good creative essay ideas

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WEEKLY WRITING PROMPTS

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

Showing 2274 prompts

Something wicked this way comes, write a story with the word “wicked” in the title..

LIVE – Short Story

Center your story around a character who longs for something they’ve lost.

LIVE – Dramatic

Write from the POV of a fairy tale character sharing their side of the story.

Start or end your story with two friends who become enemies/rivals, or vice versa., write a story about an outsider or social outcast who will do anything to fit in..

LIVE – Angst

Introducing Prompted , a new magazine written by you!

🏆 Featuring 12 prize-winning stories from our community. Download it now for FREE .

Write about a time you approached a situation with one strong feeling or belief, only to have your perspective shift completely by the end.

Write about a relationship or friendship that was unexpected or so outside your usual type that you kept it a secret from your loved ones. (bonus points if it didn’t stay secret for long), write about something you do now that has become routine, but that the old you — or friends and family from your past — would never believe if they couldn’t witness it today with their own eyes., write about a date you went on that took an unexpected turn., write about an encounter with someone new to you who changed your life forever., subscribe to our prompts newsletter.

Never miss a prompt! Get curated writing inspiration delivered to your inbox each week.

Write a story that includes the line “Better late than never.”

Center your story around someone who’s being haunted — by what or whom is up to you., write a story about someone who’s running out of time., start your story with a character being led somewhere by a black cat., write a story from the point of view of a witch, spirit, or corpse., center your story around a childhood fear that – as much as you try to shake it – still resonates in adulthood., write a story where a creature turns up in an unexpected way., use a personal memory to craft a ghost story., write a story that includes the line “fate is resourceful.”, center your story on a character filled with love and fear in equal measure., 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 #277 LIVE

Enter our weekly contest.

This week's theme: Something Wicked This Way Comes

Prize money

Contest entries, closes at 23:59 - nov 22, 2024 est, recent contests ✍️.

#276 – Unlikely Encounters with Narratively

#275 – The Witching Hour

#274 – October Country with Peter Cameron

#273 – Locked Away

Recent winners 🏆

Eliza Leonel – read

Madeleine Pasquale – read

Asia W – read

Mortimer Ridgewood – read

Leaderboard 🥇

#1 Zilla Babbitt

32477 points

#2 Deidra Whitt Lovegren

28874 points

#3 Abigail Airuedomwinya

22436 points

#4 Graham Kinross

14844 points

#5 Scout Tahoe

13203 points

#6 Chris Campbell

11854 points

#7 Thom With An H

10781 points

#8 Story Time

10319 points

#9 Rayhan Hidayat

10223 points

#10 Michał Przywara

9982 points

RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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Creative Writing Prompts

When the idea to start a weekly newsletter with writing inspiration first came to us, we decided that we wanted to do more than provide people with topics to write about. We wanted to try and help authors form a regular writing habit and also give them a place to proudly display their work. So we started the weekly Creative Writing Prompts newsletter. Since then, Prompts has grown to a community of more than 450,000 authors, complete with its own literary magazine, Prompted .

Here's how our contest works: every Friday, we send out a newsletter containing five creative writing prompts. Each week, the story ideas center around a different theme. Authors then have one week — until the following Friday — to submit a short story based on one of our prompts. A winner is picked each week to win $250 and is highlighted on our Reedsy Prompts page.

Interested in participating in our short story contest? Sign up here for more information! Or you can check out our full Terms of Use and our FAQ page .

Why we love creative writing prompts

If you've ever sat in front of a computer or notebook and felt the urge to start creating worlds, characters, and storylines — all the while finding yourself unable to do so — then you've met the author's age-old foe: writer's block. There's nothing more frustrating than finding the time but not the words to be creative. Enter our directory! If you're ready to kick writer's block to the curb and finally get started on your short story or novel, these unique story ideas might just be your ticket.

This list of 1800+ creative writing prompts has been created by the Reedsy team to help you develop a rock-solid writing routine. As all aspiring authors know, this is the #1 challenge — and solution! — for reaching your literary goals. Feel free to filter through different genres, which include...

Dramatic — If you want to make people laugh and cry within the same story, this might be your genre.

Funny — Whether satire or slapstick, this is an opportunity to write with your funny bone.

Romance — One of the most popular commercial genres out there. Check out these story ideas out if you love writing about love.

Fantasy — The beauty of this genre is that the possibilities are as endless as your imagination.

Dystopian – Explore the shadowy side of human nature and contemporary technology in dark speculative fiction.

Mystery — From whodunnits to cozy mysteries, it's time to bring out your inner detective.

Thriller and Suspense — There's nothing like a page-turner that elicits a gasp of surprise at the end.

High School — Encourage teens to let their imaginations run free.

Want to submit your own story ideas to help inspire fellow writers? Send them to us here.

After you find the perfect story idea

Finding inspiration is just one piece of the puzzle. Next, you need to refine your craft skills — and then display them to the world. We've worked hard to create resources that help you do just that! Check them 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.
Best Literary Magazines of 2023 — a directory of 100+ reputable magazines that accept unsolicited submissions.
Writing Contests in 2023 — the finest contests of 2021 for fiction and non-fiction authors of short stories, poetry, essays, and more.

Beyond creative writing prompts: how to build a writing routine

While writing prompts are a great tactic to spark your creative sessions, a writer generally needs a couple more tools in their toolbelt when it comes to developing a rock-solid writing routine . To that end, here are a few more additional tips for incorporating your craft into your everyday life.

NNWT. Or, as book coach Kevin Johns calls it , “Non-Negotiable Writing Time.” This time should be scheduled into your routine, whether that’s once a day or once a week. Treat it as a serious commitment, and don’t schedule anything else during your NNWT unless it’s absolutely necessary.
Set word count goals. And make them realistic! Don’t start out with lofty goals you’re unlikely to achieve. Give some thought to how many words you think you can write a week, and start there. If you find you’re hitting your weekly or daily goals easily, keep upping the stakes as your craft time becomes more ingrained in your routine.
Talk to friends and family about the project you’re working on. Doing so means that those close to you are likely to check in about the status of your piece — which in turn keeps you more accountable.

Arm yourself against writer’s block. Writer’s block will inevitably come, no matter how much story ideas initially inspire you. So it’s best to be prepared with tips and tricks you can use to keep yourself on track before the block hits. You can find 20 solid tips here — including how to establish a relationship with your inner critic and apps that can help you defeat procrastination or lack of motivation.

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