Inspiration for Writers

Whether you are an established writer or have just started your creative journey, you may find yourself wondering where to start on a new writing project. Pick a prompt from the following list to help with inspiration and get your creative juices flowing!

To prepare yourself for November’s National Novel Writing Month, you need to keep up a writing practice throughout the year! For novices and pros alike, getting the first few words on the page can sometimes be the hardest part. Pick a prompt from the list (or try them all!), and you may find the start of your next great novel!

Writing Prompts

1. While clearing out the attic, your character finds a small packet of yellowing letters, bound with a green ribbon, hidden behind a fake wall.

2. Describe your favorite childhood game from the perspective of a child.

3. Write a short story that incorporates these words: lapis, library, loft, and luggage.

4. Your character wakes up to find themselves locked inside their best friend’s bedroom with no memory of the last 24 hours.

5. Imagine a cottage in the middle of a forest. Is it haunted, enchanted, or abandoned?

6. Your character lands their dream job and is fired within 24 hours.

7. You open your front door to find a small, mysterious package with your name on it.

8. Select a country that starts with either your first or last initial. Your character books a flight to that destination on a whim.

9. Write an obituary for your main character.

10. Look at your most recent text conversations. Choose one exchange and use it as a dialogue between two characters.

11. Find a photo from at least 100 years ago (either from your own collection or the Library System’s digital collection) and describe it as your opening paragraph.

12. Your character’s cell phone rings. A husky voice whispers sharply, “Whatever you do, don’t hang up.”

13. Think of a memorable nightmare and use it as the plot of a short story.

14. On a moonlit night, your character meets three friends in the ruins of a crumbling mansion.

15. Your character has a meet cute during a museum heist.

16. While en route to visit their parents for the first time in five years, your character writes a journal entry.

17. Imagine living in a society where most, but not all, humans no longer experience fear.

18. Your character’s random act of kindness sparks a worldwide movement.

19. A recurring character from a childhood dream appears at your job, asking for you by name.

20. Play a random song from a playlist. Your story begins with an excerpt from the lyrics.

21. Your character walks along the shore, searching for a lost item.

22. Describe a character in 10 words or less. Now use the opposite descriptors to create your new main character.

23. Find an innocuous object nearby. Imagine it suddenly displays supernatural properties and the fate of the world depends on it!

24. Write a scene centered on eating a delicious dish. Describe why the characters are eating, how the food tastes, and any special memories associated with the food.

25. Pick just one word from this list as your prompt: affection, betrayal, cabana, dagger, egg, frantic, garish, hotel, icy, jagged, kayak, locked, miniature, narwhal, orchestra, peacock, qualms, reflection, stunning, teapot, universe, veil, willow, xylophone, yacht, zipper.