How to Come Up with a Writing Prompt

Last Updated: January 21, 2022

Writing prompts are used to help writers begin writing. They provide inspiration for a story, poem, or essay. Many writers fight writer’s block on a regular basis, and a writing prompt can help them get past their block. If you are a teacher, or lead a writing workshop, you will most likely have to come up with many writing prompts. If you don’t know how to do this, don’t worry; writing your prompts doesn’t need to be difficult—you just need to think outside the box a little bit. Take some time to brainstorm ideas before diving into the actual writing of your prompts.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Brainstorming Ideas

1
Start writing down some random ideas. First, take some time to brainstorm. Write down anything that comes to mind. Anything can lead to a writing prompt, so just start writing down ideas. Some ideas to help you start generating random ideas include:
- What’s something funny that’s happened to you in recent memory? Maybe you saw a dog ride down the street on a skateboard.
- What’s a unique story you have from childhood? Maybe you stuck tweezers in an electrical socket and lived to tell the tale.
- What’s a weird situation you’ve found yourself in? Maybe you literally ran into the CEO of a company and both bumped your head, while you were walking to your interview with that person.
2
Come up with a number of “what if?” scenarios. Take in your surroundings and ask yourself why things are the way they are. Alternatively, you can create something not based on your experience. Try to come up with an odd or interesting situation or simply a “What if?” question, such as
- “What if dolls came to life when you left the room?”
- ”What if people had tails?”
- ”What if the sky was electric purple?”
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3
Develop your favorite ideas. When you come up with an idea that you like, develop it a bit. If you think the weird situation you found yourself in could be a good prompt, start branching off from that idea. Write down all the details you can. Ask yourself:
- What about it made it weird?
- Would other people find it weird?
- How did the situation turn out?
4
Use a funny or thought-provoking quote. Writing prompts don’t have to be stories. Try using a quote as a writing prompt. For instance, you could use a funny quote, like this one from Yogi Berra: "Half the lies they tell about me aren't true." You could also use a piece of someone else’s writing, such as this one from Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park:
- "There will be little rubs and disappointments everywhere, and we are all apt to expect too much; but then, if one scheme of happiness fails, human nature turns to another; if the first calculation is wrong, we make a second better: we find comfort somewhere."
5
Have the writers bring in an object to use for prompts. They can place them all on a table at the front of the room, and then the writers can choose what object they want to create a story around.
- Also, try using something visual. You could use a piece of art or an interesting photograph.
6
Use other senses. Try using a distinctive smell to see what memories it dredges up for the writer, which can then be used to start a story.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Composing the Prompt

1
Begin writing the prompt. Now that you have a general idea of what you want to focus your prompt on, you should try to write it out. Begin by writing out the story. Use all the details you can think of in order to start figuring out what is necessary to the story, and what is not.
2
Cut out any superfluous details. Next, think about what’s most important to the story. For instance, is mentioning your shoes important? Unless they caused you to fall in front of the president of your company, they’re probably not as important as other details so you should take that info out. In fact, take out any information that isn’t completely necessary to the story.
3
Change details as needed. You don’t have to stay true to the original story because this is simply a way for other people to start generating their own stories. You can change up things to make it more interesting. Add aliens if that’s your thing; it’s all up to you.
4
Cut out the ending. This tip may seem counter-intuitive. After all, the ending makes the story. But that’s exactly the idea. You want to leave the writer hanging, so they are inspired to come up with a story of their own based on your prompt.
- Where you cut the story is up to you. Give enough details to intrigue the writer but not enough to discourage them from being creative.
5
Experiment with writing prompts for all kinds of writing. Writing prompts can be used for any kind of writing. However, some are more appropriate for nonfiction writing than others. This is because nonfiction prompts have to be true and fact-based.
- Most of the prompts listed in this article would work well with fiction or poetry; for nonfiction, use a question to spark an idea based on something that happened in the writer’s life, such as “What’s the most interesting thing that ever happened to you?”

Sample Writing Prompts

Sample One Sentence Writing Prompts

Sample Opening Sentence Writing Prompts

Community Q&A

Question

Is it possible to learn to become a good writer?

Phantasmagoria

Community Answer

Yes, it is. Practice is the key to improving at anything, and writing is no different. Write something every day, be it 100 words or 2,000, and you'll get better. Study authors that you admire, learn what aspects of your writing you can improve on, and write things that make you happy. It takes time to develop a good style and voice, but if you persevere, you can become a good writer.
Question

I’m stuck on a part cause I don't know what to write next, what should I do?

Nico

Top Answerer

Create a small conflict in your story to keep it moving. Try taking a break from writing and look for inspiration (in music, art, animals, etc), and come back to your writing when you’re ready. If you still don’t know what to write, try writing the ending of the story using what you already know about your characters.