60 writing prompts to get the wheels turning
Photo by Vlada Karpovich
Do you ever feel stuck and in need of a little inspiration to get the wheels turning? If so, this list of writing prompts is just for you. Use it now, or bookmark it for those future moments when you feel stuck and the blinking cursor is taunting you.
Which one calls out to you?
Character-Driven Prompts
A character wakes up in someone else’s body—and it’s someone they hate.
She’s spent her whole life lying. Now someone else is telling her story.
Write about someone who finds a letter addressed to them—in their own handwriting.
A man inherits a house and discovers a hidden room full of secrets.
Two people who despise each other are forced to work together to survive.
A lonely child befriends the ghost living in their attic.
A character’s biggest fear comes true—but it sets them free.
A woman realizes she’s been living someone else’s dream.
A character confesses something they’ve never said out loud—even to themselves.
The villain tells their side of the story.
Emotion-Focused Prompts
Write about a moment of quiet forgiveness.
Capture the feeling of realizing someone never loved you back — or that they did love you and you didn’t know it.
A character realizes they’ve outgrown someone they once idolized.
Someone loses everything and finds clarity.
A love story told entirely through missed chances.
A conversation that changes everything, even though nothing is said aloud.
A moment of joy in the middle of disaster.
Write about the ache of almost.
A character says goodbye without using words.
Explore what it means to feel at home.
Journal & Memoir-Style Prompts
Describe the first time you felt truly seen.
What’s something you thought you’d never survive but did?
Write about a place that shaped you.
What memory do you return to?
Write a letter to your younger self.
Describe a friendship that left a permanent mark.
What secret have you never told anyone?
What does success really mean to you?
Write about a moment you disappointed someone and what you learned.
What does “freedom” mean in your life right now?
Relationships & Interpersonal Dynamics
A sibling rivalry that turns dangerous.
A character realizes their best friend is keeping a major secret.
Two exes or enemies are trapped together during a crisis.
A character confronts their estranged parent after years apart.
A first date with unexpected consequences.
A friendship that fades, but no one says why.
A wedding where everything goes wrong—but maybe that’s right.
Someone finally understands their parent’s decision that had long puzzled them.
A long-distance friendship rekindled in an unusual way.
A character falls in love at the worst possible time.
Grief, Change, and Identity
A character comes to understand who they truly are and slowly evolves away from the person they thought they were supposed to be.
Write about someone trying to live up to a legacy they didn’t ask for.
A character makes a drastic change to escape who they were.
Grief shows up in the form of a person, a place, or a sound.
Someone changes their name and starts over—who are they now?
A character returns home and discovers it’s not the place they left.
What happens when your dream comes true—but it doesn’t feel like you thought it would?
A person starts writing letters to someone they’ve lost.
Someone discovers their entire identity was based on a lie.
Write about starting over at 40, 50, 60…
Creative Constraints
Write a scene with no dialogue.
Tell a story in reverse.
Write something where the main character is never named.
Create a story that takes place over one hour.
Write from the perspective of an inanimate object.
Use only one syllable words (as long as possible).
Write a story with only two characters and one setting.
Describe a scene using only senses other than sight.
Write a piece where everything hinges on a single decision.
Write a story that ends at the beginning.