Best Dramatic Writing Prompts

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The best dramatic writing prompts

The term “dramatic” can feel fairly vague. In this case, we use the term to describe fiction that’s intense, powerful, and exciting. The protagonist can be a regular person, with a regular life — but drama somehow finds a way into their world. And while everyone has the capacity to be a little dramatic, sometimes as writers we’re still left with a blank page. If you’re suffering with writer’s block, we’re here to help. The Reedsy team has put together this list of creative writing prompts in the hopes of inspiring authors to write stories that leave readers wondering: what will happen next? 

Don’t feel too tied to one genre — these prompts are to give you ideas for dramatic stories, but don’t be afraid to introduce elements of other genres. A dramatic story can be tinged with fantasy, science fiction, horror, the supernatural, and so on. All it requires to make it dramatic is a healthy dose of conflict, and enough tension to keep readers wanting more. Other than that, there are no rules!

Here are our top ten dramatic writing prompts:

If you’re interested in writing dramatic fiction, check out these relevant resources for even more tips.

Want more help learning how to write a dramatic story? Check out How to Write a Short Story That Gets Published — a free, ten day course by Laura Mae Isaacman, a full-time editor who runs a book editing company in Brooklyn.

Ready to start writing? Check out Reedsy’s weekly short story contest, for the chance of winning $250, plus potential publication in our literary magazine, Prompted! You can also check out our list of writing contests or our directory of literary magazines for more opportunities to submit your story.

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