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Weekly Writing Prompts

Join (probably?) the world's largest writing contest. Flex those creative muscles with weekly writing prompts.

Showing 2399 prompts

This week's contest:
Win $250

Lost in Translation with Ruth O’Leary

111 contest entries /
77 stories

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View contest
Closes at 23:59 - May 16 EST

‘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

Write a story with an open ending that gives readers just enough details to draw their own conclusions.

Narrative – 111 stories

Include a scene in your story in which a character's body language conveys their hidden emotions.

Character – 25 stories

Include dialogue that shows that a character is socially awkward.

Dialogue – 27 stories

Write a scene in which a character’s behavior or reaction to something is affected by a past experience — without saying what that experience was.

Character – 50 stories

Start your story in a coffee shop without using obvious words to describe it (e.g. barista, coffee cup.)

Narrative – 68 stories

Write a story about someone making a deal with the devil.

Dark – 111 stories

You confront the monster you’ve spent many long years hunting. Except they’re not exactly what you thought they’d be…

Adventure – 45 stories

Write a story about a monster trying to become more human. Or about a human trying to become more monstrous.

Thriller and Suspense – 60 stories

Set your story in a haunted house.

Horror – 68 stories

Write a story about someone trying to resist their darker impulses. Whether they succeed or fail is up to you.

Dark – 100 stories

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RBE | Illustration — We made a writing app for you | 2024-02

We made a writing app for you

Yes, you! Write. Format. Export for ebook and print. All for free.