212+ ‘Pain’ Writing Prompts
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A Centuries-Long Love Song
An immortal vampire falls in love with the same human soul reincarnated over centuries.
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The Ghost’s Lover
Compose a tragic tale of a specter still pining for their lost love on a bitter autumn night.
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Voice of Vengeance
In a dialogue, let your villain reveal their motives rooted in past pain or injustice.
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Remembered Souls
Imagine a world where spirits of the deceased come back one day a year, with no memory of how they died.
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My Future Self
Write a letter from your future self, in which you’ve moved on and found happiness, to your current, heartbroken self.
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Grace after Pain
Compose a letter of forgiveness to your heartbreak, expressing your feelings and taking steps towards closure.
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Learning from Pain
Reflect on the lessons you’ve learned from this heartbreak.
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Embracing Gratitude
Write about the people, places, or things you are grateful for despite your heartbreak.
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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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Invincible, but not Immune
Write about the emotional pain your invincible hero experiences when their loved ones grow old, get hurt, or pass on.
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Immortal Apathy
Detail a scenario where endless, spine-chilling fights and near-death experiences render the invincible character emotionally disinterested or numb.
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Unrequited Love Tales
In this love triangle, your protagonist is in love with someone, but that person loves someone else.
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Betrayal and Redemption
Develop a narrative about a significant betrayal between two characters and the path towards redemption.
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An Internal Nightmare
Imagine a character who can physically feel their dreams – specifically, their nightmares. Explore this terrifying phenomenon.
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Serenity of the Sacred
Describe an instance where you’ve experienced a deep sense of spiritual peace, and how this mirrors the serenity Jesus must have felt after his resurrection.
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Embracing Emotions
Write a piece about acknowledging your “negative” emotions during a heartbreak, instead of trying to avoid them.
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Heart’s Empathy
Reflect on how experiencing heartache has made you more empathetic towards others.
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Lesson from Loss
Write about a significant loss you experienced and what you have learned from that process.
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The Anguish Antidote
Craft a narrative about a time when you encountered deep sorrow or pain, and how you soothed it.
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The Letter of Release
Write a letter to someone, without the intention of sending it, that has caused you pain.
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Behind My Smiles
Write about a time when you had to pretend to be happy, but you were hurting inside.
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A Letter to the Lost
Write a letter to someone close to you who has passed away, expressing your unspoken feelings and thoughts.
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Lost Connection
Write about two siblings who were once extremely close but have now grown apart due to a past incident.
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Innocent Narrator
Create a story about heartbreak as described by an innocent third person, like a child or a pet.
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Breaking Down Walls
Pen a letter you never intend to send to the person who broke your heart.
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Sanctuary in Darkness
Compose a story where a superhero chooses to live in darkness to cope with their traumatic past
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The Wrongs of Righting Wrongs
Narrate a story in which your superhero turns their past tragedy into strength.
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Cheered to Death
Write a story about a mischief-causing spirit that only kills people who laugh at its antics.
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Hidden Magic School
A non-magical teenager accidentally stumbles into a magical school and builds a life there.
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Phoenix Heart
Write about a character’s unrequited love whose feelings haven’t diminished, but continue to smolder like embers.
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Resilient Future Self
Write a letter from your future self, having already healed from this heartbreak, to your current self. Fill it with comfort, advice, and reassurance.
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Channeling Pain into Poetry
Turn your heartbreak into a captivating poem outlining your feelings, struggles, and resolutions.
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The Power of Forgiveness
Write about someone who has hurt you and the possibility of forgiving them for your peace of mind.
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Interpreter of Inanimate Intimacies
Craft a story where inanimate objects can harbor secrets, pain, and emotions they share only with a chosen character.
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Turning Pain Into Power
Write about how St. Patrick used his experiences as a slave to become a protector of the Irish people.
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The Path to Rectitude
Manifest a fictional account of your future, as you hope it will unfold post-breakup.
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Haunted Past
Write about a traumatic event in your character’s past that is causing a ghost to manifest.
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Ghost’s Freedom
In the story’s climax, the ghost and the protagonist work together to release the ghost from its earthly ties.
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Lost in Translation
Write about a relationship where hurtful words were misunderstood due to a langauge barrier, leading to emotional pain, and how comfort was sought in silence and understanding.
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Eleven’s Origin
Write a theory about Eleven’s true origin and how it might be different from what was portrayed in the show.
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Marker of Vallaslin
Write about a Dalish elf’s journey in receiving their Vallaslin, the sacred face tattoos.
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First Love’s Agony
Write about a character who is in the throes of their first heartbreak after being rejected by their childhood friend.
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The Power of Love
Pen a romantic narrative that encapsulates the pain, joy, and transformative power of love.
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Facing Life Hurdles
Write about a challenging situation or event in your life that forced you to grow and change.
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Painful Pleasures
Write about a time when something that brought you happiness also brought you pain.
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Mapping Your Emotional Refuge
Describe your ideal refuge from emotional turmoil. How can this refuge aid in your recovery journey?
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Emotional Landscape
Translate your emotions into a landscape. What does your emotional pain look like? What about your happiness, your fear, your anger?
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Imaginary Bridge
Imagine having a bridge that can transport you away from your current emotional pain. What does it look like? Where does it lead you?
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Epistolary Therapy
Write a letter to someone who caused you emotional pain without the intention of ever sending it.
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Rewriting History
Choose an episode from your past that has contributed to your depression and rewrite it with a different, more positive outcome.
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Mapping the Pain Points
Write about the specific moments or reasons that hurt you the most in your relationship.
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Positives in Negatives
Find a silver lining in the traumatic event that had a significant impact on your development.
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The Apology I never got
Imagine a scenario where someone who wronged you in the past has apologized. How does it make you feel?
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The Forgiveness Letter
Write a letter to someone who has hurt you, expressing your feelings and stating your intention to forgive.
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Strength In Loss
Identify and reflect on the strength and personal growth you have gained since the loss.
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Embracing Lessons Learned
Identify a difficult period in your life and reflect on the lessons you learned from this experience.
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Purpose in Pain
Describe a time when a negative or painful experience led to personal growth or change that you now consider positive.
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The Unsent Letter
Write a letter to someone who caused your traumatic event. You are not obligated to send it, it is only for catharsis.
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Finding Light in the Dark
Pick a time in your life when you felt overwhelmingly unhappy, but now can see a positive aspect or outcome of that experience.
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Share Your Pain
Write a letter to someone expressing how you feel without worrying about sending it.
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Masking the Pain
Talk about a time when you hid your feelings from others, why you did it, and how it felt.
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Patching Heart Scars
Write about a time when you felt deep pain, where you are now, and how you have healed.
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Transforming Trauma
Imagine the painful events of your childhood as shadows and creatively transform them into sources of strength.
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Understanding My Anti-self
Write a dialogue with your depressed self, asking what it needs or what’s causing its pain.
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Turning Pain into Triumph
Write about the most challenging day during your addiction and how you would redesign it now.
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5. Healing Visualization
Write about a place or scenario where you completely feel at peace. How does it feel to be there? What do you see, hear, taste, touch and smell?
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Healing Letters
Write a letter to someone who has hurt you, expressing your feelings and seeking closure, without the compulsion to send it.
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Rewriting Painful Memories
Rewrite a painful or traumatic memory by changing the narrative to a more positive or empowering outcome.
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A Letter to Your Future Self
Write a letter to your future self, documenting the current physical pain and expressing hope for a pain-free future.
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Life Sans Wound
Imagine your life if a particular emotional incident never occurred. How would it look and feel?
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Pathway to Forgiveness
Write a roadmap for forgiving yourself or someone else who contributed to your emotional pain.
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Evolving Through Pain
Write a story about a characters’ painful past and how they evolved through their healing process.
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The Mask of Functioning Depression
Detail the challenges you faced while dealing with functioning depression, a condition where people can carry on with their everyday tasks while inwardly grappling with melancholy.
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The Link of Illness to Depression
Discuss a physical illness you’ve experienced and try to extract possible links to your depression.
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Final Conversations
Create a moving monologue detailing your last conversation with a loved one who has now passed away.
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Resilient After Disaster
Reflect on an experience or imagine a situation where you’ve emerged stronger and more resilient after a major catastrophe.
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War Heroes Unmasked
Write about a highly celebrated war hero who struggles with the horrors of war behind the scenes.