50 Creative Writing Ideas and Prompts

50 prompts for those with writers block

When it comes to writing, there are plenty of excuses people use to justify not writing. One of the most common excuses is writer’s block (whether that really exists or not). There’re few things worse than wanting to write but nothing seems to come out. I’ve found over the years that one of the best ways for me to tackle writer’s block is to step away from whatever I happen to be working on at that moment, and just get myself writing again. For me, if I can begin to write anything, then the words begin to flow on the original project where the writer’s block started.

One of the best ways to do this is through creative writing prompts. These appeal to me mainly because they are fresh ideas and I don’t have the inhibition of writing badly since I know I’m the only one who is going to be reading them. The problem is finding new writing ideas to prompt me into writing. With that in mind, and knowing others may also be in a similar situation as I, here are some creative writing ideas to help you beat that writer’s block.

50 Creative Writing Prompts

When it comes to these writing prompts, there are no rules to how you should write. Whether you decide to write a short story, a poem, an essay a haiku or any other form, the main objective is to simply begin writing. Choose ant of the prompts that speaks most to you and let the words begin to flow…

1. Suddenly, I knew…

2. “How long have I got?” she asked.

3. He knew it couldn’t last forever.

4. Suddenly, she began to laugh aloud.

5. Everything had changed, and he knew that he’d have to change too.

6. It had been a terrible year, but at the same time, she wouldn’t have changed a thing because…

7. The old man had looked like an easy victim, but…

8. It was the coldest winter on record, and all the roads were closed.

9. As the storm became fiercer, there was a knock at the door.

10. If my car hadn’t broken down that day, I’d never have…

11. I broke every one of my New Year’s resolutions that day.

12. It was the best summer ever.

13. She could hear the crowd cheering her on.

14. Would you believe that a butterfly could change your life?

15. The traffic policeman scanned the horizon and saw an approaching dust cloud.

16. If only Harry had remembered to close the window.

17. It was the first time I’d ever tried to sail a boat.

18. The world exploded into a rainbow of colors.

19. Sometimes, the wrong thing turns out to be right after all.

20. “You can’t do that!” he exclaimed.

21. I never thought I’d be famous until…

22. It was the most embarrassing moment of my life.

23. Choose a photo and develop your story around the scene.

24. Pick a family anecdote and turn it into an amusing story.

25. Think of a famous person and write a journal entry as if you were that person.

26. Begin with “I used to believe that” and simply write.

27. I never liked a sore loser…

28. The coals were still smoldering long after midnight.

29. She never looked more beautiful than she did at that moment.

30. He fiddled nervously with his phone and wondered about…

31. Everyone was afraid of Mr. Wilkins.

32. Describe a person’s appearance in a way that reveals something about their character.

33. I have never met a cheekier child.

34. Something strange happens every time I hear that song.

35. I had never cooked a meal before…

36. Today, I knew that I needed a complete change.

37. Choose ten clichés or idioms and find creative ways to say the same thing.

38. We didn’t plan to get lost in the woods.

39. The plane was rapidly losing height. He knew he had only one chance.

40. If only I had remembered what my mother always said.

41. It was the most inspiring thing she had ever seen.

42. He never thought he’d end up being a hero.

43. The silence was more powerful than any scream.

44. Aliens? I never believed in them until…

45. They always called him ‘the mad hermit’, but he was saner than any of us.

46. Imagine being caught in an earthquake or a flood. What happens? What would you do?

47. That day, he discovered that magic was real…

48. A desperately poor man finds a priceless artifact. What happens to him as a result?

49. The strangest dream I ever had.

50. Write a witty essay about writers’ block.

Do you have a good creative writing idea or prompt that has helped you in the past? Or have any of the above prompts made you think of new ones that could benefit other writers? Feel free to share any writing prompts you’d like and we’ll add them to this list!

(Image courtesy of Julie Jordan Scott)

  • Thank you. These creative writing ideas where just what I was looking for. I’m been in a slump and I needed to get away from what I was writing and do a bit of creative writing. I think this has solved my writer’s block and I’m ready to tackle my other projects now.

  • I’ve never understood how people can’t find inspiration to write. It’s all around us. You can look out a window and find it. I guess writing prompts are good for the lazy, but you shouldn’t really need to rely on them. You should be able to find writing inspiration everyplace you go and in everything you see. It’s there for anyone.

    • Sometimes it’s just easier to have the idea already presented and write from there rather than think of an idea yourself. It also exposes you to ideas that are ones you may not have ever considered yourself. It’s good to step outside your box and try different things. Just because you can do something a certain way (find your own ideas) doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try other ways as well.

      • Although writing is something that comes naturally to some people, not everyone is this lucky. It helps to have prompts like this to practice writing, but also the creative aspect of writing. I am thankful that I am not one who has a lot of trouble with writing, but I do need to practice to be better. I look forward to trying out some of these prompts in the future.

  • Thanks for sharing this creative ideas list..the best thing you can do is practice writing every single day. But we know sometimes it can be hard to think of what to write about.You get better at any skill through practice, and creative writing prompts are a great way to practice writing.Dreaming of doing something and starting it, in reality, has a lot of difference. Sometimes we need a push to take the first step. Though some of the top institutes have made it easier for the individuals to learn the skills through short-term writing courses and convert their hobby into their career.

  • Great. We all have writers block at some point and these will certainly help to get started when you really have no clue how. It’s a good creative way to get the writing flowing again.

  • What is the best way to choose a writing prompt from this list? Is it better to go through the list and pick one that speaks to you, or pick a random one and use that? is one way more effective than the other and if I should choose a random one, how do I choose a random number for this?

  • she glared at the filthy boy in front of him. “Who is this? And why is he here?” The boy trembled in fear, as the man said “Ma’am, I believe that this
    is your son ”

    The woman gave him a perfect shaped “O” mouth as her eyes widen in horror…

    jokes did it for fun pls don’t mind

  • I like this one, I haven’t used it yet but it would be cool to use:
    “A child from the year 2300 travels back to our time. How and why? What do they find surprising (or even horrifying) about our daily lives?”

  • I love these Prompts! I will totally use one or two in my Fan Fiction I’m doing. Its Pokemon! This is a little bit of it:

    It’s a beautiful morning in Petalburg City, and it seems that we have a new hero. Lets go see what she’s doing…

    “Brooke, your brothers are down stairs.” My mom said in a whisper, I opened my eyes and saw she was kneeling at my bed side. It was sunny out today, which was great for playing out side!

    “Really?” I asked in a sleepy voice, my mom nodded, “Okay, I just need to get dressed.” I ran over to my closet and went inside. I looked at all my clothes, then remembered it was my birthday today! I grabbed my favorite shirt and shorts. My shirt was an orange long sleeve, and my shorts were bright blue. I was turning ten that day and I was so excited! It meant I could get a Pokemon! But I was more excited to see my brothers, I hadn’t seen them sense they left to go on their journeys. I rushed over to my tall mirror. I put some of my long blue hair up in a bun, and left the rest down. Then I opened my bedroom door and ran down stairs. When I got at the bottom of the stair case, I smelled my dad’s pancakes!

    “Happy birthday Brooke!” He said as I sat at the table. He putt three pancakes on my plate and covered them in maple syrup. Then I noticed my brothers were in the other room! I immediately jumped out of my chair and ran over.

    “Ron, Gab, I missed you guys!” I exclaimed hugging them both.

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