Story Writing Prompts | Aspiring Writers

One of the best creative exercises I have encountered is trying to figure out how things work together. These story writing prompts are based on that idea. Here are several random puzzle pieces: title, plot, theme, setting, and characters. Can you put them all together to create an original story?

Click the button below to change the prompts — feel free to mix and match suggestions until you find something that strikes your fancy.

Title

Theme:

Setting:

The setting is the backdrop to your story. A lot of times you can find inspiration to break through writer's block by doing a little research. You can click both the time and place to start your research with Google Maps and Wikipedia.

Plot:

Characters:

Characters are usually the most interesting part of a story. You will probably want at least 2 or 3 main characters: the protagonist (the hero), a sidekick, and an antagonist (the villain).

A few secondary characters can help bring depth to your story as well, so we decided to give you half a dozen to start with. Which one looks like the most likely protagonist? The most likely villain? How are they all related to each other? Do they work together? Are they family? Neighbors? As you answer these questions you are building your backstory.