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Writing Prompt Index
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DID YOU KNOW...You can get the Weekly Writing Prompt delivered to your Feed Reader every week! Just click the subscribe button...
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Here you can find all of our current and past Writing Prompts. By clicking on a writing prompt title
you can view what members wrote, or you can write a post yourself! If you missed a writing prompt when
it was current, don't let that stop you from posting something now!
| Date | Writing Prompt | | Aug 29 | Trusted Friends
Have you ever been betrayed by a trusted friend? | | Aug 22 | Chocolate!
Chocolate! What more must be said? | | Aug 15 | A Good Deed Part Two
Jesus spoke about people's good deeds making them shine like lights in the world. | | Aug 8 | A Good Deed Part One
Jesus spoke about people's good deeds making them shine like lights in the world. | | Aug 1 | Power Failure
During the ice storm of '98, many people lost power for one to two weeks. | | Jul 25 | Turning the Tables
Last week, you wrote a pet. Now let's turn that around. What do you think your pet would have to say about you? | | Jul 18 | Your First Pet
People often remember with great fondness their very first pet. | | Jul 11 | First Line
"I looked out the window and saw something that would change my entire life." That is the first line of your story. | | Jul 4 | Periodic Table
The Periodic Table of the Elements lists all of the known elements in the universe, including such elements as Helium, Oxygen, Lead, Gold, Calcium, etc. | | Jun 27 | Independence Day
In the United States of America we celebrate July 4th as our Day of Independence. | | Jun 20 | Famous Painting
In Lewis's Voyage of the Dawn Treader characters got sucked into a painting. | | Jun 13 | Substitute Teacher
If you've never been a substitute teacher, you only look at substitute teachers from one perspective: the perspective of a student. | | Jun 6 | Poor Planning
The Tacoma Narrows bridge collapsed in gale force winds due to poor design: Collapse video. | | May 30 | Summer Haiku
Remember that Haiku is a poem with lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables. Often the last line causes you to "re-imagine" what you've read before. An example of this can be found here Space Walk. | | May 23 | Trees!
A deciduous tree is a tree which loses its leaves in the fall, and is bare throughout the winter. An evergreen tree is...well...ever green! | | May 16 | Laughter
Laughter, they say, is the best medicine. But what illness does this medicine cure? | | May 9 | To the Moon...
You have been selected to fly a mission to the moon. What do you suppose the flight there would be like? What adventures would you have when you arrived? | | May 2 | Limericks!
Limericks are a lot of fun. This form of poetry is generally used for light-hearted, often completely nonsense subject matter. | | Apr 25 | Obsolete
Due to rapid changes in technology, many once-new and innovative objects have become nearly obsolete, and are no longer used. Some of these are still preserved today - lighthouses, old steam trains, trolleys, (etc.). | | Apr 18 | A Foreign Land
This evening I watched the movie Cry, The Beloved Country. As I sat watching the movie, looking at the lovely mountains and valleys and the lush green grass, I found myself thinking, "I would really like to visit South Africa someday." | | Apr 11 | Meta Poetry
Did you know that April is National Poetry Month? In honor of National Poetry Month, let's write some meta-poems! | | Apr 4 | A Bad Start to the Day
I'll give you a line, you write a story that starts with that line. Note: You can change the character's name, and if you're writing a story-poem, you can tweak the line to make it fit your meter/rhyme. | | Mar 28 | March
It has often been said that the month of March "comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb," or the other way around, depending on the year. Do you think it happened either way this year? If not, what animal would you compare March to? | | Mar 21 | Fibonacci Food
A Fibonacci poem is a poem which has 6 lines, and the lines have 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8 syllables. | | Mar 14 | It's Pi Day!
This Sunday is 3.14 (March 14th), or Pi Day, as we mathematicians like to call it. | | Mar 7 | Springtime Haiku
It has been awhile since we've written Haiku for our writing prompt. Remember that Haiku has 5-7-5 syllables, and often uses the last line to re-imagine or re-interpret the previous lines. | | Feb 28 | A New Olympic Event!
Lately I've been hearing a lot about people staying up late to watch the Olympics. Myself, I haven't spent any time watching the Olympics, but I do think it would be fun to invent my own Olympic event. | | Feb 21 | The Worst Job
I think at some point in the past we've had a writing prompt about "what you want to be when you grow up." | | Feb 14 | Snowman!
Today I was at a winter camp for children, and the children had to dress up their counselors as snowmen. That made me wonder...what would it be like to be a snowman? | | Feb 7 | What Irritates You?
We all have pet peeves...things that irritate us and drive us crazy. | | Jan 31 | Sibling Rivalry
Brothers and sisters are supposed to get along better than anyone...after all, blood is thicker than water...right? | | Jan 24 | Silence!
It is rare to find silence in this world; noises of all sorts bombard our ears constantly. Do you like silence? Or dislike it? Does it make you feel uncomfortable? | | Jan 17 | A Bug's Life
Have you ever wondered what a day in the life of a bug would be like? Have you wondered how a bug might perceive humanity? | | Jan 10 | So Much Trouble
Last week I gave a "first line" prompt; your writing had to start with a specific set of words. Let's try another one of those... | | Jan 3 | I Resolve...
Because it is the New Year, the word "resolution" is in the air a lot. It reminded me of an old hymn we used to sing in church when I was a child: "I am resolved no longer to linger, charmed by the world's delight; things that are higher, things that are nobler, these have allured my sight." | | Dec 27, 2009 | Historical Character
Imagine what it would be like if you could interview someone from the history books. What kinds of questions would you ask? | | Dec 20, 2009 | It's Better to Give...
On a past Christmas, we've had a writing prompt about the best Christmas present you ever received. But they say it's better to give than to receive. So... | | Dec 13, 2009 | Letter To Santa
We've done this writing prompt in the past, and it has generated some fun pieces... | | Dec 6, 2009 | Snowfall Poetry
As I sit here writing, it is snowing in Maine. Last year on our first snowfall, Iwrote this poem: The Painter. | | Nov 29, 2009 | Book Review
It's been awhile since I've asked for book reviews for the weekly writing prompt. | | Nov 22, 2009 | Thanksgiving Poem
This seems to be a yearly tradition; it's time to write a Thanksgiving poem for this week's writing prompt! | | Nov 15, 2009 | Driving in the Rain
Driving in the rain can be both interesting and nerve-wracking. | | Nov 8, 2009 | Invention
Have you ever imagined yourself as an inventor? Have you had any ideas of things you would like to invent? | | Nov 1, 2009 | Time to Vote
It's November, and that means...time to vote! Imagine that you are running for an office - maybe a real office, or you could invent an office! | | Oct 25, 2009 | One Sided Telephone Conversation
Have you ever tried to listen to someone's telephone conversation and guess what the other person is saying? | | Oct 18, 2009 | A Recipe
It's good to share new and old recipes from one kitchen to another. | | Oct 11, 2009 | Something Simple...A Bit of Haiku
Haiku poetry is written with a 5-7-5 syllable scheme: five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, and five in the third. | | Oct 4, 2009 | A Musical Instrument
Imagine that you were a musical instrument: a guitar, a violin, a clarinet, a bass drum... | | Sep 27, 2009 | An Imaginary Animal
This writing prompt comes from my niece, Annie, who wonders what sorts of animals everyone would create if they could invent their own animal! | | Sep 20, 2009 | Writer's Block
I haven't been writing much lately. Primarily it's because my life has been incredibly busy the last couple months. And then, when I do have a few minutes to write, my brain doesn't seem to be in the mood for writing. | | Sep 13, 2009 | Fairy Tale
Witches, talking animals, lost children, sleeping princesses...they're all part of the genre we know as Fairy Tales. | | Sep 6, 2009 | A Day for Yourself
Today I hiked 10.2 miles over three mountains. It was a fabulous day. If you had a day that you could do whatever you wanted, what would you do? | | Aug 30, 2009 | Parables and Fables
Sometimes writers and storytellers like to tell short little stories that have a pointed message for the listener/reader. Jesus was famous for this, and so was Aesop. | | Aug 23, 2009 | End of Vacation?
For many, the end of August signals the end of vacation time. For students returning to school, it may be a time to write a "What I Did During Summer Vacation" essay. | | Aug 16, 2009 | Alphabet Soup - Z
Think of a person, place, or thing that begins with the letter 'Z'. Now write a paragraph, a poem, or a short story about that person, place or thing. | | Aug 9, 2009 | Alphabet Soup - Y
Think of a person, place, or thing that begins with the letter 'Y'. Now write a paragraph, a poem, or a short story about that person, place or thing. | | Aug 2, 2009 | Alphabet Soup - X
Think of a person, place, or thing that begins with the letter 'X'. Now write a paragraph, a poem, or a short story about that person, place or thing. | | Jul 26, 2009 | Alphabet Soup - W
Think of a person, place, or thing that begins with the letter 'W'. Now write a paragraph, a poem, or a short story about that person, place or thing. | | Jul 19, 2009 | Alphabet Soup - V
Think of a person, place, or thing that begins with the letter 'V'. Now write a paragraph, a poem, or a short story about that person, place or thing. | | Jul 12, 2009 | Alphabet Soup - U
Think of a person, place, or thing that begins with the letter 'U'. Now write a paragraph, a poem, or a short story about that person, place or thing. | | Jul 5, 2009 | Alphabet Soup - T
Think of a person, place, or thing that begins with the letter 'T'. Now write a paragraph, a poem, or a short story about that person, place or thing. | | Jun 28, 2009 | Alphabet Soup - S
Think of a person, place, or thing that begins with the letter 'S'. Now write a paragraph, a poem, or a short story about that person, place or thing. | | Jun 21, 2009 | Alphabet Soup - R
Think of a person, place, or thing that begins with the letter 'R'. Now write a paragraph, a poem, or a short story about that person, place or thing. | | Jun 14, 2009 | Alphabet Soup - Q
Think of a person, place, or thing that begins with the letter 'Q'. Now write a paragraph, a poem, or a short story about that person, place or thing. | | Jun 7, 2009 | Alphabet Soup - P
Think of a person, place, or thing that begins with the letter 'P'. Now write a paragraph, a poem, or a short story about that person, place or thing. | | May 31, 2009 | Alphabet Soup - O
Think of a person, place, or thing that begins with the letter 'O'. Now write a paragraph, a poem, or a short story about that person, place or thing. | | May 24, 2009 | Alphabet Soup - N
Think of a person, place, or thing that begins with the letter 'N'. Now write a paragraph, a poem, or a short story about that person, place or thing. | | May 17, 2009 | A Series of Puns
Puns are jokes that rely on words that sound alike, but have different meanings. | | May 10, 2009 | Mother's Day
This week we celebrate Mother's Day, a day to commemorate and honor mothers. | | May 3, 2009 | Performing a Task
In high school I had a teacher who had us write a paper on "how to reeve a block and tackle." We quickly discovered that writing understandable explanations of how to perform a specific set of instructions could be quite challenging. | | Apr 26, 2009 | Newspaper Reporter
Imagine that you are a newspaper reporter, and your job is to report on the news in your neighborhood. | | Apr 19, 2009 | Blank Verse
Sometimes people get so caught up in rhyming that they forget another very important part of a poem: its rhythm. | | Apr 12, 2009 | A Trip to the Mall
People go to the mall to shop, to hang out with friends, or just to kill time. | | Apr 5, 2009 | Recipe for Disaster?
Do you enjoy cooking? Here's a chance to tell us all your favorite recipe. | | Mar 29, 2009 | Spring Is in the Air?
Where I live, there's still plenty of snow, but we're all anticipating actual, honest-to-goodness spring weather. | | Mar 22, 2009 | Mythological Creatures
Greek and Roman mythology are filled with strange creatures like the Hydra, the Minotaur, Cerberus, and many others. | | Mar 15, 2009 | Iambic Pentameter
An iamb is a sequence of two syllables in which the first syllable is unstressed, and the second is stressed. Iambic Pentameter is made up of lines of 5 iambs apiece. | | Mar 8, 2009 | Admiration
We all have people in our lives we respect and admire, people we look up to, maybe even aspire to be like. | | Mar 1, 2009 | You're a Book
Last week I asked people to imagine that they were an animal, and write a short piece from that perspective. This week, let's make that a bit more challenging... | | Feb 22, 2009 | You're an Animal
Pick an animal, any animal, and imagine that you are that animal. | | Feb 15, 2009 | Pep Talk Grab-Bag
This is a first; I thought it would be fun to do a Grab Bag for the writing prompt. So I went to the Grab Bag Page and asked for four words... | | Feb 8, 2009 | Duct Tape
Some folks say that Duct Tape holds the world together. They even make calendars with 365 uses for Duct Tape. | | Feb 1, 2009 | Writer's Block
This week has been one of the slowest weeks I've seen on this site since its beginning. A few pieces were written, but as of 6:00 PM on Saturday, only one person had done the weekly writing prompt! | | Jan 25, 2009 | Lottery Winner
Imagine that you've just won the lottery. What kinds of things do you think would change in your life as a result of your winnings? | | Jan 18, 2009 | More Historical Confusion
Can you imagine what would happen if Thomas Edison lived in the time of Alexander the Great? What would happen if George Washington could have a conversation with Abraham Lincoln? | | Jan 11, 2009 | Hector and the Clarinets
It's been quite a long time since we last did a "First Line" writing prompt. So let's do one... | | Jan 4, 2009 | Movie Review
Now that 2008 is over, people like to talk about their favorite (or least favorite) movie of last year. What about you? | | Dec 28, 2008 | New Year's Resolutions
Some people resolve to make changes in their lives, starting on January 1st. | | Dec 21, 2008 | Snow, Snow, Snow!
The weatherman is telling me that I'll have a White Christmas for sure this year. As I watch the snowflakes falling, I can't help but wonder: If snowflakes had brains, what kinds of things would they think about? | | Dec 14, 2008 | Science Fiction Holiday
Write a paragraph, a story, or some dialog about people celebrating in a "science fiction" setting. | | Dec 7, 2008 | Anapestic Christmas
'Twas the Night before Christmas' is a famous Christmas poem written in anapestic tetrameter. Each line sounds like this: da da DA da da DA da da DA da da DA, and every pair of lines rhymes. | | Nov 30, 2008 | Memorable Christmas Party
Have you been to a Christmas party that sticks out in your mind, maybe even after many years have gone by? | | Nov 2, 2008 | Short Story
Here at Fifteen Minutes Of Fiction, November 2008 is Short Story Writing Month. There will be only one writing prompt this month: Write a short story. | | Oct 26, 2008 | Thanksgiving - A Month Early
Just a reminder, next week starts ShoStoWriMo at Fifteen Minutes Of Fiction, and we're encouraging writers to write a short story over the course of the month. | | Oct 19, 2008 | School Conversation
Between classes, two students are walking the hallway at school. What are they talking about? | | Oct 12, 2008 | Bird's Eye View
Today I was imagining how the world would look from the perspective of a bird flying overhead. | | Oct 5, 2008 | Fibonacci Poems
We haven't done a Fibonacci Poem for awhile. A "Fib" is a poem with 6 lines, and the number of syllables in each line is: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8. There are no other metrical or rhyming rules, making it somewhat similar to a Haiku. | | Sep 28, 2008 | Animal For A Day
If you could be an animal - any animal you wanted - for a day, what animal would you choose? | | Sep 21, 2008 | Time Machine
A mad scientist just dumped you into a time machine, scrambled the controls, and sent you off to another time. | | Sep 14, 2008 | Dream Vacation
We've written about a dream job, and our dream superpower, now it's time to write about your dream vacation. | | Sep 7, 2008 | Super Hero!
If you were a super hero, what would your super hero name be? What would your super power be? | | Aug 31, 2008 | Labor Day
In honor of Labor Day, let's write about jobs this week. | | Aug 24, 2008 | Summer Haiku
School is starting soon; for many students, "back to school" is this week. Let's start the school year with a poetry writing prompt... | | Aug 17, 2008 | Alphabet Soup - M
Think of a person, place, or thing that begins with the letter 'M'. Now write a paragraph, a poem, or a short story about that person, place or thing. | | Aug 10, 2008 | Alphabet Soup - L
Think of a person, place, or thing that begins with the letter 'L'. Now write a paragraph, a poem, or a short story about that person, place or thing. | | Aug 3, 2008 | Alphabet Soup - K
Think of a person, place, or thing that begins with the letter 'K'. Now write a paragraph, a poem, or a short story about that person, place or thing. | | Jul 27, 2008 | Alphabet Soup - J
Think of a person, place, or thing that begins with the letter 'J'. Now write a paragraph, a poem, or a short story about that person, place or thing. | | Jul 20, 2008 | Alphabet Soup - I
Think of a person, place, or thing that begins with the letter 'I'. Now write a paragraph, a poem, or a short story about that person, place or thing. | | Jul 13, 2008 | Alphabet Soup - H
Think of a person, place, or thing that begins with the letter 'H'. Now write a paragraph, a poem, or a short story about that person, place or thing. | | Jul 6, 2008 | Alphabet Soup - G
Think of a person, place, or thing that begins with the letter 'G'. Now write a paragraph, a poem, or a short story about that person, place or thing. | | Jun 29, 2008 | Alphabet Soup - F
Think of a person, place, or thing that begins with the letter 'F'. Now write a paragraph, a poem, or a short story about that person, place or thing. | | Jun 22, 2008 | Alphabet Soup - E
Think of a person, place, or thing that begins with the letter 'E'. Now write a paragraph, a poem, or a short story about that person, place or thing. | | Jun 15, 2008 | Alphabet Soup - D
Think of a person, place, or thing that begins with the letter 'D'. Now write a paragraph, a poem, or a short story about that person, place or thing. | | Jun 8, 2008 | Alphabet Soup - C
Think of a person, place, or thing that begins with the letter 'C'. Now write a paragraph, a poem, or a short story about that person, place or thing. | | Jun 1, 2008 | Alphabet Soup - B
Think of a person, place, or thing that begins with the letter 'B'. Now write a paragraph, a poem, or a short story about that person, place or thing. | | May 25, 2008 | Alphabet Soup - A
Think of a person, place, or thing that begins with the letter 'A'. Now write a paragraph, a poem, or a short story about that person, place or thing. | | May 18, 2008 | A Penny For Your Thoughts...
Write a short dialogue that begins with one character saying to another, "A penny for your thoughts..." | | May 11, 2008 | Famous Tales Revisited
Pick a favorite story from your childhood - a fable, a fairy tale, or some other story - and rewrite it. | | May 4, 2008 | This Is the Way the World Ends
T.S. Eliot said that the world ends "not with a bang, but a whimper." Douglas Adams said there was a restaurant at the end of the universe. | | Apr 27, 2008 | April Showers and May Flowers
"April showers bring May flowers," they say. We're now at the end of April, so we should be seeing those May flowers soon. | | Apr 20, 2008 | Many Adjectives
Well chosen adjectives make your writing come alive by helping the reader picture what you're describing. | | Apr 13, 2008 | My Favorite Books
Write a paragraph about one of your favorite books, explaining why you like it so much. | | Apr 6, 2008 | Puns!
Write a paragraph, a conversation, or a story which contains lots of puns. | | Mar 30, 2008 | Talking Animals
Have you ever wondered if animals talk to each other when we're not around? | | Mar 23, 2008 | Easter Celebration
Does your family do anything special on Easter? Write about your family traditions/activities. | | Mar 16, 2008 | My Favorite Day Of The Week
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday: which is your favorite day of the week? | | Mar 2, 2008 | To Whom It May Concern
Have you ever purchased a product or service and been very unhappy with the quality of what you received? | | Feb 24, 2008 | Inanimate Perspective
Last week you wrote a poem about a "mundane object" - this week you'll need another object... | | Feb 17, 2008 | Poem About A Mundane Object
It's been over two months since our last poetry writing prompt, so lets do another one! | | Feb 10, 2008 | Happy Valentines Day?
Good Grief, Charlie Brown! Valentine's Day is this week! Have you got your Valentine's cards written and mailed? | | Feb 3, 2008 | A Little Fantasy
Great fantasy writing often has strange, mystical creatures such as unicorns, fauns, centaurs, and many more. | | Jan 27, 2008 | Historical Confusion
It has been said that "the winners write the history books". In other words, how can we be sure the things we read in history books are what really happened? | | Jan 20, 2008 | Letter To A Spammer
Spammers (people who send unsolicited emails) are the bane of the internet. If you were going to write a letter to a spammer, what would you say? | | Jan 13, 2008 | The Unexpected Test
Have you ever walked into a classroom having completely forgotten that you had a major test that day? | | Jan 6, 2008 | Alfred's Missing Keys
Alfred has lost his key ring, on which he keeps the keys to everything he owns. How does this affect his day? What does he do to recover his keys? | | Dec 30, 2007 | Alliterative Paragraphs
Alliteration is repetition of a leading vowel or consonant sound in a phrase. For example: "Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers." | | Dec 23, 2007 | My Favorite Christmas Gift
With Christmas this week, probably no one will have much time to "get creative", so for this writing prompt you really don't need much creativity. | | Dec 16, 2007 | Homeless On Christmas
For many of us, Christmas is a time for family and feasting and celebration - but there are millions of people who are alone and without anything on Christmas each year. | | Dec 9, 2007 | Letter To Santa Claus
For some of you it may have been many years since you wrote a letter to Santa Claus, and maybe some of you never have. | | Dec 2, 2007 | Christmas Haiku
Let's return to Haiku this week! Write two or more Haiku about Christmas. Remember that in a Haiku, there are three lines, with 5/7/5 syllables. | | Nov 25, 2007 | Christmas Story
Christmas is a month away. For the next few weeks the writing prompts will all be Christmas themed. | | Nov 18, 2007 | Thankful Free Verse
Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks (nothing like stating the obvious, eh?) What are you grateful for? | | Nov 11, 2007 | Children Fighting
Children often fight and argue; two children are having an argument. What are they arguing about? What kinds of things are they saying? | | Nov 4, 2007 | Inside The Television
In Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a little boy ends up just a few inches tall and "on TV". What would it be like if that's how television really worked? | | Oct 28, 2007 | I Lost My Job
You just found out this morning that you have been fired from your job. Your family does not yet know. What will you tell them? How will they react? | | Oct 21, 2007 | Man-Made vs Nature
Haiku is a short Japanese form of poetry, in which the lines follow the form: 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables. | | Oct 14, 2007 | My Campaign Speech
People who are running in an election must be prepared to make speeches. If you were going to run for an office, what office would it be? How would you present your campaign to voters? | | Oct 7, 2007 | The Mountain Peak
You've been hiking all morning, and have just reached the peak of the mountain. | | Sep 30, 2007 | A Fibonacci Poem
A Fibonacci Poem (or 'Fib') is similar to a Haiku; the poem's structure is based on the number of syllables per line. | | Sep 23, 2007 | The Thirty Seventh Floor
An elevator got stuck on the 37th floor of a skyscraper. One or more people were stuck in the elevator. Write a short story or story fragment about what happened. |
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