If you are an aspiring writer, then you may have heard the advice to “practice writing all the time.” This may already sound repetitive to you but creative writing prompts really do make you a better writer.
It has been proven time and time again that creative writing prompts and everyday simple writing task makes it easier for professional and non-professional writers to find something to say.
Whether you are still starting or already an experienced creative writer, practice writing does improve your writing skills.
And as we all know, no matter what field or sector you are in, writing is an essential and transferrable skill.
So if you are a student revising for the SATs or just someone who has a passion for writing, then creative writing prompts and activities would surely be beneficial for you.
With that, we have compiled a list of creative writing prompts so that you would not just stick with one subject and your everyday practice writing varies from time to time.
Table of Contents
What is a Creative Writing Prompt?
Creative writing prompts are simply a set of writing activities about a certain subject.
You can think of this activity as your base foundation or main idea when it comes to writing. It is like a place marker where your writing revolves or focuses around on.
Since most of the topics in creative writing prompts are only your base foundation, you are free to build your story idea around it or just simply take inspiration from it.
In creative writing, writers are free to either stick to the subject or explore other subfields related to that subject.
Writers are free to write anything as long as the base foundation or the main idea is still visible in the write-up.
With the emphasis on the word “creative,” writers are encouraged to let their minds wander and look at the main base foundation from a different perspective.
This would not only make their write-up unique but would also allow them to think smarter and be curious all the time.
That being said, creative writing prompts are also beneficial to personal growth as well. Aside from its writing benefits aspect, it can also make you a better person and productive member of society.
What are Good Creative Writing Topics?
We have compiled a few writing prompts that we think might be useful.
You can alternate different topics for each of your practice writing.
This way, you would not easily tire and get bored writing about only one subject.
Scenario
These writing prompts are mainly from the New York Times website.
- What was your most precious childhood possession?
- What were your favorite childhood shows and characters?
- What were your favorite picture books when you were little?
- What things did you create when you were a child?
- What places do you remember fondly from childhood?
- Have you ever felt embarrassed by things you used to like?
- Do you wish you could return to moments from your past?
- Was there a toy you wanted as a child but never got?
- What objects tell the story of your life?
- D you think converting Celsius to Fahrenheit is practical?
- What are your best sleepover memories?
- What’s the best gift you’ve ever given or received?
- What’s the most memorable thing you ever got in the mail?
- What did you do last summer?
- What nicknames have you ever gotten or given?
- What would happen if you were to play two truths and a lie with you enemy?
Historical
Aside from practicing your writing skills, you can also practice your research skills as well.
One of the best ways to practice your research and writing skill at the same time is to look for writing prompts based on historical events.
If you cannot think of any topic at the top of your head, then you can start with what happened Today in History.
But if you are not fond of what happened Today in History, you can just choose other historical topics like the ones below from the NYT website
- What Event in the Past Do did You Wish You Could Have Witnessed?
- What Are the Most Important Changes, in Your Life and the World, in the Last Decade?
- What National or International Events That You Lived Through Do You Remember Best?
- What Famous Figure From the Past Fascinates You Most?
- What Does Dr. King’s Legacy Mean to You?
- Who Do You Think Has Been ‘Overlooked’ By History?
- What Recent Events Will Most Likely Be Featured in History Museums Someday?
- Why Should We Care About Events in Other Parts of the World?
- What News Stories Are You Following?
- How Do You Get Your News?
- Are You Having More Conversations With Friends and Family About Politics?
- What Is Your Reaction to the Recent Flood of Breaking Political News?
- Do You Ever Get the ‘Bad News Blues’?
- Are We Being Bad Citizens If We Don’t Keep Up With the News?
- Is Your Online World Just a ‘Filter Bubble’ of People With the Same Opinions?
- Do Your Friends on Social Media All Have the Same Political Opinions You Do?
- How Do You Know if What You Read Online Is True?
- Do You Think You Can Tell When Something Is ‘Fake News’?
- Do You Believe in Online Conspiracy Theories?
- What Are Your Experiences With Internet-Based Urban Legends?
- Are Political Memes Dangerous to Democracy?
- Should National Monuments Be Protected by the Government?
- Should Confederate Statues Be Removed or Remain in Place?
- What Supreme Court Cases, Now or in the Past, Interest You Most?
- Should Free Speech Protections Include Self Expression That Discriminates?
- Is It O.K. to Refuse to Serve Same-Sex Couples Based on Religious Beliefs?
- What Will You Remember About President Obama and His Legacy?
School
If you are a student revising for your upcoming exam or SATs, then you can practice your academic writing through these writing prompts about school policies from NYT
- Should Media Literacy Be a Required Course in School?
- Should Schools Be Able to Discipline Students for What They Say on Social Media?
- How Should Schools Hold Students Accountable for Hurting Others?
- Should Schools Provide Free Pads and Tampons?
- Should Teachers Be Allowed to Wear Political Symbols?
- Are Straight A’s Always a Good Thing?
- Should Schools Teach You How to Be Happy?
- How Do You Think American Education Could Be Improved?
- Can Social Media Be a Tool for Learning and Growth in Schools?
- Should Facial Recognition Technology Be Used in Schools?
- Should Your School Day Start Later?
- Should Yearbooks Include Political News?
- How Should Senior Year in High School Be Spent?
- Should Teachers Be Armed With Guns?
- Is School a Place for Self-Expression?
- Should we still memorize SAT vocabulary words?
- Should Students Be Punished for Not Having Lunch Money?
- Is Live-Streaming Classrooms a Good Idea?
- What Are the Most Important Things Students Should Learn in School?
- Should Schools Be Allowed to Censor Student Newspapers?
- Do You Feel Your School and Teachers Welcome Both Conservative and Liberal Points of View?
- Should Teachers and Professors Ban Student Use of Laptops in Class?
- Should All Schools Offer Music Programs?
- Should All Schools Teach Cursive?
- Why should you attend trade school?
- Should Public Preschool Be a Right for All Children?
Science
Science may seem like a boring subject that focuses on facts and data, but if you look through history, you would often find several interesting topics to write about.
We have listed a few creative writing prompts related to science that we thought are interesting to write from the NYT
- Is It Unethical for a Zoo to Kill a Healthy Giraffe?
- Should Farm Animals Have More Legal Protections?
- X` of the Same Legal Rights As People?
- Should Circuses Be Animal-Free?
- Is This Exhibit Animal Cruelty or Art?
- Should You Feel Guilty About Killing Spiders, Ants, or Other Bugs?
- Should Emotional Support Animals Be Allowed on College Campuses?
And a few fun ones from the Scientific Minds website
Write a letter to the principal proposing a very dangerous field trip by convincing him or her that it is important to your science education.
- Write a conversation between a tornado and a hurricane in which each tries to persuade the other that it is more dangerous.
- Write a letter of advice to a student who will be taking this science class next year.
- Write a letter to a classmate explaining why you think they should become a scientist.
- Write a real estate advertisement to sell property in your intestines to bacteria, or sell space between your toes to fungi.
- Write a travel blog for a water molecule.
- Write the script for an interview with a sound wave.
- Write a recipe for plants to follow to make sugar (glucose). Write an instruction manual telling the Earth how to make fossil fuels.
- Write a postcard from a seed that has hitched a ride on the fur of an animal.
- Pretend you are the Sun and you are running for Energy President of the Earth. Write a campaign speech convincing everyone to vote for you.
Fiction
If you are an aspiring writer, author, blogger, or scriptwriter, then you should practice writing more subjects on fiction.
This type of writing prompt would certainly keep your creative juices flowing.
The Liberty University of Virginia has written a few creative prompts that we thought are interesting and fun to write.
- One day a spaceship lands on the playground of your school…
- Imagine you woke up with superpowers. What would your power be and what would you do?
- The best way to catch a dragon is…
- There is a magic swing at the park that will take you to…
- Write a story about what it would be like if you woke up one morning with wings.
- One day I traveled to the other side of a rainbow and I found…
- Your character wakes up with the ability to talk to the family pet.
- You discover a magic button that will…
- You find $1000 on the ground, and…
- You run into some trouble while camping…
- Your character has been invited to a friend’s house for a sleepover. Something feels eerie and mysterious about the home.
- Your character is walking along the beach when they discover a hidden pathway.
- Your character discovers how to travel through time. They decide to go to…
- Create a brand new holiday with its own traditions, rituals, foods, and activities.
Relationship
- Who is your family?
- What have you and your family accomplished together?
- What events have brought you closer to your family?
- What’s your role in your family?
- Have you ever changed a family member’s mind?
- How do you define ‘family’?
- What are your family stories of sacrifice?
- What possessions does your family treasure?
- What hobbies have been passed down in your family?
- How close are you to your parents?
- How much is your taste in music based on what your friends like?
- Do you take more risks when you are around your friends?
- Have you ever been in love?
- What are the basic ‘rules’ for handling breakups?
- What are your beliefs about marriage?
- Do you have a best friend?
- How do you feel about introducing friends from different parts of your life?
- How should you handle the end of a friendship?
What are the 4 Forms of Creative Writing?
To give you an idea of what are the different types of creative writing, we have cited it below for your easy reference
Writing Process
Given that not everyone started as a great writer, you can use a guide or follow a format when it comes to the writing process.
Columbia University’s Graduate School of Education have listed a few helpful tips and strategies in their website.
Conclusion
Practice would make you a better writer.
With that, we hope you managed to get some inspiration and writing prompts from this article.
To briefly recap, we have covered and listed several creative writing prompts on
- What is a Creative Writing Prompt?
- What are Good Creative Writing Topics?
- What are the 4 Forms of Creative Writing?
- Writing Process
Todd VanDuzer
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