tasks for creative writing

11 Creative Writing Exercises To Awaken Your Inner Author

I believe there’s a writer inside of all of us.

Even if you don’t think you write well, you do have something to say.

You have a story to tell, knowledge to impart , and experiences to share.

You’ve lived a full life that’s packed with observations and adventures, and you shouldn’t exit this Earth without chronicling them in some way.

Whether you write fiction or non-fiction, your life is the laboratory for creating a great book or story.

If you can talk, you can write — even if you need to brush up on grammar and spelling. You’ll naturally become a better writer the more you write.

You’ll learn how to organize ideas, make smooth transitions, and expand your vocabulary.

Reading also improves your writing, so if you have the tiniest desire to write well, read a wide variety of books in different genres.

You can accelerate your writing competence with some simple writing exercises.

Your inner creative muscle needs exertion to stay fit and strong — but writing exercises don’t need to be drudgery.

They can be fun and exciting as you see how much creative juice you have just waiting to be squeezed.

These creative exercises should be practiced without self-judgment, inner filters, or concern about what a reader might think.

The purpose is to allow your creative mind complete freedom to cut loose.

You don’t have to show these writing exercises to anyone if you don’t want to.

It’s a good weekly practice engage in writers exercises to what catches your imagination and awakens your inner author .

1. Answer 3 questions.

2. write a letter to your younger self., 3. use writing prompts., 4. write about your expertise. , 5. write a stream of consciousness page., 6. write a story told to you., 7. pretend to be someone else. , 8. write about something or someone who changed your life., 9. describe your surroundings., 10. pick a number., 11. describe a dream of yours — or the life of your dreams., what are creative writing exercises.

“Perfect” writers don’t exist. Even Ernest Hemingway and Alice Walker honed the craft right up to their waning days. Growth, improvement, and experimentation are the clarion calls of professional and aspiring scribes. And those who succeed put in the work.

That’s where creative writing exercises come in, as they’re designed to help you play with words in a non-judgmental environment.

Common “craft-sharpening” writing games and tools include:

Prompt prose
Timed freewriting
Stream-of-consciousness exercises
Vocabulary teasers / mad libs
Restricted writing (i.e., every sentence must start with a verb, certain words cannot be mentioned, et cetera)

Serious writers — and people serious about becoming better writers — are perpetually composing pieces that will never see the light of day. But just as a tennis player hits thousands of serves during practice sessions, writers scribe thousands of short language exercises. To continue the sports analogy: Writing exercises are the equivalent of an athlete stretching before a game or match.

Here are 11 creative writing exercises to get you started:

In this exercise, you’ll use three questions to stimulate creative thought. You can write these questions yourself, but I’ll give you some examples to show you what to do.

You want to answer the questions as quickly as you can, with whatever ideas pop into your mind.

Write as much or as little as you wish, but just allow the words to flow without pondering too much what you want to say.

Who just snuck out the back window?
What were they carrying?
Where were they going?
Who is Ethan?
Why is he crying?
What is he going to do about it?
Whose house is Julia leaving?
Why was she there?
Where is she going now?

In this exercise, you are writing to yourself at a younger age. It can be your childhood self or yourself just a few years back.

man at coffee house with laptop creative writing Exercises

You can offer advice, compassion, explanation, forgiveness, or praise.

Or you can simply recount an experience you had and how it impacted you as your adult self now.

Try to see this younger self as a real and separate person when you write the letter. This exercise helps you think about your reader as a real person with emotions — a person who can be moved and inspired by your writing.

Again, try not to overthink this exercise. Spend a few minutes deciding the core message of the letter, and then just start writing without filters.

A writing prompt is an idea that jumpstarts the writing process.

The prompt can be a short sentence, a paragraph, or even a picture, but the purpose is the same — to ignite your creativity so you’ll begin writing.

Writing prompts can help you when you feel stuck while writing your book.

If you take ten minutes to work on a writing prompt, you can go back to your book writing primed to get down to business. It stimulates ideas for a writer and releases the creative process.

Here are a few prompts you can use:

Think about something you know how to do well. It can be anything from washing the dishes to selling stocks.

Write a few paragraphs (or more if you wish) explaining some aspect of how to do what you do.

Assume your reader is completely ignorant about the subject.

This writing shouldn’t sound like a dry instruction manual. Try to write in a conversational style, as though you’re verbally explaining the process.

Break down the steps in a way that makes the reader understand exactly what to do, without using business jargon or buzzwords.

This is an easy and fun exercise. You want to write it in longhand rather than typing on your computer, as handwriting slows down the process and allows more time for your creative brain to do its work.

Grab a pen and blank pad and simply start writing. Write down whatever comes into your brain, no matter how nonsensical or disjointed.

man using quill to write creative writing Exercises

There is no wrong way to do Morning Pages — they are not high art. They are not even “writing.” They are about anything and everything that crosses your mind– and they are for your eyes only. Morning Pages provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize and synchronize the day at hand. Do not over-think Morning Pages: just put three pages of anything on the page…and then do three more pages tomorrow.

In this exercise, you want to recount a story told to you by another person.

It can be a story one of your parents or grandparents shared about something that happened many years ago, or it can be a more recent event a friend or family member recounted.

Or you can tell a story you learned in school or through reading about a well-known person or event.

The story can be funny, sad, or educational — but it should be interesting, entertaining, or engaging in some way.

Whether your book is fiction or non-fiction, readers love stories. They enjoy relating to the lives and experiences of other people.

When you share stories in your writing, you humanize your writing and take your readers on a small journey.

In this exercise, you’ll practice writing from another person’s perspective. You can choose a person you know well, or you can write from the point of view of an imagined character.

Put yourself in this person’s shoes, see things through their eyes, and react the way they would react.

Choose one situation, encounter, or setting, and write what you see, hear, think, and feel about the scenario. Get inside of this person’s brain, and try to be as descriptive as possible.

You can write a paragraph or several pages if you’re inspired.

In this exercise, rather than telling the story of someone else or pretending to be another person, you want to share your story from your perspective.

Write about a person or event that has profoundly impacted you and changed your life.

Rather than simply recounting the situation, talk about how it made you feel, what your reactions were, and how you were changed on the inside as well as the outside.

Pour your heart into this writing. Remember, you don’t have to show it to anyone, so be completely vulnerable and real in this exercise.

How These Exercises Can Make You a Better Writer

At first explanation, writing exercises may sound a tad tedious. But people who do them improve by leaps and bounds.

For starters, it all comes down to the human brain’s wiring. In short, every thought and idea we have is conducted by electrical impulses that torpedo around our nervous systems. When we practice something, the associated “circuits” grow myelin, a biological cushion that protects nerves. The added shielding optimizes the relevant electrical paths, rendering them more efficient.

In other words: The more you do something, the better you’ll get. It doesn’t matter if you have an IQ of 80 or 180. Practice yields results. With writing, the more you do it, the better work you’ll produce.

Specifically, creative prose lessons also:

Keep your creativity muscles limber
Help exercise your vocabulary
Present opportunities to think about ideas and situations from different perspectives
Help writers workshop characters, plots, and ideas

Final Thoughts

No matter how experienced you are as a writer, you can always improve and tap deeper into the wellspring of your own creativity.

You can always learn new ways to express yourself and delight your reader.

View these writing exercises as a means to opening doors of insight and imagination and enjoy the process of becoming a better writer.

I believe there's a writer in all of us. Try these 11 creative writing exercises to see what catches your imagination and awakens your inner author. #writing #writingtips #writingcommunity #writingprompts #writinginspiration #author #amwriting #selfpublishing

Writing Retreat in South France

A note on running exercises remotely

While you can enjoy the exercises solo, they are also designed for online writing groups using Zoom, WhatsApp, or Discord.

If you're running a group and follow a ' Shut Up and Write ' structure, I recommend connecting on WhatsApp (for example) first, doing the exercise together, sharing writing samples as needed. Next, write in silence for an hour and a half on your own projects, before reconnecting for a brief informal chat at the end. This works great with small remote groups and is a way to learn new techniques, gain online support, and have a productive session.

If you have a larger online group, it's worth looking into Zoom, as this has a feature called Breakout Rooms . Breakout Rooms let you split different writers into separate rooms, which is great for group activities. The free version of Zoom has a 40 minute limit, which can be restrictive, but Zoom Pro is well worth it if you're going to use it on a regular basis. In my experience, Zoom has a better connection than Facebook chat or WhatsApp.

A Letter From Your Character To You

Letter from fictional character to the author

Spend ten minutes writing a letter from a character in your novel to you , the author, explaining why you should write about them. This serves three purposes:

As you write, it helps you get into the mindset of the character. Ask yourself how they would language this letter and what they would consider important.
It's motivating to know that your character wants you to write about them.
If your goal is to publish a complete work of fiction one day, whether it be a novel, a play or a movie script, you will want to contact an agent or publisher. This helps you practice in an easy, safe way.

If you're doing this exercise with a group of teens or adults, and some of the group haven't already started working on their masterpiece, they can instead choose any fictional novel they love. Ask participants to imagine that a character within the book wrote to the author in the first place to ask them to write their story. How did they plead their case?

The Opening Sentence

The opening sentence has to grab the reader's attention and make them want to keep reading. Many authors achieve this by starting with an action scene. In modern literature, it's best to avoid starting with someone waking up, or a description of the weather. In this exercise the task is to write an opening sentence either to a book you're currently writing, or simply for an imaginary piece of literature. Here are some of my favourite opening sentences to get you going:

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.

George Orwell , 1984

The Golem's life began in the hold of a steamship.

Helene Wecker , The Golem and the Djinni

All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.

Leo Tolstoy , Anna Karenina

It wasn't a very likely place for disappearances, at least at first glance.

Diana Gabaldon , Outlander

You better not never tell nobody but God.

Alice Walker , The Color Purple

The cage was finished.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez , Balthazar’s Marvelous Afternoon

Imagine that you are living your life out of order: Lunch before breakfast, marriage before your first kiss.

Audrey Niffenegger , The Time Traveler's Wife

Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun.

Douglas Adams , The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

There are a plethora of ways you can start a book, however two ways that help engage the reader immediately are:

Set the scene in as few words as possible, so the reader immediately knows what's happening and wants to know what happens next. The scene must be original and create a vivid image in the reader's mind.
Surprise the reader with an unusual event or usual point of view.

Spend 5 minutes working on your own opening sentence, then share it with the other participants.

Make your protagonist act!

Exercise for 2 writers, or can be done solo.

According to John Gardner:

"Failure to recognise that the central character must act, not simply be acted upon, is the single most common mistake in the fiction of beginners."

Spend 5 minutes writing a scene where the protagonist is passive in a conversation with one other character. It could be that the other character says something dramatic, and the protagonist just listens, or it could be anything else of your choice!

Once the 5 minutes is up, swap papers with another writer. If you're using Zoom, or working online, send it to each other in a private chat. Now the other person spends 8 minutes rewriting the scene to make the protagonist as active as possible. This might include:

Read both scenes together. Which makes you want to keep on reading?

If you're doing this as a solo writing exercise, simply complete both parts yourself.

Showing the emotion this evokes.
Getting them to disagree with the other character.
Showing how they respond physically (whether it's as a physical manifestation of how they feel, or a dramatic gesture to make a point).

Overcoming writer's block

Are you staring at a blank page or stuck for any story ideas? This exercise will help anyone who's experiencing writer's block with a particular piece of writing. If this isn't you, that's great, others will value your input!

If anyone has a particular scene they're stuck with (a pool of blood on the floor they have no explanation for, a reason why the rich lady just walked into a particular pub, etc.) then at the start of the exercise everyone briefly describes their scenes (if working online with a large group, typing it into the chat might be best). Everyone then chooses one scene to use as a writing prompt to write a short story for 10-15 minutes.

Afterwards, split into small groups if necessary, and read out how you completed someone else's writing prompt. As everyone listens to everyone else's ideas, this can be a wonderful source of inspiration and also improves your writing. As an alternative solo exercise, try free writing. With free writing, simply write as quickly as you can on the topic without editing or censoring yourself - just let your creative juices flow. If you're not sure what happens next, brainstorm options on the page, jot down story ideas, or just put, "I don't know what happens next." Keep going and ideas will come.

Writing Character Arcs

There are several different types of character arc in a novel, the 3 most common being:

For this exercise choose either a positive or negative character arc. Spend 8 minutes writing a scene from the start of a novel, then 8 minutes writing a scene towards the end of a novel showing how the character has developed between the two points. Don't worry about including how the character has changed, you can leave that to the imagination.

The point here is to capture the essence of a character, as they will be the same, but show their development.

Positive - Where a character develops and grows during the novel. Perhaps they start unhappy or weak and end happy or powerful.
Negative - Where a character gets worse during a novel. Perhaps they become ill or give in to evil tendencies as the novel progresses.
Flat - In a flat character arc the character themself doesn't change much, however the world around them does. This could be overthrowing a great injustice, for example.

Sewing Seeds in Your Writing

In this exercise, we will look at how to sew seeds. No, not in your garden, but in your story. Seeds are the tiny hints and indicators that something is going on, which influence a reader's perceptions on an often unconscious level. They're important, as if you spring a surprise twist on your readers without any warning, it can seem unbelievable. Sew seeds that lead up to the event, so the twists and turns are still surprising, but make intuitive sense. Groups : Brainstorm major plot twists that might happen towards the end of the novel and share it in a Zoom chat, or on pieces of paper. Choose one twist each. Individuals : Choose one of the following plot twists: - Your friend is actually the secret son of the king. - Unreliable narrator - the narrator turns out to be villain. - The monster turns out to be the missing woman the narrator is seeking. - The man she is about to marry happens to already have a wife and three kids.

Write for ten minutes and give subtle hints as to what the plot twist is. This is an exercise in subtlety. Remember, when the twist occurs, it should still come as a surprise.

This is a fun writing activity for a small group. You’ve found a magic potion labelled ‘Cat Chat’ and when you drink it, you turn into whichever animal you’re thinking about; but there’s a problem, it also picks up on the brainwaves of other people near you!

Everyone writes down an animal in secret and then reveals it to the other writers. The spell will turn you into a creature that combines elements of all the animals. Each person then spends 5 minutes writing down what happens when they drink the potion.

After the 5 minutes is up, everyone shares their story with the other participants.

If you enjoy this exercise, then you may also want to check out our Fantasy and Sci-Fi writing prompts full of world building, magic, and character development prompts..

Joe Brainard wrote a novel called: I Remember It contains a collection of paragraphs all starting with “I remember”. This is the inspiration for this exercise, and if you’re stuck for what to write, is a great way to get the mental gears turning. Simply write “I remember” and continue with the first thing that pops into your head.

Spend 5 minutes writing a short collection of “I remember” stories.

Here are a couple of examples from Joe Brainard’s novel:

“I remember not understanding why people on the other side of the world didn't fall off.”

“I remember waking up somewhere once and there was a horse staring me in the face.”

Giving feedback to authors

If you're running a workshop for more experienced adult authors and have at least an hour, this is a good one to use. This is the longest exercise on this page, but I felt it important enough to include.

Give each author the option to bring a piece of their own work. This should be double spaced and a maximum of 3 pages long. If you're running a workshop where not everyone is likely to bring a manuscript, ask everyone who wants to bring one to print two copies each. If someone forgets but has a laptop with them, the reader can always use their laptop.

Print out a few copies and hand them around to everyone in the workshop of the guide on: 'How to give constructive feedback to writers'

Each author who brought a sample with them then gives them to one other person to review. They write their name on the manuscript in a certain colour pen, then add any comments to it before passing it to a second person who does the same (commenting on the comments if they agree or disagree).

Then allow 5 minutes for everyone to discuss the feedback they've received, ensuring they are giving constructive feedback.

The Five Senses

Painting by Giovanni Battista Manerius - The Five Senses

Choose a scene and write it for 5 minutes focusing on one sense, NOT sight. Choose between:

Hearing Taste Smell Touch

This can be internal as well as external (I heard my heartbeat thudding in my ears, or I smelt my own adrenaline).

After the 5 minutes stop and everyone reads it out loud to each other. Now write for another 5 minutes and continue the other person's story, but do NOT use sight OR the sense they used.

You can use any sense to communicate the essentials, just focus on creating emotions and conveying the story with the specific sense(s).

If you need some writing prompts, here are possible scenes that involve several senses:

Climbing through an exotic jungle
Having an argument that becomes a fight
A cat's morning
Talking to someone you're attracted to

Show don't tell

2 or 3 people

A lot of writing guides will advise you to, "Show, don't tell". What does this actually mean?

If you want to evoke an emotional reaction from your reader, showing them what is happening is a great way to do so. You can approach this in several ways:

Split up into pairs and each person writes down a short scene from a story where they "tell" it. After this, pass the description of the scene to your partner and they then have 5 minutes to rewrite it to "show" what happened. If there are an odd number of participants, make one group of three, with each person passing their scene clockwise, so everyone has a new scene to show. After the 5 minutes, for small groups everyone reads their new description to everyone else, or for large groups, each person just reads their new scene to their partner.

Avoid internal dialogue (thinking), instead have your protagonist interact with other people, or have a physical reaction to something that shows how s/he feels. Does their heart beat faster? Do they notice the smell of their own adrenaline? Do they step backwards, or lean forwards?
Instead of using an adjective like creepy, e.g. "Mary entered the creepy house", show why the house is creepy through description and in the way the protagonist responds - "The light streamed through the filthy skylight, highlighting the decomposing body of a rat resting on top of it. As Mary stepped inside, she felt a gust of freezing air brush past her. She turned, but there was nothing there..."

World building

World building is the art of conveying the magic of living in a different world, whether it's a spaceship, a medieval castle, a boat, or simply someone's living room. To master world building, it's not necessary to know every intricate detail, rather to convey the experience of what it would be like to live there.

Choose one of the above images as a prompt and spend 10 minutes writing a scene from the perspective of someone who is seeing it for the first time. Now, move your character six months forward and imagine they've spent the last six months living or working there. Write another scene (perhaps with an additional character) using the image as a background, with the events of the scene as the main action.

Click the above image for a close-up.

Gossiping about a character as if they're a friend.

Easy to gossip with friends about a character

Judy Blume says that she tells her family about her characters as if they’re real people.

Chris Claremont said, "For me, writing the 'X-Men' was easy - is easy. I know these people, they're my friends."

Today’s exercise has 2 parts. First, spend 5 minutes jotting down some facts about a character you’ve invented that might come up if you were telling your friends about them. Either choose a character in something you’ve already written, or invent one from scratch now.

Answer the questions:

What are they up to? How are they? What would you say if you were gossiping about them?

Then split up into groups of 4 to 6 writers. 2 volunteers from each group then role-play talking about their character as if they were a friend (perhaps another character in the story). The other participants will role-play a group of friends gossiping about the character behind their back and ask questions. If you don’t know the answer, invent it!

Degrees of Emotion Game

This is based on an acting game, to help actors understand how to perform with different degrees of emotion.

Ask everyone to write the following 4 emotions:

For groups of 5 or less, write down numbers starting with 1 and going up until everyone has a number, then give them out in order. For groups of 6 or more, divide groups into 3's, 4's or 5's.

Each person has to write a scene where the protagonist is alone and is only allowed to say a single word, e.g. "Banana". The writer with number 1 should write the scene with a very low level of the emotion (e.g. happiness), number 2 increases the intensity a bit and the highest number writes a scene with the most intense emotion you can possibly imagine.

Once each writer has written about happiness, rotate the numbers one or two spaces, then move onto anger, then fear, then sadness.

It can help to give everyone numbers showing the intensity of the emotions to write about at the start of the exercise, in which case you may wish to print either the Word or PDF file, then use the ones corresponding to 3, 4 or 5 writers.

Everyone shares their scene with the other course participants.

Three birds, one line

The first paragraph of a surprising number of best-selling novels serves multiple purposes. These are to:

Establish a goal
Set the scene
Develop a character

Nearly every chapter in a novel also serves all three purposes. Instead of establishing a goal though, the protagonist either moves towards it, or encounters an obstacle that hinders them from achieving it.

Some books manage to meet all three purposes with their opening lines, for example:

Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.

J.K. Rowling , Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

A little more than one hundred days into the fortieth year of her confinement, Dajeil Gelian was visited in her lonely tower overlooking the sea by an avatar of the great ship that was her home.

Iain M. Banks , Excession

"We should start back," Gared urged as the woods began to grow dark around them.

George R.R. Martin , A Game of Thrones

For this exercise write a sentence or short paragraph that serves all three purposes. If you're already writing a novel, then see if you can do this for the first line in a chapter. If not, choose any combination from the following table:


Escape	Penthouse suite	Reckless
Succeed in love	Castle	Cowardly
Survive	Graveyard	Greedy

Blind Date on Valentine's Day (Exercise for Adults)

In pairs one writer spends a minute or two describing a character they're writing about, or alternatively they can describe a celebrity or someone from a work of fiction. The next writer then describes their character.

The story is that these 2 characters (or in my case, person and alien, as I'm writing a sci-fi) have accidentally ended up on a blind date with each other. Perhaps the waiter seated them in the wrong location, perhaps it's an actual blind date, or perhaps they met in some other fashion the writers can determine.

Now spend 10 minutes discussing what happens next!

A Success (Works best for online groups)

This exercise works best for online groups, via Zoom, for example. The instructions to give are:

"In a few words describe a success in your life and what it felt like to achieve it. It can be a small victory or a large one."

Share a personal example of your own (mine was watching my homeschooled sons sing in an opera together).

"Once you have one (small or large), write it in the chat.

The writing exercise is then to choose someone else's victory to write about for 10 minutes, as if it was the end of your own book.

If you want to write for longer, imagine how that book would start. Write the first part of the book with the ending in mind."

This is great for reminding people of a success in their lives, and also helps everyone connect and discover something about each other.

Your dream holiday

You’re going on a dream holiday together, but always disagree with each other. To avoid conflict, rather than discuss what you want to do, you’ve decided that each of you will choose a different aspect of the holiday as follows:

Choose where you’ll be going – your favourite holiday destination.
Choose what your main fun activity will be on the holiday.
Decide what mode of travel you’ll use to get there.
If there’s a 4 th person, choose what you’ll eat on the holiday and what you’ll be wearing.

Decide who gets to choose what at random. Each of you then writes down your dream holiday destination/activity/travel/food & clothes in secret. Next spend 5 minutes discussing your dream holiday and add any other details you’d like to include, particularly if you’re passionate about doing something in real life.

Finally, everyone spends another 5 minutes writing down a description of the holiday, then shares it with the others.

A haiku is a traditional Japanese form of non-rhyming poetry whose short form makes it ideal for a simple writing exercise.

They are traditionally structured in 3 lines, where the first line is 5 syllables, the second line is 7 syllables, and the third line is 5 syllables again. Haiku tend to focus on themes of nature and deep concepts that can be expressed simply.

A couple of examples:

A summer river being crossed how pleasing with sandals in my hands! Yosa Buson , a haiku master poet from the 18 th Century.

And one of mine:

When night-time arrives Stars come out, breaking the dark You can see the most

Martin Woods

Spend up to 10 minutes writing a haiku. If you get stuck with the 5-7-5 syllable rule, then don’t worry, the overall concept is more important!

See How to write a haiku for more details and examples.

Unlike a haiku, which is profound and sombre, a limerick is a light-hearted, fun rhyming verse.

Here are a couple of examples:

A wonderful bird is the pelican. His bill can hold more than his beli-can He can take in his beak Food enough for a week But I'm damned if I see how the heli-can.

Dixon Lanier Merritt, 1910

There was a young lady named Bright, Whose speed was far faster than light; She started one day In a relative way, And returned on the previous night.

Arthur Henry Reginald Buller in Punch, 1923

The 1 st , 2 nd and 5 th line all rhyme, as do the 3 rd and 4 th line. The overall number of syllables isn’t important, but the 3 rd and 4 th lines should be shorter than the others.

Typically, the 1 st line introduces the character, often with “There was”, or “There once was”. The rest of the verse tells their story.

Spend 10 minutes writing a limerick.

Time Travel - Child, Adult, Senior

Imagine that your future self as an old man/woman travels back in time to meet you, the adult you are today. Alternatively, you as a child travels forward in time to meet yourself as an adult. Or perhaps both happen, so the child you, adult you, and senior you are all together at the same time. In story form write down what happens next.

Participants then share their story with other writers either in small groups, or to the whole group.

Focus on faces

Solo exercise.

One challenge writers face is describing a character. A common mistake is to focus too much on the physical features, e.g. "She had brown eyes, curly brown hair and was five foot six inches tall."

The problem with this is it doesn't reveal anything about the character's personality, or the relationship between your protagonist and the character. Your reader is therefore likely to quickly forget what someone looks like. When describing characters, it's therefore best to:

Animate them - it's rare that someone's sitting for a portrait when your protagonist first meets them and whether they're talking or walking, it's likely that they're moving in some way.
Use metaphors or similes - comparing physical features to emotionally charged items conjures both an image and a sense of who someone is.
Involve your protagonist - if your protagonist is interacting with a character, make it personal. How does your protagonist view this person? Incorporate the description as part of the description.
Only give information your protagonist knows - they may know if someone is an adult, or a teenager, but they won't know that someone is 37 years old, for example.

Here are three examples of character descriptions that leave no doubt how the protagonist feels.

“If girls could spit venom, it'd be through their eyes.” S.D. Lawendowski, Snapped

"And Ronan was everything that was left: molten eyes and a smile made for war." Maggie Stiefvater, The Dream Thieves

"His mouth was such a post office of a mouth that he had a mechanical appearance of smiling." Charles Dickens

Spend 5 minutes writing a character introduction that is animated, uses metaphors or similes and involves your protagonist.

If working with a group, then form small groups of 3 or 4 and share your description with the rest of the group.

Onomatopeai, rhyme and alliteration

Today's session is all about sound.

Several authors recommend reading your writing out loud after you've written it to be sure it sounds natural. Philip Pullman even goes as far as to say:

"When I’m writing, I’m more conscious of the sound, actually, than the meaning. I know what the rhythm of the sentence is going to be before I know what the words are going to be in it."

For today's exercise, choose the name of a song and write for 10 minutes as if that's the title for a short story. Focus on how your writing sounds and aim to include at least one onomatopoeia, rhyme or alliteration. At the end of the 10 minutes, read it out loud to yourself, or to the group.

Alliterations

An alliteration example from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”

The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, The furrow followed free; We were the first that ever burst Into that silent sea.

Onomatopoeias

Buzz, woof, quack, baa, crash, purr, beep, belch,...

The alphabet story - creating a story as a group

This is a novel way to write a story as a group, one word at a time. The first person starts the story that begins with any word starting with “A”, the next person continues the story with a word starting with “B”, and so on.

Keep going round until you have completed the alphabet. Ideally it will all be one sentence, but if you get stuck, start a new sentence. Don’t worry if it doesn’t make complete sense!

It can be tricky to remember the alphabet when under pressure, so you may wish to print it out a couple of times, so the storytellers can see it if they need to, this is particularly helpful if you have dyslexics in the group.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Here’s an example of an alphabet story:

A Band Can Dance Each Friday, Ghostly Hauntings In Jail Kill Lucky Men, Nobody Or Perhaps Quiet Rats, Still That Unifies Villains Who X-Ray Your Zebras.

As I mentioned, it doesn’t need to make sense!

A question or two

Small or large groups

The standard format in our group is a short writing exercise followed by an hour and a half of silent writing on our projects.

At one point I felt like we'd done a lot of small group exercises, and wanted to gain an insight into what everyone was working on, so we did the following exercise instead:

Go round the table and ask everyone to briefly talk about their writing. Each person then asks one or two yes/no questions.

Everyone responds either by raising their hand for 'yes' or shaking their heads for 'no'. You can also leap up and down to indicate a very strong 'yes'.

Questions can be about anything, and you can use them either to help guide your writing or to help find other people in the group who have similar interests.

Here are some random examples you might ask:

I want to write a romance novel and am considering setting it in Paris, a traditional romantic setting, or Liverpool which is a less obvious setting. Who thinks Liverpool would be best?
I need to know more about the life of a farmer. Has anyone got farming experience who I can interview in exchange for a drink?
My character gets fired and that night goes back to his office and steals 35 computers. Does that sound realistic as the premise of a story?

This works best when you give participants some advance notice, so they have time to think of a question.

Murder Mystery Game

Groups of 3 or 4

This exercise takes 20-30 minutes and allows participants to create a murder mystery outline together.

Phase 1 (3 minutes)

Split into groups of 3 or 4
Decide as a group where the murder occurs (e.g. the opera house, a bar, a casino)
Decide one person who will write the details of the victim and the murder itself. Everyone else writes the details of one suspect each.
The ‘victim author’ then invents a few extra details about the scene of the crime, who the victim was (a teenage punk, an adult opera singer, etc.) and the murder weapon and summarises this to the others.

Phase 2 (10 minutes)

Each person then writes a police report as if they are either describing the scene of the crime, or recording the notes from their interview with a single suspect:

Write the following:

1 line description of the victim.
When they were last seen by a group of witnesses (and what they were doing).
How the murder occurred in more detail based on the evidence available.

Write the following (from the perspective of the investigator):

1 line description of the suspect
What they said during the interview (including what they claim to have doing when the murder occurs).
A possible motivation (as determined by the police from other witnesses).

Phase 3 (5 minutes)

Each person reads out their police reports to the other members of their small group
As a group, decide who the murderer was and what actually happened

See more ideas on creating murder mystery party games

The obscure movie exercise

Pick a famous movie and spend 5 minutes writing a scene from it from an unusual perspective. Your aim is to achieve a balance between being too obscure and making it too obvious. Feel free to add internal dialogue.

At the end of the 5 minutes, everyone reads their movie scene to the others and all the other participants see if they can guess what the movie is.

How to hint at romantic feelings

Write a scene with two people in a group, where you hint that one is romantically interested in the other, but the feelings aren’t reciprocated.

The goal of this exercise is to practice subtlety. Imagine you are setting a scene for the future where the characters feelings will become more important. Choose a situation like a work conference, meeting with a group of friends, etc. How do you indicate how the characters feel without them saying it in words?

Some tips for hinting at romantic feelings:

Make the characters nervous and shy.
Your protagonist leans forward.
Asks deeper questions and listens intently.
Finds ways to be close together.
Mirrors their gestures.
Gives lots of compliments.
Makes eye contact, then looks away.
Other people seem invisible to your protagonist.

A novel idea

Take it in turns to tell everyone else about a current project you’re working on (a book, screenplay, short story, etc.)

The other writers then brainstorm ideas for related stories you could write, or directions your project could take. There are no right or wrong suggestions and the intention is to focus on big concepts, not little details.

This whole exercise takes around 15 minutes.

Creative writing prompts

Exercise for groups of 3-5

If you're in larger group, split up into groups of 3 or 4 people.

Everyone writes the first line of a story in the Zoom chat, or on paper. Other people can then choose this line as a writing prompt.

For this exercise:

Say who the protagonist is.
Reveal their motivation.
Introduce any other characters

Once everyone's written a prompt, each author chooses a prompt (preferably someone eles's, but it can be your own if you feel really inspired by it.) Then write for 10 minutes using this prompt. See if you can reveal who the protagonist is, what their motivation is (it can be a small motivation for a particular scene, it doesn't have to be a huge life goal), and introduce at least one new character.

Take turns reading out your stories to each other.

Write in the first person.
Have the protagonist interacting with an object or something in nature.
The challenge is to create intrigue that makes the reader want to know more with just a single line.

Creative story cards / dice

Cut up a piece of paper and write one word on each of the pieces of paper, as follows:

Robot

Castle

Longing

Ice cream

Happy

Scream

Guard

Evil

Whirlwind

Cactus

King

Chaos

Angry

Desert

Laugh

Heart

Give each participant a couple of pieces of paper at random. The first person says the first sentence of a story and they must use their first word as part of that sentence. The second person then continues the story and must include their word in it, and so on. Go round the group twice to complete the story.

You can also do this creative writing exercise with story dice, your own choice of words, or by asking participants to write random words down themselves, then shuffling all the cards together.

Alternative Christmas Story

Every Christmas adults tell kids stories about Santa Claus. In this exercise you write a Christmas story from an alternative dimension.

What if every Christmas Santa didn't fly around the world delivering presents on his sleigh pulled by reindeer? What if gnomes or aliens delivered the presents? Or perhaps it was the gnomes who are trying to emulate the humans? Or some other Christmas tradition entirely that we humans have never heard of!

Group writing exercise

If you're working with a group, give everyone a couple of minutes to write two possible themes for the new Christmas story. Each theme should be 5 words or less.

Shuffle the paper and distribute them at random. If you're working online, everyone types the themes into the Zoom or group chat. Each writer then spends 10 minutes writing a short story for children based on one of the two themes, or their own theme if they really want to.

If working alone, choose your own theme and spend 15 minutes writing a short story on it. See if you can create the magic of Christmas from another world!

Murder Mystery Mind Map

In a murder mystery story or courtroom drama, there's often conflicting information and lots of links between characters. A mind map is an ideal way to illustrate how everything ties together.

Split into groups of 3 or 4 people each and place a blank piece of A3 paper (double the size of A4) in the middle of each group. Discuss between you who the victim is and write their name in the middle of the piece of paper. Then brainstorm information about the murder, for example:

Feel free to expand out from any of these, e.g. to include more information on the different characters involved.

The idea is that everyone writes at the same time! Obviously, you can discuss ideas, but anyone can dive in and write their ideas on the mind map.

Who was the victim? (job, appearance, hobbies, etc.)
Who did the victim know?
What were their possible motivations?
What was the murder weapon?
What locations are significant to the plot?

New Year’s resolutions for a fictional character

If you’re writing a piece of fiction, ask yourself how your protagonist would react to an everyday situation. This can help you to gain a deeper insight into who they are.

One way to do this is to imagine what their New Year’s resolutions would be.

If completing this exercise with a group, limit it to 3 to 5 resolutions per person. If some participants are historical fiction or non-fiction writers, they instead pick a celebrity and either write what their resolutions will be, or what their resolutions should be, their choice.

Verb Noun Fiction Exercise (Inspired by Stephen King)

Stephen King said, "I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs, and I will shout it from the rooftops."

He also said, "Take any noun, put it with any verb, and you have a sentence. It never fails. Rocks explode. Jane transmits. Mountains float. These are all perfect sentences. Many such thoughts make little rational sense, but even the stranger ones (Plums deify!) have a kind of poetic weight that’s nice."

In this fiction writing exercise, start by brainstorming (either individually or collectively) seven verbs on seven different pieces of paper. Put those aside for later. Now brainstorm seven nouns. Randomly match the nouns and verbs so you have seven pairs. Choose a pair and write a piece of fiction for ten minutes. Avoid using any adverbs.

It’s the end of the world

It’s the end of the world! For 5 minutes either:

If working as a team, then after the 5 minutes is up each writer reads their description out to the other participants.

Describe how the world’s going to end, creating evocative images using similes or metaphors as you wish and tell the story from a global perspective, or
Describe how you spend your final day before the world is destroyed. Combine emotion and action to engage the reader.

7 Editing Exercises

For use after your first draft

I’ve listened to a lot of masterclasses on writing by successful authors and they all say variants of your first draft won’t be good and that’s fine. Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman summarise it the best:

“The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.”

Terry Pratchett

“For me, it’s always been a process of trying to convince myself that what I’m doing in a first draft isn’t important. One way you get through the wall is by convincing yourself that it doesn’t matter. No one is ever going to see your first draft. Nobody cares about your first draft. And that’s the thing that you may be agonising over, but honestly, whatever you’re doing can be fixed… For now, just get the words out. Get the story down however you can get it down, then fix it.”

Neil Gaiman

Once you’ve written your first draft, it will need editing to develop the plot, enhance the characters, and improve each scene in a myriad of ways – small and large. These seven creative editing exercises are designed to help with this stage of the process.

The First Sentence

Read the first paragraph of the novel, in particular the first sentence. Does it launch the reader straight into the action? According to On Writing and Worldbuilding by Timothy Hickson, “The most persuasive opening lines are succinct, and not superfluous. To do this, it is often effective to limit it to a single central idea… This does not need to be the most important element, but it should be a central element that is interesting.” Ask yourself what element your opening sentence encapsulates and whether it’s the best one to capture your readers’ attention.

Consistency

Consistency is crucial in creative writing, whether it’s in relation to location, objects, or people.

It’s also crucial for personality, emotions and motivation.

Look at scenes where your protagonist makes an important decision. Are their motivations clear? Do any scenes force them to choose between two conflicting morals? If so, do you explore this? Do their emotions fit with what’s happened in previous scenes?

As you edit your manuscript, keep the characters’ personality, emotions and motivation in mind. If their behaviour is inconsistent, either edit it for consistency, or have someone comment on their strange behaviour or be surprised by it. Inconsistent behaviour can reveal that a character is keeping a secret, or is under stress, so characters don’t always need to be consistent. But when they’re not, there has to be a reason.

Show Don’t Tell One

This exercise is the first in The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass. It’s a writing guide with a plethora of editing exercises designed to help you reenergize your writing by thinking of what your character is feeling, and giving you the tools to make your reader feel something.

Select a moment in your story when your protagonist is moved, unsettled, or disturbed… Write down all the emotions inherent in this moment, both obvious and hidden.
Next, considering what he is feeling, write down how your protagonist can act out. What is the biggest thing your protagonist can do? What would be explosive, out of bounds, or offensive? What would be symbolic? … Go sideways, underneath, or ahead. How can your protagonist show us a feeling we don’t expect to see?
Finally, go back and delete all the emotions you wrote down at the beginning of this exercise. Let actions and spoken words do the work. Do they feel too big, dangerous, or over-the-top? Use them anyway. Others will tell you if you’ve gone too far, but more likely, you haven’t gone far enough.

Show Don’t Tell Two

Search for the following words in your book:

Whenever these words occur, ask yourself if you can demonstrate how your characters feel, rather than simply stating it. For each occasion, can you use physiological descriptors (a racing heart), actions (taking a step backwards) or dialogue to express what’s just happened instead? Will this enhance the scene and engage the reader more?

After The Action

Find a scene where your characters disagree – in particular a scene where your protagonist argues with friends or allies. What happens next?

It can be tempting to wrap up the action with a quick resolution. But what if a resentment lingers and mistrust builds? This creates a more interesting story arc and means a resolution can occur later, giving the character development a real dynamic.

Review how you resolve the action and see if you can stretch out the emotions for a more satisfying read.

Eliminating the Fluff

Ensure that the words used don’t detract from the enormity of the events your character is going through. Can you delete words like, “Quite”, “Little”, or “Rather”?

Of “Very” Florence King once wrote: “ 'Very' is the most useless word in the English language and can always come out. More than useless, it is treacherous because it invariably weakens what it is intended to strengthen .” Delete it, or replace the word after it with a stronger word, which makes “Very” redundant.

“That,” is another common word used in creative writing which can often be deleted. Read a sentence as is, then reread it as if you deleted, “That”. If the meaning is the same, delete it.

Chapter Endings

When talking about chapter endings, James Patterson said, “At the end, something has to propel you into the next chapter.”

Read how each of your chapters finish and ask yourself does it either:

End on a cliff hanger? (R.L. Stine likes to finish every chapter in this method).
End on a natural pause (for example, you’re changing point of view or location).

Review how you wrap up each of your chapters. Do you end at the best point in your story? Can you add anticipation to cliff hangers? Will you leave your readers wanting more?

How to run the writing exercises

The editing exercises are designed to be completed individually.

With the others, I've always run them as part of a creative writing group, where there's no teacher and we're all equal participants, therefore I keep any 'teaching' aspect to a minimum, preferring them to be prompts to generate ideas before everyone settles down to do the silent writing. We've recently gone online and if you run a group yourself, whether online or in person, you're welcome to use these exercises for free!

The times given are suggestions only and I normally get a feel for how everyone's doing when time's up and if it's obvious that everyone's still in the middle of a discussion, then I give them longer. Where one group's in the middle of a discussion, but everyone else has finished, I sometimes have a 'soft start' to the silent writing, and say, "We're about to start the hour and a half of silent writing now, but if you're in the middle of a discussion, feel free to finish it first".

This way everyone gets to complete the discussion, but no-one's waiting for ages. It's also important to emphasise that there's no wrong answers when being creative.

Still looking for more? Check out these creative writing prompts or our dedicated Sci-Fi and Fantasy creative writing prompts

If you've enjoyed these creative writing exercises, please share them on social media, or link to them from your blog.

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The best writing exercises bring out our latent creativity. Especially if you ever feel stuck or blocked, making creative writing exercises part of your daily writing practice can be a great way to both hone your skills and explore new frontiers in your writing. Whether you’re a poet, essayist, storyteller, or genre-bending author, these free writing exercises will jumpstart your creative juices and improve your writing abilities.

24 of the Best Free Writing Exercises to Try Out Today

The best creative writing exercises will push you out of your comfort zone and get you to experiment with words. Language is your sandbox, so let’s build some sand castles with these exercises and writing prompts.

Write With Limitations

The English language is huge, complicated, and — quite frankly — chaotic. Writing with self-imposed limitations can help you create novel and inventive pieces.

What does “limitations” mean in this context? Basically, force yourself not to use certain words, descriptions, or figures of speech. Some writing exercises using limitations include the following:

Write without using adverbs or adjectives.
Write without using the passive voice – no “being verbs” whatsoever. (Also called “E-Prime” writing.)
Write a story without using a common letter – just like Ernest Vincent Wright did .
Write a poem where each line has six words.
Write without using any pronouns.

Among exercises to improve writing skills, writing with limitations has the clearest benefits. This practice challenges your brain to think about language productively. Additionally, these limitations force you to use unconventional language – which, in turn, makes you write with lucidity, avidity, and invention.

Freewriting & Stream of Consciousness

What do you do when the words just don’t come out? How can you write better if you can’t seem to write at all? One of the best poetry exercises, as well as writing exercises in general, is to start your day by freewriting.

Freewriting, also known as “stream of consciousness writing,” involves writing your thoughts down the moment they come. There’s no filtering what you write, and no controlling what you think: topicality, style, and continuity are wholly unnecessary in the freewriting process. While the idea of freewriting seems easy, it’s much harder than you think – examining your thoughts without controlling them takes a while to master, and the impulse to control what you write isn’t easy to tame. Try these exercises to master the skill:

Do a timed freewrite. Start with five minutes.
Freewrite until you fill up the entirety of something – an envelope, a receipt, a postcard, etc.
Freewrite after meditating.
Freewrite off of the first word of today’s newspaper.

Among daily writing exercises, freewriting is one of the best writing exercises. Poets can use freewritten material as inspiration for their poetry. Prose writers can also find inspiration for future stories from the depths of their consciousnesses. Start your writing day with freewriting, and watch your creativity blossom.

Copy What You Read

Plagiarism is still off the table; however, you can learn a lot by paying attention to how other people write. This is what we call “reading like a writer.”

Reading like a writer means paying attention to the craft elements that make an excellent piece of literature work. Good writing requires different writing styles, figurative language, story structures, and/or poetry forms, as well as key word choice.

When you notice these craft elements, you can go ahead and emulate them in your own work. As a fiction writer , you might be drawn to the way Haruki Murakami weaves folklore into his stories, and decide to write a story like that yourself. Or, as a poet, you might be inspired by Terrance Hayes’ Golden Shovel form — enough so that you write a Golden Shovel yourself.

Read a favorite poem, and write your own poem in the same poetic form.
Blackout poetry: take another poem, cross out words you don’t want to use, circle words you do, and write a poem based on the circled words.
Copy a single sentence from a favorite novel, and write a short-short story with it.

Among free writing exercises, this is a great way to learn from the best. The best kinds of exercises to improve writing skills involve building upon the current canon of works — as Isaac Newton said, you achieve something great by “standing on the shoulders of giants.”

Write From Different Perspectives

The conventional advice given to writers is to “write what you know.” We couldn’t disagree with that statement more. The best creative works force both the writer and the reader to consider new perspectives and learn something new; writing from a new point-of-view makes for a great exercise in expanding your creative limits.

Try these ideas as daily writing exercises:

Write a story with the same plot, but with two or more perspectives. For example, you could write a lover’s quarrel from two different view points.
Write from the point-of-view of a famous historical figure.
Write a story or poem from the perspective of an object: a statue, a doll, a roomba, etc.
Write from the perspective of a person you dislike.

While playing with perspective makes for a great fiction writing exercise , poets and essayists can do this too. Patricia Smith’s poem “Skinhead,” for example, is a persona piece written from the perspective of a white nationalist, but the poem clearly condemns the speaker’s beliefs.

Thus, perspective writing also works as a poetry exercise and an essay writing practice exercise . If you’re stuck in your own head, try writing in someone else’s!

Write Metaphor Lists

All creative writers need figurative language. While metaphors, similes, and synecdoches are more prominent in poetry , prose writers need the power of metaphor to truly engross their reader. Among both exercises to improve writing skills and fun writing exercises for adults, writing metaphor lists is one of the best writing exercises out there.

A metaphor list is simple. On a notebook, create two columns. In one column, write down only concrete nouns. Things like a pillow, a tree, a cat, a cloud, and anything that can be perceived with one of the five senses.

In the other list, write down only abstract ideas. Things like love, hate, war, peace, justice, closure, and reconciliation — anything that is conceptual and cannot be directly perceived.

Now, choose a random noun and a random concept, and create a metaphor or simile with them. Delve into the metaphor and explain the comparison. For example, you might say “Love is like a pillow — it can comfort, or it can smother.”

Once you’ve mastered the metaphor list, you can try the following ideas to challenge yourself:

Create a coherent poem out of your metaphor list.
Turn your metaphor list into a short story.
Try making lists with a different figurative language device, such as personification, pathetic fallacy, or metonymy.

Any free creative writing exercise that focuses on figurative language can aid your writing immensely, as it helps writers add insight and emotionality to their work. This is an especially great creative writing exercise for beginners as they learn the elements of style and language.

Daily Journaling

Of course, the best way to improve your creative writing skills is simply to write every day. Keeping a daily journal is a great way to exercise your writing mind. By sitting down with your personal observations and writing without an agenda or audience, a daily writing practice remains one of the best writing exercises , regardless of your genre or level of expertise.

Consider these ideas for your daily journal:

Track your mood and emotions throughout the day. Write those emotions in metaphor — avoid commonplace adjectives and nouns.
Write about your day from the second- or third-person.
Journal your day in verse. Use stanzas, line breaks, and figurative language.
Write about your day backwards.
Write about your day using Freytag’s pyramid . Build up to a meaningful climax, even if nothing significant seemed to happen today.

Learn more about keeping a journal here:

How to Start Journaling: Practical Advice on How to Journal Daily

Writing Exercises: Have Fun with Them!

Many of these writing exercises might feel challenging at first—and that’s a good thing! You will unlock new ideas and writing strengths by struggling through these creative challenges. The main point is to have fun with them and use them to explore within your writing, without indulging too many monologues from your inner critic.

Are you looking for more exercises to improve your writing skills? Our instructors can offer prompts, illuminating lectures, one-to-one feedback, and more to help you improve your craft. Check out our upcoming creative writing courses , and let’s put these skills to practice.

Sean Glatch

Thank you for this. I’ve been stuck for months—more than that, actually, and you’d think that a pandemic stay-at-home would be the perfect time to do some writing. But no. I’m as stuck as ever. In fact, the only time I seem able to write consistently and well is when I’m taking one of your classes! I’m still saving my pennies, but these exercises will hopefully get me writing in the meantime. Thanks again!

Hi Kathy, I’m glad to hear some of these tips might spark your creativity 🙂 I feel the same way, I was hoping the stay-at-home order might spark some creativity, but we shouldn’t push ourselves too hard – especially in the midst of a crisis.

The best part about writing: all you have to do is try, and you’ve already succeeded. Good luck on your writing endeavors!

Bravo….!What a great piece! Honestly I learnt a lot here!

I picked interest in poetry just a week ago after reading a beautiful piece which captivated my mind into the world of writing. I’d love to write great poems but I don’t know anything about poetry, I need a coach, a motivator and an inspiration to be able to do this. This piece really helped me but I will appreciate some more tips and help from you or anyone else willing to help, I am really fervid about this.

Hi Anthony,

Thanks for your comment! I’m so excited for you to start your journey with poetry. We have more advice for poetry writing at the articles under this link: https://writers.com/category/poetry

Additionally, you might be interested in two of our upcoming poetry courses: Poetry Workshop and How to Craft a Poem .

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at [email protected] . Many thanks, and happy writing!

[…] 24 Best Writing Exercises to Become a Better Writer | writers.com […]

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As a writer, I often struggle to break free from the chains of writer’s block, but this blog has gifted me with a map of inspiration to navigate through those creative storms. It’s like being handed a box of enchanted writing exercises

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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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Dialogue Writing Prompts ⭢

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Summer Writing Prompts ⭢

Teens Writing Prompts ⭢

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Thriller and Suspense Writing Prompts ⭢

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Winter Writing Prompts ⭢

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25 Great Creative Writing Exercises To Awaken The Senses

January 23, 2023
Craft , Inspiration

I’ve written about the importance of sensory imagery in writing before, specifically for developing characters, in my blog: Use The Five Senses and Bring Your Characters to Life.

But it’s not just for developing your characters; sensory imagery is needed everywhere if you want your readers to engage with your story.

What is sensory imagery?

When we tell a story, we create a world in the reader’s mind, and by using specific, definite, and concrete details, we enable the reader to enter this new world.

A detail is definite and concrete when it appeals to the senses. It should be seen, heard, smelled, tasted, or touched.

Whether you are writing non-fiction, fiction, poetry, or plays, getting in touch with your senses, and using imagery that relates to them, will serve you well.

Experience using sensory imagery.

This post aims to give you the experience of engaging with each sense and letting it take you somewhere unexpected. It’s all very well to understand the concept of using the senses and even be convinced that it’s important to include them in your writing. Still, until you’ve taken the time—10 minutes is all you need— to experience the nuances of each sense, you might not fully understand why using sensory imagery in your writing is essential and how it works.

How to start: Choose a writing prompt and write it at the top of your page. Set your timer for 10 minutes. Read the prompt and begin writing immediately, without thinking—follow the first thought and go wherever it takes you. No editing, no judging, just writing.

Keep your pen moving.

Don’t stop until the time is up.

Suspend judgment.

Be curious.

Tip: Write by hand. Writing by hand connects the brain and body and, I believe, the heart. It’s especially helpful in getting those first thoughts onto the page.

Remember: you can always write from the POV of one of your characters.

25 Great Sensory Writing Prompts.

The sense of smell.

More than any other sense, smell can connect us intimately to the past in a way our ideas cannot. A scent can initiate a flood of memories regardless of how unexpected or fleeting. A whiff of your mother’s perfume on an old sweater can catapult you to a long-forgotten memory of weekly drives to ballet class, the last kiss at bedtime, tears over a science project, or your wedding day.

Prompt 1. What’s the most unusual smell you’ve ever encountered?

Prompt 2. What’s the first scent you smell upon entering your home?

Prompt 3. What is the most dangerous smell you can think of?

Prompt 4. If you were holding your favorite stuffed animal from childhood, what would it smell like?

Prompt 5. Peel an orange, inhale the scent and write about the first memory that comes to mind.

For more on smell, read the blog How the Sense of Smell Can Enhance Your Writing .

The Sense of Touch

Touch is a basic human need, and it’s the first sense we develop upon entering this world and the last sense to go as we depart this world.

It is also one of the least used senses in writing, perhaps because it’s the most difficult to describe. But think about how often we confirm what we see by reaching out and touching. A reader can more easily engage with a character’s world if they can touch it. I’m using the word touch rather than feel because the term “feel” tends to lead us to emotions, and while that’s important, it’s not what we’re aiming for here.

Prompt 1. Write about the last time you touched wet .

Prompt 2. Write about something you want to touch but can’t or shouldn’t.

Prompt 3. Imagine you can describe a sculpture by how it feels as you run your hands over it.

Prompt 4. Write about the earliest touch you can remember.

Prompt 5. Write about something you can’t pass by without touching it.

For more on the sense of touch, read the blog How To Use The Sense Of Touch In Your Writing .

The Sense of Taste

Taste might be the least used sense in writing but think of all you can learn about your character through their tastebuds. The sense of taste and the act of tasting can be highly evocative, taking your reader from delight to disgust with a mere nibble.

Yes, it may be challenging to describe taste without using the senses for sight and smell, which are inherent in taste but challenge yourself to see where taste alone might take you.

Prompt 1. This exercise will prime you for the following four prompts Choose something you like to eat, a piece of fruit, a square of chocolate, and most anything will work. Sit quietly and take a few slow breaths. When you’re ready, take a bite or place the food item in yo r mouth and let it sit on your tongue. Take note of physical sensations, flavor, and sound. You may discover new sensations and ideas for enriching your descriptive details. Now, write a description of what you experienced.

Prompt 2. Write about your favorite childhood meal and how it might ta te today.

Prompt 3. Think of two of your favorite foods. Now write about how they might taste together.

Prompt 4. Write about the experience of tasting a foreign dish for the first time.

Prompt 5. Describe the taste of your favorite dessert without revealing what it is.

For more on the sense of taste, read the blog, How To Use The Sense Of Taste In Your Writing .

The Sense of Hearing

Second, to sight, hearing gives us a primary experience of the world we live in. Sounds enrich our environment; we depend on them to help u interpret, communicate with, and express the world around us.

While not as evocative as smell, familiar sounds can stir memories and transport us to another time and place. What more powerful tool could a writer ask for than auditory details that offer nuanced layers to a scene?

Prompt 1. What would it sound like if you amplified the sound of snow falling on the roof?

Prompt 2. Describe the sound of a family holiday dinner.

Prompt 3. Play a piece of your favorite music and write from the first image that appears in your mind.

Prompt 4. Sit quietly for 2-3 minutes until you can identify the sound that is the farthest away. Describe it without naming it and go wherever it takes you.

Prompt 5. What sound do you most like/dislike?

For more on the sense of hearing, read the blog How To Use The Sense Of Hearing In Your Writing .

The Sense of Sight

The sense of sight is the sense we use most often in writing.

If you’ve ever tried to describe something without referring to sight, you’ll know just how challenging that is to accomplish.

Perhaps this is because 70% of the body’s sense receptors cluster in the eyes, and it is mainly through seeing the world that we appraise and understand it.

A visual image can be a trigger for memory and emotion. A painting can take us back to a time in history replete with triumph or tragedy. A gesture captured in a photograph may symbolize love, loss, or confusion.

Remember, sight is not only for description and scene setting; showing how your characters see the world and how they feel about it will capture your readers’ attention.

Prompt 1. Describe your face as you might see it reflected in a pool of water.

Prompt 2. Describe someone who doesn’t know you are watching them.

Prompt 3. If anger were a creature, describe it.

Prompt 4. Describe your ideal writing place.

Prompt 5. Choose a painting and describe it without using the sense of sight Use every other sense.

For more on the sense of sight, read the blog How To Use The Sense Of Sight In Your Writing .

I hope you find these prompts useful—let me know how it goes.

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4 Responses

Thanks for these useful prompts.

I’m glad you found them helpful!

Thank you, Kathryn.

I am from India, where the land is filled with vibrant and splendid colors, smells, tastes, and sounds. Thank you for your tips. Touch is something difficult for me to describe in words. Touch is something I find hard to put into words. Your advice gave me the courage to try.

I’ve bookmarked your page. Looking forward to reading more posts.

Thank you for leaving a commment. I’m so pleased you this blog helpful.

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Hi, I’m Kathryn Kay, the founder of A Writer Within. I offer support and inspiration to women writers through one-on-one coaching, editing services, and week-long retreats in Tuscany. My focus is on getting writers into the creative flow, beyond their internal critic, and their very best stories onto the page. If you have a writer within, let’s set her free!

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55 Creative Writing Activities and Exercises

Have you ever heard these questions or statements from your students?

I don’t know where to begin.
How can I make my story interesting?
I’m just not creative.
What should my story be about?

If so, you won’t want to miss these creative writing activities.

What Are Creative Writing Activities?

Activities that teach creative writing serve as drills to exercise your student’s writing muscle. When used effectively, they help reluctant writers get past that intimidating blank paper and encourage the words to flow.

When I think of creative writing exercises , writing prompts immediately come to mind. And, yes, writing from a prompt is certainly an example of a creative writing activity (a highly effective one).

However, writing prompts are only one way to teach creative writing. Other types of activities include games, collaboration with others, sensory activities, and comic strip creation to name a few.

Unlike writing assignments, creative writing activities aren’t necessarily meant to create a perfectly polished finished project.

Instead, they serve as more of a warmup and imagination boost.

Picture-based writing exercises are especially fun. You can download one for free below!

get this picture prompt printable for free!

How to use creative writing exercises effectively.

When teaching creative writing , the most effective exercises inspire and engage the student.

Remember that worn-out prompt your teacher probably hauled out every year?

“What I Did This Summer…”

Cue the groaning.

Instead of presenting your student with lackluster topics like that one, let’s talk about ways to engage and excite them.

For Kids or Beginners

Early writers tend to possess misconceptions about writing. Many picture sitting down for hours straight, polishing a story from beginning to end.

Even for experienced writers, this is next-to-impossible to do. It’s preconceived ideas like these that overwhelm and discourage students before they’ve even started.

Instead of assigning an essay to complete, start with simple, short writing exercises for elementary students such as:

Creating comic strips using a template
Talking out loud about a recent dream
Writing a poem using rhyming words you provide
Creating an acrostic from a special word

Creative writing exercises don’t have to end in a finished piece of work. If the exercise encouraged creative thinking and helped the student put pen to paper, it’s done its job.

For Middle School

Creative writing activities for middle school can be a little more inventive. They now have the fundamental reading and writing skills to wield their words properly.

Here are some ideas for middle school writing exercises you can try at home:

Creating Mad Lib-style stories by changing out nouns, verbs, and adjectives in their favorite tales
Storyboarding a short film
Writing a family newsletter
Creating crossword puzzles

For High School

Your high school student may be starting to prepare for college essays and other important creative writing assignments.

It’s more critical than ever for her to exercise her writing skills on a regular basis.

One great way to keep your high schooler’s mind thinking creatively is to have her make “listicles” of tips or facts about something she’s interested in already.

Another fun and effective creative writing exercise for high school is to have your student retell classic stories with a twist.

List of 55 Creative Writing Activities for Students of All Ages

No matter what age range your students may be, I think you’ll find something that suits their personality and interests in this list of creative writing ideas. Enjoy!

Using only the sense of hearing, describe your surroundings.
Write a paragraph from your shoes’ point of view. How do they view the world? What does a “day in the life of a shoe” look like?
Imagine what the world will be like in 200 years. Describe it.
Write a letter to someone you know who moved away. What has he or she missed? Should he or she move back? Why?
Make up an imaginary friend. What does he or she look like? What does he or she like to do?
Create a story about a person you know. Use as many details as possible.
Write a poem that describes a place you have been.
Soak up the season you’re in with seasonal creative writing prompts. Here are some ideas for fall and winter .
Write a song where each line starts with the next letter in the alphabet.
Create a list of words related to something you love.
Write a short story based on a true event in your life.
Rewrite a chapter of your favorite book from the antagonist’s point of view.
Write a letter to your future self. What do you want to make sure you remember?
Go on a five-senses scavenger hunt. Find three items for each sense. Create a story using the items you found.
Create a story around an interesting picture ( try these fun picture writing prompts! )
Find an ad in a magazine or elsewhere and rewrite the description to convince people NOT to buy the advertised item.
Write a story using the last word of each sentence as the first word of the next.
Describe everything you’re sensing right now, using all five senses.
Write a list of animals A to Z with a one-sentence description of each one. Feel free to include imaginary animals.
Design your dream room in detail.
Write a script of yourself interviewing a famous person. Include his or her answers.
Describe what high school would be like if you lived on the moon. What would you be learning about? How would you be learning it?
Describe a day in the life of a famous person in history. Include both mundane and exciting details of things they may have experienced on a normal day.
Pick up something on a bookshelf or end table nearby. Now write a commercial script for it to convince your audience that they absolutely must own this thing.
Plan a birthday party for your best friend. Describe the decorations, food, and everything else.
Write a very short story about three siblings fighting over a toy. Now rewrite it twice, each time from a different character’s perspective.
Tell a story from the point of view of a pigeon on a city street.
Create a menu for a deli you’ll be opening soon. Name each sandwich after something or someone in real life and list the fillings and type of bread.
Pretend you just became famous for something. Write 3 exciting newspaper headlines about the topic or reason behind your newfound fame.
Keep a one-line-a-day journal. Every day, write down one thought or sentence about something that happened that day or how you felt about the day.
Have you ever had a nightmare? Write what happened but with a new ending where everything turns out okay (perhaps the monster was your dad in a costume, preparing to surprise you at your birthday party).
Write a “tweet” about something that happened to you recently, using only 140 characters.
Take an important event in your life or the life of someone in your family. Write one sentence answering each of the 6 journalistic questions: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.
Set a timer for 5 minutes and write nonstop, starting with the words “I remember.” If you get stuck, write “I remember” again until you get unstuck.
Pick something you use often (a toothbrush, your desk, etc). Then tell the story of how it was invented. If you don’t know, make something up.
Choose a princess or hero and write a one-paragraph story about him or her traveling to a distant land.
Pretend you are a tour guide for a local attraction. It can be a library, a park, or a museum, but it could also be a place that wouldn’t normally hold tours (such as an arcade). Write a speech about what you tell your tour group as you walk around the attraction.
Create a marketing brochure for your favorite activity or fun place to go.
Make a list of 10 future story settings. Write one sentence describing each. For example, “ in the dark, musty cellar of my grandmother’s house, surrounded by dried-up jars of canned peaches… ”
Make a list of foods included in a dinner party catered by the world’s worst cook, describing how each course looks, smells, and tastes. Include your reactions while eating it.
Write out your own version of instructions for playing your favorite game.
Pretend you’ve lost your sight for one night. Describe going out to eat at a restaurant, using smells, textures, and sounds to tell your story.
Write a script for an interesting phone conversation in which the reader can only hear one side.
Tell the story of an object someone threw away from the perspective of the person who tossed it out. Then tell the story of that same object from the perspective of a person who finds it and deems it a treasure.
List your 3 least favorite chores. Pick one and write a one paragraph detailing why you can’t possibly complete that chore ever again.
Write an excerpt from your dog’s diary (pretend he keeps one).
Write the script for a movie trailer—real or imagined.
Create an acrostic for a holiday of your choice.
Pretend you’re the master of a role-playing game, describing a sticky situation in which the other players now find themselves. Describe the scenario in writing.
Compose a funny or dramatic caption for a photo.
Parents, place a textured object in a box without letting your student see it. Have him or her reach in, touch the object, and then describe how it feels.
Write lyrics for a parody of a song.
Make a list of 10-20 songs that would be played if a movie was made about your life.
Describe the sounds, smells, sights, and textures you’d experience if you went to the beach for the day.
Write an election speech with ludicrous and impossible campaign promises.

One of the best ways to encourage students to write regularly is by providing fun creative writing activities .

They serve to encourage both the habit and mindset of writing with imagination. If you need extra help with that, check out Creative Freewriting Adventure :

bring excitement into your student’s writing – no prep required!

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50 Fantastic Creative Writing Exercises

Good question.

Creative writing exercises are designed to teach a technique. They are highly specific, more specific than creative writing prompts, and much more specific than story generators.

Creative writing exercises for adults are not designed to lead the writer into crafting a full story, but are only designed to help them improve as a writer in a narrow, specific category of writing skills.

I’ve broken the exercises below into categories so you can choose what category of skill you’d like to practice. Can you guess which category in this list has the most prompts?

If you guessed characters, then you’re right. I think characters are the heart blood of every story, and that a majority of any writing prompts or writing exercises should focus on them.

But I also think any of these will help you create a narrative, and a plot, and help you generate all kinds of dialogue, whether for short stories or for novels. These writing exercises are pretty much guaranteed to improve your writing and eliminate writer’s block.

Also, if you’re a fledgling writer who needs help writing their novel, check out my comprehensive guide to novel writing.

Enjoy the five categories of writing exercises below, and happy writing!

1. Think of the most deafening sound you can imagine. Describe it in great detail, and have your character hear it for the first time at the start of a story.

2. Have a man cooking for a woman on a third date, and have her describe the aromas in such loving and extended detail that she realizes that she’s in love with him.

3. Pick a line from one of your favorite songs, and identify the main emotion. Now write a character who is feeling that emotion and hears the song. Try to describe the type of music in such a beautiful way that you will make the reader yearn to hear the song as well.

4. Have a character dine at a blind restaurant, a restaurant in pitch blackness where all the servers are blind, and describe for a full paragraph how the tablecloth, their clothing, and the hand of their dining partner feels different in the darkness.

5. Select a dish representative of a national cuisine, and have a character describe it in such detail that the reader salivates and the personality of the character is revealed.

7. Describe two characters having a wordless conversation, communicating only through gestures. Try to see how long you can keep the conversation going without any words spoken, but end it with one of them saying a single word, and the other one repeating the same word.

8. In a public place from the last vacation you took, have two characters arguing, but make it clear by the end of the argument that they’re not arguing about what they’re really upset about.

9. Write a scene composed mostly of dialogue with a child talking to a stranger. Your mission is to show the child as heartbreakingly cute. At the same time, avoid sentimentality.

10. Have two character have a conversation with only a single word, creating emphasis and context so that the word communicates different things each time it is spoken. The prime example of this is in the television show “The Wire,” where Jimmy and Bunk investigate a crime scene repeating only a single expletive.

11. Pick an object that is ugly, and create a character who finds it very beautiful. Have the character describe the object in a way that convinces the reader of its beauty. Now write a second version where you convince the reader (through describing the object alone) that the character is mentally unstable.

12. Write down five emotions on slips of paper and slip them into a hat. Now go outside and find a tree. Draw one emotion from the hat, and try to describe that tree from the perspective of a character feeling that emotion. (Don’t mention the emotion in your writing — try to describe the tree so the reader could guess the emotion).

13. Describe a character’s bedroom in such a way that it tells us about a person’s greatest fears and hopes.

14. Root through your desk drawer until you find a strange object, an object that would probably not be in other people’s drawers. Have a character who is devastated to find this object, and tell the story of why this object devastates them.

15. Go to an art-based Pinterest page and find your favorite piece of art. Now imagine a living room inspired by that flavor of artwork, and show the room after a husband and wife have had the worst fight of their marriage.

16. Pick a simple object like a vase, a broom, or a light bulb, and write a scene that makes the reader cry when they see the object.

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17. Make a list of the top five fears in your life. Write a character who is forced to confront one of those fears.

18. Write an entire page describing the exact emotions when you learned of a happy or calamitous event in your life. Now try to condense that page into a single searing sentence.

19. Think about a time in your life when you felt shame. Now write a character in a similar situation, trying to make it even more shameful.

20. Write a paragraph with a character struggle with two conflicting emotions simultaneously. For example, a character who learns of his father’s death and feels both satisfaction and pain.

21. Write a paragraph where a character starts in one emotional register, and through a process of thought, completely evolves into a different emotion.

Characters:

22. Create a minor character based upon someone you dislike. Now have your main character encounter them and feel sympathy and empathy for them despite their faults.

23. Have a kooky character tell a story inside a pre-established form: an instruction manual, traffic update, email exchange, weather report, text message.

24. Write about a character who does something they swore they would never do.

25. Have a character who has memorized something (the names of positions in the Kama Sutra, the entire book of Revelations) recite it while doing something completely at odds with what they’re reciting. For instance, bench pressing while reciting the emperors in a Chinese dynasty.

26. Write a paragraph where a character does a simple action, like turning on a light switch, and make the reader marvel at how strange and odd it truly is.

27. Have a couple fight while playing a board game. Have the fight be about something related to the board game: fighting about money, have them play monopoly. Fighting about politics, let them play chess.

28. Write about two characters angry at each other, but have both of them pretend the problems don’t exist. Instead, have them fight passive-aggressively, through small, snide comments.

29. Describe a character walking across an expanse field or lot and describe how he walks. The reader should perfectly understand his personality simply by the way you describe his walk.

30. Write a first-person POV of a character under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and try to make the prose as woozy and tipsy as the character.

31. Describe the first time that a character realizes he is not as smart as he thought.

32. Describe an hour in the life of a character who has recently lost their ability to do what they love most (a pianist who has severe arthritis; a runner who became a quadriplegic).

33. Write an argument where a husband or wife complains of a physical ailment, but their spouse refuses to believe it’s real.

34. Write a scene where a stranger stops your main character, saying that they know them, and insisting your main character is someone they are not. Describe exactly how this case of mistaken identity makes your character feel.

35. Describe a small personality trait about a person you love, and make the reader love them, too.

36. Write a personality-revealing scene with a character inside a public restroom. Do they press a thumb against the mirror to leave a subtle mark? Do they write a plea for help on the inside of the stall door? Do they brag about the size of what they’ve just dumped off?

37. Give your character an extremely unusual response to a national tragedy like a terrorist attack or natural disaster. Maybe have them be aware their response is unusual, and try to cloak it from others, or have them be completely unaware and display it without any self-consciousness.

38. Have one of your main characters come up with an idea for a comic book, and tell a close friend about the idea. What about this idea would surprise the friend, upsetting what he thought he knew about your main character? Also, what would the main character learn about himself from the comic book idea?

39. Think of an illness someone you love has suffered from. How does your character respond when someone close to them has this illness?

40. Have your main character invent an extremely offensive idea for a book, and show their personality faults through discussing it with others.

41. Have your character write down a list considering how to respond to their stalker.

42. Write a scene where a man hits on a woman, and although the woman acts repulsed and begs her friends to get him away from her, it becomes apparent that she likes the attention.

43. Write about a 20-something confronting his parents over their disapproval of his lifestyle.

44. Have your character write a funny to-do list about the steps to get a boyfriend or girlfriend.

45. Have a risk-adverse character stuck in a hostage situation with a risk-happy character.

46. For the next week, watch strangers carefully and take notes in your phone about any peculiar gestures or body language. Combine the three most interesting ones to describe a character as she goes grocery shopping.

47. Buy a package of the pills that expand into foam animals, and put a random one in a glass of warm water. Whatever it turns out to be, have that animal surprise your main character in a scene.

48. Have your character faced with a decision witness a rare, awe-inspiring event, and describe how it helps them make their decision.

49. Imagine if your character met for the first time his or her long-lost identical twin. What personality traits would they share and which ones would have changed because of their unique experiences?

50. If a character got burned by a hot pan, what type of strange reaction would they have that would reveal what they value most?

Once you’ve taken a stab at some of these exercises, I’d recommend you use them in your actual writing.

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34 comments

John Fox, you have some excellent resources, and I thank you. I read your comments, then scrolled down to glance at the list of 50 exercises. The FIRST one, “loud noise’ is already in my head. My Hero is going to be side swiped in my Cozy. I was side swiped on a state highway here in Virginia a couple of weeks ago and, although the damage was minor, the sound of that big SUV “glancing” off my little car was SCARY!!! I once heard a fast-moving car REAR-END is stand-still car; that sound was something I’ll never forget. So, your exercise is very timely. THANK YOU!!!

This is a great list! Thanks!

You know what would be motivating? If we could turn these in to someone and get like a grade lol

I can really see the benefit of doing these writing exercises. (Versus using prompts) The purpose is so much clearer. Some I can imagine my response fairly easily. (Though the task of not jumping on the obvious might make it harder than I imagine at this point) Some however I would struggle with ( number 42 for example), where I have zero sympathy for the main character’s plight. Hhhmmmm. But maybe they are the very ones I should be tackling – to see if I can develop them in a way that explains their behaviour and so creates sympathy. Thank you. Much food for thought.

I’ve been thinking a lot about “how to master writing,” and this is the first time that I found an article that makes it clear the difference between prompts and exercises. I fully agree with you. These are bound to make you a better writer if you focus on doing a variation of them daily.

An excellent list – thank you very much. I run a small writing group and we’ll be trying some.

Yes, thank you. I too run a small writing group and you got me out of a slump for tomorrow’s group!

yes,thank you . It’s good for improve your writing skills.

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What a lovely list! I am working on the final draft of my very first novel, and am constantly working at improving the final product. Your exercises are just what I need to kickstart my writing day. Thank you so very much.

Thank you very much When I turned50 I received my diploma from Children’s Institute in West Redding Ct I got my inspiration from being near water however now that I am in Oregon I have had a writing block thanks to your list my creative juices are flowing

I suppose I better have good punctuation, seeing this is about Writing. Thank you for this great list. I am the Chair of our small Writing group in Otorohanga and we start again last week of Feb. I have sent out a homework email, to write a A4 page of something exciting that has happened over the holiday break and they must read it out to the group with passion and excitement in their voices. That will get them out of their comfort zone!

A formidable yet inspiring list. Thank you very much for this. This is really very helpful. I am from India, and very new to writing and have started my first project, which I want to make it into a Novel. This has been very helpful and is very challenging too. Prompts look sissy when compared to this, frankly speaking. Thank you very much again.

Where can I get the answers for these?

There aren’t “answers.” You create responses to these exercises.

Thank you so much for the detailed suggestions focusing on HOW to put the WHAT into practice; really helpful & inspiring.

Just started rough drafting a story I’ve always wanted to write. Do you have any advice for someone writing their first real story? I’m having trouble starting it; I just want it to be perfect.

I consider this very helpful. Just started my journey as a creative writer, and will be coming back to this page to aid my daily writing goal.

I have always loved writing exercises and these are perfect practice for my competition. I have tried lots of different things that other websites have told me to try, but this by far is the most descriptive and helpful site that i have seen so far.

This is really a creative blog. An expert writer is an amateur who didn’t stop. I trust myself that a decent writer doesn’t actually should be advised anything but to keep at it. Keep it up!

I’ve always enjoyed writing from a little girl. Since I’ve been taking it a bit more seriously as does everybody else it seems; I’ve lost the fun and sponteneity. Until now…..this is a marvelous blog to get back the basic joy and freedom in writing. Or should that be of?:) These exercises are perfect to get the creative juices flowing again…..thank you:)

These are interesting exercises for writing.

These are fantastic! I started reading a really awesome book on creative writing but it just didn’t get any good or easy to follow exercises. So I found your site and having been having a lot of fun with these. Exactly what I was looking for, thank you!

creative and inspiring, thank you

I always wanted to have an exercise where a friend and I each wrote a random sentence and sent it to each other to write a short story from that beginning sentence, then exchange the stories for reading and/or critique. Maybe both writers start with the same sentence and see how different the stories turn out.

Thanks for these exercises. Some are really challenging. To truly tackle them I’m having to spend as long beforehand thinking “how the HECK am I going to do this?” as I do with ink on paper. Would be a great resource if other authors submitted their replies and thoughts about how they went about each exercise.

Start the conversation: submit one of yours.

I think I can use these to inspire my students.

Hi there. Thank you for posting this list- it’s great! Can I ask you to consider removing number 42 or perhaps changing it somewhat? I teach sex ed and every year am shocked by how many young people don’t understand issues around consent. Stories about woman who ‘say no but really mean yes’ are deeply unhelpful. Really appreciate your post but felt I had to ask. Thanks.

What’s wrong with the number 42?

It promulgates the belief that when a woman says no, she doesn’t mean it, potentially resulting in sexual assault.

I just make this list a part of my teaching in Creative Writing Classes. Very good list of ideas!

Thank you so much for posting this! I have used it to create a creative playwriting activity for my high school creative writing class–so much good stuff here for me to pick through and select for my kiddos that will allow them to shine and improve their knowledge of writing as a craft!

These exercises are amazing! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂

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Whether writing your book or revising it, this will be the most helpful book you’ll ever buy.

Writing Activities

18+ Creative Writing Activities To Make Writing Fun

Make writing less boring with these 12 fun creative writing activities for kids.

When most children think of writing, they think of lined paper with thousands of words written on it, line by line with the occasional spacing for paragraphs. But writing doesn’t need to be that boring and gloomy. Today we bring you12 creative writing activities to make writing fun and colourful!

How to Make Writing Fun

It is important to show your kids that there’s more to writing than just homework and long essays. Writing can be fun and it doesn’t always involve writing thousands of words in a formal structure. It’s time to stop worrying about sentence structure, grammar and spelling mistakes. Instead, encourage your kids to explore their creativity and write down their thoughts as they come in any format they like. Here are 12 fun creative writing activities that will boost your child’s creativity, imagination and encourage them to write for fun.

18+ Fun Creative Writing Activities

Use story maps.

Story maps are a great way to unleash your child’s imagination. You can either create your own or print out one of these free story map templates . To create your own story map, you’ll first need a location. This could be anywhere, a planet , an island , the woods or even your hometown. Don’t worry, you don’t actually need to leave your home to enjoy this activity.

Next draw out a simple map of the location. The map must have a starting point and an endpoint. Here is an example of our treasure island story map:

You can see that we marked the starting point with a star. And the end point with a red cross. Once this is done, you need to put loads of obstacles, challenges and interesting things on the map for your child to explore and engage with in their imagination. This could be a giant octopus monster, a lava lake, a cunning princess or even some secret symbols or lettering.

Once you have completed creating your action-packed story map (or printed out one of our free templates) – It’s time for the real adventure to begin. Give the map to your child and together you can pretend that you have landed in a whole new location.

Start from your bedroom (or your imaginary pirate ship) and make your way through the obstacles to find the secret treasure located in a mysterious cave (or the shed in your backyard). As you go through the map, think about the characters you might encounter, items you might find and even challenges you could face.

After your little adventure, your child will be inspired and ready to write about the adventure they just experienced! Go ahead and check out these free story map templates to get you started:

Forest Story Map
Island Story map

Create Some Paper Finger Puppets

Puppets and toys are a great way to stimulate imaginative play. In particular, creating your own paper finger puppets is a brilliant creative activity to boost your child’s imagination and make story-telling more fun. When creating your own finger puppets, your child can create any character they like. If they love football , try creating some famous football players, and if they love Harry Potter , get them to create some wizard themed characters. Whatever your child’s interest, combine it with story-telling, and make storytime extra fun.

To get you started, you can download our free paper finger puppet templates by signing up to Imagine Forest:

free printable paper finger puppets template

Create your own paper characters, props and background. Then let the role-playing begin!

Would You Rather Game

Kids love playing games. The Would You Rather game is a great way to boost logical thinking and communication skills. Print out our free Would You Rather game cards pack, to get a mix of funny, gross and Disney themed questions. Then get at least three players in a team to begin the game. The purpose of the game is to convince the whole team that your answer to the question is the best one and to get other players to agree with you. This game is guaranteed to get your kids laughing and thinking logically about the answers they pick.

Telephone Pictionary Game

Another brilliant creative writing activity is the Telephone Pictionary Game . The basic idea behind this game is to write a story collaboratively with your team using drawings and phrases. Together as team members take turns to write/draw something down. They’ll be improving skills such as creativity, teamwork and communication skills. And when the game is over, they’ll have a really funny story to read!

Create Some Shape Poetry

Poetry is a quick and short writing activity to get kids engaged in creative writing. But writing a typical haiku or limerick can get boring over time. To add a little more excitement gets your kids to write poems in the shape of something. For example, your child could write a poem about cats , in the shape of a cat:

Not only are these poems great to read, but they also make wonderful pieces of artwork. For more inspirations, check out our Alice in Wonderland inspired shape poetry .

Finish The Story Game

The finish the story game is the simplest creative writing activity in our list. In a team of at least 2 players, each player takes turns completing a story. Start off with a random story starter and then each player takes turns to continue this story. Which way will the story go? No-one knows. And that’s the real beauty of this game. Let your child explore their imagination and come up with wild ideas to keep the story interesting. And by the end of the game, you’ll have a really unique and funny story to read.

Use Image Prompts

Image prompts are a great source of inspiration. And can be used in a number of ways to encourage your child to write. For instance, you can ask your child to write a quick snappy slogan for a random image or photograph. Alternatively, you could play a whole game centred around a single image, such as the Round Robin Tournament game explained in our post on storytelling games using image prompts .

Story Cubes To Inspire

Inspiration is key in making writing fun for kids. That’s where story cubes come in handy. You either buy ready-made story cubes or make your own story cubes at home. If you’re interested in making your own story cubes, check out these 9 free story cube templates for ideas. Once you have a bunch of story cubes, you can simply roll them like dice and then challenge your kids to write a story based on the images they get. For game ideas using story cubes, check out this post on how to use story cubes .

Create A Comic Strip

If your kids hate writing but love drawing, then comic strips are a great creative activity to sneak in some minor writing with huge levels of imagination. Pick a topic, any topic you like. This could be related to your child’s interest and then ask them to create a short comic strip about that topic. For example, if you child loves dinosaurs, ask them to create their own comic strip about dinosaurs. For more inspiration and ideas, check out this post on how to create your own comic strip and comic books at home.

Make Your Own Pop-up Book

Another fun way to get your kids to write more is by creating your own pop-book books. Pop-up books seem really complicated to create, but in reality, they are really easy to make at home. All you need is some paper, scissors and glue. Check out this super easy tutorial on how to create your own pop-book at home for quick step-by-step instructions. Similar to comic strips, pop-up books are a great way of combining drawing with writing to get your kids writing more in a quick and fun way.

Create Mini Booklets

Turn your child’s story into a real book! You can buy blank books from Amazon or create your own mini paper book, using this easy mini notebook tutorial . With this tutorial you can create a fully customisable book, with your own cover, back page and you can even draw your own illustrations inside! This is a really fun and cute way to gets your kids writing in their spare time.

How to Make a Mini Paper Notebook Tutorial

Write A Letter With a Fun Twist

Forgot ordinary boring letters! Check out our Paper craft animal envelopes to encourage your kids to write letters to their friends, family, heroes, aliens, anyone they like! Inside the child can write any message they like, such as “how were your holidays…” or “We’re having a party this weekend…” And on the outside they can create any animal or creature they like as envelopes.

Describe a Monster

Ask your child to draw their own monster or character and describe it. – What are its strengths, and weaknesses, where does it live, what does it like doing and so on? This creative writing activity is quick, simple and full of imagination! And you could even take this a step further by creating your own monster flip books !

Use Story Starters

Use story starters to inspire reluctant writers. These can be simple sentences, such as “It was Timmy’s first day at school and he was excited…” and your child can continue writing the rest of the story. Or you could use photos and your child’s drawings to inspire story-writing by asking the child to describe what’s happening in this image. Take a look at this post on 60+ first-line prompts to inspire you or you could view our mega list of over 300 writing prompts for kids .

Create Your Own Greeting Cards

Get your child to create their own Christmas cards , greeting cards or get well cards to send to someone they know. They can write their own personal message inside and draw a picture on the outside. Quick activities like this are a great way to sneak in some writing with some arts and crafts.

step-5-pop-up-christmas-tree-card-tutorial-for-kids-imagine-forest

Create Your Own Newspaper

Ask your child to write their own newspaper article or create their own newspaper about the daily events that happen at home or at school. Remember the use of the 5 W’s and 1 H when writing newspaper articles. Our newspaper challenge online activity is great for creating fun newspaper articles.

imagine forest newspaper writing activity

Make A Shopping List

Get the kids involved in the weekly grocery shopping! Ask them to write the shopping list with drawings. If the grocery shopping list is too boring, then get them to create a wish list of items they dream of owning or even a list of goals they want to accomplish. You can buy some really pretty shopping list pads from Amazon , which could be a great way to encourage your kids to get writing!

Re-tell some fairytales

Fairytales have been around for centuries and by now they need a modern twist. Challenge your child to update an old classic. And you could even use this free ‘Retell a fairy tale pack ’ to help you. Re-telling a fairytale is a lot easier than creating a whole new one – Simply ask your child to change one or two key elements in the story and see how it changes the entire fairytale. For example, what if Cinderella was the villain? Alternatively, you could go wacky and add a whole new character to a classic fairytale, such as Spiderman making an appearance in Jack and the Beanstalk. The possibilities really are endless!

Write Your Own Movie Script

Ask your child to write their own short movie script, they can create a cast list and give all the different characters different things to say. You can find a free script and cast list template here ! Think about the conversation between the characters, what problems would they encounter, who is the villain in this story? We also think these free finger puppets printable could be great for story-telling.

Hand-written Blogs

Ask your child to keep a simple hand-written blog about their hobbies and interests. This can be done in a journal or notebook. Ask them the following questions: What do they like doing in their spare time and why do they enjoy this. Maybe ask them to provide instructions on how someone else can also be good at this hobby. They can update their hand-written blog everyday with new tips and interesting pieces of information on their hobby.

Wanted Posters

Create a ‘Wanted’ poster for famous villains in storybooks, such as Miss Trunchbull from Matilda or Cinderella’s Stepmother. You can find a free blank template here . Alternatively try out the Most Wanted online activity on Imagine Forest, to create your own wanted posters online:

Storyboarding

Writing a whole story down can be cumbersome. That’s why storyboarding can make a really good creative writing activity. Instead of asking a child to write a whole story down, get them to think about the key events in the story and plan it out using a storyboard template . Planning their story out beforehand could even encourage your child to write a complete story down afterwards. The first step is always planning out what you are going to write, and this could give your child the confidence to keep going.

Know anymore fun writing activities for kids? Tell us your ideas below.

Top 10 Writing Activities to Make Writing Fun!

Marty the wizard is the master of Imagine Forest. When he's not reading a ton of books or writing some of his own tales, he loves to be surrounded by the magical creatures that live in Imagine Forest. While living in his tree house he has devoted his time to helping children around the world with their writing skills and creativity.

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10 Creative Writing Activities That Help Students Tell Their Stories

Lower the stakes and help them get started.

Share your story message written on three post it notes

“I don’t have a story. There’s nothing interesting about my life!” Sound familiar? I don’t know a teacher who hasn’t heard students say this. When we ask our students to write about themselves, they get stuck. We know how important it is for them to tell their own stories. It’s how we explore our identities and keep our histories and cultures alive. It can even be dangerous when we don’t tell our stories (check out this Ted Talk given by novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and share it with your students for more on that). Storytelling is essential for every subject, not just English Language Arts; students dive deeper and engage when they practice thinking about how their own stories intersect with historical events, civic engagement, and the real-world implications of STEM. These 10 creative writing activities can work in every subject you teach:

Here are 10 of our favorite story telling activities that inspire students:

1. write an “i am from” poem.

A students I Am From creative writing activities

Students read the poem “I am From” by George Ella Lyon. Then, they draft a poem about their own identity in the same format Lyon used. Finally, students create a video to publish their poems. We love this one because the mentor text gives a clear structure and example that students can follow. But the end result is truly unique, just like their story.

2. Design a social media post to share an important memory

collage of historical images creative writing activities

How can you use your unique perspective to tell a story? We want our students to learn that they are truly unique and have stories that only they can tell that other people want to hear or could relate to or learn from. In this activity, students watch two Pixar-in-a-Box videos on Khan Academy to learn about storytelling and perspective. Then, they identify an interesting or poignant memory and design a social media post.

3. Create an image using a line to chart an emotional journey

How do you show emotion using a single line? In this activity, students watch a Pixar in a Box video on Khan Academy to learn about how lines communicate character, emotion, and tension. Then they experiment with these aspects as they write their story. We love using this for pre-writing and to help students explore their story arc. Also, for students who love to draw or learn visually, this can help them get started telling their story and show them that there are many different ways to tell a story.

4. Tell the story behind your name

Sharing the story behind our name is a way to tell a story about ourselves, our culture, and our family history. And if there isn’t a story behind it, we can talk about how we feel about it and describe what it sounds like. In this activity, students use video to introduce themselves to their classmates by discussing the origin of their name. This project asks students to connect their names (and identities) to their personal and familial histories and to larger historical forces. If you’re looking for a mentor text that pairs well with this one, try “My Name” by Sandra Cisneros .

5. Develop a visual character sketch

Give students the time to create a character sketch of themselves. This will help them see how they fit into their story. In this lesson, students create a visual character sketch. They’ll treat themselves like a character and learn to see themselves objectively.

6. Create a webpage to outline the story of your movie

Building a story spine is a great way to show students how to put the parts of their story in an order that makes sense. It’s an exercise in making choices about structure. We like this activity because it gives students a chance to see different examples of structure in storytelling. Then, they consider the question: how can you use structure to set your story up for success? Finally, they design and illustrate an outline for their story.

7. Respond to a variety of writing prompts

Sometimes our students get stuck because they aren’t inspired or need a different entry point into telling their story. Give them a lot of writing prompts that they can choose from. Pass out paper and pencils. Set a timer for fifteen minutes. Then, write 3-4 writing prompts on the board. Encourage students to free-write and not worry about whether their ideas are good or right. Some of our favorite prompts to encourage students to tell their story are:

I don’t know why I remember…
What’s your favorite place and why?
What objects tell the story of your life?
What might surprise someone to learn about you?

8. Create a self-portrait exploring identity and self-expression

Part of what makes writing your own story so difficult for students is that they are just building their identity. In this activity, students explore how they and others define their identity. What role does identity play in determining how they are perceived and treated by others? What remains hidden and what is shown publicly?

9. Film a video to share an important story from your life

Encourage students to think about how to tell the story of a day they faced their fears. Students consider the question: How can you use different shot types to tell your story? They watch a video from Pixar in a Box on Khan Academy to learn about different camera shots and their use in storytelling. Then, they use Adobe Spark Post or Photoshop and choose three moments from their story to make into shots. We love using this to help students think about pace and perspective. Sometimes what we leave out of our story is just as important as what we include.

10. Try wild writing

Laurie Powers created a process where you read a poem and then select two lines from it. Students start their own writing with one of those lines. Anytime that they get stuck, they repeat their jump-off line again. This is a standalone activity or a daily writing warm-up, and it works with any poem. We love how it lowers the stakes. Can’t think of anything to write? Repeat the jump-off line and start again. Here are some of our favorite jump-off lines:

The truth is…
Some people say…
Here’s what I forgot to tell you…
Some questions have no answers…
Here’s what I’m afraid to write about…

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10 Great Creative Writing Activities To Try Today

What are the best creative writing activities worth your time? And how can these activities help you become a better writer? Good creative writing activities should help you write faster and enjoy the process more. It shouldn’t take too long to try or require any fancy tools or software.

For years, I struggled with writer’s block, until I began experimenting with various fun creative writing activities.

Now in this article, I offer several creative writing activities that will help solve a problem like writer’s block or write a better story for your readers.

1. Use Writing Prompts

2. keep a daily journal, 3. try free writing, 4. research your subject , 5. write without interruption, 6. collaborate with someone else, 7. let your writing sit, 8. get feedback on your writing, 9. change the point of view or tense, 10. read your writing aloud, bonus creative writing activities: reward yourself, how do you make creative writing activities fun, what are creative writing activities.

If you want to write, consider keeping a record of books you want to read or quotes that inspire you. I also recommend building a personal library of writing prompts.

A writing prompt is simply a question, statement or single sentence that serves as a springboard into your creative work. You can buy books of creative writing prompts or alternatively, you can record your own.

If you opt for the latter approach, I recommend using the first line from books you love. They’re kind of like templates upon which you can jump off into the unknown.

You may also want to try brainstorming a list of creative writing prompts to use for your short story, essay or book chapter.

Lots of writers also keep journals where they record daily observations about their lives or work. Essentially, these journals are where writers gather their ingredients for their next work.

You can’t cook a stew with just water, just like you can’t write without having something to say.

Many cooks keep clippings from their favourite chefs and recipe books. They use these as inspiration for meals to cook.

You can do so on your phone or in a paper notebook (I like the over-priced Moleskine notebooks ). A notepad and paper by your bedside is a good idea for when inspiration strikes at 4am. Alternatively, apps like Day One make it easier to journal on a mobile phone.

The habit of daily observations is a good practice for any writer . I recommend it to anyone who wants to improve their writing skills as it encourages you to sit down and write consistently.

Even if these observations sound silly in hindsight, you may be surprised by what turns up.

Free writing describes the act of writing about whatever is on your mind for a predetermined period. While free writing, your job is to get words down on the page without stopping to self-edit or censor yourself.

This type of exploratory creative writing is useful for solving problems like writer’s block. It can also help reluctant writers increase their daily word-count. Free writing makes for a great story starter too.

You can free write on your writing app of choice, on a piece of paper, in the notes app on your phone.

If you’d like to learn more about free writing, check out the excellent book Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg.

If you write nonfiction, start with a clear brief of what you want to say and how you’re going to say it.

For example:

Journalists receive a brief for a story from their editor (i.e. here’s today’s news agenda) or a source (i.e. “I have information for you about…”).

They also also spend time compiling lists of possible interviewees and deciding on questions to ask, just as a chef shops around for the finest ingredients.

Academics and educators decide for themselves what they want their work to taste like, albeit with the help of a tutor. They also spend time reading academic papers in their area of study and conducting qualitative and quantitative research.

Bloggers sign up to various blogs, using a feed reader to aggregate content and by keeping up to date on industry trends.

Having a clear brief for an article or book helps with critical thinking.

Lots of writers have various routines they follow before writing. Some people like to cook while enjoying a glass of wine. (I like to write and drink coffee).

Other writers describe how they disable their internet access when they want to get some serious work done.

If you are an academic , preparation may involve taking key findings from your research papers and applying it to your area of study.

This stage also usually involves completing a literature review prior to engaging in the act of essay writing.

If you are a journalist , this exercise involves interviews with sources and newsworthy figures. It also involves collating relevant news articles and findings.

And if you are a blogger , focus on one theme or topic and research what search volume around this topic using a keyword analysis tool.

Sure, having a quiet place to write is important, but sometimes it’s helpful to work with another writer or an editor on your piece. Alternatively, perhaps you can borrow ethically from work you admire.

A good sentence, like a stew, isn’t going to write itself. Some pieces of work are light and easy to prepare. Other meaty pieces of work take longer to cook.

An academic will write several drafts of their paper or chapter, all the while assessing how it compares with current literature and weighing it against their central thesis.

A journalist will type out transcripts of their interviews, and consult with their editor or colleagues. They will search for a newsworthy angle and may even draw conclusions, depending on the tone of their piece.

A blogger will look for relevant posts by other bloggers to link. They will also frame the topic in such a way that it appeals to what readers are searching for. She or he will also consider supporting multimedia content.

If you’ve finished writing a story, article or book chapter, let it sit on your computer or in your drawer for a while. Your subconscious will continue working on the idea while you do something else.

Cooks recommend leaving a stew simmering for several hours before serving. Similarly, a piece of writing is best left to marinate in a drawer (be that physical or digital).

This way, when you look at your work after a break, the words won’t be as hot, and you’ll be able to see if you need to season the piece with more facts or spice it up with some colour (i.e. unusual adverbs, similes and metaphors).

For an academic , this could involve letting a chapter rest for a few days and then making some quick edits before submitting to tutor for feedback.

A journalist , may have less time for their stew to prepare and will normally consult with their editor or sub-editor to finalise their piece.

A blogger has more leeway here, as they are normally their own bosses. They can take this time to season posts with relevant links, pictures, meta descriptions, ALT tags and a call to action.

The act of writing is more about turning up than it is about divine moments of inspiration. A lot of the time writing feels like drudgery, but there’s a pleasure in watching your sentences slowly improve.

Writers learn faster if they get feedback from other writers, knowledgable readers or editors.

A good stew is best eaten in company. Lots of writers have this idea that they should write for themselves. Instead, it’s far better to share what you’ve created with friends, family and the wider public.

This essentially involves publishing your work. A blogger will upload their post onto their platform of choice and support it with social media comments. An academic will submit to an identified journal and a journalist will publish a story in a newspaper.

Writing in a public forum carries a degree of vulnerability, but it’s a great way develop a consistent, recognisable voice. It also opens the writer up to criticism.

An editor or tutor will provide this anyway (it’s their job), but if you are writing for yourself, consider asking a friend or subscribers to your blog for feedback.

Some criticism may be constructive and some of it won’t help at all. Your fiercest critics could become your biggest enablers for better writing.

And there’s always an argument for killing those sentences that give you the most pleasure.

In writing, you must kill all your darlings.” ― William Faulkner

I learnt this exercise while enrolled in a creative writing workshop years ago in the Irish Writer’s Centre in Dublin.

If you have time to spare, consider rewriting a troublesome piece from the point of view of a different character. Alternatively, switch it from the past tense to the present tense.

Like many reluctant writers, at first I was sceptical when I heard about this creative writing exercise.

But for some odd reason, I was surprised to discover it worked.

These days, I find it easier and faster to write in the present tense, and whenever I’m blocked on an article or story, I rewrite it in that tense.

Perhaps the act of reviewing a piece of work and quickly editing it helps. The writing process is sometimes odd like that.

It’s sometimes fun and instructive to read an extract from your piece aloud for others to listen to and critique. This creative writing activity works well in classrooms and in small groups.

The act of reading it aloud will help you listen for sentences to edit and rewrite.

The person facilitating the workshop or class should also offer the following writing instructions:

Everyone should say one thing they liked and disliked about the piece.
The writer can only comment at the end
Everyone must read a piece aloud

Why all the rules?

Well, you can’t control how readers react when they consume your published pieces in the privacy of their own homes.

If everyone read a piece aloud, the process will feel fair.

Writing is hard work. If you’ve accomplished a writing goal, reward yourself. Journalists tend to get paid for this, but some academics and most bloggers don’t.

A reward could be a short break to watch a favourite TV programme or a walk in the park.

You could eat out after trying a creative writing activity successfully.

Just like dining in a fancy restaurant can give you ideas about what you’d like to cook next, reading other peoples’ works (especially outside your preferred genre) is food for inspiration.

If the work is more involved, it could be a guilt-free purchase or even a holiday. These writing breaks are important because they refresh the writer’s appetite.

Creative Writing Activities: FAQ

An enjoyable creative writing activity is usually easily to apply and doesn’t require a lot of time or fancy tools. It’s fun if the writer in question can approach the activity without fear of failure or judgment.

There are many to choose from but popular examples include journaling, free writing, using writing prompts, exploratory writing and writing to a tight deadline or low word-count.

10 fun writing activities for the reluctant writer

10 FUN WRITING ACTIVITIES FOR THE RELUCTANT WRITER

No doubt about it – writing isn’t easy. It is no wonder that many of our students could be described as ‘reluctant writers’ at best. It has been estimated by the National Association of Educational Progress that only about 27% of 8th and 12th-grade students can write proficiently.

As educators, we know that regular practice would go a long way to helping our students correct this underachievement, and sometimes, writing prompts just aren’t enough to light the fire.

But how do we get students, who have long since been turned off writing, to put pen to paper and log the requisite time to develop their writing chops?

The answer is to make writing fun! In this article, we will look at some creative writing activities where we can inject a little enjoyment into the writing game.

25 Fun Daily Writing Tasks

Quick Write and JOURNAL Activities for ALL TEXT TYPES in DIGITAL & PDF PRINT to engage RELUCTANT WRITERS .

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1. Poetry Scavenger Hunt

The Purpose: This activity encourages students to see the poetry in the everyday language around them while helpfully reinforcing their understanding of some of the conventions of the genre.

The Process: Encourage students to ‘scavenge’ their school, home, and outside the community for snippets of language they can compile into a piece of poetry or a poetic collage. They may copy down or photograph words, phrases, and sentences from signs, magazines, leaflets or even snippets of conversations they overhear while out and about.

Examples of language they collect may range from the Keep Out sign on private property to the destination on the front of a local bus.

Once students have gathered their language together, they can work to build a poem out of the scraps, usually choosing a central theme to give the piece cohesion. They can even include corresponding artwork to enhance the visual appeal of their work, too, if they wish.

The Prize: If poetry serves one purpose, it is to encourage us to look at the world anew with the fresh eyes of a young child. This activity challenges our students to read new meanings into familiar things and put their own spin on the language they encounter in the world around them, reinforcing the student’s grasp on poetic conventions.

2. Story Chains

The Purpose: Writing is often thought of as a solitary pursuit. For this reason alone, it can be seen as a particularly unattractive activity by many of our more gregarious students. This fun activity exercises students’ understanding of writing structures and engages them in fun, creative collaboration.

The Process: Each student starts with a blank paper and pen. The teacher writes a story prompt on the whiteboard. You’ll find some excellent narrative writing prompts here . For example, each student spends two minutes using the writing prompt to kick-start their writing.

When they have completed this part of the task, they will then pass their piece of paper to the student next to them. Students then continue the story from where the previous student left off for a given number of words, paragraphs, or length of time.

If organized correctly, you can ensure students receive their own initial story back at the end for the writing of the story’s conclusion .

The Prize: This fun writing activity can be used effectively to reinforce student understanding of narrative writing structures, but it can also be fun to try with other writing genres.

Working collaboratively motivates students to engage with the task, as no one wants to be the ‘weak link’ in the finished piece. But, more than that, this activity encourages students to see writing as a communicative and creative task where there needn’t be a ‘right’ answer. This encourages students to be more willing to take creative risks in their work.

3. Acrostic Associations

Writing Activities, fun writing | acrostic poems for teachers and students | 10 fun writing activities for the reluctant writer | literacyideas.com

The Purpose: This is another great way to get students to try writing poetry – a genre that many students find the most daunting.

The Process: Acrostics are simple poems whereby each letter of a word or phrase begins a new line in the poem. Younger students can start off with something very simple, like their own name or their favorite pet and write this vertically down the page.

Older students can take a word or phrase related to a topic they have been working on or have a particular interest in and write it down on the page before beginning to write.

The Prize: This activity has much in common with the old psychiatrist’s word association technique. Students should be encouraged to riff on ideas and themes generated by the focus word or phrase. They needn’t worry about rhyme and meter and such here, but the preset letter for each line will give them some structure to their meanderings and require them to impose some discipline on their wordsmithery, albeit in a fun and loose manner.

4. The What If Challenge

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The Purpose: This challenge helps encourage students to see the link between posing interesting hypothetical questions and creating an entertaining piece of writing.

The Process: To begin this exercise, have the students come up with a single What If question, which they can then write down on a piece of paper. The more off-the-wall, the better!

For example, ‘What if everyone in the world knew what you were thinking?’ or ‘What if your pet dog could talk?’ Students fold up their questions and drop them into a hat. Each student picks one out of the hat before writing on that question for a suitable set amount of time.

Example What If Questions

“What if you woke up one day and found out that you had the power to time travel?”
“What if you were the last person on Earth? How would you spend your time?”
“What if you were granted three wishes, but each one came with a terrible consequence?”
“What if you discovered a secret portal to another world? Where would you go, and what would you do?”
“What if you woke up one day with the ability to communicate with animals? How would your life change?”

The Prize: Students are most likely to face the terror of the dreaded Writer’s Block when they are faced with open-ended creative writing tasks.

This activity encourages the students to see the usefulness of posing hypothetical What If questions, even random off-the-wall ones, for kick-starting their writing motors.

Though students begin by answering the questions set for them by others, please encourage them to see how they can set these questions for themselves the next time they suffer from a stalled writing engine.

5. The Most Disgusting Sandwich in the World

Writing Activities, fun writing | disgusting sandwich writing task | 10 fun writing activities for the reluctant writer | literacyideas.com

The Purpose: Up until now, we have looked at activities encouraging our students to have fun with genres such as fiction and poetry. These genres being imaginative in nature, more easily lend themselves to being enjoyable than some of the nonfiction genres.

But what about descriptive writing activities? In this activity, we endeavor to bring that same level of enjoyment to instruction writing while also cleverly reinforcing the criteria of this genre.

The Process: Undoubtedly, when teaching instruction writing, you will at some point cover the specific criteria of the genre with your students.

These will include things like the use of a title, numbered or bulleted points, time connectives, imperatives, diagrams with captions etc. You will then want the students to produce their own piece of instruction writing or procedural text to display their understanding of how the genre works.

But, why not try a fun topic such as How to Make the Most Disgusting Sandwich in the World rather than more obvious (and drier!) topics such as How to Tie Your Shoelaces or How to Make a Paper Airplane when choosing a topic for your students to practice their instruction writing chops?

Example of a Most Disgusting Sandwich Text

The Prize: As mentioned, with nonfiction genres, in particular, we tend to suggest more banal topics for our students to work on while internalizing the genre’s criteria. Enjoyment and acquiring practical writing skills need not be mutually exclusive.

Our students can just as quickly, if not more easily, absorb and internalize the necessary writing conventions while engaged in writing about whimsical and even nonsensical topics.

if your sandwich is entering the realm of horror, be sure to check our complete guide to writing a scary story here as well.

Daily Quick Writes For All Text Types

Our FUN DAILY QUICK WRITE TASKS will teach your students the fundamentals of CREATIVE WRITING across all text types. Packed with 52 ENGAGING ACTIVITIES

6. Diary Entry of a Future Self

Writing Activities, fun writing | future self writing task | 10 fun writing activities for the reluctant writer | literacyideas.com

The Purpose: This activity allows students to practice personal writing within diary/journal writing conventions. It also challenges them to consider what their world will be like in the future, perhaps stepping a foot into the realm of science fiction.

The Process: Straightforwardly, after working through some examples of diary or journal writing, and reviewing the various criteria of the genre, challenge the students to write an entry at a given milestone in the future.

This may be when they leave school, begin work, go to university, get married, have kids, retire, etc. You may even wish to get the students to write an entry for a series of future milestones as part of a more extended project.

Example of Message to Future Me Text

The Prize: Students will get a chance here to exercise their understanding of this type of writing , but more than that, they will also get an opportunity to exercise their imaginative muscles too. They will get to consider what shape their future world will take in this engaging thought experiment that will allow them to improve their writing too.

7. Comic Strip Script

The Purpose: Give your students the chance to improve their dialogue writing skills and work on their understanding of character development in this fun activity which combines writing with a series of visual elements.

The Process: There are two ways to do this activity. The first requires you to source or create a comic strip without the dialogue the characters are speaking. This may be as straightforward as using whiteout to erase the words in speech bubbles and making copies for your students to complete.

Alternatively, provide the students with photographs/pictures and strips of cards to form their action sequences . When students have their ‘mute’ strips, they can begin to write the dialogue/script to link the panels together.

The Prize: When it comes to writing, comic strips are probably one of the easier sells to reluctant students! This activity also allows students to write for speech. This will stand to them later when they come to produce sections of dialogue in their narrative writing or when producing play or film scripts.

They will also develop their visual literacy skills as they scan the pictures for clues of tone and context before they begin their writing.

Keep It Fun

Just as we should encourage our students to read for fun and wider educational benefits, we should also work to instil similar attitudes towards writing. To do this means we must work to avoid always framing writing in the context of a chore, that bitter pill that must be swallowed for the good of our health.

There is no getting away from the fact that writing can, at times, be laborious. It is time-consuming and, for most of us, difficult at the best of times. There is a certain, inescapable amount of work involved in becoming a competent writer.

That said, as we have seen in the activities above, with a bit of creative thought, we can inject fun into even the most practical of writing activities . All that is required is a dash of imagination and a sprinkling of effort.

8. Character Interviews

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The Purpose: Character interviews as writing activities are excellent for students because they encourage creative thinking, character development, and empathy. The purpose of this activity is to help students delve deeper into the minds of the characters they are creating in their stories or reading about in literature. By conducting interviews with these characters, students gain a better understanding of their personalities, motivations, and perspectives.

The Process of character interviews involves students imagining themselves as interviewers and their characters as interviewees. They can either write out the questions and answers in a script-like format or write a narrative where the character responds to the questions in their own voice.

The Prize: Through character interviews, students learn several valuable skills:

Character Development: By exploring various aspects of their characters’ lives, backgrounds, and experiences, students can develop more well-rounded and authentic characters in their stories. This helps make their fictional creations more relatable and engaging to readers.
Empathy and Perspective: Conducting interviews requires students to put themselves in their characters’ shoes, considering their thoughts, emotions, and struggles. This cultivates empathy and a deeper understanding of human behavior, which can be applied to real-life situations as well.
Voice and Dialogue: In crafting the character’s responses, students practice writing authentic dialogue and giving their characters unique voices. This skill is valuable for creating dynamic and believable interactions between characters in their stories.
Creative Expression: Character interviews provide a creative outlet for students to let their imaginations run wild. They can explore scenarios that may not appear in the main story and discover new aspects of their characters they might not have considered before.
Critical Thinking: Formulating questions for the interview requires students to think critically about their characters’ personalities and backgrounds. This exercise enhances their analytical skills and storytelling abilities.

Overall, character interviews are a dynamic and enjoyable way for students to delve deeper into the worlds they create or the literature they read. It nurtures creativity, empathy, and writing skills, empowering students to become more proficient and imaginative writers.

9. The Travel Journal

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The Purpose: Travel journal writing tasks are excellent for students as they offer a unique and immersive way to foster creativity, cultural awareness, and descriptive writing skills. The purpose of this activity is to allow students to embark on a fictional or real travel adventure, exploring new places, cultures, and experiences through the eyes of a traveller.

The process of a travel journal writing task involves students assuming the role of a traveler and writing about their journey in a journal format. They can describe the sights, sounds, tastes, and emotions they encounter during their travels. This activity encourages students to use vivid language, sensory details, and expressive writing to bring their travel experiences to life.

The Prize: Through travel journal writing tasks, students will learn several valuable skills:

Descriptive Writing: By describing their surroundings and experiences in detail, students enhance their descriptive writing skills, creating engaging and vivid narratives.
Cultural Awareness: Travel journals encourage students to explore different cultures, customs, and traditions. This helps broaden their understanding and appreciation of diversity.
Empathy and Perspective: Through writing from the perspective of a traveler, students develop empathy and gain insight into the lives of people from different backgrounds.
Research Skills: For fictional travel journals, students might research specific locations or historical periods to make their narratives more authentic and accurate.
Reflection and Self-Expression: Travel journals offer a space for students to reflect on their own emotions, thoughts, and personal growth as they encounter new experiences.
Creativity and Imagination: For fictional travel adventures, students get to unleash their creativity and imagination, envisioning fantastical places and scenarios.
Language and Vocabulary: Travel journal writing tasks allow students to expand their vocabulary and experiment with expressive language.

Overall, travel journal writing tasks inspire students to become more observant, empathetic, and skilled writers. They transport them to new worlds and foster a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around them. Whether writing about real or imaginary journeys, students develop a deeper connection to the places they encounter, making this activity both educational and enjoyable.

10. The Fairy Tale Remix

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The Purpose: A fairy tale remix writing activity is a fantastic creative exercise for students as it allows them to put a unique spin on classic fairy tales, fostering imagination, critical thinking, and storytelling skills. This activity encourages students to think outside the box, reinterpret well-known tales, and explore their creative potential by transforming traditional narratives into something entirely new and exciting.

The process of a fairy tale remix writing activity involves students selecting a familiar fairy tale and altering key elements such as characters, settings, plot twists, or outcomes. They can modernize the story, change the genre, or even mix different fairy tales together to create a wholly original piece.

The Prize: Through this activity, students will learn several valuable skills:

Creative Thinking: Students exercise their creativity by brainstorming unique concepts and ideas to remix the fairy tales, encouraging them to think imaginatively.
Critical Analysis: Analyzing the original fairy tale to identify essential elements to keep and areas to remix helps students develop critical thinking skills and understand storytelling structures.
Writing Techniques: Crafting a remix requires students to use descriptive language, engaging dialogue, and well-developed characters, helping them hone their writing techniques.
Perspective and Empathy: Remixing fairy tales allows students to explore different character perspectives, promoting empathy and understanding of diverse points of view.
Genre Exploration: Remixing fairy tales can introduce students to various genres like science fiction, fantasy, or mystery, expanding their literary horizons.
Originality: Creating their own narrative twists and unexpected plots encourages students to take ownership of their writing and develop a unique voice.
Storytelling: Students learn the art of compelling storytelling as they weave together familiar elements with innovative ideas, captivating their readers.

By remixing fairy tales, students embark on a creative journey that empowers them to reimagine well-loved stories while honing their writing skills and imaginative prowess. It’s an engaging and enjoyable way for students to connect with literature, explore new possibilities, and showcase their storytelling talents.

Top 5 Tips for Teaching Engaging Creative Writing Lessons

Teaching creative writing can be a thrilling discovery journey for students and educators alike. To foster a love for storytelling and unleash the imaginative prowess of your students, here are five engaging tips for your creative writing lessons:

1. Embrace Playfulness : Encourage a spirit of playfulness and experimentation in your classroom. Encourage students to explore unconventional ideas, characters, and settings. Use fun writing prompts like “What if animals could talk?” or “Imagine a world where gravity is reversed.”

2. Incorporate Visual Stimuli : Visual aids can be powerful creative catalysts. Show intriguing images or short videos to spark students’ imaginations. Ask them to describe what they see, then guide them to weave stories around these visuals. This approach can lead to unexpected and captivating narratives.

3. Encourage Peer Collaboration : Foster community and collaboration among your students. Organize group writing activities where students can brainstorm, share ideas, and build upon each other’s stories. This not only enhances creativity but also promotes teamwork and communication skills.

4. Explore Different Genres : Introduce students to various writing genres—fantasy and science fiction to mystery and historical fiction. Let them experiment with different styles and find what resonates most with their interests. Exposing students to diverse genres can broaden their horizons and inspire fresh ideas.

5. Celebrate Individuality : Encourage students to infuse unique experiences and perspectives into their writing. Provide opportunities for them to write about topics that are meaningful to them. Celebrate their voices and help them discover the power of their narratives.

Remember, the key to teaching creative writing is to create a supportive and inspiring environment where students feel empowered to take risks and explore the limitless possibilities of storytelling. By embracing these tips, you can transform your classroom into a vibrant imagination and literary exploration hub. Happy writing!

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11+ creative writing guide with 50 example topics and prompts

by Hayley | Nov 17, 2022 | Exams , Writing | 0 comments

The 11+ exam is a school entrance exam taken in the academic year that a child in the UK turns eleven.

These exams are highly competitive, with multiple students battling for each school place awarded.

The 11 plus exam isn’t ‘one thing’, it varies in its structure and composition across the country. A creative writing task is included in nearly all of the 11 plus exams, and parents are often confused about what’s being tested.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that the plot of your child’s writing task is important. It is not.

The real aim of the 11+ creative writing task is to showcase your child’s writing skills and techniques.

And that’s why preparation is so important.

This guide begins by answering all the FAQs that parents have about the 11+ creative writing task.

At the end of the article I give my best tips & strategies for preparing your child for the 11+ creative writing task , along with 50 fiction and non-fiction creative writing prompts from past papers you can use to help your child prepare. You’ll also want to check out my 11+ reading list , because great readers turn into great writers.

Do all 11+ exams include a writing task?

Not every 11+ exam includes a short story component, but many do. Usually 3 to 5 different prompts are given for the child to choose between and they are not always ‘creative’ (fiction) pieces. One or more non-fiction options might be given for children who prefer writing non-fiction to fiction.

Timings and marking vary from test to test. For example, the Kent 11+ Test gives students 10 minutes for planning followed by 30 minutes for writing. The Medway 11+ Test gives 60 minutes for writing with ‘space allowed’ on the answer booklet for planning.

Tasks vary too. In the Kent Test a handful of stimuli are given, whereas 11+ students in Essex are asked to produce two individually set paragraphs. The Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CCSE) includes 2 creative writing paragraphs inside a 60-minute English exam.

Throughout the UK each 11+ exam has a different set of timings and papers based around the same themes. Before launching into any exam preparation it is essential to know the content and timing of your child’s particular writing task.

However varied and different these writing tasks might seem, there is one key element that binds them.

The mark scheme.

Although we can lean on previous examples to assess how likely a short story or a non-fiction tasks will be set, it would be naïve to rely completely on the content of past papers. Contemporary 11+ exams are designed to be ‘tutor-proof’ – meaning that the exam boards like to be unpredictable.

In my online writing club for kids , we teach a different task each week (following a spiral learning structure based on 10 set tasks). One task per week is perfected as the student moves through the programme of content, and one-to-one expert feedback ensures progression. This equips our writing club members to ‘write effectively for a range of purposes’ as stated in the English schools’ teacher assessment framework.

This approach ensures that students approaching a highly competitive entrance exam will be confident of the mark scheme (and able to meet its demands) for any task set.

Will my child have a choice of prompts to write from or do they have to respond to a single prompt, without a choice?

This varies. In the Kent Test there are usually 5 options given. The purpose is to gather a writing sample from each child in case of a headteacher appeal. A range of options should allow every child to showcase what they can do.

In Essex, two prescriptive paragraphs are set as part of an hour-long English paper that includes comprehension and vocabulary work. In Essex, there is no option to choose the subject matter.

The Medway Test just offers a single prompt for a whole hour of writing. Sometimes it is a creative piece. Recently it was a marketing leaflet.

The framework for teaching writing in English schools demands that in order to ‘exceed expectations’ or better, achieve ‘greater depth’, students need to be confident writing for a multitude of different purposes.

In what circumstances is a child’s creative writing task assessed?

In Essex (east of the UK) the two prescriptive writing tasks are found inside the English exam paper. They are integral to the exam and are assessed as part of this.

In Medway (east Kent in the South East) the writing task is marked and given a raw score. This is then adjusted for age and double counted. Thus, the paper is crucial to a pass.

In the west of the county of Kent there is a different system. The Kent Test has a writing task that is only marked in appeal cases. If a child dips below the passmark their school is allowed to put together a ‘headteacher’s appeal’. At this point – before the score is communicated to the parent (and probably under cover of darkness) the writing sample is pulled out of a drawer and assessed.

I’ve been running 11+ tutor clubs for years. Usually about 1% of my students passed at headteacher’s appeal.

Since starting the writing club, however, the number of students passing at appeal has gone up considerably. In recent years it’s been more like 5% of students passing on the strength of their writing sample.

What are the examiners looking for when they’re marking a student’s creative writing?

In England, the government has set out a framework for marking creative writing. There are specific ‘pupil can’ statements to assess whether a student is ‘working towards the expected standard,’ ‘working at the expected standard’ or ‘working at greater depth’.

Members of the headteacher panel assessing the writing task are given a considerable number of samples to assess at one time. These expert teachers have a clear understanding of the framework for marking, but will not be considering or discussing every detail of the writing sample as you might expect.

Schools are provided with a report after the samples have been assessed. This is very brief indeed. Often it will simply say ‘lack of precise vocabulary’ or ‘confused paragraphing.’

So there is no mark scheme as such. They won’t be totting up your child’s score to see if they have reached a given target. They are on the panel because of their experience, and they have a short time to make an instant judgement.

Does handwriting matter?

Handwriting is assessed in primary schools. Thus it is an element of the assessment framework the panel uses as a basis for their decision.

If the exam is very soon, then don’t worry if your child is not producing immaculate, cursive handwriting. The focus should simply be on making it well-formed and legible. Every element of the assessment framework does not need to be met and legible writing will allow the panel to read the content with ease.

Improve presentation quickly by offering a smooth rollerball pen instead of a pencil. Focus on fixing individual letters and praising your child for any hint of effort. The two samples below are from the same boy a few months apart. Small changes have transformed the look and feel:

11+ handwriting sample from a student before handwriting tutoring

Sample 1: First piece of work when joining the writing club

Cursive handwriting sample of a boy preparing for the 11+ exam after handwriting tutoring.

Sample 2: This is the same boy’s improved presentation and content

How long should the short story be.

First, it is not a short story as such—it is a writing sample. Your child needs to showcase their skills but there are no extra marks for finishing (or marks deducted for a half-finished piece).

For a half hour task, you should prepare your child to produce up to 4 paragraphs of beautifully crafted work. Correct spelling and proper English grammar is just the beginning. Each paragraph should have a different purpose to showcase the breadth and depth of their ability. A longer – 60 minute – task might have 5 paragraphs but rushing is to be discouraged. Considered and interesting paragraphs are so valuable, a shorter piece would be scored more highly than a rushed and dull longer piece.

I speak from experience. A while ago now I was a marker for Key Stage 2 English SATs Papers (taken in Year 6 at 11 years old). Hundreds of scripts were deposited on my doorstep each morning by DHL. There was so much work for me to get through that I came to dread long, rambling creative pieces. Some children can write pages and pages of repetitive nothingness. Ever since then, I have looked for crafted quality and am wary of children judging their own success by the number of lines competed.

Take a look at the piece of writing below. It’s an excellent example of a well-crafted piece.

Each paragraph is short, but the writer is skilful.

He used rich and precisely chosen vocabulary, he’s broken the text into natural paragraphs, and in the second paragraph he is beginning to vary his sentence openings. There is a sense of control to the sentences – the sentence structure varies with shorter and longer examples to manage tension. It is exciting to read, with a clear awareness of his audience. Punctuation is accurate and appropriate.

Example of a high-scoring writing sample for the UK 11+ exam—notice the varied sentence structures, excellent use of figurative language, and clear paragraphing technique.

11+ creative writing example story

How important is it to revise for a creative writing task.

It is important.

Every student should go into their 11+ writing task with a clear paragraph plan secured. As each paragraph has a separate purpose – to showcase a specific skill – the plan should reflect this. Built into the plan is a means of flexing it, to alter the order of the paragraphs if the task demands it. There’s no point having a Beginning – Middle – End approach, as there’s nothing useful there to guide the student to the mark scheme.

Beyond this, my own students have created 3 – 5 stories that fit the same tight plan. However, the setting, mood and action are all completely different. This way a bank of rich vocabulary has already been explored and a technique or two of their own that fits the piece beautifully. These can be drawn upon on the day to boost confidence and give a greater sense of depth and consideration to their timed sample.

Preparation, rather than revision in its classic form, is the best approach. Over time, even weeks or months before the exam itself, contrasting stories are written, improved upon, typed up and then tweaked further as better ideas come to mind. Each of these meets the demands of the mark scheme (paragraphing, varied sentence openings, rich vocabulary choices, considered imagery, punctuation to enhance meaning, development of mood etc).

To ensure your child can write confidently at and above the level expected of them, drop them into my weekly weekly online writing club for the 11+ age group . The club marking will transform their writing, and quickly.

What is the relationship between the English paper and the creative writing task?

Writing is usually marked separately from any comprehension or grammar exercises in your child’s particular 11+ exam. Each exam board (by area/school) adapts the arrangement to suit their needs. Some have a separate writing test, others build it in as an element of their English paper (usually alongside a comprehension, punctuation and spelling exercise).

Although there is no creative writing task in the ISEB Common Pre-test, those who are not offered an immediate place at their chosen English public school are often invited back to complete a writing task at a later date. Our ISEB Common Pre-test students join the writing club in the months before the exam, first to tidy up the detail and second to extend the content.

What if my child has a specific learning difficulty (dyslexia, ADD/ADHD, ASD)?

Most exam boards pride themselves on their inclusivity. They will expect you to have a formal report from a qualified professional at the point of registration for the test. This needs to be in place and the recommendations will be considered by a panel. If your child needs extra arrangements on the day they may be offered (it isn’t always the case). More importantly, if they drop below a pass on one or more papers you will have a strong case for appeal.

Children with a specific learning difficulty often struggle with low confidence in their work and low self-esteem. The preparations set out above, and a kids writing club membership will allow them to go into the exam feeling positive and empowered. If they don’t achieve a pass at first, the writing sample will add weight to their appeal.

Tips and strategies for writing a high-scoring creative writing paper

Read widely for pleasure. Read aloud to your child if they are reluctant.
Create a strong paragraph plan where each paragraph has a distinct purpose.
Using the list of example questions below, discuss how each could be written in the form of your paragraph plan.
Write 3-5 stories with contrasting settings and action – each one must follow your paragraph plan. Try to include examples of literary devices and figurative language (metaphor, simile) but avoid clichés.
Tidy up your presentation. Write with a good rollerball pen on A4 lined paper with a printed margin. Cross out with a single horizontal line and banish doodling or scribbles.
Join the writing club for a 20-minute Zoom task per week with no finishing off or homework. An expert English teacher will mark the work personally on video every Friday and your child’s writing will be quickly transformed.

Pressed for time? Here’s a paragraph plan to follow.

At Griffin Teaching we have an online writing club for students preparing for the 11 plus creative writing task . We’ve seen first-hand what a difference just one or two months of weekly practice can make.

That said, we know that a lot of people reading this page are up against a hard deadline with an 11+ exam date fast approaching.

If that’s you (or your child), what you need is a paragraph plan.

Here’s one tried-and-true paragraph plan that we teach in our clubs. Use this as you work your way through some of the example prompts below.

11+ creative writing paragraph plan

Paragraph 1—description.

Imagine standing in the location and describe what is above the main character, what is below their feet, what is to their left and right, and what is in the distance. Try to integrate frontend adverbials into this paragraph (frontend adverbials are words or phrases used at the beginning of a sentence to describe what follows—e.g. When the fog lifted, he saw… )

Paragraph 2—Conversation

Create two characters who have different roles (e.g. site manager and student, dog walker and lost man) and write a short dialogue between them. Use what we call the “sandwich layout,” where the first person says something and you describe what they are doing while they are saying it. Add in further descriptions (perhaps of the person’s clothing or expression) before starting a new line where the second character gives a simple answer and you provide details about what the second character is doing as they speak.

Paragraph 3—Change the mood

Write three to four sentences that change the mood of the writing sample from light to gloomy or foreboding. You could write about a change in the weather or a change in the lighting of the scene. Another approach is to mention how a character reacts to the change in mood, for example by pulling their coat collar up to their ears.

Paragraph 4—Shock your reader

A classic approach is to have your character die unexpectedly in the final sentence. Or maybe the ceiling falls?

11+ creative writing questions from real papers—fictional prompts

The day the storm came
The day the weather changed
The snowstorm
The rainy day
A sunny day out
A foggy (or misty) day
A day trip to remember
The first day
The day everything changed
The mountain
The hillside
The old house
The balloon
The old man
The accident
The unfamiliar sound
A weekend away
Moving house
A family celebration
An event you remember from when you were young
An animal attack
The school playground at night
The lift pinged and the door opened. I could not believe what was inside…
“Run!” he shouted as he thundered across the sand…
It was getting late as I dug in my pocket for the key to the door. “Hurry up!” she shouted from inside.
I know our back garden very well, but I was surprised how different it looked at midnight…
The red button on the wall has a sign on it saying, ‘DO NOT TOUCH.’ My little sister leant forward and hit it hard with her hand. What happened next?
Digging down into the soft earth, the spade hit something metal…
Write a story which features the stopping of time.
Write a story which features an unusual method of transport.
The cry in the woods
Write a story which features an escape

11+ creative writing questions from real papers—non-fiction prompts

Write a thank you letter for a present you didn’t want.
You are about to interview someone for a job. Write a list of questions you would like to ask the applicant.
Write a letter to complain about the uniform at your school.
Write a leaflet to advertise your home town.
Write a thank you letter for a holiday you didn’t enjoy.
Write a letter of complaint to the vet after an unfortunate incident in the waiting room.
Write a set of instructions explaining how to make toast.
Describe the room you are in.
Describe a person who is important to you.
Describe your pet or an animal you know well.

20 Creative Writing Activities for Elementary Students

By andy minshew.

November 23, 2021

Did you know that November is National Novel Writing Month? While your young learners are probably not ready to write an entire book, this month is a great time to practice creative writing skills with your students. Not only can creative writing be helpful for teaching vocabulary and sentence structure, but it can also encourage students to use imaginative thinkin g —and even find a genuine love of writing!

All of these 20 creative writing activities can be used with elementary school students to practice reading and writing skills. We’ve included options for both early elementary students, who may still be learning to write, and elementary students in upper grades who are ready to work on projects of their choosing.

1. Join the NaNoWriMo organization’s Young Writers Program (YWP) ! Together, your students can work on all sorts of age-appropriate writing challenges and activities throughout the year—including a project of their choice in November!

2. To practice pre-writing skills and collaborating on a project, try these shared writing project activities .

3. If you have any budding cartoonists in your class, this Finish the Comic activity from author Jarrett Lerner can be a great way for younger students to practice writing dialogue.

4. Teach your students about adjectives and writing descriptions with this Popcorn Adjectives activity .

5. Students can learn about creative writing by studying imagery and poetry by established authors. Using this writing worksheet , kids can write out their thoughts about a poem and draw images that stand out to them.

6. To teach creative thinking skills with kindergarteners and early elementary students, try this Mystery Seed writing activity .

7. Get families involved, too! Share these fun home writing activities with your student’s families to help them practice at home.

8. Print out and put together a Writing Jar with tons of creative writing prompts to inspire your students.

9. Check out this resource for even more writing prompts focused on imaginative thinking.

10. Try blackout poetry , an activity that encourages students to make their own beautiful art from a work that already exists.

11. Creative writing isn’t limited to fiction. This narrative writing activity can teach students to write events clearly and in sequence from their real life.

12. For a creative writing project that’s just plain fun, try this Roll a Story activity.

13. This nonfiction project helps children learn to write a letter as they write to a loved one of their choice.

14. If you want to give your students some freedom in choosing a writing assignment, hang up this Writing Prompt Choice Board in your classroom and let them answer whichever prompt they’d like!

15. Encourage students to keep their own journal throughout the year. You could even give them time each morning to respond to a journal prompt .

16. Use this journal page template to help students structure and compile journal entries.

17. These printable Mad Libs can teach children different parts of a sentence while they use their imaginations to create a story.

18. Use this What? So What? Now What? exercise (#6 at the link) to help students structure their creative writing projects.

19. To teach children how to create descriptive sentences, play this Show, Don’t Tell writing activity .

20. If you’d like to hold a month-long creative writing activity, try this 30-Day Writing Challenge for kids .

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51 Creative Writing Activities For The Classroom: Comics, Prompts, Games, And Pretend Play

January 4, 2024 // by Milka Kariuki

Creative writing can be tough for learners of any age. From knowing where to start to establishing the vocabulary to develop their story, there are a bunch of different skills they’ll need to perfect their creative writing pieces. There are so many creative writing activities out there, but which ones are best for your kiddos? Our list of 51 creative writing activities is the perfect place to start looking if you’ve got a creative writing unit coming up! Read on and see which ones might grab your little writers’ attention!

1. Make Your Own Comic Books

We bet your kiddos just love comic books! Let them create their very own in the style of the super popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid books! Encourage your students to come up with their own plot, dialogue, and illustrations to spark their creativity. Even your most reluctant writers will love this fun activity!

Learn More: Puffin Schools

2. Mad Libs

Using Mad Libs is a super popular way to develop your little creative writers! Use these free printables to get their creative juices flowing as they try to come up with words to fill the gaps to create weird and wonderful new stories. The best thing is that you can use these printables as many times as you like as their answers will be different each time!

Learn More: Teacher Vision

3. Flash Fiction

Flash fiction is a fantastic way to get your kiddies writing creatively while keeping things short and sweet! Use the range you prompts included in this resource to challenge them to write a creative story in less than 100 words. Flash fiction is amazing because your students won’t be overwhelmed by a huge writing task and it also means that your more confident writers will need to focus on the quality of their work, not the quantity!

Learn More: TES

4. Write a Story Based on the Ending

Test your students’ creativity by providing them with writing prompts that start at the end! In backward story writing, your budding writers will need to plan and pen a story that eventually leads to the ending you give them. This idea is a fantastic way to turn your traditional creative writing lesson on its head and in many ways take the pressure off your kids, as ending their stories is often the most difficult part for them!

Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers

5. Found Poetry

Your learners will love this fun and creative found poetry activity. You can encourage them to collect words or a group of words from a favorite story or song then write them on a piece of paper or cut them out of a printed page. The overall goal is to have them rearrange the words differently to make an interesting poem with a unique writing style or genre!

Learn More: Homeschooling Ideas

6. Picture Dictionary

A picture dictionary is a brilliant way to support every member of your younger elementary class in their creative writing. The words paired with pictures give your writers a ‘dictionary’ that they can use pretty independently, so your less confident writers or non-native English-speaking students can still access your writing lessons!

Learn More: Twinkl

7. Creative Journal Writing

Why not start a creative journal with your kiddos? Have them engage in daily journaling activities by giving them a different creative prompt each day. For instance, write a story about what would happen if dogs took over the world or what would you do if you were the security guard at a zoo and someone stole an animal? The fun is never-ending with these prompts!

Learn More: Think Written

8. Roll a Story

Roll-a-Story is one of the best ways to help any of your kids who are suffering from a bout of writer’s block! They’ll roll the dice to discover the character, setting, and problem for their story then set to work weaving their creative tale! It could be a story about a wise doctor being chased by a mysterious creature in a casino, or maybe a rich artist losing their wallet in a library. Then it’s up to your students to fill in the gaps!

Learn More: TPT

9. Pass-it-on Story Writing

There’s no telling quite where this fun writing game will end up! Start by writing the first sentence of a story on a piece of paper then pass it around your class, having your kids come up with a sentence that continues the story. The paper is then passed around the whole class until every student has contributed. Finally, once it makes its way back to you, read out your collaborative story to the whole class!

Learn More: Minds In Bloom

10. Picture Writing Prompts

Creative writing prompts activities test not only your little ones’ imaginations but also their ability to craft a story and dialogue from that. Display an intriguing picture prompt for your class and have a discussion about it, recording their ideas. You could discuss what the person or animal in the picture is doing or what they’re thinking, where they think the picture was taken, and much more. They can use your collective notes to inspire their story!

Learn More: Pandora Post

11. What’s the Question?

What’s the Question is a simple, yet super engaging game that requires your young learners to think creatively. Spark their creativity by writing an answer on the whiteboard such as “the moon would explode,” and task your kiddos with coming up with a question to match it. There’ll be lots of laughs as everyone shares what they came up with!

Learn More: That Afterschool Life

12. Creative Writing Printables

This website is absolutely full of quick and fun graphics for children that’ll encourage their creative writing! The cute graphics and simple directions make it an easy bellringer activity for your writing class. Just print out some of these cool sheets and let your students get creative as they write thank-you notes to helpful heroes or finish little cartoon comics!

Learn More: Jarrett Lerner

13. Paint Chip Poetry

Nothing says creative writing quite like figurative language! Grab some of these free paint swatches from your local home improvement store and have your students create metaphors about their chosen color! We love this low-prep activity as once your kids have finished their poems, they’re a ready-made multi-colored display that’ll brighten the walls of your classroom!

Learn More: Fabulous In Fifth

14. Story Storm Activities

Once again, these Jarrett Lerner activities do not disappoint! Your students will have a blast pretending they are the principal for a day and they’ll get to create their very own rules for the school. Not only will this be an engaging writing exercise that we’re sure they’ll love getting creative with, but it also challenges children to think about why rules in school are important.

Learn More: Tara Lazar

15. Story Bag

Story bags are a fantastic way to destroy any kind of writer’s block! Grab an assortment of random objects from your home or classroom and pop them into the story bag. Next, gather your students around and pull out all the objects in the bag. Can they then write a story connecting all the items? Be sure to leave time to let them share their stories at the end of the lesson!

Learn More: Life Hack

16. Change the Ending

An easy way to ease your kiddos into the writing process is by having them rewrite part of a story. Grab their favorite read-aloud, and challenge them to come up with a new ending! They’ll need to finish the story in a way that makes sense, but aside from that, they can be as creative as they like! Your reluctant readers will like this one as much of the work on setting and characters has already been done!

Learn More: Make Beliefs Comix

17. Plot Twist Writing Prompts

BUT WAIT – there’s a twist…This fun writing practice is perfect for older middle or high school but could also be simplified for younger students. Write these twist prompts on notecards and have your kids draw one each before letting them go off and write a story around their chosen twist! They’ll be eager to share their finished work with classmates at the end. After all, who doesn’t love a good plot twist?

Learn More: Pinterest

18. Craft Box Craft

Every kid loves the book The Day the Crayons Quit for its creative narrative about this familiar box of coloring supplies! This extension activity rolls art and creative writing into one! Your students will have fun coming up with dialogue for each of the different crayons and you could even make it into a fun display for your classroom walls!

Learn More: Buggy And Buddy

19. Dialogue Pictures

Personalizing writing activities always makes it more engaging for kids! Print out a picture of yourself with a blank speech bubble, and model how to add in some dialogue. Then, let your kiddos practice speech bubbling with a photo of themselves, a pet, or a favorite celebrity, and have them come up with some interesting things for each of their subjects to say!

Learn More: SSS Teaching

20. Figurative Language Tasting

Your students will be creative writers in no time after practicing their figurative language with food tasting! Not only do tasty treats make this activity incredibly fun, but it also brings the writing process of metaphors and hyperbole to life. Just give each of your kids a few pieces of candy or snacks, and have them practice writing figures of speech relating to each one! They’ll have the words on the tip of their tongue- literally!

Learn More: It’s Lit Teaching

21. Explode the Moment

One of my favorite writing concepts as a teacher is ‘exploding the moment’. This method is perfect for showing your kiddies that even the smallest moment can be turned into an imaginative, descriptive story! Start by having them brainstorm some ideas and expand on tiny memories like losing a tooth, getting a pet, or making a winning goal in a soccer game!

Learn More: Raise The Bar Reading

22. Round-Robin Storytelling

Round-robin storytelling is the perfect collaborative creative writing activity! This one can be done verbally or in writing, and it challenges your class to build a story using a given set of words. They’ll have a fun and challenging time figuring out how to incorporate each piece into one cohesive story.

Learn More: Random Acts Of Kindness

23. Acrostic Poems

Acrostic poetry is one of the least intimidating creative writing exercises as there are no rules other than starting each line with the letter from a word. Challenge your kiddies to use each letter in their name to write lines of poetry about themselves, or they could choose to write about their favorite food or animal!

Learn More: Surfin’ Through Second

24. Sentence Sticks

This exercise requires minimal prep and can be used in so many different ways. All you’ll need are some craft sticks in which you will write sentences with blanks and word banks. Your young writers can then pull a stick and fill in the blanks to practice creative thinking! Task them with a different goal each time; can they make the sentence silly or sad for example?

Learn More: Liz’s Early Learning Spot

25. Conversation Prompts

These fun prompts require your kids to think creatively and answer a range of interesting questions. They’ll be excited to write stories about waking up with a mermaid tail or describe what is in a mystery package delivered to their doorstep! These creative prompts are perfect for bellringers or transitions throughout the school day!

Learn More: Twitter

26. Pretend Play Writing

Do you remember playing with fake money and fake food when you were younger? This idea takes it a step further by incorporating some writing practice! All you’ll have to do is print the templates for dollars, shopping lists, and recipes then let your little learners have fun with these play-pretend writing ideas!

Learn More: Prekinders

27. Question Cubes

Your class will be on a roll with these amazing question cubes! Whether the cubes are used for responding to a story, brainstorming the plot of a story, or practicing speech and listening, they are an easy, affordable tool for your little readers and writers! You can snag some foam dice at the dollar store and hot glue questions on each side to spark some creative writing ideas for your class.

Learn More: A Love 4 Teaching

28. Balderdash

Not only is Balderdash an addicting board game, but it can even be used in the classroom! Your little learners will have a blast as they create made-up, imaginative definitions for words, important people, and dates. Whoever guesses the real answer out of the mix wins the points!

Learn More: EB Academics

29. Two Sentence Horror Story

This creative writing exercise is best for older students and would be a great one to try out around Halloween! You’ll be challenging your learners to write a story that runs chills up their readers’ spines, but there’s a twist…the story can only be two sentences long! Your kiddos will love writing and sharing their writing to see who can come up with the spookiest short story!

30. Telephone Pictionary

Another game that your kids will be begging to play over and over again is telephone pictionary! The first player will write down a random phrase, and the next person must draw their interpretation of the phrase. The third player will write what they think the picture is and so on!

Learn More: Imagine Forest

31. Consequences

You need at least two players for this fun creative writing game. Each pair or group of kids will start by having one person write a random phrase and conceal it by folding the paper. Then, they pass it to the next student to fill in the blank using the prompt. Once all the blanks are filled in, let them unfold the paper and get ready to reveal some seriously silly stories!

32. Story Wands

Story wands are a fun way to have your kids respond to stories and study what makes something their favorite. Responding to what they’re reading is a super helpful exercise in preparing them for creative writing as it allows your students to connect to their favorite stories. By figuring out what elements make stories great, this is sure to help them in their own creative writing assignments!

Learn More: Little Lifelong Learners

33. The Best Part of Me

Probably my favorite creative writing activity, this one is infused with social-emotional learning and self-esteem building! Let your students get to choose their favorite physical characteristics about themselves; whether it be their eyes, hands, feet, etc. Then, they take a picture to attach to their written reasoning! Make sure to boost the creative element of this writing task by encouraging your learners to use a bunch of adjectives and some figurative language!

Learn More: Sarah Gardner Teaching

34. Me From A-Z

Challenge your kiddos to get creative by coming up with 26 different words to describe themselves! Me From A-Z gives your students the opportunity to explore who they are by coming up with words describing them in some way using each letter of the alphabet. Why not let them decorate their lists and turn them into a display celebrating the uniqueness of each of your class members?

35. How to Make Hot Chocolate

How-to writing is a great way to get the creative writing wheels turning in your kiddies’ brains! They’ll have a fun time coming up with their instructions and ways to explain how to make hot chocolate! Do they have a secret recipe that’ll make the best-ever hot cocoa!? Once they’ve written their instructions, be sure to try them out and do a taste-test of their recipes!

Learn More: Teacher Mama

36. Give Yourself a Hand

Hands up if you love this idea! For this creative writing activity, have your little ones trace their hand on a piece of paper and decorate it with accessories. Then, encourage them to write a list of all the different things they do with their hands all over their tracing! This is a great warm-up to get the creative gears turning.

Learn More: Write Now Troup

37. Word Picture Poem

A word picture poem is a fantastic way to challenge your kids to write descriptive poetry about a common object! Your little poets will learn to find beauty in ordinary things and strengthen their sensory language skills and their vocabulary. For some added fun, you can even task them with writing a short story about the item as well! The results are sure to be fun to read!

Learn More: Teaching With Terhune

38. Shape Poem

Shape poems are some of the most creative poetry as they combine words and art into one! First, your young poets can choose an object to use as their muse and lightly trace an outline onto some paper. Then, they’ll write words along the outlined shape in the form of a poem that describes the object! The result is a bunch of fun and striking poems that’ll look great displayed around your classroom!

39. Crazy Hair Poetry

Here’s another one that combines writing and art! Start by guiding your kiddos in drawing a self-portrait then adding some crazy hair by blowing watercolor paints around! After the paint dries, have your kids come up with a short but creative poem describing their hair art.

Learn More: Grade School Giggles

40. Fingerprint Poetry

Nothing is more creative than getting your kiddies to let down the barriers in their mind and tap into their stream of consciousness! Show them how to pick a topic and then let their words flow straight from mind to paper in a swirling pattern. This fingerprint idea can be used for a get-to-know-you activity as well!

Learn More: Kristen Dembroski

41. Doggie Haiku Poems

Put a fun twist on classic haiku poetry! Your students will have a paw-some time writing three-line poems about dogs which they can then illustrate afterwards! Before starting the activity, you can use Dogku by Andrew Clements as a read-aloud to get your class hooked on this idea!

Learn More: Teaching Fourth

42. Fractured Fairy Tale

Ever wondered if the Big Bad Wolf was framed? Or if Sleeping Beauty was actually a snorer? Your writers in training will have a fun time taking a classic fairytale and putting their own spin on it! Following five simple steps, your kids will be funky fairytale authors in no time!

43. Letter Writing

These creative letter-writing prompts are sure to boost your kiddies’ imaginative writing skills! Whether writing to a pen pal or a favorite celebrity, letter writing is a great way to practice handwriting, word flow, descriptive language, and communicating all rolled into one! Have your writers grab their pencils and let the creativity flow as they write fun response letters to these prompts!

44. Hersey’s Kisses Similes

Teach sensory language and similes by connecting this tasty treat with the sense of taste! Your students will have a lovely time brainstorming how chocolate connects to each of our senses and applying that knowledge by writing some sweet similies! What a fantastic way to teach them how to use these essential creative writing tools!

Learn More: Teacher By The Beach

45. Sensory Poetry

Another great way to teach sensory details is to have your learners write poems about their favorite foods! Task them with writing a line for each sense to describe the food! Everyone will be hungry after this creative writing lesson so it might be a good idea to have some snacks on hand!

Learn More: Mrs. Tice’s Class

46. Season Personification

Each season of weather has an array of characteristics making this the perfect activity to practice personification in creative writing! Allow your little writers to choose a season to write about as if it were a person with human characteristics. Winter is a no-brainer! It’s Elsa!

Learn More: Write Shop

47. Class Book of Character Traits

To be creative writers, your kids need to know how to create realistic characters for their stories. For this class book, you’ll start by giving each student two opposing character traits. Next, have them demonstrate these traits by illustrating two characters and displaying them through dialogue!

Learn More: Crafting Connections

48. Socialgrams

With Instagram being all the rage these days, your kiddos will have a fun time creating a ‘socialgram’ on paper! Challenge them to create a descriptive and engaging caption to go along with their “photo” in the post. Then, classmates can comment on each other’s work!

Learn More: Breezy Special Ed

49. Story Introduction Worksheets

Creative writing worksheets are a simple, minimal-prep tool to use in your creative writing units. Print out a variety of options, and have your kids practice their skills by finishing imaginative story introductions. By giving them a place to start their story, you can really take the pressure off your kids which will help ease them into the creative writing process!

Learn More: Lanternfish ESL

50. Dialogue Worksheets

Here’s another low-prep option for the last-minute planners! Pre-written dialogue can help guide the mood of the story and allow your kiddies to just focus on filling in the characters’ actions. This is also a great way to model how dialogue is spaced out and balanced in a story!

Learn More: ESL Writing Worksheets

51. Character Trait Posters

In this personalized character trait activity, your students will create a poster of themselves and label it with a bunch of different character traits. Descriptive, interesting characters are what make a story captivating, so this is a great introduction to understanding characters and their physical as well as personality traits! This is an activity that’s sure to help them build a strong foundation for their creative writing skills to build from!

Learn More: Life In First Grade

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5 Fun Creative Writing Activities

We’ve gathered five fun creative writing activities you can assign to spark a love for writing. Our hope is that these activities will create a workshop-like environment that fosters feedback and collaboration in your writing classroom.

You’ll notice that none of the activities focuses on the technical aspects of writing. Instead, the activities encourage creativity, reflection, and self-expression—hallmarks of meaningful writing.

Minilesson 1: InstaMemory

Imagine a favorite memory as a cellphone picture.
Finish this sentence starter: My memory snapshot shows . . .
Keep writing until you’ve described your memory snapshot in full. Make sure to include who is in it, what is happening, where it is happening, and when it is happening. Note colors, emotions, facial expressions, and other visual details about the moment.
Read your memory snapshot. Does your writing create a clear picture?

View Minilesson for Classroom Presentation

Minilesson 2: Back-and-Forth Stories

Writing back-and-forth stories takes a little creativity and a lot of flexibility. How long can you and a partner keep this story going?

An abandoned home sat at the top of the hill. Matt and Brianna knew the rumors about it, but they had to see it for themselves. They tiptoed their way up the steps, and when they reached the door, it swung open. Inside . . .

Continue the story. Write for two minutes.
Pass the story to a writing partner.
The partner continues the story where you left off and writes for two minutes before passing the story back.
Continue writing and passing the story every two minutes.
How long can you keep the story going? What happens inside the house?

Minilesson 3: Four-Star Food Review

List the food items that would make up your ideal fall meal. Include one main dish, one side dish, one dessert, and one drink.
Describe the looks, smells, and tastes associated with the meal.
Finish this sentence: My meal reminds me of fall, because . . .
Use the details you’ve collected to write a review of your meal in one or two paragraphs. Exchange your review with a partner to see how your meals compare.

Minilesson 4: Now how do I get out of this one?

List ten chores or tasks you hate doing. Cleaning my room is an example of a chore you might not like.
Select four tasks from your list and write a creative excuse explaining why you can’t or haven’t completed each one. Make your excuses as original and wild as possible.
When you’ve finished, exchange your work with a classmate. Read and discuss each other’s excuses.

Minilesson 5: Diary of a Famous Figure

List three famous people or characters you like or admire.
Imagine you are one of the famous figures from your list.
As that person, think of what you would do on a summer day.
Write a diary entry (or blog post) about your special day as the famous person.
Then write additional entries as you so choose.

Want more creative writing ideas? Check out these creative activities.

Teacher Support:

Click to find out more about this resource.

Standards Correlations:

The State Standards provide a way to evaluate your students' performance.

110.5.b.12.A
LAFS.3.W.1.3
110.5.b.11.B.i
110.5.b.11.B.ii
110.6.b.11.B
110.6.b.12.A
LAFS.4.W.1.3
110.6.b.11.B.i
110.6.b.11.B.ii
110.7.b.12.A
LAFS.5.W.1.3
110.7.b.11.B.i
110.7.b.11.B.ii
110.22.b.10
110.22.b.11.A
LAFS.6.W.1.3
110.22.b.10.A
110.22.b.10.B.i
110.23.b.10
110.23.b.11.A
LAFS.7.W.1.3
110.23.b.10.B.i
110.23.b.10.B.ii
110.24.b.10
110.24.b.11.A
LAFS.8.W.1.3
110.24.b.10.B.i
110.24.b.10.B.ii

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Writing Back-and-Forth Stories
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Practice Test for Reading and Writing Nonfiction
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Writers Express

500+ Writing Prompts for Kids (Journal & Story Ideas)

Hey there, future authors, creators, and dreamers. Are you ready to let your imagination run wild?

Whether you love to write stories, draw pictures, or just scribble down your thoughts, I’ve got something super cool for you. It’s a list of 500 awesome writing prompts! Think of these as little seeds you can plant in your brain, and who knows what kind of amazing stories will grow?

Grab your favorite pencil, cozy up in your writing spot, and let’s get started.

Unique Writing Prompts for Kids

Kids in a classroom-- Writing Prompts for Kids

Table of Contents

Sometimes, the best stories come from the most unexpected places.

Here are some unique ideas that will take your writing to new and exciting worlds.

Imagine you find a secret door in your school that leads to a hidden world. What happens next?
If animals could talk, what would your pet say to you?
You wake up with superpowers one day. What powers do you have, and how do you use them?
Write about a day in the life of your favorite toy. What adventures do they have when you’re not around?
You discover a magical treehouse that only appears at night. What do you find inside?
A new student at your school is actually an alien in disguise. What happens when you find out?
You get to invent a new holiday. What is it called, and how do people celebrate it?
Write about a time-traveling kid who visits ancient Egypt. What do they see and do?
Imagine you can jump into any book and become part of the story. Which book do you choose, and what happens next?
What would the world be like if kids were in charge of everything?
Imagine a world where everything is made of candy. What would you do?
Write about a mysterious door that only appears during thunderstorms.
You find a map leading to a lost city. What happens next?
Describe a day in the life of an invisible person.
Imagine you could turn into any animal at will. Which animals would you choose and why?
Write about a magical backpack that can hold anything you want.
You find a message in a bottle on the beach. What does it say?
Imagine a world where it rains chocolate milk instead of water. What’s it like?
Write about a time when you shrunk to the size of an ant.
Describe a town where everyone has a unique superpower. What’s yours?
Imagine you can speak to ghosts. What do they tell you?
Write about a magic book that comes to life when you read it.
You find a pair of shoes that allow you to fly. Where do you go?
Imagine a day when gravity stops working. What happens?
You discover a secret underground city beneath your house. What’s it like?

Journal Prompts for Kids

Journaling is a fantastic way to express your thoughts and feelings. These prompts will help you reflect on your day, your dreams, and everything in between.

What was the best thing that happened to you today?
Describe your dream vacation. Where would you go, and what would you do?
If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be and why?
Write about a time you felt really proud of yourself. What did you do?
Who is your hero, and why do you look up to them?
What’s something new you learned recently that made you excited?
If you could talk to your future self, what advice would you give?
Write about your favorite memory with your family or friends.
What are three things you’re grateful for today?
If you could have any pet, real or imaginary, what would it be and why?
What’s your favorite thing about yourself, and why do you love it?
Write about a time when you helped someone. How did it make you feel?
What do you dream about at night? Describe your most recent dream.
If you could invent a new food, what would it be and why?
Write about your favorite place to relax. What makes it special?
If you could meet anyone from history, who would it be and why?
What’s your favorite season, and what do you like to do during it?
If you could live in any time period, when would it be and why?
What’s the best gift you’ve ever received, and why did it mean so much to you?
Write about a time when you were really brave. What happened?
Imagine you could move anywhere in the world—where would you go and why?
What’s something you want to learn to do, and why?
Write about a time when you felt really happy. What made you smile?
If you could trade places with any character from a book, who would it be and why?
What’s your favorite family tradition, and why do you love it?

Funny Writing Prompts for Kids

Get ready to giggle with these silly and wacky prompts! They’re perfect for writing something that will make you and others laugh out loud.

Write a story about a cat who thinks it’s a dog.
Imagine you’re a superhero whose only power is making people laugh. How do you use your power to save the day?
You wake up one morning to find that you’ve turned into your favorite food. What happens next?
What would happen if cows started flying? Describe a day on a flying farm.
Write about a world where everyone speaks in rhymes. What does a regular day sound like?
Your pencil suddenly comes to life and starts telling you what to write. What kind of stories does it want to tell?
If you could swap places with any cartoon character for a day, who would you choose, and what crazy adventures would you have?
Imagine a talking banana who becomes your best friend. What do you do together?
Write about a time you tried to teach a pet goldfish how to dance.
What would school be like if all the teachers were robots programmed to be super silly?
Imagine you have a pet dinosaur. What mischief does it get into?
What if your shoes suddenly started talking to you? What would they say?
Write about a day when everything you touched turned into spaghetti.
Imagine you wake up and everyone in your town is singing instead of talking. What’s the day like?
What would happen if you could only eat dessert for every meal?
Describe a time when you accidentally turned your teacher into a frog.
What if you found out your dog could do magic tricks? What tricks would it do?
Write about a time when you switched places with your pet for a day. What did you do?
Imagine you wake up with a giraffe neck. How does your day go?
What would happen if you could only walk backward for a whole day?
Write about a time when your lunch came to life and tried to run away.
Imagine you could change the color of anything by touching it. What do you change?
What if your favorite food could talk? What would it say to you?
Write about a time when you got stuck inside a video game. How do you get out?
Imagine you could make anything float by blowing on it. What would you do with this power?

Story Starter Writing Prompts

Sometimes, all you need is a first sentence to spark your imagination. Here are some story starters to help you begin your next great tale.

The moment I opened the box, I knew my life would never be the same.
It was a dark and stormy night when I heard a knock at the door.
As soon as I stepped into the forest, I realized something magical was about to happen.
I never expected to find a treasure map hidden in the old library book.
The day I discovered I could talk to animals was the best day of my life.
Just as I was about to give up, I saw something that made me gasp.
When the clock struck midnight, the world around me began to change.
I was walking home from school when I found a mysterious key on the ground.
The letter I received in the mail this morning had only one word on it: “Run.”
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw a dragon flying over my neighborhood.
As soon as I opened the treasure chest, I saw something glowing inside.
The strange noise coming from the attic turned out to be a tiny dragon.
I never thought I’d meet a real-life mermaid, but then I did.
The moment I touched the ancient artifact, I felt a surge of power.
My best friend told me a secret that I could hardly believe.
As I walked through the mysterious fog, I realized I wasn’t alone.
The letter I found in the old oak tree was addressed to me.
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw a giant footprint in my backyard.
The old key I found fit perfectly into the lock of a hidden door.
Just as I was about to give up, I heard someone calling my name.
The moment I stepped onto the pirate ship, I knew an adventure was about to begin.
As soon as I pressed the button, the machine whirred to life.
I found a map hidden under the floorboards of my room.
The sound of wings fluttering in the night made me look up in awe.
The old man handed me a coin and said, “This will change everything.”

Picture Writing Prompts for Kids

Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words—or even more! Use these picture prompts to inspire a colorful story.

Imagine a picture of a rainbow-colored unicorn dancing in the rain. What is the unicorn celebrating?
Look at a photo of a deserted island. Who lives there, and what secrets does the island hold?
A picture shows a giant moon in the sky, twice as big as normal. What’s happening on Earth?
See a drawing of a mysterious castle on top of a hill. Who lives there, and what’s their story?
Imagine a picture of a little girl flying a kite that’s pulling her up into the sky. Where does she go?
Look at a photo of an ancient tree with a door carved into it. Who might live inside?
Picture a robot sitting alone in a garden. What is the robot thinking about?
A drawing shows a city floating in the clouds. Who lives there, and how do they get around?
Imagine a photo of a boy holding a glowing orb. What powers does the orb have?
See a picture of a cat wearing a wizard hat. What magical adventures does the cat go on?
Imagine a picture of a spaceship landing in a field of flowers. What happens next?
Look at a photo of a mountain with a hidden cave. Who or what lives inside?
A picture shows a giant fish swimming through the sky. How did it get there?
Imagine a photo of a tree with doors leading to different worlds. Where do the doors go?
See a drawing of a mysterious island floating in the air. What’s on the island?
A picture shows a dragon curled up around a pile of gold. What is it guarding?
Imagine a photo of a tiny village inside a glass jar. Who lives there?
Look at a drawing of a flying car zooming over a city. Where is it going?
A picture shows a cat wearing a pirate hat and holding a treasure map. What’s its story?
Imagine a picture of a magical waterfall that turns everything it touches into crystal. What happens next?
See a photo of a bridge made of rainbows. What’s on the other side?
A drawing shows a tiny person riding on the back of a giant bird. Where are they going?
Imagine a photo of a ship sailing through the clouds. Who is on board?
A picture shows a castle made of candy. Who lives there, and what’s it like inside?
Look at a drawing of a forest where the trees glow in the dark. What’s the secret behind the glowing trees?

Winter Writing Prompts for Kids

Winter is a time of magic and wonder. These prompts will help you capture the coziness and excitement of the season.

Write about building the most amazing snowman ever. What makes it special?
Imagine you could live in an igloo for a week. What would you do?
What if snowflakes were actually tiny fairies? Write about their adventures.
Describe a day in a winter wonderland where animals can talk.
What would happen if your town had the biggest snowstorm ever? How would you spend your snow day?
Write about a secret winter festival held by animals in the forest.
Imagine you wake up and find that everything you touch turns to ice. What do you do?
What’s the story behind a snow globe that magically transports you to a snowy village?
Write about a magical pair of ice skates that let you skate across the clouds.
What would it be like to ride a sleigh pulled by reindeer through the night sky?
Write about a day when the snow suddenly turned into marshmallows.
Imagine you could talk to snowflakes. What would they tell you?
What if you found a frozen lake that led to an underwater kingdom?
Write about building a snow fort that magically comes to life.
Imagine a world where winter never ends. What’s it like?
Describe a snowball fight where the snowballs have a mind of their own.
What would happen if your pet turned into a snowman overnight?
Write about a magical scarf that keeps you warm no matter what.
Imagine you could control the weather with a wave of your hand. How do you use your power?
What if your town had a secret winter carnival only kids knew about?
Write about a day when you and your friends discover a hidden ice cave.
Imagine you find a snow globe that transports you to a winter wonderland. What do you see there?
What if your favorite winter coat suddenly gave you the ability to fly?
Write about a time when you met a snow fairy in the forest.
Imagine you could skate on ice that plays music as you glide. What tunes do you hear?

Christmas Writing Prompts for Kids

Christmas is a time for joy and creativity. These prompts will fill your writing with holiday cheer!

Write a letter to Santa, but instead of asking for presents, tell him about your year.
Imagine you are one of Santa’s elves. What is your job at the North Pole?
What if your Christmas tree could talk? What stories would it tell?
Describe the most magical Christmas morning ever. What happens when you wake up?
Write a story about a reindeer who dreams of flying but is afraid of heights.
Imagine you find a lost present under the tree. What’s inside, and who is it for?
What would happen if Christmas lights could talk to each other?
Write about a snowman who comes to life on Christmas Eve and goes on an adventure.
Imagine you could spend a day with Santa at the North Pole. What do you do?
What if you woke up on Christmas morning and found out you were Santa for the day?
Imagine you find a magical candy cane that grants wishes. What do you wish for?
Write about a time when you helped Santa deliver presents on Christmas Eve.
What if your Christmas stockings were filled with tiny talking animals?
Imagine you wake up to find your Christmas tree has grown to the ceiling overnight. What do you do?
Write about a gingerbread man who comes to life and goes on an adventure.
What would happen if you found out your Christmas presents could talk?
Imagine you spend Christmas in a cozy cabin in the snowy mountains. What’s the best part of your holiday?
Write about a reindeer who gets lost on Christmas Eve. How do you help it find its way home?
What if you discovered that your favorite Christmas ornament has a magical secret?
Imagine you could bake cookies that come to life. What kind of cookies do you create?
Write about a time when you built a Christmas tree out of snow.
What if you found a snow globe that could show you any Christmas memory? What do you see?
Imagine you get to design Santa’s sleigh. What does it look like?
Write about a time when you caught a glimpse of Santa’s workshop.
If you could celebrate Christmas with any holiday movie character, who would it be and what would you do?

Halloween Writing Prompts for Kids

Halloween is spooky, silly, and full of surprises! These prompts will help you create stories that are a little bit creepy and a whole lot of fun.

Write about a haunted house that turns out to be friendly. What happens inside?
Imagine you get to choose your own special Halloween superpower. What is it, and how do you use it?
What if your Halloween costume came to life? What would it do?
Describe the creepiest, most mysterious pumpkin in the pumpkin patch. What makes it so strange?
Write about a group of friends who discover a secret door in a graveyard on Halloween night.
What would happen if your pet turned into a ghost on Halloween?
Imagine you’re a witch or wizard for a day. What spells do you cast?
Write a story about a Halloween party where all the guests are monsters.
What if you found a magic broomstick that could fly you anywhere? Where would you go?
Describe the best trick-or-treat adventure ever. What makes it unforgettable?
Write about a haunted carnival that only appears on Halloween night.
Imagine you could turn into any Halloween creature. What would you become, and what would you do?
What if you found a book of spells hidden in your attic? What’s the first spell you try?
Write about a time when you discovered that your costume gave you real powers.
Imagine you’re invited to a monster’s Halloween party. What do you see and do?
Imagine you’re invited to a monster’s Halloween party. What games do you play, and what snacks do you eat?
What if your shadow came to life on Halloween and started doing things on its own?
Write about a ghost who has lost their way and needs your help to find their home.
Imagine you and your friends explore a spooky old mansion. What do you find inside?
What would happen if all the pumpkins in your town started glowing mysteriously on Halloween night?
Write about a talking black cat who gives you a special Halloween mission.
What if you found a magic wand that could bring your Halloween decorations to life? What happens next?
Imagine you discover a hidden room in your house filled with ancient Halloween treasures. What do you do with them?
Write about a night when the moon turns blood red and strange things start to happen in your town.
What if you woke up on Halloween morning to find that your town had turned into a spooky Halloween land overnight?

Spring Writing Prompts for Kids

Spring is all about new beginnings and fresh ideas. These prompts will help you celebrate the season of growth and renewal.

Write about planting a magical garden. What kind of plants grow there?
Imagine you could talk to flowers. What secrets would they tell you?
Describe the first day of spring from the perspective of a hibernating bear.
What would it be like to have a picnic with talking animals in a blooming meadow?
Write about a mysterious seed that grows into something unexpected.
Imagine you discover a hidden spring that makes everything around it come to life.
What if you could ride on the back of a butterfly? Where would it take you?
Write a story about a raindrop that goes on an adventure as it travels to the sea.
Describe a spring festival where the trees, flowers, and animals all join in the celebration.
Imagine you find a rainbow in your backyard. What happens when you touch it?
Write about a magical umbrella that can control the weather. What do you use it for?
Imagine you discover a hidden garden that blooms with flowers in every color of the rainbow. What makes this garden so special?
Write about a time when you found a baby bird that needed your help. What did you do?
What if you could talk to insects? What would they tell you about their lives in the spring?
Imagine you plant a magic seed that grows into something incredible. What does it become?
Write about a spring day when the rain brings something magical to your town.
What would happen if all the animals in the forest threw a spring party? What games do they play?
Imagine you find a hidden waterfall deep in the woods. What do you discover there?
Write about a butterfly that takes you on a journey to see the first signs of spring.
What if you could make flowers bloom with just a touch? How would you use this power?
Imagine you wake up to find that your garden has been transformed into a magical jungle. What creatures do you meet?
Write about a time when you discovered a family of rabbits living in your backyard.
What if you could shrink down to the size of a bug for a day? What adventures would you have in the spring?
Imagine you find a trail of flower petals leading to a secret spot in the forest. What do you find there?
Write about a spring day when everything you draw with chalk comes to life.

Fall Writing Prompts for Kids

Fall is a season full of colors, cozy moments, and new adventures.

These prompts will help you capture the essence of autumn.

Write about jumping into the biggest pile of leaves ever. What surprises do you find inside?
Imagine a talking scarecrow who tells stories about the farm. What are its best tales?
Describe a day in the life of an acorn as it travels through the forest.
What would happen if you discovered a secret treehouse hidden in the fall woods?
Write about a squirrel who is preparing for winter but finds something unexpected while gathering nuts.
Imagine you could paint the autumn leaves any color you want. What colors do you choose, and why?
Describe the coziest fall day ever. What do you do, and how do you feel?
Write about a magical pumpkin that grows bigger every time you make a wish.
What if you found an enchanted forest where the trees tell stories? What tales do they share?
Imagine a fall harvest festival where everything you eat gives you special powers. What do you eat, and what powers do you get?
Imagine you discover a corn maze that changes every time you go inside. What’s the secret behind it?
Write about a day when the wind carries you away on an autumn adventure.
What if the leaves in your yard started forming shapes and messages? What do they spell out?
Imagine you find a mysterious old lantern in the woods. What happens when you light it?
Write about a squirrel who finds something very unusual while collecting acorns.
What would happen if pumpkins could talk? What stories would they tell?
Imagine you spend the night camping in the fall woods. What spooky or magical things do you see?
Write about a time when you followed a trail of autumn leaves to a hidden place.
What if you found a haunted scarecrow in a pumpkin patch? What does it want?
Imagine you could control the wind on a blustery fall day. How would you use this power?
Write about a cozy fall evening where you discover a hidden world inside a jack-o’-lantern.
What if you could jump into a painting of an autumn scene? What would you do there?
Imagine you find an old book of autumn legends. What happens when you read it?
Write about a harvest festival where everything goes wrong in a funny way.
What if you discovered a magical acorn that could grow a tree overnight? What does the tree look like, and what makes it special?

Summer Writing Prompts for Kids

Summer is a time for adventure, sunshine, and fun!

These prompts will help you capture the joy and excitement of the summer season.

Imagine you find a hidden beach that no one else knows about. What do you do there?
Write about a day when you build the biggest sandcastle ever. What surprises do you find inside?
What if you discovered a secret cave while exploring the shoreline? What’s inside?
Imagine you could swim with dolphins for a day. What adventures do you have?
Write about a time when you found a message in a bottle floating in the ocean.
What if the sun didn’t set for a whole week? How would you spend the extra daylight?
Imagine you could fly a kite that takes you up into the sky. Where does it take you?
Write about a summer carnival that’s full of magical rides and games.
What if your ice cream cone never melted, no matter how hot it got? What flavors would you try?
Imagine you spend the summer on a mysterious island. What do you discover there?
Write about a time when you had the best summer camp experience ever. What made it so special?
What if you found out your favorite swimming spot was actually home to a family of mermaids?
Imagine you could talk to the fish in the ocean. What would they tell you about their underwater world?
Write about a summer night when the stars seem to be extra bright. What happens under the starlight?
What if you could visit any place in the world for your summer vacation? Where would you go, and what would you do?

Valentine’s Day Prompts for Kids

Valentine’s Day is all about love, friendship, and spreading kindness. These prompts will inspire sweet and creative writing ideas.

Write about a time when you made a special Valentine’s Day card for someone. What did it look like, and why was it special?
What if your pet could send you a Valentine’s Day message? What would it say?
Imagine you find a heart-shaped treasure on Valentine’s Day. What’s inside?
Write about a Valentine’s Day party where all the guests are animals. What do they do to celebrate?
What if you could send a Valentine’s Day card to anyone in the world? Who would you choose, and what would you say?
Imagine you wake up on Valentine’s Day to find that everything around you is heart-shaped. What do you do?
Write about a time when you did something kind for a friend on Valentine’s Day. How did it make you feel?
What if you could bake magical cookies that spread love and happiness? Who would you give them to?
Imagine you receive a mysterious Valentine’s Day letter. Who is it from, and what does it say?
Write about a time when you helped someone who was feeling lonely on Valentine’s Day. What did you do to cheer them up?
What if you could create your own special Valentine’s Day tradition? What would it be?
Imagine you could visit a land where everything is made of candy hearts. What’s it like?
Write about a Valentine’s Day surprise that you planned for someone special.
What if you could make a wish on a Valentine’s Day star? What would you wish for?
Imagine you get to spend Valentine’s Day with your favorite storybook character. Who do you choose, and what do you do together?

Book-Related Writing Prompts for Kids

Books open the door to endless adventures!

These prompts will inspire you to dive into the world of stories and create your own.

Imagine you could jump into your favorite book. What happens when you become part of the story?
Write about a time when you found a book that had the power to change the world.
What if your bookshelf could talk? What stories would it share with you?
Imagine you could visit a library where every book comes to life as you read it. What book do you choose first?
Write about a character from a book who suddenly appears in your room. What do you do together?
What if you discovered a hidden room in your house filled with ancient, magical books? What do you find?
Imagine you’re writing a book, and the characters start telling you what to write next. What do they say?
Write about a time when you read a book that was so amazing, you couldn’t put it down. What made it so special?
What if you could create your own ending for a book you’ve read? How would you change the story?
Imagine you could visit a world from your favorite book. What would you do there?
Write about a time when you shared your favorite book with a friend. How did they react?
What if you discovered a secret society of book lovers who meet in a hidden library? What do they do?
Imagine you could write a letter to your favorite author. What would you say?
Write about a book that you wish existed. What’s the title, and what’s the story about?
What if you could collect all the stories ever written in one magical book? What would it look like, and what would you do with it?

St. Patrick’s Day Writing Prompts for Kids

St. Patrick’s Day is full of luck, leprechauns, and all things green.

These prompts will help you celebrate this fun holiday with your writing.

Imagine you find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. What do you do with it?
Write about a time when you met a friendly leprechaun. What did they teach you?
What if you woke up on St. Patrick’s Day to find that everything in your house had turned green? What’s going on?
Imagine you follow a trail of shamrocks that leads you to a magical forest. What do you find there?
Write about a St. Patrick’s Day parade where all the floats come to life.
What if you found a four-leaf clover that granted you three wishes? What would you wish for?
Imagine you spend the day in a leprechaun’s shoes. What adventures do you have?
Write about a rainbow that appears in your backyard and leads to an unexpected discovery.
What if you could visit a land where it’s always St. Patrick’s Day? What’s it like?
Imagine you’re in charge of planning the ultimate St. Patrick’s Day party. What do you include?
Write about a time when you followed a mischievous leprechaun on an adventure.
What if you could paint the town green for St. Patrick’s Day? How would you do it?
Imagine you discover a secret tunnel under a giant shamrock. Where does it lead?
Write about a magical harp that only plays music on St. Patrick’s Day.
What if your pet turned into a leprechaun for a day? What mischief would they get into?
Imagine you find a book of ancient Irish legends. What happens when you start reading it?
Write about a time when you found a hidden message in a bowl of lucky charms.
What if you discovered that your family had a secret St. Patrick’s Day tradition? What is it?
Imagine you’re part of a St. Patrick’s Day treasure hunt. What do you find?
Write about a time when a rainbow appeared in the middle of a rainy day. What happened next?
What if you could create your own lucky charm? What would it look like, and what powers would it have?
Imagine you visit a castle in Ireland that’s rumored to be full of magic. What do you discover inside?
Write about a St. Patrick’s Day where everything you touch turns to gold. What do you do with your newfound wealth?
What if you could brew a potion that brings good luck? Who would you share it with?
Imagine you could catch a leprechaun. What would you ask them for, and what deal would you make?

Free Writing Prompts for Kids

These prompts are designed to let your imagination run wild.

There are no rules—just start writing and see where your creativity takes you.

Write about a time when you discovered a hidden talent you never knew you had.
Imagine you could spend a day as any animal. Which animal would you choose, and what would you do?
What if you could visit any place in the world, real or imaginary? Where would you go, and why?
Write about a dream you had that was so vivid, you felt like you were really there.
Imagine you could invent a new toy. What would it be, and how would it work?
What if you found a secret passageway in your house? Where does it lead?
Write about a time when you made a new friend in an unexpected place.
Imagine you could visit any time period in history. When would you go, and what would you do?
What if you could speak any language fluently? Which language would you choose, and why?
Write about a time when you had to make a tough decision. What did you choose, and how did it turn out?
Imagine you could design your dream bedroom. What would it look like?
What if you could have any superpower for a day? Which one would you choose, and how would you use it?
Write about a time when you had an adventure in your own backyard.
Imagine you could trade places with anyone in the world for a day. Who would you choose, and what would you do?
What if you could make a wish on a shooting star? What would you wish for, and why?
Write about a time when you did something that made you really proud.
Imagine you could visit any planet in the solar system. Which one would you choose, and what would you explore?
What if you could create your own holiday? What name would you give it, and how would people celebrate?
Write about a time when you helped someone and how it made you feel.
Imagine you could live in any kind of house, real or imaginary. What would it look like, and where would it be?
What if you could have any pet, real or imaginary? What would it be, and how would you take care of it?
Write about a time when you tried something new and how it turned out.
Imagine you could be the main character in your favorite movie or book. What happens next?
What if you could travel anywhere in the world instantly? Where would you go, and why?
Write about a time when you discovered something surprising about yourself or someone else.

Technology Writing Prompts for Kids

Technology is a big part of our lives today.

These prompts will help you explore how technology affects the world around you.

Imagine you could create a new app. What would it do, and why would people use it?
Write about a time when technology helped you solve a problem. How did it work?
What if robots became our teachers? What would school be like?
Imagine you could design your own video game. What is the storyline, and who are the characters?
Write about a world where everyone communicates only through emojis. How does it change things?
What if you could invent a robot to do any one task for you? What would it be, and why?
Imagine a day without any technology. What do you do instead?
Write about a time when you used the internet to learn something new. What did you discover?
What if you could talk to your favorite electronic device? What would it say?
Imagine you could build your own computer. What special features would it have?
Write about a time when technology went wrong. How did you fix it?
What if video games could become real life? Which game would you want to live in, and why?
Imagine you could control all the technology in your house with your mind. What would you do with this power?
Write about a time when you had to teach someone how to use a new piece of technology. How did it go?
What if you could create a hologram of yourself to do your chores? How would it work?
Imagine you discover a secret website that only a few people know about. What’s on it?
Write about a world where everyone has a flying car. How does it change the way people live?
What if you could create a virtual reality world of your own? What would it be like?
Imagine you could talk to animals using a special device. What would they tell you?
Write about a time when you used technology to stay in touch with someone far away. How did it help?
What if you could invent a gadget that makes life easier for everyone? What would it do?
Imagine a world where drones deliver everything you need. How does it change your daily life?
Write about a time when you had to unplug from technology. What did you do instead?
What if you could explore outer space using a virtual reality headset? Where would you go, and what would you see?
Imagine you find an old piece of technology from the past. What is it, and how does it work?

Alien Writing Prompts for Kids

Aliens can come in all shapes and sizes! These prompts will help you imagine what it might be like to meet beings from another planet.

Imagine a spaceship lands in your backyard. Who steps out, and what do they want?
Write about a time when you discovered that your neighbor is actually an alien in disguise.
What if you could communicate with aliens using a special language? What do you say to each other?
Imagine you’re the first human to visit an alien planet. What do you see and do?
Write about a day when aliens come to your school. How do they fit in?
What if you discovered a mysterious object that turns out to be alien technology? What does it do?
Imagine you could invite an alien to dinner. What would you talk about, and what food would you serve?
Write about a time when you accidentally switched places with an alien. What was life like on their planet?
What if aliens started sending messages to Earth? What do they say, and how do we respond?
Imagine you find a tiny alien living in your backpack. What adventures do you have together?
Write about a world where humans and aliens live together. How do they get along?
What if you could travel through space with an alien friend? What planets would you visit?
Imagine you discover an alien species that looks like ordinary household objects. What do they want?
Write about a time when you helped an alien who was lost on Earth. How did you get them home?
What if aliens had their own version of pets? What would they look like, and how would they behave?
Imagine you could ask an alien any question. What would you want to know?
Write about a day when you woke up to find that you’ve turned into an alien. How do you adjust to your new life?
What if aliens decided to compete in the Olympics? What sports would they be good at?
Imagine you could visit an alien zoo. What strange and wonderful creatures do you see?
Write about a time when an alien visited your classroom. How did they teach differently from your regular teacher?
What if you discovered that your favorite movie star is actually an alien? How do you find out?
Imagine a world where aliens and humans work together to explore the galaxy. What discoveries do they make?
Write about a time when you found an alien artifact buried in your backyard. What powers does it have?
What if aliens had their own version of holidays? What would they celebrate, and how?
Imagine you could travel through time with an alien companion. Where do you go, and what do you see?

Narrative Writing Prompts for Kids

Narrative writing is all about telling stories. These prompts will help you create tales that are full of imagination, excitement, and adventure.

Write about a time when you had an unexpected adventure. What happened, and how did it change you?
Imagine you find a secret door in your house that leads to another world. What’s it like, and what do you do there?
Write a story about a time when you made a new friend in an unusual way.
What if you could relive any day of your life? Which day would you choose, and why?
Imagine you wake up one morning with the ability to talk to animals. What do they say, and how does it change your day?
Write about a time when you had to make a difficult decision. What did you choose, and what were the consequences?
What if you could visit any place in the world for a week? Where would you go, and what would you do?
Imagine you’re the main character in a fairy tale. What challenges do you face, and how do you overcome them?
Write about a time when you did something brave. What gave you the courage to act?
What if you could switch lives with anyone for a day? Who would you choose, and what would you experience?
Imagine you discover a hidden talent that you never knew you had. How do you use it?
Write about a day when everything seemed to go wrong, but something surprising happened to turn it around.
What if you could spend a day with your favorite book character? What adventures would you have together?
Imagine you find a map that leads to a hidden treasure. What do you find when you follow it?
Write about a time when you learned an important lesson from someone unexpected.
What if you could travel back in time to meet a famous historical figure? Who would it be, and what would you talk about?
Imagine you’re stranded on a deserted island. How do you survive, and what do you discover?
Write about a time when you helped someone in need. How did it make you feel?
What if you could live in any period of history for a year? Which time would you choose, and why?
Imagine you receive a mysterious letter that changes your life. What does it say, and what happens next?
Write about a day when you woke up with a special power. How do you use it?
What if you could explore a place that no one else has ever been to? What do you find?
Imagine you’re the hero of a story that takes place in a distant galaxy. What adventures do you have?
Write about a time when you made a mistake but learned something valuable from it.
What if you could bring one of your dreams to life? Which dream would you choose, and what would happen?

Persuasive Writing Prompts for Kids

In persuasive writing, the objective is to get others to understand and accept your point of view.

These prompts will help you practice your skills in making a strong argument.

Write a letter to your school principal convincing them to make recess longer. What reasons do you give?
Imagine you’re trying to convince your family to get a new pet. What arguments do you use to persuade them?
What if you could choose the destination for your next family vacation? Write a persuasive essay explaining why your choice is the best.
Write a speech to convince your classmates that your favorite book should be the next class read. What points do you make?
Imagine you want to start a new club at school. Write a letter convincing your teacher to support it. What benefits does the club offer?
Write an essay persuading your parents to let you stay up later on weekends. What are your main arguments?
Imagine you’re trying to convince your friends to volunteer for a community project. How do you persuade them that it’s a good idea?
What if you could change one rule at school? Write a persuasive essay explaining why the rule should be changed.
Write a letter to your town’s mayor convincing them to build a new playground. What reasons do you give?
Imagine you’re running for class president. Write a campaign speech that persuades your classmates to vote for you. What promises do you make?
Write an essay convincing your teacher to have a field trip to your favorite museum. Why is it a great choice for a class trip?
Imagine you’re trying to convince your parents to let you have a sleepover with your friends. What points do you make to persuade them?
Write a letter to your favorite store asking them to carry a product you love. How do you convince them it’s a good idea?
What if you could choose the next family movie night film? Write a persuasive essay explaining why your choice is the best.
Write an essay convincing your school to start a recycling program. What benefits does it offer?
Imagine you’re trying to persuade your teacher to have a class party. What arguments do you use to convince them?
Write a letter to your favorite author persuading them to write a sequel to a book you love. What reasons do you give?
Imagine you’re convincing your parents to let you take a special class or activity. How do you persuade them it’s a good idea?
Write a persuasive essay explaining why your favorite season is the best. What makes it special?
Imagine you’re trying to convince your school cafeteria to add a new food to the menu. What points do you make?
Write a letter to your local library persuading them to host a special event or program. What reasons do you give?
Imagine you’re trying to convince your teacher to give less homework. How do you make your case?
Write an essay persuading your friends to try a new sport or activity with you. What makes it fun and worthwhile?
Imagine you’re convincing your family to take a trip to a place you’ve always wanted to visit. How do you persuade them?
Write a letter to your favorite TV network convincing them to create a new show based on your idea. What arguments do you use?

Thanksgiving Writing Prompts for Kids

Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude, family, and celebration.

These prompts will help you reflect on the holiday and create meaningful stories.

Write about a time when you felt especially thankful. What were you grateful for, and why?
Imagine you could invite any three people, living or dead, to your Thanksgiving dinner. Who would you choose, and what would you talk about?
What if you could create a new Thanksgiving tradition? What would it be, and why?
Write a story about a Thanksgiving where everything goes hilariously wrong. How does your family handle it?
Imagine you’re a turkey on Thanksgiving Day. What do you do to avoid becoming dinner?
Write about a time when you helped someone who needed it. How did it make you feel, and why are you thankful for the experience?
What if you could travel back in time to the first Thanksgiving? What do you see, and how do you participate?
Write a letter to someone you’re thankful for, explaining why they mean so much to you.
Imagine you’re in charge of cooking the Thanksgiving meal. What do you make, and how does it turn out?
Write about a time when you and your family worked together to prepare for Thanksgiving. What was the best part?
What if Thanksgiving was celebrated in a different season? How would the holiday change, and what new traditions might arise?
Imagine you could invite your favorite fictional character to Thanksgiving dinner. How do they fit in with your family?
Write a story about a Thanksgiving where your family decides to have a potluck with all your neighbors. What surprising dishes do people bring?
What if you had to explain Thanksgiving to someone who had never heard of it before? How would you describe the holiday and its meaning?
Imagine you find a magical cornucopia that fills itself with whatever you wish. What do you put in it, and why?
Write about a time when you felt especially connected to your family during Thanksgiving. What made the day special?
What if your Thanksgiving meal came to life and started talking? What do they say, and how do you react?
Imagine you’re responsible for setting the Thanksgiving table. What special touches do you add to make it perfect?
Write a story about a Thanksgiving where everyone brings a dish from their culture. What new and exciting foods do you try?
What if you had to host Thanksgiving in a totally different place, like a beach or a mountain cabin? How would the holiday change?
Imagine you could give one Thanksgiving meal to someone in need. Who would you give it to, and why?
Write about a Thanksgiving where your family decides to go on a trip instead of staying home. Where do you go, and how do you celebrate?
What if you could create a Thanksgiving parade float? What would it look like, and what message would it convey?
Imagine you could turn your Thanksgiving dinner into a fun competition, like a cooking show. Who wins, and what do they make?
Write a story about a Thanksgiving where you discover a hidden family recipe. How does it change the meal, and what does it mean to you?

Fourth of July Writing Prompts for Kids

The Fourth of July is all about fireworks, fun, and celebrating freedom.

These prompts will help you create stories and reflections about this exciting holiday.

Write about a time when you watched fireworks on the Fourth of July. What made the experience special?
Imagine you could design your own Fourth of July fireworks show. What would it look like, and what would the grand finale be?
What if you could travel back to the first Fourth of July celebration in 1776? What do you see, and how do people celebrate?
Write about a Fourth of July parade where all the floats are based on your favorite things. What are they, and why do they make you happy?
Imagine you could spend the Fourth of July in any city in the United States. Where would you go, and what would you do?
Write a story about a time when you and your friends had the best Fourth of July barbecue ever. What made it so memorable?
What if you discovered a secret about your family’s history on the Fourth of July? How does it change the way you see the holiday?
Imagine you could invite any historical figure to your Fourth of July celebration. Who would you choose, and what would you talk about?
Write about a time when the weather threatened to ruin your Fourth of July plans. How did you make the best of it?
What if you could create a new Fourth of July tradition? What would it be, and how would people celebrate it?
Imagine you’re in charge of organizing a community Fourth of July event. What activities do you plan, and how do people enjoy them?
Write a story about a Fourth of July where you discover a time capsule from 100 years ago. What’s inside, and how does it connect to today?
What if you could have a Fourth of July party with people from all over the world? How would they celebrate, and what foods would they bring?
Imagine you’re writing a letter to a soldier who is away from home on the Fourth of July. What would you say to them?
Write about a time when you saw the most amazing fireworks display ever. What made it stand out, and how did you feel watching it?
What if you could create your own Fourth of July outfit? What would it look like, and why would it be special?
Imagine you could bake a cake that represents the Fourth of July. What flavors and decorations would you choose?
Write a story about a Fourth of July where your family decides to take a road trip across the country. What do you see and do along the way?
What if you could invite your favorite superhero to your Fourth of July picnic? How would they help make the day even better?
Imagine you discover a hidden park where only a few people know to watch the fireworks. What’s special about this secret spot?
Write about a time when you celebrated the Fourth of July in a totally different way, like at a beach or in the mountains. How was it different from other years?
What if you could create a Fourth of July playlist? What songs would you include, and why?
Imagine you’re a reporter covering the biggest Fourth of July event in the country. What do you see, and who do you interview?
Write about a time when you made or saw the coolest Fourth of July craft or decoration. What made it special?
What if you could spend the Fourth of July with a family from another country who has never celebrated it before? How would you explain the holiday to them, and what would you do together?

Travel Writing Prompts for Kids

Traveling opens up new worlds and adventures. These prompts will inspire you to explore different places, whether real or imagined.

Write about a time when you visited a place that took your breath away. What made it so special?
Imagine you could travel anywhere in the world for a day. Where would you go, and what would you do?
What if you could explore an ancient city that no one has visited in thousands of years? What do you find?
Write about a time when you got lost on a trip but ended up discovering something amazing. What happened?
Imagine you could take a journey through space to visit different planets. What do you see and experience?
What if you could visit a place from your favorite book or movie? Where would you go, and what adventures would you have?
Write about a time when you tried a new food while traveling. What was it, and how did you like it?
Imagine you could go on a safari in Africa. What animals do you see, and what adventures do you have?
What if you could visit a famous landmark that you’ve always wanted to see? How does it feel to be there in person?
Write about a time when you made a new friend while traveling. How did you meet, and what did you do together?
Imagine you could take a trip to a place that only exists in your imagination. What’s it like, and what do you do there?
What if you could visit the bottom of the ocean in a submarine? What creatures and landscapes do you discover?
Write about a time when you traveled to a place that was completely different from where you live. How did it make you feel?
Imagine you could spend a week on a deserted island. What do you do to survive, and what do you discover?
What if you could go on a road trip across the United States? What stops do you make, and what do you see?
Write about a time when you traveled with your family. What was your favorite part of the trip, and why?
Imagine you could visit a place where it’s always winter. What do you do there, and how do you stay warm?
What if you could explore the jungles of the Amazon? What animals and plants do you encounter?
Write about a time when you visited a place with a rich history. What did you learn, and how did it impact you?
Imagine you could take a train ride through Europe. What countries do you visit, and what do you see along the way?
What if you could go on an adventure to the North Pole? What challenges do you face, and what do you discover?
Write about a time when you visited a place that felt magical. What made it so enchanting?
Imagine you could visit a castle in Europe. What stories do you uncover while exploring its halls?
What if you could go camping in a national park? What natural wonders do you explore, and what do you learn?
Write about a time when you visited a bustling city. What sights and sounds made the experience unforgettable?

Language Writing Prompts for Kids

Language is powerful and fun to play with! These prompts will help you explore different ways of using words to express yourself.

Write a poem about your favorite season. How do you capture the feeling of that time of year?
Imagine you could create your own language. What are some of the words, and what do they mean?
What if you could learn any language instantly? Which one would you choose, and why?
Write a story where all the characters can only speak in rhymes. How does it change the way they communicate?
Imagine you wake up one morning and can suddenly speak to animals. What do they tell you?
What if you had to write a letter to someone using only emojis? How do you get your message across?
Write a story where words have magical powers. How do the characters use them?
Imagine you could read minds. What thoughts do you hear, and how do you react?
What if you could communicate with people in the past using letters? Who would you write to, and what would you say?
Write a story where a character has to solve a mystery using hidden messages. How do they decipher the clues?
Imagine you find an ancient book filled with a forgotten language. What does it say, and how do you translate it?
What if you could speak to someone who doesn’t speak your language? How do you find a way to understand each other?
Write a poem that describes a feeling without using the name of the emotion. How do you express it?
Imagine you could invent a new word that everyone starts using. What is it, and what does it mean?
What if you could only communicate through pictures and drawings for a day? How do you tell your story?
Write a story where a character has a secret language only they understand. How does it help or complicate their life?
Imagine you could speak the language of trees. What would they tell you about the world?
What if you had to create a code to send a message to a friend? How do you make sure they understand it?
Write a letter to yourself from the future. What advice does your future self give you?
Imagine you could write a story that comes true as you write it. What happens, and how do you control it?
What if you could translate the sounds of nature into words? What messages do you hear?
Write a story where the main character discovers they can speak any language but can’t remember how to speak their own. How do they cope?
Imagine you’re in a world where people communicate through music. How do they express their feelings and ideas?
What if you had to teach someone how to speak your language? What are the most important words you’d start with?
Write a poem or short story using a word or phrase from another language. How does it add to the meaning of your work?

Black History Month Writing Prompts for Kids

Black History Month is a time to celebrate the achievements, culture, and history of African Americans.

These prompts will help you reflect on important figures, events, and contributions.

Write about a time when you learned about an important figure in Black history. What did you learn, and why was it meaningful to you?
Imagine you could interview any African American historical figure. Who would you choose, and what questions would you ask?
What if you could create a museum exhibit dedicated to Black history? What artifacts or stories would you include?
Write a story about a child who discovers a hidden family history connected to the Civil Rights Movement. What do they learn?
Imagine you’re participating in a march for equality during the 1960s. What are you marching for, and what do you experience?
What if you could have a conversation with Martin Luther King Jr.? What advice would he give you about making a difference in the world?
Write about a time when you stood up for something you believed in, inspired by a figure from Black history.
Imagine you could travel back in time to witness a significant event in Black history. What event would you choose, and what would you see?
What if you could write a letter to Rosa Parks? What would you say to her about her bravery and its impact on the world?
Write a story where the main character is inspired by Harriet Tubman to overcome a personal challenge. How do they succeed?
Imagine you could visit a classroom in the past where students are learning about Black history. What are they discussing, and how does it compare to today?
What if you could design a poster celebrating an unsung hero from Black history? Who would you choose, and what message would you highlight?
Write about a time when you participated in a project or event that celebrated Black culture. What did you learn, and how did it impact you?
Imagine you could create a book of poems inspired by the Harlem Renaissance. What themes would you explore?
What if you could attend a speech by Frederick Douglass? What would you hope to hear, and how would it inspire you?
Write a story where the main character learns about the importance of Black inventors and their contributions to society. How does this knowledge change them?
Imagine you could design a monument to honor African American veterans. What would it look like, and what would it symbolize?
What if you could visit a jazz club during the 1920s Harlem Renaissance? What music would you hear, and who would you meet?
Write about a time when you learned about the history of African American music. What genres or artists stood out to you, and why?
Imagine you’re writing a play about a pivotal moment in Black history. What scene would you focus on, and what message would you want to convey?
What if you could have dinner with Maya Angelou? What would you talk about, and what wisdom would you hope to gain?
Write a story where a young artist is inspired by the work of Jacob Lawrence to create their own masterpiece. How do they express their creativity?
Imagine you’re part of a community project to restore a historic Black neighborhood. What stories and memories do you uncover?
What if you could visit an African American church during the Civil Rights Movement? What would the experience be like, and how would it inspire you?
Write about a time when you learned about the contributions of African Americans to science and technology. How did it change your perspective on history?

For even more writing prompts for kids, check out these video writing prompts:

Final Thoughts

Teachers, these prompts are just the beginning of a fantastic writing journey.

Encourage your students to take these ideas and run with them, exploring new worlds and expressing themselves freely. Kids, let your creativity soar—your stories are waiting to be told.

If you’re looking for a tool to automatically generate rubrics for writing assignments, check out my Grading GPT tool. If you’d like to customize lessons plans for different learners, try my AI Custom Learning Pro tool .

Fun Creative Writing Activities for Co-op or Micro-school

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By request: Fun creative writing activities for co-op or micro-school.

So many co-ops and micro-schools love using 7Sisters no-busywork writing curriculum! We have had some requests from the high schoolers’ teachers on activities for the poetry and short-story writing units in their ELA courses .

Here are some activities that we have used in our homeschool co-op and umbrella school classes. (BTW- Don’t forget 7Sisters offers co-op and school discounts .)

Choose any or all of these ideas.

Create a syllabus for the course

7Sisters offers free sample syllabi for many of our ELA Bundles but don’t be stuck on the way WE do syllabi. Click here for a simple how-to on writing your own syllabus for your course. Or for teens who get excited and want a full year/full credit of poetry, here’s a syllabus for a poetry credit to walk them through the process.

Start each lesson with interest-building

This is probably the most important thing you will do to win your homeschool high schoolers’ attention. Show them a video (or several videos) of famous people reading poems or short stories.

Here are some we have shared:

YouTube is a wealth of resources. Here are a few ideas.

American Poetry

S.M. Lockridge’s famous sermon-poem: Sunday’s Coming
A Tiny Poem to the World by Kid President
The Common Cold by Ogden Nash
To My Dear and Loving Husband by Anne Bradstreet
The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost read by Alan Bates
Hope is a Thing with Feathers by Emily Dickinson
21st Century Native American Poet Layli Long Soldier’s Resolution 6

British Poetry

If by Rudyard Kipling
Yeat’s Best Poems
Sonnet 18 Shakespeare

International Poetry

Korean poetry
Japanese Haiku

Short Stories:

Family Narrative:

Tell them funny stories from my childhood and share clips of famous storytellers telling a short story about their lives.
Read them short stories, such as stories from Patrick McManus’ Never Sniff a Gift Fish.

Tall tales:

Tall Tale (movie)
Here’s an ancient Disney Pecos Bill
Read several tall tales to the teens.

Myth-Fantasy:

The Lord of the Rings movies
The Hobbit movie
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe movie

Each week share an inspirational quote about at the beginning of class each week

Here are a few from Brainy Quote:

When it comes to understanding others, we rarely tax our imaginations. -Lawrence Hill
Poetry is the truth in Sunday clothes. -Joseph Roux
Poetry is ordinary language raised to the Nth power. -Paul Engle
Short stories are tiny windows into other worlds and other minds and dreams. They are journeys you can make to the far side of the universe and still be back in time for dinner. -Neil Gaiman
Start with short stories. After all, if you were taking up rock climbing. you wouldn’t start with Mt. Everest. So if you’re starting fantasy, you don’t start with a nine-book series.- George R.R. Martin

Read a poem in person each week

Choose a favorite poem to read as a group, you read or a student reads.

Build vocabulary with a word wall

Create a word wall. Have students bring an interesting word that they have found this week and write it on a group poster board. Then have each student share their word and what it means. Over the unit they will have enriched their vocabulary in a fun way.

Break the class into teams, assign a noun, and see how many of each examples of poetic sound language (carrying on a theme of alliteration or rhyme) that they can come up with to go along with our noun.

Introductory Guide to High School Short Story Writing: Family Narrative is a no-busywork, step-by-step, day-by-day writing guide for teens.

We use a timer and give them 60 seconds. (A good way to do this is have the kids look up the Noun Generator at randomlists.com and choose a noun from a generated list.)

For instance, they might generate the word “wealth”.

Then the team might come up with these rhymes:
stealth (not too many rhymes for that word…)

Next they might find these words that alliterate with wealth (and have something to do with wealth):

wishing (for)
wallowing (in)

Then practice writing skills together

This helps teens gain confidence in their ability to write creatively!

Group writing each week

Introduce each topic and then help the class work together to write a poem or tiny story of that style (you lead the activity). Allow this to be fun, silly and no-fail.

Team writing each week.

Break into teams. Have them write a quick, fun version of the topic then share with the group.

Share successes by sharing their creative writing assignments

This is powerful! Students might feel nervous at first, but then they love it.

Sharing their poem or short story

Each week have students share their homework poem with the group. With short stories, students will share their completed story at the end of the unit.

This sharing can be done by passing around. You can attach a blank sheet of paper to the poem or short story. Have students write something encouraging about their peer’s project.

Remember to keep the atmosphere relaxed! By the end of the unit, the teens have had a blast and have discovered that they LIKE short story writing!

You will enjoy using 7Sisters’ Writing Curriculum in your co-op!

7Sisters email subscribers receive periodic practical encouragement, special offers and NO SPAM EVER.

Vicki Tillman

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10. Read Your Writing Aloud. It's sometimes fun and instructive to read an extract from your piece aloud for others to listen to and critique. This creative writing activity works well in classrooms and in small groups. The act of reading it aloud will help you listen for sentences to edit and rewrite.
13 Creative Writing Exercises: Become a Better Writer
13 Creative Writing Exercises: Become a Better Writer. Are you looking to hone your writing craft? Try these thirteen creative writing exercises to practice and improve.
10 Fun Writing Activities for Reluctant Writers
In this article, we will look at some creative writing activities where we can inject a little enjoyment into the writing game. 25 Fun Daily Writing Tasks. $3.00. Quick Write and JOURNAL Activities for ALL TEXT TYPES in DIGITAL & PDF PRINT to engage RELUCTANT WRITERS. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ( 18 reviews )
11+ creative writing guide with 50 example topics and prompts
The real aim of the 11+ creative writing task is to showcase your child's writing skills and techniques. And that's why preparation is so important. This guide begins by answering all the FAQs that parents have about the 11+ creative writing task. At the end of the article I give my best tips & strategies for preparing your child for the 11 ...
20 Creative Writing Activities for Elementary Students
This narrative writing activity can teach students to write events clearly and in sequence from their real life. 12. For a creative writing project that's just plain fun, try this Roll a Story activity. 13. This nonfiction project helps children learn to write a letter as they write to a loved one of their choice. 14.
51 Creative Writing Activities For The Classroom: Comics, Prompts
Creative writing prompts activities test not only your little ones' imaginations but also their ability to craft a story and dialogue from that. Display an intriguing picture prompt for your class and have a discussion about it, recording their ideas. You could discuss what the person or animal in the picture is doing or what they're ...
5 Fun Creative Writing Activities
Inside . . . Continue the story. Write for two minutes. Pass the story to a writing partner. The partner continues the story where you left off and writes for two minutes before passing the story back. Continue writing and passing the story every two minutes.
500+ Writing Prompts for Kids (Journal & Story Ideas)
YouTube Video by Imagine Forest — Writing Prompts for Kids. Final Thoughts. Teachers, these prompts are just the beginning of a fantastic writing journey. Encourage your students to take these ideas and run with them, exploring new worlds and expressing themselves freely.
Fun Creative Writing Activities for Co-op or Micro-school
Fun Creative Writing Activities for Co-op or Micro-school. So many co-ops and micro-schools love using 7Sisters no-busywork writing curriculum! We have had some requests from the high schoolers' teachers on activities for the poetry and short-story writing units in their ELA courses.. Here are some activities that we have used in our homeschool co-op and umbrella school classes.
Creative Writing Jobs
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11 Creative Writing Exercises To Awaken Your Inner Author

1. Answer 3 questions.

Here are 11 creative writing exercises to get you started:

How These Exercises Can Make You a Better Writer

Final Thoughts

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Writing Retreat in South France

A note on running exercises remotely

A Letter From Your Character To You

The Opening Sentence

Make your protagonist act!

Overcoming writer's block

Writing Character Arcs

Sewing Seeds in Your Writing

Giving feedback to authors

The Five Senses

Show don't tell

World building

Gossiping about a character as if they're a friend.

Degrees of Emotion Game

Three birds, one line

Blind Date on Valentine's Day (Exercise for Adults)

A Success (Works best for online groups)

Your dream holiday

Time Travel - Child, Adult, Senior

Focus on faces

Onomatopeai, rhyme and alliteration

The alphabet story - creating a story as a group

A question or two

Murder Mystery Game

Phase 1 (3 minutes)

Phase 2 (10 minutes)

Phase 3 (5 minutes)

The obscure movie exercise

How to hint at romantic feelings

A novel idea

Creative writing prompts

Creative story cards / dice

Alternative Christmas Story

Group writing exercise

Murder Mystery Mind Map

New Year’s resolutions for a fictional character

Verb Noun Fiction Exercise (Inspired by Stephen King)

It’s the end of the world

7 Editing Exercises

The First Sentence

Consistency

Show Don’t Tell One

Show Don’t Tell Two

After The Action

Eliminating the Fluff

Chapter Endings

How to run the writing exercises

Marketing Blog

24 of the Best Free Writing Exercises to Try Out Today

Write With Limitations

Freewriting & Stream of Consciousness

Copy What You Read

Write From Different Perspectives

Write Metaphor Lists

Daily Journaling

Writing Exercises: Have Fun with Them!

Sean Glatch

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WEEKLY WRITING PROMPTS

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Write about someone who’s traveling away from their hometown for the first time.

Write about someone’s journey to retrieve an important object that’s been out of their possession for a long time.

Write about someone who’s traveling to a place they’ve never been to meet someone they’ve never met.

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End your story with someone saying “I do.”

Write the origin story of a notorious villain.

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Why we love creative writing prompts

After you find the perfect story idea