Writing Prompts

This week's writing prompt takes its inspiration from the improv game mega replay.

Here's a few finish-the-sentence prompts to inspire your next story.

Is this character the person who they say they are?

Write about your or your character's earliest memory. Why is it so special? How has it informed their life today?

Some of the words we use today were coined by famous authors. Which word will you introduce into the lexicon?

"What's the Big Idea" previously appeared in the January 2019 issue of Writer's Digest and includes 15 writing prompts + ideas for 15-minute brainstorming sessions.

No matter if you enjoy holidays like Thanksgiving or not, you can use them as fodder for your writing. Here are 5 Thanksgiving writing prompts to keep your pen moving this week.

If you need help getting started with your writing this weekend, here are 5 weekend writing prompts to get your creative juices flowing again.

Writers often have a tough time staying on our diet—you know, the one where our goal is to burn as many words as possible onto the page each day. That's why we're here to help.

Man I hate writer's block. We all get stuck in a writing rut from time to time. Sometimes it gets so bad for me that I can't even come up with a clever status update for Facebook—for Facebook! If my creative muscle is having difficulty piecing together a one-sentence quip, how in the world can I flex it long enough to turn out a short story or a novel or even a new blog post? The remedy I've found that works best for me is trying a writing prompt ... and here are 7 worth trying.

As the first month of 2012 winds down, so does the fight to stay strong in keeping up with New Year's resolutions. It's so easy to fall off the horse for a few days, then a few more days, then a few more—and we do this without considering how much falling off a horse actually hurts! (Even falling off a figurative horse hurts our writing career in the long run.) So with month two creeping up on us, I'd like to offer up some writing prompt exercises to rekindle your creative spirit.

It’s #storyfriday time on Twitter! Here’s how it works: We write the first line, then someone adds a line & so on. Starts @9:30 EST. Use #storyfriday hashtag. For more details on how #storyfriday works, click here.

Today Writer's Digest is offering $15 off your order of $75 or $20 off your order of $100 from WritersDigestShop.com. You'll need to enter the code WDS267 at checkout. Also, I've posted a really fun Cyber Monday prompt that you won't want to miss.

It’s #storyfriday time on Twitter! Here’s how it works: We write the first line, then someone adds a line & so on. Starts @9:30 EST. Use #storyfriday hashtag. For more details on how #storyfriday works, click here. To join in, click here.

Some mornings I'm about as creative as a thumbtack. I roll out of bed at the same time, eat the same Raisin Bran for breakfast and drive the same route to work. Then I stare blankly at the computer screen for 45 minutes before deciding to sneak down and see if there are any free cookies in the mailroom. To get the burst of creativity to break me out of my funk, I often turn to writing prompts. To help you get started today, I wanted to offer several of our recent writing prompts:

Two years ago on a hot Friday morning I was feeling burnout and was desperately looking for a fun boost. Scrabble just wasn't going to cut it, I was tired of losing The New Yorker Caption contest, and HR apparently frowns upon booze in the office (I know, I know, silly office rules). I glanced at the rest of the WD staff and they seemed to be in a funk too. Or they turned into zombies. Either way, I figured it was bad. So I suggested a story-building exercise we could all participate in.