1846+ ‘Exercise’ Writing Prompts
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Environmental Diplomacy
Imagine a UN conference on Earth Day where world leaders are discussing global environmental issues. Write a speech you would present as a leader.
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Surviving the Blizzard
Engage in a creative writing exercise imagining getting stuck in a winter storm while trekking and how you survive.
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Lush Solstice
Imagine a version of Earth where Winter Solstice instead ushers in a wave of intense plant growth overnight.
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The Spirit of Giving
Narrate a story about a selfless act of giving or kindness during winter holidays. Unfold the story from either a giver, receiver, or an observer’s perspective.
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Profound Traditions
Explore a winter holiday tradition in your family that has deeper significance. Write about the roots of the tradition, how it has evolved over the years, and what makes it special.
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Painting Winter with Words
Describe a day in the middle of winter without using any adjectives. Locate beauty and meaning inside the harsh austerity of the season.
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Marine Wonder
Imagine the mysteries of the underwater world and write a story of a fish exploring the ocean.
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Mapping Emotional Geographies
Write about a place that profoundly impacts your emotional state and explain why.
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Understanding Emotional Trajectory
Chronicle a timeline of your emotional growth from childhood to the present day.
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The Necessity of a Nemesis
Write about how your hero’s journey would differ without their principal antagonist.
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A Year in Review
Write an obituary for your past year, encapsulating the highlights, low points, and significant moments.
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Letter to My Future Self
Pen a letter to your future self, one year from now, talking about your hopes, fears, and expectations for the upcoming year.
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New Year, New Me
Write about one major change that you desire to make for self-improvement in the coming new year.
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Celebration of Strength
Write about the strength that you found within yourself after the heartbreak.
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Letters From The Heart
Write a letter to your significant other expressing your love, even if they’ve heard it a thousand times before.
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Toy Story Tales
Imagine your favorite toy came alive when you left the room. What would their day look like?
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From the Treetop
Envision yourself as a bird overlooking the school playground – how does it look like from up there?
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Summer Bloom Reflections
Using each of the five senses, describe the scene of a flower blooming in a lush summer garden.
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Comfort in Childhood Sounds
Recall sounds from your childhood that evoke comfort and warmth, and incorporate them into your inner sanctuary.
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Palace of Past Affection
Create a dream house in which your inner child would feel loved, safe, and significant.
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Meeting Your Heroes
Visualize a dinner party where your greatest heroes are guests. Describe the evening.
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Future Echoes
Picture yourself five years into the future. Detail what you’re doing, where you are, and who is there with you.
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A Drop in the Desert
Imagine living in an area facing severe water scarcity and describe your day-to-day life.
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Unrequited Valentine
Immerse yourself in the shoes of a person who is in love with someone who doesn’t reciprocate their feelings.
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Lost Love Rediscovery
Re-encounter an old love and describe how you both have changed since your relationship.
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Valentine’s Love Letter
Compose a heartfelt love letter to your significant other or a potential love interest, full of your deepest feelings.
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Love Letters You Never Sent
Consider a former love or a secret crush and write a Valentine’s Day letter you wish you could send.
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Reality Altered
Imagine waking up in the same place but a different time, how will your normal routine be affected?
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My Imaginary Friend
Write about the adventures with your imaginary friend beginning every paragraph with “My imaginary friend and I…”.
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Our Rainbow World
Beginning with the phrase “Today I saw something red,” have the child describe various items they’ve spotted in different colors throughout the day or week.
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Emotional Timeline
Draw a timeline of your day-to-day routine and associate an emotion to each activity.
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Adventures of a Talking Animal
Select an animal and imagine that it can speak like a human. Write a story about a day in its life.
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Once Upon a Time in a Land Far Away
Create a completely new land and write a tale taking place there.
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The Arc of prompts
Choose 5 different prompts and use them to create a long narrative where each prompt represents a different event or phase in the story.
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Prompt Revision
Choose a fiction prompt you didn’t like or found hard to write. Rewrite this prompt and develop a story around it.
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Crossover Chronicles
Using two completely unrelated fiction prompts, write a short story that brings elements from each together.
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Mastering the Craft
Write a story about a character who is a novice writer using a mysterious, magical writing prompt.
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Beyond the Cross: Personal Reflection
Take the symbol of the cross, a profound Easter representation, and elaborate on what it means to you personally.
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Sensory Scavenger Hunt
Choose one of your favorite locations, indoor or outdoor, and describe it using vivid, descriptive words.
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The Inner Monologue
Write about your thoughts during a usual school day, from morning until you go to bed.
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Lexicon of Lament
Write a piece on the psychological impact of horror, using precise and distinct words.
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Terrifying Terminology
Create a short horror story using ten new uncommon or underused horror terms.
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Quantum Quirk
Craft a story around an everyday object that suddenly starts to disobey the normal laws of physics.
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Lessons from Childhood
Remember a key life lesson that you have learned as a child and how you apply it even today.
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Active Dialogue Driving Plot
Write a story where the plot is driven forward primarily through dialogue.
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The Prompt Rebellion
Create a short story based on a fictitious scenario where a group of writing prompts gain life and rebel against writers.
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Bias Buster
Identify a topic about which you feel strongly biased. Consider arguments that could challenge this bias and elaborate on them.
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Write into the Void
Write a story without characters. Make the setting and environment the focal point.
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Peeling Back the Layers
Choose a pivotal moment in a fictional story and write about the same scene from multiple characters’ perspectives.
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Breaking Down Narratives
Write about a popular fictional character and invent an entirely new backstory for them.
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Empathy Exercise
Write a story from the point of view of someone who is feeling an emotion you don’t understand.
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Emotional Resilience
Describe a time when you rose above your emotional pain, and how it changed you.
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Cracks in the Heart
Write a letter to your emotional pain, acknowledging its existence.
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Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained
Write a fictional piece depicting a dystopian future if Earth Day’s purposes are ignored, and a contrasting utopia where they are embraced.
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Diving into Detail
Write a short story that is rich in descriptive details about a location you’ve been to.
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The Universe in a Grain of Sand
Scientists often say the universe is all around us – even in a single grain of sand or a droplet of water. Write a story exploring this idea, making the ordinary extraordinary.
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Traveling Back to the Past
If you could travel back in time, where in history would you go, who would you meet, and what would you do?
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Journey to the Stars
Imagine you are a space explorer traveling to a distant planet. Describe your journey and what you discover.
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Postcard Chronicles
Choose five different international postcards and write a storyline that connects all of them.
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One Last Letter
Craft a final letter that a passenger on Titanic pens to a loved one, knowing they won’t survive.
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Fantastic Flying Machines
Describe an imaginary flying machine you’ve created to replace an airplane.
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Facing Future Challenges
Write about a challenge you think you might face moving up to 8th grade and how you plan to tackle it.
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Rooting Through Rubble
Write about a moment of strength or growth that emerged from your heartbreak.
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Audience Response
Choose a scene of violence already written and rewrite it, aiming for a specific emotional response from the audience.
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Journey to Prehistoric Times
Imagine you’ve travelled back in time and you’re now living amongst the dinosaurs.
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Stepping Into Famous Shoes
You’ve just time-traveled and wake up as a famous figure from the past. Who are you and what could your average day look like?
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To The Future and Beyond
You had the chance to travel to the year 3021, but you only have one day to explore. What would you do?
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Wild, Wild West
Imagine being sent back to the era of Cowboys and Wild West. Create an exciting narrative involving wild cons, towering saloons, and cowboy adventures.