Novelry’s Mahsuda Snaith has provided 100 writing prompts to ignite your imagination. These writing prompts can be adapted into all genres, so choose according to your personal taste.

Why every writer needs writing prompts

Whether you’re at the beginning of your writing journey or deep in the middle of an epic trilogy that spans over generations, writing prompts are a great tool to generate ideas and keep you motivated.

Writers at any point in their career can benefit from using a kick-start to their writing. Not only are prompts a great way of getting you going, but they’re also brilliant for when you’re struggling with a key element of your story, are in a writing rut, or when you’re facing writer’s block.

Writing prompts can encourage you to come at your work from a sideways angle and give you a fresh perspective. The key here is to get the words flowing without thinking about the final result; this is the time to try something different and see what comes out of it.

So, whether you’re dipping your toe in the creative well for the first time or have stalled at a crucial moment in your current work, writing prompts are a vital resource in getting your engines revving as well as getting you back to the page.

How to use these prompts

In this article, we have 100 writing prompts devised and collated by writing coach Mahsuda Snaith, with help from The Novelry team.

You’ll find mini exercises, first-line writing prompts, and prompt words that are all designed to kick-start your imagination and get you putting words down.

Don’t feel like you have to do all of these writing prompts or work through them in order. Like most things in life, the first step makes all the difference, so choose one writing prompt to start with and see what happens.

A tip: don’t overthink this! Choose a writing prompt and start writing with no other expectation than getting words on the page.

We’ve found putting a timer on for ten minutes is a great way of getting your mind focused on the task, though you could just start writing and stop when you feel you’ve come to a natural end.

Either way, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Prompts are experimental in their nature and even if you don’t use what you’ve written for future work, the act of writing without editing and seeing what you get as a result is invaluable in itself.

What to do when you’ve finished the prompt 

After you’ve deep-dived into the prompt you may be tempted to read back what you’ve written straight away. Some advice: don’t!

The critical mind is quick to chime in, so having a short break can make all the difference in giving you fresh eyes on what you’ve just written.

You could wait a few hours to read back your work or, at the very least, give yourself a few minutes by making yourself a coffee or having a stretch before you return to your writing.

With fresh eyes come fresh insights and you may well be surprised by what you came up with. And of course, you could always complete two or three prompts in a row so you aren’t overanalyzing what you produced after doing just one.

Remember, whatever you come up with from these prompts will be individual to you and your writing style. Your unique way of dealing with the prompt could give you insights about your strengths and interests and therefore make you a stronger and more confident writer.

With fresh eyes come fresh insights and you may well be surprised by what you came up with.

Remember to have fun 

At The Novelry we often see writers stall with their works-in-progress and one of the major reasons for this is they’ve stopped having fun.

The story isn’t exciting them, the characters have become flat, the desire to see where things lead has waned. The answer is not to give up on the work itself (though most writers are tempted by this option!).

Instead, taking a step back and looking at how you can inject fun into your work is key to getting you back in the writing seat. Writing prompts are a great way of injecting that fun in an informal and experimental way. You may also discover new ideas or angles to approach your work that will rev up your writing mojo and keep you motivated.

We know writing isn’t always easy, so having fun and keeping motivated is essential. We hope these prompts will allow you to access both of these key ingredients.

{{blog-banner-9="/blog-banners"}}

Let’s go!

Below are 100 writing prompts to kick-start your writing.

Scan through them, choose a writing prompt, and go!  

First line writing prompts

1. I didn’t see it coming.
2. They came over the hill.
3. It was NOT all a dream.
4. I could see them staring at me.
5. I should never have looked at his phone.
6. The frog was supposed to turn into a handsome prince—not whatever this was.
7. I swore I would never tell anyone what really happened.
8. I saw my old teacher in the supermarket today.

Single-word writing prompts

1. Prompt word: FAMILY
2. Prompt word: CUT
3. Prompt word: LAKE
4. Prompt word: FLOWERS
5. Prompt word: PARTY
6. Prompt word: CONFLICT
7. Prompt word: DEADLINE
8. Prompt word: DECAY
9. Prompt word: STOP
10. Prompt word: FIREWORKS

‘Finish the line’ writing prompts

1. Finish this line: Revenge is best served...
2. Finish the line: She knew it was a bad idea, but...
3. Finish the line: He couldn’t believe what he was seeing...
4. Complete the following sentence for a character: ‘This CHARACTER is usually... but when (X) happens... they become...’ 
5. Finish the line: The previous night had been...
6. Finish the line: As she ran toward the...

Dialogue writing prompts

1. Describe an argument that starts in bed.
2. Write a dialogue between a set of estranged twins.
3. Dialogue prompt: ‘What are you doing here?’
4. Write a dialogue between two people who are trying their best not to flirt (even though they want to).
5. Dialogue prompt: ‘You’re not who I thought you were.’
6. Write a dialogue set on a plane between two people who hate each other.
7. Write a scene where someone is asking for forgiveness.
8. Dialogue prompt: ‘You should never have invited me.’
9. Dialogue prompt: ‘I’m never doing that again.’

Character writing prompts

1. Write a character description of someone you don’t like.
2. Write a character description of someone you admire.
3. Write about a character facing their biggest fear.
4. Write a scene from the villain’s point of view.
5. Write about a character’s obsession with an object in your room.
6. Write a story where a character gains a power.
7. Write about a character who is allergic to the sun.
8. Describe a character meeting their celebrity crush.
9. Describe a character getting something they’ve always wanted... But at a price.
10. What does your character keep next to their bed? Write a list, then describe a memory associated with one of these items.
11. Write a character description of an animal.
12. Write a story where a character spots their doppelganger.
13. Write about someone breaking the law.
14. Write a short scene with two characters. Rewrite the scene with entirely different weather.
15. Describe someone falling in love.

Setting-based writing prompts

1. You wake up in someone else’s house. Why are you there?
2. Write a description of your perfect kitchen.
3. Write about a crime scene found at a zoo. 
4. Describe a scene that happens during a sports match.
5. Describe a scene that happens during a traffic jam.
6. Set a story on a rooftop.
7. Describe a hike from the perspective of someone scared of heights.
8. Describe what you can see from outside your back window.
9. Describe what you can see from outside your front window.
10. Set a story in a kitchen.
11. Describe a scene that happens during a storm.
12. Write a story that starts in a park.
13. Set a story on a boat (you can decide what kind).
14. Describe a love story set in a library.
15. Write about a world where dragons rule over humans.
16. Write about a world where people are not allowed to look at each other.
17. Start a story with two people on a Ferris wheel.

Speech and monologue writing prompts

1. Write a speech about something/someone you hate.
2. Write a speech about something/someone you love.
3. Write a monologue about toothpaste.

Personal writing prompts

1. What is the story behind your name?
2. Describe a job you hated and why.
3. Describe eating your favorite food.
4. Describe eating your least favorite food.
5. Write about a secret only you know.
6. Describe the last time you couldn’t get out of bed.
7. Write about a time you got dirty.
8. Remember something that happened to you for the first time. Explore this as a character or as your own memory on the page.
9. What’s your happiest food memory?

Situational writing prompts

1. You find a note stuck to your door saying: ‘Do Not Open.’ What do you do?
2. You find a parcel on your desk. Do you open it?
3. Describe an accident that happens on the hottest day of the year.
4. Two people are doing housework. One has a secret that the other has discovered.
5. The phone rings in the middle of the night. Who is it?
6. You win something at a fundraiser that you don’t want. What do you do with it?
7. You see something unusual floating in the sea. What is it and how did it get there?
8. Your partner changes into an animal at night, much to your inconvenience. What kind of animal is it and what kind of problems is it causing?
9. You see the first sign of the apocalypse. What is it and who do you tell first?
10. You see a person climbing the side of a building and you ask them what they’re doing. What happens next?
11. Write about someone finding a bag of money on their doorstep.
12. Something you didn’t order has been delivered. What is it?
13. Describe a first date and if you went out with this person again.
14. You have a time machine. Where do you go and what happens when you get there?
15. Describe a person trying to break up with someone they are not dating.
16. A friend you no longer talk to reaches out to you. Who are they, what happened between you before, and why are they getting in touch now? 
17. Write a scene that happens over the course of a meal.
18. Start a story with disappointment.

Form-based creative writing prompts  

1. Write a love letter to someone you are not in love with.
2. Start your story with a text message.
3. Write a story in the form of a recipe.
4. Write a story in letter form.
5. Go outside and make notes. Pay attention and describe what your five senses really experience.

Where to find more writing prompts

Still looking for some writing inspiration? Or maybe you’re more interested in a genre-specific writing prompt that is better suited for science fiction, fantasy or romance?

Our coaches at The Novelry want to support your creative thinking to ensure you experience the joy of happy writing. So, beat the writer’s block and read this list of romance writing prompts provided by the bestselling author of The Lido, Libby Page.

Romance writing prompts

Here’s one example of a friends-to-lovers-style romance writing prompt:

Two childhood best friends take a road trip. Every single thing that could possibly go wrong goes wrong. Except each new disaster somehow brings them closer together and causes sparks to fly. Write about what happens.

To flip the script entirely, how about a mortal enemies-to-lovers prompt?

Two sworn enemies join the same support group. Write about the first meeting.

Fantasy writing prompts

Maybe romance isn’t your thing, and you’re looking for some science fiction and fantasy genre writing inspiration. You’ll find that at The Novelry too, provided by Ella McLeod, bestselling author of Rapunzella, or, Don’t Touch My Hair—just head over to this blog on inspiring fantasy writing prompts.

Here’s a dark fantasy writing prompt for you to start a short story with:

Your protagonist is part of an army of necromancers who raise the dead to fight for them. Who are their enemies? Are there obvious good guys and bad guys, or is everyone culpable and easily corruptible? What does it do to a group of people who turn something as definite and sacrosanct as death into their plaything? Should everyone be left to rest in peace?

For more inspiration or to learn from our bestselling writing coaches, join one of our classes at The Novelry and get that novel done.

‍

Welcome home, writers. Join us on the world’s best creative writing courses to create, write and complete your book. Sign up and start today.