182+ ‘Darkness’ Writing Prompts
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Healing Brushstrokes
Paint a picture of your pain using words.
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Chasing The Abyss
Create a narrative where your character is a marine biologist who finds an unexplored underwater chasm.
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Dive Into the Unknown
Write a story about an intrepid deep sea explorer who makes an unexpected discovery during an expedition.
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Exploring the Festival of Lights
Imagine you are celebrating Diwali in India. Write about the beauty of the festival and why it’s celebrated.
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Lights Out Disaster
Write about a Christmas shopping spree which abruptly ends due to a massive power cut.
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A Poem to Battle the Darkness
Compose a poem that speaks to your feelings, experiences and perspective on the longest night of the year.
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Fire Bearer
Invent a story about a character whose job is to keep a fire burning through the entire Winter Solstice night.
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Solstice Solitude
Describe what you would do if you had the entire longest night of the year completely to yourself.
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Journey to the North Star
Write a story where your character embarks on a journey guided by the North Star during the winter solstice.
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Everlasting Winter Night
Narrate a tale around an enchantment that sends a small town into an eternal winter night.
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Mid-Summer Night’s Dream
Weave a narrative around the mystical events that occur under a clear, starlit summer night sky.
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Descent Into the Abyss
Narrate the fall of a hero, as they slowly turn into the villain of their own story.
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Underground Catacombs
Create a villain whose lair is hidden in labyrinthine catacombs beneath a bustling city.
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Irredeemable Beast
Craft a character narrative for a villain who is pure evil, showing no remorse, and beyond redemption.
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Vampire’s First Sunrise
Imagine the scenario where a newly turned vampire experiences their first sunrise from the perspective of that vampire.
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A Symphony of the Night
Describe what the darkness means to you as a vampire, from your first night experience to your current nightly ritual.
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The Amelia Effect
Write a story about a vampire who stops his monstrous ways after falling in love with a human.
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Viking Vampire at Sea
An ancient Norse vampire dreams of sailing the seas again, but sunlight is his bane.
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Light Illuminated Shadows
Picture a city where during the day everything appears normal, but as night falls, the shadows come alive.
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Solstice Silence
Describe the longest night of the year from the perspective of an animal or nature’s element.
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Unexpected Christmas Carol
Draft a story about a Christmas caroler who suddenly shows up at your door, breaking the silence of a typically quiet holiday evening.
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Harvesting the Night
Write about the origin of the vampire’s inherent connection with darkness and night.
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Gothic Murmurs
Create a gothic narrative centered in an abandoned house that whispers secrets only at midnight.
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Dark Tunnel Despair
Your group is stuck in an underground tunnel system with both ends blocked by zombies.
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Legend of the Lost Kingdom
Write about a forgotten fairy tale kingdom that’s slowly being rediscovered.
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Monstrous Origins
Create a backstory for a villain, revealing the true tragedy that led to his turn to darkness.
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Coping Mechanisms
In a post-apocalyptic world, narrate a story about a character who uses humor as a way to cope with the horrific reality around them.
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Celestial Crusader
Draft a tale focusing on a superhero who was once a villain but metamorphosed after an encounter with an alien being.
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Post-Apocalyptic North Pole
Imagine a scenario where a global calamity has turned the North Pole into ruins and Santa is trying to restore hope.
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Connectivity in Darkness
During Earth Hour, ponder on the thought of the entire world participating in this moment of solidarity and write about your feelings.
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Earth Hour Reflections
Spend some time in the dark during Earth Hour and write about the thoughts and emotions that surface.
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Darkness and Light
Explore your personal associations and emotional responses to experiencing more daylight or darkness due to Daylight Saving Time.
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Sunset Boat Mystery
Write about an evening boat ride on a sunny summer day that took a mysterious turn.
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Shadow Creatures
Write a story set in a realm where humans coexist with their animated shadows who possess unique personalities of their own.
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Altitude Attitude
Narrate an instance where you faced your fears, literal or metaphorical, effectively.
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Rise of the Sith
Compose a tale that creates the first ever Sith Lord or darker force in the universe.
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Blinded by Sunlight
Explore how a vampire might feel and survive in a world where they are forever denied the warmth and light of the sun.
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Sunset from a Child’s Perspective
Write about a summer sunset from a child’s perspective. What would they notice first? How would they react?
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The Ever-Changing Sky
Write about the evolution of a summer sunset, from the initial decline of the sun until complete darkness.
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Pursuit After Dark
Your protagonist is thrust into an unexpected chase late at night against an adept and elusive pursuer, navigating through dark corners and eerie silence amidst bouts of extreme fatigue.
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Fallen Hero
Develop a character who could potentially become a Sith Lord, chronicling their fall from grace.
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Birth of Darkness
Write a narrative about the transformation of the first Sith, exploring the interplay of power, morality, and fear.
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Mysterious Pumpkin Patch
Someone has noticed something very strange about the pumpkin patch in the town.
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The Dance of Fireflies
Imagine a secret gathering of fireflies in your garden, narrating it as if it’s an exclusive, secret party.
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Facing the Galactic Emperor
Luke’s confrontation with the Emperor and acceptance of his own Darkness, plays a pivotal role in his journey. Write about facing a personal fear or antagonist and confronting your inner darkness.
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Legacy of Hope
Write about how Leia’s actions have imbued hope into the hearts of many, inspiring characters in the Star Wars Universe.
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Amnesiac Protagonist
Your main character wakes up with no memory of who they are, slowly they discover shocking truths about their true identity.
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The Shadows We Carry
Extract a character from your shadow and write a flash fiction where it interacts with you.
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Emerging Darkness
What will happen if your fairy tale is recast in a darker genre? Write a dark version of a fairy tale.
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Autumn’s Transformation
Explore your feelings about the transitioning seasons as October heralds an end to summer and beckons winter.
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Embracing the First Sunbeam
Write about how you would feel and what you would do if you were the first person to meet the morning sun.
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Innocence in the Inferno
Narrate the heart-touching tale of friendship between two children from opposing sides during the Holocaust.
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The Last Daylight
Write about the world just as it enters an endless night, which provokes the rise of Vampire Apocalypse.
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Sinister Sesame Street
What if Sesame Street wasn’t a safe and educational haven for children, but a haunted street full of otherworldly terror lurking behind every corner.
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Endless Night Shift
Write about a doctor or nurse turned vampire, using their new abilities to save lives at night.
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Redemption in Darkness
Explore the story of a remorseful criminal granted a second chance at life, but as a bloodthirsty vampire.
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Confronting the Darkness
Write about the villain of your novel staging a surprising confrontation with the protagonists.
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Shadowy Silhouettes
Write about encountering a shadowy figure lurking in plain sight during day time.
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Monstrous Awakening
A creature of legend and horror awakens after centuries, threatening to plunge the land into darkness and despair.
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Polar Night
Write a narrative that unfolds during the Polar night-period filled with tranquility, darkness, and isolation.
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Rekindling Inner Light
Write about a moment where you found unexpected joy or laughter during a difficult time.
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Calling the Constellations
Envision a world where a lonely child befriends a constellation which comes alive every night.
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Haunted Fairy Kingdom
An ancient fairy kingdom has been cursed, turning from a place of beauty and magic into a haunting, horrific landscape.
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Dreams and Destiny
Create a comprehensive backstory for a fairy tale villain, focusing on how their decisions resulted in their infamous role.
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Shadow City
Write about an urban landscape where shadows come to life at night and hold their own secret society.
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The Endearing Demon
In a world overrun by darkness and demons, write about a demon who opposes his innate nature, longing for kindness and compassion.
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Underground Syndicate
Write about a rookie detective slowly uncovering the existence of a powerful organized crime syndicate.
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Embracing the Darkness
Write a reflective piece about using the darkness of December to foster self-discovery and personal growth.
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Foreboding Forest
An eerily quiet forest, one that’s known for its strange disappearances, suddenly begins showing signs of supernatural activity.
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The Forgotten Shelter
Post nuclear apocalypse, a group of survivors in an underground shelter must face the inevitable fact that food and water supplies are running out.