176+ ‘Metaphor’ Writing Prompts
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Multilingual Metaphors of Love
Pick a metaphor that you associate with love or Valentine’s Day and translate it into different languages. Analyze how the metaphor might change or hold the same meaning in different languages.
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Life Blossoms
Create a piece where a spring flower has strong symbolic significance – perhaps it’s a metaphor for a character’s personal growth or a wider societal issue.
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Awakening after Amnesia
Narrate a character’s internal struggle as they slowly regain their memory, rediscovering forgotten parts of themselves, but not recognizing who they’ve become.
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Puppeteer’s Tale
You are a puppeteer, reveal to the world why you chose the ancient art of puppetry.
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Crafting Your Poem
In honor of World Poetry Day, write your own poem, focusing on a theme of your choice.
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Guardians of the Earth
Write a short story about an Earth memory embodied as a character protecting its wonder.
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Ice Sculpture Metaphor
Tell a tale where thoughts and emotions are crystallized into ice sculptures.
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Snowflake Dreams
Compose a story in which every individual is a unique snowflake falling to the ground.
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Reflections on the Past Year
Write a personal reflection on the year that has passed, using the Winter Solstice as a metaphor.
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Anti-Love Potion Mishap
In a magical world, someone tired of love on Valentine’s Day acquires an anti-love potion that backfires.
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Hope’s Endless Ribbon
Crate a tale where people are physically connected to their soulmates by an unseen ribbon. What happens when you meet your soulmate?
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Mountain of Affection
In a figurative world, every act of love solidifies into a stone. Our mountains grow with each act, write about its formation.
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A Token of Affection’s Journey
Write about a Valentine’s day gift that gets lost and the adventurous journey it takes to get back to its recipient.
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Chasing Rainbows
Imagine you’re a little explorer set out to find the end of a rainbow. Describe your adventure.
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Phantoms of Potential
Imagine yourself as a ‘ghost’ observing your present life from an outsider’s perspective.
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Forgotten Kingdom
Create a tale about an adventurer who stumbles upon an ancient and forgotten kingdom.
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Twilight’s Melancholy
Write a poem or a prose piece describing the emotions evoked by a November twilight.
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Riding the Emotional Wave
Transcribe your emotions into stanzas, beginning with the initial pain and ending with peace or acceptance.
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Timescape Specter
Picture a ghost that is stuck time-traveling, causing it to exist in multiple timelines at once.
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Castle and the Captive
Write a flash fiction piece where a castle is a metaphor for a character’s mental imprisonment.
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Echoes of the Heart
Craft a flash fiction piece where music serves as a metaphor for a character’s deeply buried emotions.
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The Clockwork Character
Write a piece of flash fiction where a mechanical clockwork mechanism is a metaphor for a character’s regimented and controlled life.
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Garden of Life
Write a flash fiction story where a flower garden stands as a metaphor for a character’s growth and evolution.
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The Language of Seasons
Use a particular season of the year as a metaphor for a significant life phase in a flash fiction piece.
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Hidden Depths in Brevity
Author a Flash Fiction tale that appears simple on the surface, but harbors a deeper, hidden meaning.
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Banishing the Snakes
Consider the legend of St. Patrick expelling all the snakes from Ireland and pen a reflective essay on it.
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A Blizzard of Emotions
Describe a situation filled with emotional turmoil, using a winter storm as a metaphor.
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Castle of Crayons
Imagine a magical castle made entirely of crayons where the colours have different powers. Write a story about your visit to this castle.
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Bouquet Biography
Write about a significant moment in your life using the metaphor of a flower arrangement.
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The Grit Between
Write a piece that communicates the feeling of having salt or sand in a shoe, using it as a metaphor for minor but nagging issues in life.
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Icy Blues
Compose a poem or narrative using the contrasting textures of salt and grit as a prominent metaphor.
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The Ice Sculptor’s Muse
Create a story where a renowned ice sculptor falls in love with their greatest masterpiece.
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Lost Love in Istanbul
A heartbroken protagonist ventures on a soul-searching trip to Istanbul, only to discover an unexpected romance.
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The Fall of Resilience
Write about a time in your life that felt like ‘fall’, a period of change and letting go, and how you grew through this experience.
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April Showers in My Shoes
Write about experiencing a sudden April shower and finding your shoes filled with rain.
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Rebuilding Old Bridges
Convey a tale of two characters reconnecting and rebuilding their relationship after a betrayal, with the setting as a background metaphor.
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Life Through Rainbow Coloured Glasses
Write a first-person narrative of someone who sees the world only in the colors of a rainbow.
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Rainy Day Reverie
Imagine sitting by the window on a rainy day, thinking about an important change you’re about to make in your life.
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The Fateful Ship
Write a story about a doomed sea voyage where the ship sank due to an unexpected accident.
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Taste Sensation
Write about a meal or a food item that had a deep impact on your senses, describing the experience as vividly as you can.
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A Path of Kindness
Imagine you could leave a trail of kindness behind you wherever you go. What would this path look like, and how would it affect the people who cross it?
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Wilderness as a Metaphor
Think of a personal challenge or problem you’re facing. Frame it as a wilderness expedition.
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October in Absentia
A challenge to imagine and describe October to someone who has never experienced it.
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Harvest Moon
Write a poem inspired by the Harvest Moon, symbolizing the end of the summer growing season and the anticipation of the winter ahead.
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Time for Rebirth
November, marked by fall leaves giving way to bare trees, signifies rebirth. Write about a part of your life you’d like to start anew.
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Undercurrent Stories
Explore the unseen narratives hidden below the water’s apparent tranquility. What secrets does the water hold beneath its reflective surface?
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Spring’s First Bloom
Relate the first sighting of spring’s first bloom through a narrative or a poem.
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The Fiddler’s Tale
Narrate a story about a suspenseful fiddling competition a la “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”, but set in an Irish pub.
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Lost in a Winter Wonderland
Craft a narrative about losing the way in winter woods, only to find something incredibly sublime.
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Behind the Lyrics
Choose a song you love. Interpret the lyrics and explain what message you think the songwriter is trying to convey.
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Food Fusion Endeavor
Devise a scenario where a character must create a meal blending flavors from two distinct cultures.
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April Showers: Embracing Challenges
Write about a motivational quote that inspires resilience in the face of adversity and how it relates to April.
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Conclusion of Blossoms
Write a story that uses the wilting of spring flowers as a metaphor for a personal experience.
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Vampires and Veganism
Your vampire character has turned vegan and refuses to consume human blood anymore. How will he cope with the cravings and hunger?
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Blossoming Relationships
Compare the evolution of a close relationship to the blooming of a flower in spring.
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Sacred Pathways
Imagine walking through a labyrinth formed by verdant hedges in your summer garden. What wisdom reaches you at the center?
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Symbolism in Setting
Write about how the setting in a chosen book symbolizes a theme or sets the overall mood.
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Labyrinth of the Mind
Write a story that depicts the protagonist being haunted by a horrifying creature that represents their mental illness.
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The Shape-Shifter Among Us
Weave a tale where a close acquaintance of the main character is actually a supernatural creature that brings horror.
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Weathering Storms
Use a recurring storm as a metaphor to represent the turmoil in a character’s life.
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Meeting at the Crossroads
Create a narrative where the protagonist repeatedly encounters a crossroads, a symbol of life-altering decisions.
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The Rays of Resilience
Write a story, using the healing power of sunlight as a metaphor, about a character who regains their strength after a traumatic incident.
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Autumn Leaves as Memories
Reflect on significant changes or transitions in your life, using falling autumn leaves as a metaphor.
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The Tale of Two Lands
Imagine two different lands separated by a thick, magical forest. One land is always sunny while the other is covered in snow all year round. Write a story about a character that must travel between these two lands.
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Terrifying Teapot
Create a narrative where an innocuous teapot has strange and horrifying effects on its drinkers.
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The March of the Rain
Narrate the journey of a single raindrop from the sky to the ground in a rainy March.
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Haunted Dream House
Pen a tale about a house that is seen repeatedly in dreams, but with every dream, something horrific happens there.
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Revolution Blood Feasts
Write a story set in the French Revolution with the elite aristocracy being vampires feasting off the lower classes.
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Growth and Transformation
Reflect on the growth and transformation that occurs in April and express gratitude.
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The Great Fruit Rebellion
Write a fictional tale about a world where fruits have gained consciousness and are leading a rebellion.
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The Fateful Apple Blossom
Compose a story where the blossoming of an apple tree in spring marks a pivotal moment in a character’s life.
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The Great Friendship Bake-off
Pretend that the strength of your friendship with another person can be symbolized in a type of dessert. What dessert would represent your friendship and why?
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Latke-Winning Recipe
Create a fictional story centered around a family’s lifelong quest for the perfect Hanukkah latke recipe.
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Mirror of Secrets
Write a story about a magical mirror that reveals a surprising truth about the main character.
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The Tale of the Snake-Free Isle
Craft a creative tale on the folklore that St. Patrick drove away all snakes from Ireland.
