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 2740 prompts

Write a story about a someone who's in denial.

– 67 stories

Write a story in the format of a gossip column.

– 35 stories

Write a story where an important conversation takes place during a dance.

– 73 stories

Write a story about two characters who start as mortal enemies but learn to embrace their differences.

– 36 stories

Write a story where a rumor starts to spread. Your protagonist is either the topic or the source.

– 51 stories

Set your story at a Regency-themed fair.

– 12 stories

Write about a character who has the ability to pause the passage of time.

– 67 stories

Write a story that contains the line, "I wish we could stay here forever."

– 86 stories

Start your story with a character canceling their plans.

– 25 stories

Set your story over the course of a few minutes; no flashbacks, no flashforwards.

– 89 stories

Write a story about a highly-strung character learning to slow down, or someone pursuing a quieter way of life.

– 54 stories

Write a story that includes someone saying, “Be careful what you wish for.”

– 54 stories

Make a character’s obsession or addiction an important element of your story.

– 127 stories

Write a story in which one of the characters is a narcissist.

– 38 stories

Write about a character who struggles to do the right thing.

– 32 stories

Start your story with a character being followed.

– 98 stories

Your protagonist is a voracious reader. Lately, they’ve been noticing odd synchronicities in the books he or she is reading. What does the protagonist discover is happening?

– 30 stories

Dream up a secret library. Write a story about an adventurer who discovers it. What’s in the library? Why was it kept secret?

– 93 stories

Write a story about a future academic (or another influential person) “rediscovering” a book that, in its time, was dismissed. The book can be fictitious or real.

– 10 stories

Your protagonist is a writer who discovers a new favorite author. How does their writing, or even their own personality, change as the protagonist falls under the writer’s influence?

– 27 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.