14 Creative Writing Prompts & How to Use Them

A creative writing assignment might sound simple in theory. You don’t have to spend hours researching a topic and pulling together a list of sources; all you need is your imagination and a way with words. Easy, right?

Well, if you’re reading this, you’ve realized that it’s not, in fact, easy. In fact, coming up with what to write about is probably the first major roadblock you’ll encounter. Then again, turning those ideas into an engaging piece of writing is no cakewalk, either.

Luckily for you, DoMyEssay’s experts came up with 14 fresh creative writing ideas across multiple genres. Keep reading to discover them, along with our experts’ guidance on how to approach them.

Creative Writing 101

Creative writing is a form of writing that aims to convey meaning using vivid imagery, an engaging narrative, and dramatic devices or humor. It can be used for both fiction and non-fiction, from personal essays and journal entries to short stories, screenplays, and poems.

Unlike your typical academic assignments, creative writing doesn’t require listing sources or presenting factual information in an objective, detached way. Instead, your goal is to tell a compelling story and elicit an emotional response.

Creative writing as a skill can help you make a convincing case for yourself or your ideas later on, which is useful in any career, as well as in personal life.

If you don’t know where to start, a prompt will be that initial spark that kickstarts the creative process. Yes, good creative writing prompts can help you practice your skills. But, more importantly, they’re designed to jumpstart your imagination and creativity.

14 Best Creative Writing Prompts & How to Tackle Them

Ready to let your creative juices flow? Our experts prepared 14 unique writing prompts for creative writing to help you kickstart the whole process. We also supplemented these powerful prompts with ideas on what you can write about and common mistakes to avoid.

“What if the Earth stopped rotating?”

It’s up to you to decide whether it happens slowly or overnight, or what causes it in the first place. You can take this prompt into the sci-fi territory, research the science behind it (Earth’s rotation is slowing down, fractionally), or leave the reasons ambiguous altogether.

DoMyEssay’s advice:

• Ideas for approaching the prompt. Zoom out and explore how whole societies and countries have to adapt. Or, focus on how the new normal impacts the everyday life of a single person/household.
• Mistakes and clichés to avoid. As tempted as you might be to turn this story into the end of the world, this wouldn’t be too realistic. Don’t try to find a magical solution that undoes the disaster, either.
• The secret sauce behind the prompt. It’s a great opportunity to explore how fragile or resilient our societies are and reflect on human creativity, adaptability, and resourcefulness.

“Write a story from the point of view of an everyday household item.”

If your sink were sentient, what would it think? This is one of the more ridiculous writing prompts for high school on its face, but it can help you craft your next great read. Choose whatever item you want and turn it into an observer (and, perhaps, a participant) of your everyday life.

DoMyEssay’s advice:

• Ideas for approaching the prompt. Think carefully about the POV and pronouns you’ll use for your protagonist. Experiment with humor: this is a great opportunity to poke fun at the (perceived) absurdities of everyday tasks.
• Mistakes and clichés to avoid. There’s no need to turn the item’s internal monologue into a melodrama. Plus, give some thought to the personality of your protagonist. Don’t leave it bland and forgettable.
• The secret sauce behind the prompt. This prompt easily turns the mundane into the absurd or the exceptional. The unusual POV also has huge comedic potential.

“Describe a world where aging can be stopped, for a price.”

A handful of stories have already ventured into this “humans no longer age” territory, but this is your chance to put a new spin on the idea. Consider how that can become possible and what that price could be.

DoMyEssay’s advice:

• Ideas for approaching the prompt. Ponder how inequalities would persist in this new world and how an ageless population would impact resource allocation. Come up with a character who can’t afford to stop aging and what they may resort to because of it.
• Mistakes and clichés to avoid. Steer clear of turning the world into a utopia in your story. Don’t make the price too light or inconsequential, as well; otherwise, you can’t introduce stakes in your story.
• The secret sauce behind the prompt. You can take this prompt in many directions, from sci-fi to fantasy. Yet, it still grapples with the human condition and the place of mortality in it.

 “Imagine you woke up as your pet. What would you do?”

If you have a pet, you must have wondered what they thought at least once. Now is your chance to put yourself into their shoes and imagine how you’d spend a day in their skin.

(Don’t have a pet? Imagine yourself waking up as another animal, instead!)

DoMyEssay’s advice:

• Ideas for approaching the prompt. Reflect on how your pet spends their day. Would you do the same thing? Consider physiological differences, too. How would it feel to be in an animal’s body? How would your ability to see, hear, and smell change?
• Mistakes and clichés to avoid. Don’t overlook just how big a change this would be for you, along with the emotional impact it would have on you. You’d probably panic first, right?
• The secret sauce behind the prompt. This prompt is light and relatively easy to get started with, making it one of the best creative writing prompts for kids.

“Describe your typical day to an alien who’s just arrived on Earth.”

You might not realize it, but your everyday life might seem illogical or ridiculous to a complete outsider. Having an alien discover your routine allows you to explore this outsider perspective.

DoMyEssay’s advice:

• Ideas for approaching the prompt. You can structure the story as a dialogue, monologue, or another form of communication. The dialogue would probably be the most powerful approach. It allows the alien to pose questions and make comments. You can also have the alien follow you around throughout the day.
• Mistakes and clichés to avoid. Be mindful that anything that might seem obvious or mundane to you wouldn’t be to an alien. They wouldn’t have the same frame of reference, either.
• The secret sauce behind the prompt. As one of our creative writing prompts for middle school and beyond, this prompt encourages you to look at the mundane through the lens of an outsider.

“What if you could fully control your dreams every night?”

When you dream, everything seems so logical and natural, even when it’s not. But what would you do if you could choose what to dream about before you fell asleep?

DoMyEssay’s advice:

• Ideas for approaching the prompt. Use this prompt to reflect on your own wishes or come up with a protagonist to explore the idea. Compare and contrast the waking and dream lives, and which one the protagonist would be more drawn to.
• Mistakes and clichés to avoid. Remember that you need to have a coherent plot that takes you from point A to point B. Don’t add a string of unconnected ideas for dreams and call it a day. Also, consider what lesson the protagonist would learn.
• The secret sauce behind the prompt. This prompt is perfect if you’re looking for college creative writing prompts that can take you into a more philosophical territory.

“What does happiness mean to you?”

Looking for journal prompts for creative writing? This one, while simple on the surface, can lead you down a rabbit hole fast enough. Keep in mind, though: there’s no right or wrong answer to this question!

DoMyEssay’s advice:

• Ideas for approaching the prompt. Think back to a moment when you experienced the ultimate happiness. Use vivid imagery to describe it and extrapolate that experience to define what happiness means to you.
• Mistakes and clichés to avoid. Don’t ramble over your experiences or thoughts; instead, ensure your piece has a central message behind it. Avoid obvious or run-of-the-mill definitions and don’t turn to external sources. Otherwise, you risk losing authenticity.
• The secret sauce behind the prompt. It’s a versatile prompt that encourages self-reflection and helps you find your voice. You can structure your answer using a standard format for your essay or choose a more creative form (e.g., a poem).

“The Internet stops working overnight. What happens next?”

It’s no secret that huge chunks of our lives are now taking place online. So, how would an internet outage impact your everyday life and society at large? It’s up to you to figure it out!

DoMyEssay’s advice:

• Ideas for approaching the prompt. Take a regular person and trace how their life will change without the internet. Have your reader discover the change together with your protagonist(s). It’s up to you how long the outage lasts (days, weeks, months).
• Mistakes and clichés to avoid. Try not to turn the story into an apocalyptic narrative. Don’t spill the beans right away, either: maintain the suspense about the event, its causes, and effects throughout the story.
• The secret sauce behind the prompt. If you’re looking for GCSE creative writing prompts, this is a good one to help you practice. It also gives enough food for thought regarding our reliance on technology.

“Invent a new currency and describe how the world changes around it.”

Humanity has been using some form of currency for thousands of years. But what if time became the universally accepted currency? Or salt? Or shells?

DoMyEssay’s advice:

• Ideas for approaching the prompt. Get inspired by the forms of currency used in the past, or come up with a completely new resource. Consider turning your story into a sci-fi or fantasy one if you want to be more flexible in your ideas.
• Mistakes and clichés to avoid. Ensure you have a coherent view of this imaginary world, with clear rules and customs. Otherwise, you risk having logical gaps or inconsistencies. On top of that, while the prompt focuses on worldbuilding, you still need a protagonist and a plot to drive the story forward.
• The secret sauce behind the prompt. This prompt asks you to imagine a different world, which is great for developing your worldbuilding skills.

“A rogue AI system takes over a city.”

Artificial intelligence systems are already embedded in our lives. But what if they behave in a way we don’t see coming?

DoMyEssay’s advice:

• Ideas for approaching the prompt. Take on the point of view of the AI system in question. What kind of system is it? Why and how would it take over a city? What would it do? Then, imagine how city dwellers would adapt to an AI takeover.
• Mistakes and clichés to avoid. Don’t turn your plot into one of those stories where AI just randomly goes haywire and becomes “evil.” Its actions must have some logic to them, even if they contradict human values.
• The secret sauce behind the prompt. As one of the creative writing prompts for adults, it’s a great excuse to learn more about AI and technology in general. It can also urge you and your readers to examine our current reliance on AI.

“You receive a letter from your future self. What does it say?”

What kind of person will you be in five, ten, or twenty years’ time? How will the world change around you? This letter is a great opportunity to ponder these questions.

DoMyEssay’s advice:

• Ideas for approaching the prompt. No one exists in a vacuum. So, consider not just your future career and life, but also the world that the future you would be inhabiting. How will technological advances, climate change, or geopolitical tensions impact the future you?
• Mistakes and clichés to avoid. Don’t be tempted to take your story into “The Chosen One” territory. That said, still come up with a specific reason as to why your future self would write a letter to their past self.
• The secret sauce behind the prompt. Everyone wonders about their future from time to time. This is your opportunity to imagine yours. It’s also a good reason to get familiar with futures studies.

“What if no one could tell a lie anymore?”

Lying is part of life. We all do it, and we’ve all been on the receiving end of it. But what if everyone just lost their ability to tell lies, no matter how small?

DoMyEssay’s advice:

• Ideas for approaching the prompt. Create a protagonist and compare their life before and after everyone lost the ability to lie. Would it inconvenience them? Would it upend their lives by exposing some secret or revealing the truth about their loved ones?
• Mistakes and clichés to avoid. Lying isn’t always morally wrong; it comes in many shapes and forms. So, avoid black-and-white thinking: the world without lying wouldn’t automatically be better.
• The secret sauce behind the prompt. This is one of those fun creative writing prompts that you can use to make your readers laugh. Just imagine someone spitting out the unsavory truth without realizing it — the comedic potential is endless!

“What if art were banned altogether?”  

Some might argue that art is a waste of society’s time, even if it’s as old as humanity itself. So, here’s your chance to conduct a thought experiment to explore its true role in people’s lives.

DoMyEssay’s advice:

• Ideas for approaching the prompt. Think about the roles of art: self-expression, conveying a message, and entertainment. What would fill that void? You can also draw inspiration from current “culture wars” and the history of art bans.
• Mistakes and clichés to avoid. You may want to center your story around a rebellious protagonist pursuing art in secret. In that case, don’t make their fight too easy or simplistic. Besides, come up with a realistic reason why art could be banned.
• The secret sauce behind the prompt. This prompt begs the question: Is art really important? It can also provide valuable social commentary on attempts to control art and artists.

“You find yourself in your favorite fictional world.”

Whether you’re a diehard Star Wars fan or love Marvel movies, you must have a favorite piece of fiction or two. Imagine you (somehow) got transported into that fictional world. What would happen to you? And what would you do to adapt?

DoMyEssay’s advice:

• Ideas for approaching the prompt. Think about how the rules of the fictional universe differ from the real world’s. How will you adapt to them? 
• Mistakes and clichés to avoid. Remember that you’re still you; you don’t automatically become a superhero or an alien. So, don’t overlook the stakes you’d be facing. Avoid looking at the fictional world through rose-tinted glasses, too. 
• The secret sauce behind the prompt. It’s fun to look at your favorite pieces of media through a more pragmatic lens. Batman movies might be cool to watch, but would you manage being a regular Gotham resident with all the craziness happening around you?

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In Closing

Creative writing prompts for high school students are a great source of inspiration, but finding one that speaks to you is only the beginning of your journey. Once you do, go ahead and brainstorm all the ideas for what to include in your piece, as well as its form, genre, and voice.

While you’re brainstorming, keep its main rule in mind: there are no bad ideas. So, write all of them down; you can sort them out later. And don’t underestimate research as a source of inspiration, too!

Need more ideas on where to take your prompt? Give our free AI essay writer tool a go. Trained on high-quality essays, it’ll turn your topic into a full-fledged paper in a matter of seconds. And yes, it’s free!