Menu

More apps built by Reedsy

Assemble a team of professionals

The writing app for authors

Writing courses, events and memberships

Get your book reviewed

Weekly writing prompts and contests

Menu
Prompts
Contests
Stories
Blog
Directory
Weekly Prompts Contest
Reedsy Literary Prize
Magazine
FAQ

Writing Prompts

Join our ongoing contests and win up to $1,500. Flex those creative muscles with these writing prompts.

Showing 2635 prompts

Write a story that begins with an apology.

– 77 stories

Write a story that includes the line “Be careful what you wish for.”

– 37 stories

Set your story during the coldest day of the year.

– 50 stories

Write a story from the POV of a non-human character.

– 95 stories

Start or end your story with someone receiving a strange — and possibly sinister — gift.

– 52 stories

Write about a mysterious guest who arrives at a party — but no one knows who they are.

– 55 stories

Write a story that includes someone (or something) saying, “No, don’t!”

– 41 stories

Center your story around a character who overhears others talking about them.

– 37 stories

Write a story in which two or more people have a conversation — without using any quotation marks.

– 36 stories

Start or end your story with a character asking a question.

– 70 stories

Write a story that solely consists of dialogue. (No dialogue tags, actions, or descriptions. Just pure dialogue!)

– 176 stories

Write a story about a character who’s lost.

– 67 stories

Center your story around a person who believes they’re the last human on Earth.

– 61 stories

Write a story about someone confronting their worst nightmare.

– 55 stories

Follow a character who’s looking for someone or something.

– 50 stories

Write a story from the POV of a zombie, mutant, or infected creature.

– 69 stories

On their deathbed, a relative/friend/partner admits to a horrible crime. Will the narrator reveal the secret or keep it hidden?

– 58 stories

A court or disciplinary hearing is taking place — but the person accused does not know what they’re apologizing for.

– 24 stories

An apologetic letter or email from an old flame suddenly arrives — many years too late.

– 68 stories

A character gets caught red-handed breaking the rules, but they refuse to admit any wrongdoing. What happens next?

– 44 stories

How to Write a Novel

Join Tom Bromley for a writing master class and finish your first draft in 3 months. Learn more →

How to Write a Novel

Explore more writing prompt ideas:

Adults Writing Prompts ⭢

Adventure Writing Prompts ⭢

Angst Writing Prompts ⭢

Character Writing Prompts ⭢

Christmas Writing Prompts ⭢

Dark Writing Prompts ⭢

Dialogue Writing Prompts ⭢

Dramatic Writing Prompts ⭢

Dystopian Writing Prompts ⭢

Fall Writing Prompts ⭢

Fantasy Writing Prompts ⭢

Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Fluff Writing Prompts ⭢

Funny Writing Prompts ⭢

Halloween Writing Prompts ⭢

High School Writing Prompts ⭢

Historical Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Holiday Writing Prompts ⭢

Horror Writing Prompts ⭢

Kids Writing Prompts ⭢

Middle School Writing Prompts ⭢

Mystery Writing Prompts ⭢

Narrative Writing Prompts ⭢

Nonfiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Novel Writing Prompts ⭢

Poetry Writing Prompts ⭢

Romance Writing Prompts ⭢

Sad Writing Prompts ⭢

Science Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Short Story Writing Prompts ⭢

Spring Writing Prompts ⭢

Summer Writing Prompts ⭢

Teens Writing Prompts ⭢

Thanksgiving Writing Prompts ⭢

Thriller and Suspense Writing Prompts ⭢

Valentine's Day Writing Prompts ⭢

Vampire Writing Prompts ⭢

Winter Writing Prompts ⭢

Reedsy | Default — Editors with Marker | 2024-05

Bring your publishing dreams to life

The world's best editors, designers, and marketers are on Reedsy. Come meet them.