110+ ‘Failure’ Writing Prompts
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Finding Courage in Failure
Write about a moment of your life when you failed. Detail the experience, your feelings at that time, and how…
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Growth in Failure
Write about a failure you experienced and how the lessons from it lead to personal growth.
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Overcoming Fears
Imagine a scenario where you’re scared of trying a new sport but decide to give it a go anyway.
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Battle of Hearts
Imagine Cupid on a particularly challenging day where the arrows of love are not hitting their mark.
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Training Day Dilemma
Your character’s first day at superhero training school becomes complicated when their powers don’t work as expected.
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Resolutions Revisited
Reflect on your past years’ resolutions and assess how well you did in keeping them.
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Puzzle of the Enigma Machine
You are a talented cryptologist recruited to decode the decrypted messages from the enemy during World War II.
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Defeating Future Anxieties
Imagine a worry you have about the future, then write a story where you successfully overcome it.
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Turning Point Tidbits
Reflect on a turning point in your life and write about how it altered your personal narrative.
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Dessert Disaster
A world-renowned pastry chef creates a magnificent dessert, but something goes wrong.
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Cost of Defeat
Write about a group that fails in their mission, but their loss leads to unexpected improvements.
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Save the Day
Basing your story line on the classic ‘time-loop’ dilemma, write about someone stuck on the worst day of their life…
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At Long Last, Victory
Describe an unforgettable moment when you or your team won a match or race in the spring.
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Flourishing Resilience
Tell a story about a personal failure and how you turned it into a growth opportunity.
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Lessons from Failure
Consider a time when you failed at something important in school and analyze what you learned from it.
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Second Chances
Describe an instance when you were given a second chance and how you capitalized on it.
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Eternal Night
Compose a dialogue between two astronauts who have just discovered they will be stuck in space due to a technical…
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The Disappointing Report Card
Describe a child’s reactions and actions after receiving a poor report card.
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A Titanic Endeavor
Create a fictional account of an engineer involved in the making of a notorious ship, like the Titanic.
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Salvaging the Family Business
Write a story about someone who gets a chance to revive their failing family business.
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Learning from Failure
Think of a time when you failed at something and describe what you learned from that experience.
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Revisiting Resolutions
Choose an unfulfilled resolution from a previous year and write a story of it being realized in the new year.
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Pig’s Resilience
Write about a time in which you, like a pig – which is known to survive in varied conditions, displayed…
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The Forgotten Password
A president of a big corporation loses the password to his company’s main account and believes he’s been ousted, just…
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The Last Case
Construct a narrative about an aging detective working on solving the very first crime they were assigned but failed to…
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The Phoenix Within
Describe an instance when you failed or made a big mistake as a child, and how you rose again from…
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Lessons from Loss
Describe a loss or a failure you faced in the last year and the lessons you learned from it.
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Learning From Setbacks
Write about a failure in your quest of achieving a goal, and discuss the lessons you learned from that experience.
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Moral Dilemma
The protagonist is presented with a choice between two equally painful or beneficial outcomes.
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The Hilarious Heist
Write a story about a robbery that doesn’t go plain sailing due to a series of comedic failures.
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Castle Quest
Imagine you’re a brave knight on a quest to rescue a trapped prince/princess from a dragon-guarded castle.
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Grateful for Growth
Reflect on a personal challenge you have faced and express gratitude for the growth it prompted.
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The Last Clue
Invent a nail-biting situation where the final significant clue to the treasure is about to be lost forever.
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Unmasking Creative Demons
Write about obstacles or fears that you believe are causing your writer’s block.
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Unexpected Triumph
Write about an unexpected success or win for your character and how it changes their future actions.
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Turning Defeats into Victories
Write about a failure you have experienced and detail how it has turned or could turn into a valuable learning…
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Era of Cryptic Codes
During WWII, your protagonist is a codebreaker deciphering encrypted enemy communications.
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Strength in Failure
Describe a situation where you failed at something but kept trying until you succeeded.
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Survival at Sea
Write a thrilling personal narrative about a major mechanical failure onboard your research vessel far from the shore.
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Crisis on a Research Vessel
Recount a critical incident on an Environmental Research Vessel that puts its mission at jeopardy.
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Maritime Malfunction
Write about a technical failure on the ferry mid-journey and how you and the other passengers handle it.
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The Tournament Loss
Describe a critical Pokemon tournament match where your protagonist loses to their established rival.
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Tragic Triumph
Write a fanfic where a superhero fails to save the day and explore how they handle defeat.
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The Gift of Failure
Think about a time you tried and failed to achieve something you really wanted. How did it shape your dreams…
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Reframing Failure
Write about an instance where you fell short or failed, and how you can interpret it positively.
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Compassionate Communication
Compose a compassionate letter to yourself regarding a mistake you have made recently.
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Finding Your Silver Lining
Choose a failure and write about the unexpected positive outcomes it led to.
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Embracing Imperfection
Write about a moment where you felt inadequate and detail how this shaped you.
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Nurturing Growth From Failure
Explore a negative event and elaborate on what you’ve learned from it.
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The Facets of Failure
Reflect on a time when you failed and how that experience has propelled your growth.
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Celebrating Mistakes
Write about a mistake or failure that ended up teaching you an important lesson.
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Reframing Failures
Think about a time you felt you failed and explore how it has contributed to your personal growth.
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Reimagining Failure
Write about a time when you failed at something and how you can change the narrative.
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Understanding Failure
Identify a time you failed at something and discuss what you learned from that experience.
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Moving Forward with Lessons from Your Past
Write about a past event that, although painful, helped shape you into the person you are today.
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Self-Compassion Station
Write a compassionate letter to yourself addressing a mistake or setback you’ve recently experienced.
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Growth Through Failure
Write about a time you experienced failure and how it influenced your personal growth.
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Pursuit of Passion
Describe an instance where you pursued something you were passionate about and what you learned from that experience.
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Celebrating Growth
Recall a failure or setback and pen down how it eventually led to your growth or success.
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Conquering Failure Mountain
Write about the most significant moment where you embraced your fear of failure and how you felt afterwards.
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Banishing Failure Demons
Write a letter to your fear of failure, acknowledging it and then dismissing it.
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Reflection
Look back at your marriage and list down three things you have learned about relationships and personal growth from that…
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The “Weakness” Myth
Write about a time when you or someone else believed that depression signified personal weakness, and how you overcame this…
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Journey of the Airship Engineer
Compose a narrative about an airship engineer who must fix a critical failure on his ship whilst in-flight.
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From Zero to Hero
Create a narrative where an underdog athlete or team defied all odds to achieve success.
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Race Against Time
Imagine a scenario where your protagonist is running out of time and must act quickly.
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Grim Echoes
Write a story about a private investigator solving a murder that seems eerily similar to an old, unsolved case.
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Unfulfilled Dreams
Write about a character striving towards a lifelong dream, only to have it snatched away unexpectedly.
