Short On Story Ideas? Here Are 110 Prompts To Get You Writing Now

It’s every writer’s worst nightmare.

You sit at the computer, or with your pen and paper, ready to get words onto the page, and then … nothing happens.

You stare at the blank white space in front of you. All the words, all the ideas, you’d had a moment before, are completely gone, and you can’t get anything out.

We’ve all been there.

Sometimes it feels like the creative juices aren’t flowing, and the muse has turned against you.

You know that the only way to get past the block is to start writing, but when in the grip of that blankness, coming up with even a single thought can be like being told to grow wings and start flying.

Below are 110 different prompts to get your fingers moving and your creativity flowing fast.

Get Creative

One of the most fun ways to get past the block is to pick a writing prompt and see what happens. Below are 50 ideas for stories you could start writing now.

1. A Knight’s Tale: Write about the most unlikely knight in shining armor.

2. In a Flash: You’re sitting in a quiet café, minding your own business, when a man rushes in, throws you a flash drive, and rushes away, leaping into a passing bus and disappearing from view.

3. Sheriff’s Duty: Write about Robin Hood as if you were the Sheriff of Nottingham.

4. Over and Over: You walk around the corner of a building and find yourself on the same street you just left. Each time you walk around a corner, you end up in the same street. How did you get here and what happens next?

5. Black Out: You have a new neighbor but you’ve never met him. The curtains are always drawn, and there is never any sound from his house except for the occasional thump of a music beat. Last night you heard a scream from inside the house. What do you do?

6. Talk to the Universe: The sun and moon are deep in discussion. Write the dialogue.

7. A Bird’s-Eye View: You are sitting in the park, nonchalantly watching a group of people in a rowboat on the lake, when you realize the background noise you are hearing is not coming from people, but from the birds in the trees! What’s more, they are plotting against the people on the lake. What are the birds plotting and how do you save the people?

8. Rise and Shine: After falling asleep in your own bed, in your own room, you wake to find yourself in a house that isn’t yours. Where are you and how did you get there?

9. Time Traveler: You are walking down the street when you spy a new antique store, except this one has some extremely unusual items. You walk through the door only to find yourself back in the Middle Ages. Describe what you see, what happens next, and how you finally get back to the 21st century.

10. Froggy Kisses: What happens when two enchanted frogs kiss?

11. Coffee Blunders: In a world run by artificial intelligence, you’re having trouble getting your kitchen robot to make you a decent cup of coffee. How do you teach it?

12. Small Wonders: You are casually looking skyward when a small aircraft lands on your shoulder. A being steps out, then climbs up your neck and whispers in your ear. What does he say and what happens next?

13. The Nothing: You are driving down the road when you notice you are the only one driving in your direction, and that there seems to be an endless stream of cars going the other way. You look up and notice that there is nothing but pitch black ahead, and it’s too late to turn around. The blackness swallows you. What happens next?

14. Curses: You are an evil wizard who is placing a curse on the hero threatening to collapse your empire. What is the curse?

15. Wingless: You are a fairy who has lost her wings. How did you lose them and how do you get them back?

16. Undersea Adventure: You live under the sea and see something that threatens your entire community. But you were in the forbidden waters outside the town boundaries when you saw it. What is threatening your people and how do you save them?

17. Tree House Dilemma: You are in your old tree house when you spy something lodged in the corner of one of the wooden beams. A note, one that will change the course of your life. What does it say?

18. Sibling Rivalry: People have always said you and your best friend look alike, but you weren’t expecting to find out just how much DNA you share. Write about how you discovered that your best friend was your sibling, as well as the repercussions for your family and friendship.

19. It’s My Party: It’s your birthday and you want to celebrate with a party, but you want someone else to organize it for you. How do you go about getting a party thrown for you without actually asking for one?

20. Wish Upon a Mermaid: You find an intact scallop shell on the beach. A small mermaid offers you one wish in return for her safe return to the sea when you open it. What do you wish for and what happens after that?

21. Warlock Wars: You are a very capable wizard but a warlock has stolen your powers and is intent on taking over the world. How do you defeat him?

22. Cabin Fever: You are out hiking in unfamiliar territory when you see a decrepit cabin, located just off the track. Entering it, you find a word that chills you to your core written on the wall in blood. The blood is still dripping. What is the word, and what happens next?

23. Car Tunes: What personalities do the different cars have?

24. Water Blues: You have just finished a workout and sit down for a well-earned drink. You take a few big gulps from your water bottle and are about to grab a couple more when you start to feel a bit weird. Your head is about to explode. Your hands and feet start to swell, and, as you are processing all that, you feel a lump building on your bum — almost as if a tail were growing! What is happening?

25. Roulette Risk: You have to pay back a loan by 1 p.m. tomorrow, and the only way you can do it is by winning a bet that has the odds stacked against it. You’ve placed your entire savings on a game of Roulette. What’s the outcome?

26. Stolen Opportunity: You find out that someone close to you has stolen your winning lottery ticket and claimed it as his own, but only once the claims process is over. He’s moved on with his new life and left you in the cold. Write about your revenge.

27. Peace and Quiet: You come home after a particularly grueling day only to find that your family is even more demanding than your workday. You secretly wish they would all just go away and leave you in peace. You wake up the next morning and you are alone. How do you get your family back?

28. Perfect Match: You are on a blind date with the partner of your dreams, but as the person starts talking, you realize that you’re at the wrong table. You look around and see your arranged blind date partner waiting at a table across the room, but are entranced by the person before you. How does it end?

29. Random Words: Pick up a dictionary; let it fall open to a page. Choose 10 words from this page and write a story incorporating those words.

30. Mind Reader: You can read minds. As you sit in the park, imagine the conversation going on between the other occupants.

31. Potted: What if evil Lord Voldemort had convinced Harry Potter to join him?

32. Friend or Foe: You have just discovered that your lifelong friend is actually an enemy agent who is using you as a source of information for a terrorist organization. Now that your current work assignment has finished, you are surplus to requirements and must be eliminated! Finish the story.

33. The New Pet: You are in the garden when you discover a large egg. As you watch, it cracks open and a baby Tyrannosaurus rex struggles out!

34. Not so White: What if, instead of being sweet and innocent, Snow White was an evil, vindictive, vain, and jealous stepdaughter. Write her story.

35. Lyrical Twist: Turn the words of your favorite song into a story using the last word from each line as the starting point for each new sentence.

36. Out of the Blue: Write a story that has this phrase as its starting point.

37. Stolen ID: You go into the bank to make a withdrawal and find that someone else has assumed your identity. You see their face instead of yours, no matter where you look. How did it happen and what do you do?

38. Invincible: As you are cutting steak for dinner, you accidentally drop the knife. It lands deep in your foot but you feel no pain. When you remove the knife, you discover that the wound closes immediately. Overnight you’ve become invincible — with one catch. Describe the catch and how your life is about to change.

39. Surprise Party: You’re in the final stages of planning a party for your parents’ 40th wedding anniversary, only to find out from your aunt that they’ve been separated for 20 years and have only been keeping up appearances for your sake. What do you do?

40. Back to the Future: It’s the 21st century. You enter a shop, and when you walk out 20 minutes later you find that 400 years have passed and it is now the 25th century! Write the story.

41. The Other Side: What lies on the dark side of the moon?

42. Wedding Vows: Create the dialogue between the wedding rings during the wedding day.

43. Stoned: Write about a day living in the Stone Age.

44. Special Stick: You see an ornate stick. Picking it up you give it a jiggle. Sparks fly from the end and you realize that you’ve found a magic wand! What do you do with it?

45. Mystery Door: What lies behind Door 16? Write the story.

46. Double Take: You have just discovered an identical twin. How did you find out? How were you separated? What has their life been like? Write the story.

47. Heirlooms: You are an heir to a large fortune and have many suitors because of it. How do you vet potential partners? What tests do you make them pass to weed out the gold diggers?

48. Worst Case: Write a story based on the phrase, “What’s the worst that can happen?”

49. Perfect Strangers: Look out your window and choose two people at random. Write about their lives.

50. Fast Forward: Look at a child and write about their life in 20 years’ time.

Get Started

Sometimes you just need a few words to start your story.

Next time you think you have writer’s block, use any one of these twenty opening lines.

1. The dog bared its teeth and …

2. She hurried out of the ballroom and turned toward …

3. He gave three taps on the stone wall and …

4. The old teddy bear felt oddly out of shape. Turning it over, he saw …

5. She turned out the light and was nearly asleep when …

6. “Shots fired! Shots fired.” The sergeant ducked, dragging the …

7. As the wind whipped around her, she felt herself losing control. “Go Bella! Now, before it’s too late!” cried …

8. “I told you so,” Sam said as …

9. After a night of campfires, beer, and horror stories, it was finally time for bed. But …

10. “I know who it was,” the detective grinned. “He …

11. As she stared out the window, she grew suddenly aware that …

12. “Oh God, I am so sorry,” he stuttered, then …

13. Sarah swiveled her chair, then looked in the mirror and let out a …

14. She could feel the heat against her legs. Bracing herself she …

15. On the other side of the street, the girl turned and gave a quick wave before …

16. The sun was setting when it told me …

17. Breathless, Kelly made it up the stairs. As she reached for the door …

18. In a flash the …

19. “Looks like the fish are biting today! Hey, what’s that floating up there? It looks like …”

20. Reaching into his pockets, he felt the carved stone. Hopefully, it would do its job and they would all get out of this alive. He took a step forward and …

Get Personal

Whether you’re looking for a journal entry, some form of deeper inspiration, or a specific character trait for your novel, these next prompts will point your thoughts toward the core of your soul.

1. Define failure.

2. Write a review of your favorite movie or book.

3. What has been your biggest achievement in life?

4. What is the biggest sacrifice your parents made to give you something you wanted? What is the biggest sacrifice you have made to give someone else what they wanted?

5. What has been your biggest point of conflict in the last three years? How did it happen? What was the outcome?

6. What is your deepest regret? What did you learn from it? How has it affected your current life?

7. Write about your first day of school, as a child or an adult.

8. Write about the first time you said the words, “I love you.”

9. Write about a time when you have needed help. What did you do? Who gave it to you? How did it make you feel?

10. You have just found out you only have three days to live. What do you do with your time? What scares you the most?

11. What are you most thankful for?

12. What is the most dangerous thing you have ever done?

13. What is your favorite memory of your grandparents?

14. What were your favorite activities as a child? Do you still do them? If not, why not?

15. What is your definition of being happy?

16. What would you be doing if you weren’t sitting here trying to write?

17. How often do you follow your gut? When was the last time you should have listened to it but didn’t? What happened?

18. What does death mean to you?

19. What is your greatest fear?

20. Describe your faith. What do you believe in? How do you honor that belief?

Get Opinionated

Having an opinion about something and arguing for or against a statement can be one of the best release valves for your creativity.

When you feel passion for a topic, it’s easier to write about.

Here are writing prompts to get your creative blood pumping. Some are questions; some are statements that require a yes or no answer, as well as a justification for that answer.

1. What is the biggest problem in your community? How would you change it?

2. What is the biggest problem facing humanity? How does this create the societal problems we have today?

3. Television is great for growing minds.

4. True love does not exist.

5. Which is better, being the oldest child or the youngest child in the family? Why?

6. Mothers should be paid to stay at home with their children instead of working.

7. Vampires should have to give blood.

8. Smile, the world smiles with you. Cry, and you cry alone. True or false?

9. Technology has made the world go backward.

10. The whole world should speak one language.

11. Unions make a work environment worse.

12. There is nothing wrong with being selfish.

13. Children should be seen, not heard.

14. Laughter is the best medicine.

15. It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

16. Two wrongs don’t make a right.

17. Cell phones should be banned.

18. Alcohol should be illegal.

19. Parents shouldn’t read their children’s texts or social media pages.

20. With the Internet providing free information and tools, copyright is obsolete.

No more nightmares.

The only antidote to not writing is to get started.

Don’t ever sit and stare at the blank page again. Use any one of the 110 prompts above to get started. You don’t have to stick with the project, but we both know that not writing usually breeds more not writing, and that it’s a vicious cycle you don’t want to fall into.

You’ve been there before, but you don’t ever have to be there again.

Write strong until next time.