Creative prompts

Write a short story of about [number] words that includes [item one], [item two] and [item three]. Set it in [place or era], tell it from the point of view of [character], and end with a quiet surprise rather than a big twist.

Write a [form, e.g. sonnet, villanelle or ghazal] about [subject]. Follow the rules of the form, use concrete images rather than abstract words, and afterwards explain briefly how the poem follows the form.

Write a [genre] song about [theme]: two verses, a repeating chorus and a bridge, in a [mood] mood. Keep lines singable, mark the rhyme scheme, and avoid tired rhymes like fire and desire.

Help me design a city for my [genre] world. It sits [geography] and is known for [one feature]. Describe its districts, who holds power, what people eat, one festival, one secret, and a conflict that could start a story there.

Write a backstory for [character name], a [age and role] in my [genre] story. Include where they grew up, a turning point in their life, a habit that gives them away, and a belief that will be tested by the plot: [plot summary].

Write a scene of about [number] words told entirely through dialogue between [character A] and [character B], who [situation]. Let what they really mean stay under the surface, and give each character a different way of speaking.

Here is my plot so far: [paste summary]. Suggest five possible twists that would surprise a reader but still feel fair, given the clues already in the story. For each, say which earlier detail it builds on.

Write a gentle bedtime story of about [number] words for a [age]-year-old who loves [interests]. Give the main character the name [name], include a small problem that gets solved kindly, and end with everyone settling down to sleep.

Retell [fairy tale] from the point of view of [villain]. Keep the main events but show their reasons, let the reader feel some sympathy without excusing them, and write it in a [tone, e.g. dry and funny] voice in about [number] words.

Give me fifteen writing prompts for [genre or form] that I can each finish in [minutes] minutes. Mix five based on a situation, five starting with a first line, and five built around a strong constraint, such as no adjectives.

I've attached a photo. Write a [genre] flash story of about [number] words inspired by it. Use at least three details you can actually see in the image, and imagine what happened just before or just after it was taken.

Write an adventure hook for a [game system or genre] session for [number] players at level [level]. Give the setup, three locations, a villain with a clear motive, a twist halfway through, and two ways the session could end.

Invent twenty names for [type of places, e.g. towns, rivers or taverns] in a world inspired by [culture or mood]. Keep the sound consistent so they feel like one language, and give a one-line meaning or legend for five of them.

Write a sequence of five haiku that follow [subject, e.g. one day in a harbour town] from morning to night. Each should contain a seasonal word and one sharp sensory detail, and together they should hint at a small story.

Write a script for a four-panel comic strip about [characters] and [situation]. For each panel, describe what we see and write the dialogue or caption. Build to a punchline in the last panel that a [audience] reader would get.

Write eight original riddles for [audience, e.g. a family games night] on the theme [theme]. Make them fair but not too easy, mix rhyming and plain ones, and list the answers at the end under a separate heading.

Tell a story about [subject] in exactly 100 words. It needs a character, a change and an ending that makes the reader look again at the first line. Give it a title and tell me the word count.

I'm planning [project, e.g. a short film or a café interior] with the feeling [mood words]. Describe a mood board in words: colours, textures, lighting, sounds, objects, typefaces and reference eras, and explain how each choice supports the mood.

Here is the beginning of my story: [paste text]. Continue it for about [number] words in the same voice and tense, without resolving the main conflict. Afterwards, list two other directions the story could go from here.

Run a text adventure game set in [setting]. Describe each scene in a few sentences, give me three choices plus the option to type my own action, keep track of my items, and let my decisions change what happens later.