1800+ Creative Writing Prompts To Inspire You Right Now – Page 18

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This week's contest:

Win $250

A Perfect Storm

3 contest entries /

4 stories

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Closes at 23:59 - Feb 07 EST

You’re awakened from your nap by someone asking, “Are you hungry?”. You fell asleep somewhere else entirely.

Mystery – 43 stories

Begin your story with a protagonist taking shelter under a bridge during a thunderstorm. An animal scurries past which shouldn’t exist. Against their better judgment, they decide to follow it out.

Fantasy – 50 stories

As a child you’re helping your grandparent bake. When you’re sent to the pantry to fetch an ingredient, you discover something odd.

Mystery – 40 stories

You arrive at a destination you promised an old friend you’d visit after they passed, only to find them there too.

Mystery – 65 stories

Start your story with a character walking through a desert landscape, when they stumble across something unexpected. “That shouldn’t be there,” they muse.

Dialogue – 50 stories

Write a story about someone who breaks an unwritten social rule and the consequences they face as a result.

Angst – 43 stories

Write about someone who is shackled by fears of failure, until they break free.

Character – 29 stories

Write from the POV of a security guard on the night shift, sitting in front of a wall of CCTV feeds.

Dramatic – 46 stories

Set your story in a type of prison cell.

Dark – 80 stories

Write a story that includes the line “I think someone’s listening/watching.”

Dialogue – 52 stories

‘The worst meal I’ve ever tasted.’ Imagine a zero-star TripAdvisor restaurant review: capture the customer’s evening out that compelled them to complain.

Funny – 31 stories

Write a story that begins, ends, or changes with a song played by a busker.

Fiction – 27 stories

‘Hit a tripwire of smell and memories explode all at once.’ Use the senses to transport a character back to the past.

Character – 49 stories

Start the story with the absence of a sensory detail (eg. silence when there should be noise).

Fiction – 52 stories

Begin a scene with a non-visual sense. Describe a specific sound, smell, taste, etc to capture your setting, then expand the story out from there.

Fiction – 174 stories

Write a story about a warrior who doesn’t want to kill the dragon.

Fantasy – 91 stories

Write about a sleuth who’s a little too keen, but not because they have a traumatic past they won’t talk about.

Mystery – 10 stories

Write about a person who's been called to mentor someone in a special skill, but doesn't really want to.

Adventure – 27 stories

Set your story in a creepy mansion — except nothing horrifying takes place in it.

Horror – 64 stories

Write a story about two characters who like each other but don’t get a happily-ever-after.

Romance – 91 stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

Contest #288 LIVE

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: A Perfect Storm

$250

Prize money

3

Contest entries

4

Stories

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Days

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Closes at 23:59 - Feb 07, 2025 EST

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Recent contests ✍️

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