Writing Prompts for Fiction Writers
The Storywriter Pro writing prompts let you practice the five modes of fiction writing: Description, action (narration), dialogue, exposition, and thought.
What Is a Writing Prompt?
A writing prompt is a short piece of text that sets you up to start writing right away. Writing prompts can be used as a starting place for an entire story or to practice a specific aspect of writing.
How Do I Use Writing Prompts?
Simply pick a writing prompt that fits your objective and start writing. Remember, this is practice. Don’t overthink it. Rewriting is an important part of writing, so keep what you write and then go back later to rewrite it.
Writing Prompts
- Describe a city at dawn, focusing on how the light changes the environment.
- Write about an abandoned house as if it were alive and watching.
- Describe a character’s hands in a way that reveals their personality or history.
- Paint a scene of a storm rolling in, emphasizing how the sky, air, and ground react.
- Write about the smell of an old bookstore and how it evokes a deep memory.
- Describe the feeling of walking through a dense fog where nothing is visible beyond a few feet.
- A market at night comes alive with vibrant colors, scents, and sounds—paint the scene with words.
- Detail a forgotten attic, filled with dust, cobwebs, and mysterious relics.
- The inside of a wizard’s laboratory, filled with bubbling potions and living books.
- Write about an ancient tree that has stood for centuries—what does it look like, and what has it witnessed?
- Describe the eerie silence of a hospital hallway in the middle of the night.
- A feast is laid out before a starving traveler—capture the overwhelming sensory details.
- A once-beautiful ballroom has been abandoned for decades—describe its decay and lingering elegance.
- The air is thick with tension before a duel—describe the details of the setting and the combatants’ expressions.
- Describe the first breath of air after emerging from deep underwater.
- Describe the overwhelming sense of claustrophobia inside a narrow cave.
- The moment a solar eclipse begins—describe how the world around you reacts.
- A lone traveler finds a single flower growing in a vast desert—portray the contrast.
- The ruins of an ancient civilization, overgrown with nature—capture the beauty and mystery.
- A lighthouse at the edge of the world—paint its appearance and the atmosphere around it.
- Describe a battlefield moments after a war has ended.
- Detail a cursed object sitting in a museum, waiting for someone to touch it.
- Write about a mirror that doesn’t reflect reality
- A character walks into a room where time has stopped—what do they see?
- Describe a long-forgotten shipwreck at the bottom of the ocean, now home to strange creatures.
- A spy narrowly escapes a burning building—describe the frantic moment step by step.
- Write about a character sprinting through a crowded market while being chased.
- A detective carefully picks a lock in the dead of night—detail their precision.
- A child tries to catch a butterfly, missing again and again—show their determination.
- A warrior fights their way through a battlefield, pushing through pain and exhaustion.
- A scientist in a lab rushes to prevent a catastrophic experiment failure—describe the escalating chaos.
- A spaceship crash-lands on an unknown planet—describe the impact and aftermath.
- A warrior stands on a crumbling bridge, holding their ground against an approaching army.
- A firefighter rushes into a collapsing building—describe every second of urgency.
- A person struggling to light a match in a rainstorm—each failed attempt raising the stakes.
- A bounty hunter tracks their target through a crowded train station.
- A character loses control of their car on an icy road—describe the slow-motion chaos.
- Someone sneaks into a heavily guarded museum to steal a priceless artifact.
- A person’s parachute fails to open mid-jump—describe their desperate struggle.
- A lost hiker stumbles upon a hidden village deep in the mountains.
- A rogue hacker breaks into a government database while time is running out.
- A storm chaser drives straight into a tornado
- A prisoner makes a desperate escape through underground tunnels.
- A diver explores the wreckage of a sunken ship and finds something unexpected.
- Gladiators fighting in the arena, a fight for freedom.
- A knight races to warn the castle before an enemy army arrives.
- A soldier on the battlefield loses their weapon—how do they react?
- A gambler makes one final, desperate bet.
- A racecar driver makes a split-second decision that will determine victory or disaster.
- A prisoner on a sinking ship struggles to free themselves before it’s too late.
- Two strangers get stuck in an elevator—one of them is hiding something.
- A person tries to break up with their partner, but the partner keeps misinterpreting it.
- A teacher has to explain to a parent that their child is a genius but also a troublemaker.
- Two old friends reconnect after years apart, but one doesn’t remember the other.
- A prisoner and their executioner share a conversation the night before the sentence is carried out.
- A time traveler accidentally reveals their true identity to someone from the past.
- Two rivals meet at a funeral and have an unexpectedly heartfelt conversation.
- A detective and a criminal engage in a battle of words—one trying to get a confession, the other evading.
- A mother and daughter argue about an old family heirloom, each with a different emotional attachment to it.
- Two ghosts discuss what they miss most about being alive.
- A fortune teller gives a vague prophecy, but the listener reads too much into it.
- A ruler and their most trusted advisor debate whether to go to war, knowing it could destroy their kingdom.
- Two people stranded on an island argue over their only remaining supplies.
- A robot and a human discuss what it means to be alive.
- Two people wake up in a locked room with no memory of how they got there.
- A doctor must explain to a patient that they have only days left to live.
- A captain and their first mate argue over whether to turn back or sail into the storm.
- A heated argument between two siblings clashing over the future of their family business.
- Write a tense exchange of dialogue between a spy and their handler during a high-stakes debriefing.
- A revealing conversation between a therapist and their patient during a breakthrough session.
- Confrontation where an undercover investigator, posing as a wealthy collector, challenges a master art forger.
- High-pressure dialogue between a defense attorney and a reluctant key witness.
- A fugitive pleads with a former friend for shelter, knowing that helping them could ruin both their lives.
- A powerful sorcerer offers to grant someone’s deepest wish—but warns of the cost.
- A desperate survivor attempts to convince a stranger to let them into a fortified city.
- Write about a lost civilization that vanished without a trace—what clues remain?
- Detail the origins of a haunted house and the curse tied to it.
- Explain why, in this world, no one is allowed to dream.
- Explain the history of a secret war between two civilizations that the rest of the world never knew about.
- In a world where people can sell their emotions, describe how the trade has shaped society.
- Detail the legend of a mythical beast that is rumored to guard an ancient treasure.
- Describe a religion based on the worship of celestial bodies and how it influences daily life.
- The history of a sword that has never lost a battle—but curses whoever wields it.
- In this world, people are assigned their fate at birth—explain how this system came to be.
- Every ten years, a mysterious lighthouse shines in the middle of the ocean—what does it mean?
- Explain the myths surrounding a forbidden forest where people disappear without a trace.
- A city that never experiences daylight—how has its population adapted?
- In a world where shadows can detach from their owners, explain what happens when one is stolen.
- The story behind a locked door in a mansion that no one dares open.
- A kingdom where everyone wears masks—describe the history behind this tradition.
- The history of a cursed crown that has driven every ruler mad.
- Unravel the story of a painter whose works can alter reality—and why their last piece was never finished.
- Explain why the stars in this world are artificial—and who built them.
- Describe the rise and fall of a mythical hero whose name has been erased from history.
- Chronicle the history of a doomed space colony and the final message they sent to Earth.
- Tell the story of an explorer who claimed to have found the edge of the world—but was never seen again.
- Explain why an entire royal bloodline was cursed to vanish before their 25th birthday.
- A nation once ruled by democracy now lets a single AI govern all decisions. Why?
- A kingdom where the rivers flow backward, carrying whispers from the past. How does it work?
- Explain the current state of affairs in a world where colors disappear one at a time, fading from existence.
- Someone receives a letter from a long-lost love—describe their internal conflict before opening it.
- A detective sees a suspect walk free—what goes through their mind?
- A scientist makes a discovery that could change humanity forever but hesitates to reveal it.
- A character stares at their reflection in the mirror, feeling like they are looking at a stranger.
- A witness must decide whether to protect their friend by lying in court or tell the truth and risk betraying them.
- After surviving a near-death experience, a person reflects on what they will change about their life.
- A famous artist realizes they no longer love their own work—what goes through their mind?
- A writer stares at a blank page, doubting whether they have anything left to say.
- A survivor of a shipwreck drifts at sea, questioning if they should keep fighting or let go.
- A character debates whether to tell their best friend a truth that will break them.
- A king wonders if his people love him or only fear him. And if it matters.
- A person at a funeral wonders why they don’t feel anything.
- A ghost lingers in a house, trying to remember why they can’t move on.
- A survivor of a great tragedy wonders why they were the only one left alive.
- A soldier stands over their fallen enemy and wonders if they would have been friends in another life.
- A detective reexamines an old case they could never solve—what thoughts haunt them?
- An explorer, lost in a jungle, wonders if they will ever see home again.
- A spy, engaged in conversation with the enemy, begins to question whether their cover has been blown.
- A soldier has returned home only to realize that they no longer belong in their old world.
- A time traveler wonders if they should change history—or leave things as they are.
- A knight kneels before their king, questioning whether the king is truly worthy of their loyalty.
