Creative Writing Ideas & Prompts

Story prompts, writing exercises, and creative ideas to spark your imagination.

Write a story about a potato that learns to talk and becomes a famous comedian.

From writing a story about a talking potato to creating a superhero with the most useless power ever, these writing prompts and creative exercises will help you create something amazing out of nothing. Perfect for aspiring authors, bored students, or anyone who wants to flex their creative muscles!

All 280 ideas, by category

Absurd Adventures & Mishaps

  1. 123rd birthday party
  2. Daylight Raving Time
  3. Robbing the baby store
  4. Where / what is heck?
  5. Olympic musical chairs
  6. Your mom!
  7. A baby's baby
  8. Oops 12 kids
  9. The lesser known bronze rush
  10. Scarecrow 2.0
  11. Wait you're not Santa
  12. Patty cake finals
  13. Tank time
  14. "Living End" street sign
  15. Hardcore rock paper scissors
  16. The tale of 2 hairs
  17. Best thing to make with Play-Doh
  18. The never ending yo-yo
  19. Fear of balloons
  20. Going down to hell and giving Satan a boop on the nose
  21. What it takes to be a cool farmer at a cool ranch
  22. An old lady gets stuck in a giant bubble and starts to fly away
  23. A conflict between a scooter gang and a Segway gang
  24. The longest game of rock paper scissors
  25. Pajama day in Washington DC
  26. The war of North Dakota vs. South Dakota
  27. A middle aged man trying to prove that the moon is flat
  28. A dramatization of Chutes and Ladders
  29. Quarterlife crisis
  30. DMV shenanigans
  31. Toilet Paper Battle Royale
  32. Fistfights in the time of coronavirus
  33. Trying to connect with your roommates as a ghost
  34. Discovering you're a robot
  35. Air guitar championship
  36. Fire hydrant gone horribly wrong
  37. A story about someone writing a book about someone writing a screenplay
  38. Skateboarding down Ouch Avenue
  39. Getting lost in the Spamazon Rainforest
  40. Escaping from a bottomless pit
  41. Losing your favorite yo-yo and having to go retrieve it
  42. 3 people are trapped in a well
  43. A volcano shows up in your backyard
  44. You and your friend become fused together

Animal Antics & Creature Tales

  1. Write a dialogue between a cat and a dog who are secretly planning to take over the world.
  2. The cat who needed glasses
  3. Ducks. So many ducks.
  4. Pigeons and crows unite to overthrow the government
  5. If I owned a hamster sized elephant
  6. 3 horses walk into a bar...
  7. 3 pigs walk into a bar...
  8. Chickens getting revenge against McDonald's
  9. Llama drama
  10. Finding the Loch Ness tuna
  11. The rattle of the cattle battle
  12. Are goats cool?
  13. The tale of a couple of pug thugs
  14. A cool cat with 9 lives and 9 wives
  15. Flying snakes are suddenly a thing
  16. Dog drama
  17. What antelopes have been up to lately
  18. Chipmunks gone bad
  19. Cats communicating in code by jumping on the keyboard
  20. What happened to the mantises that never prayed
  21. The tragedy of the last stegosaurus to ever exist
  22. Scientists discover what dogs like to laugh at
  23. A day in the life of whatever bird you envy most (e.g., crows)
  24. A cat who writes a novel after breaking up with her boyfriend
  25. Moose on the loose
  26. Lions vs. Tigers
  27. Hamsters taking over the world
  28. A basketball game with only dogs
  29. Dr. Rhino vs. Dr. Hippo
  30. All the birds go silent
  31. Having a giraffe as a pet
  32. Getting past all the parrot guards
  33. Convincing a lot of bunnies to do something

Personal Memories & Reflections

  1. Write a letter from a future version of yourself to your current self.
  2. Write a story about a time when you were absolutely certain about something that turned out to be completely wrong.
  3. My favorite thing about the D.A.R.E. program
  4. Specific tree in your life you really liked
  5. If I had 24 hours left before my death, I would...
  6. I don't know, write about your dad or somethin'
  7. You and your friend going to White Castle
  8. Describing your day today in one word
  9. A dramatization of that expensive thing you broke that one time
  10. The last dream you can remember
  11. The last epiphany you had before you knew what the word epiphany even meant
  12. A time when your nose saved the day
  13. A time you took a risk with a machine
  14. A time when things got way too orange
  15. An experience with a dog that changed your life
  16. A time you were glad you forgot something
  17. That stupid idiot who did a stupid bad thing and got away with it
  18. The farthest you ever jumped and whether or not it worked out
  19. Something significant that happened to you involving water
  20. A time you learned some animals are actually really mean
  21. The biggest conflict you've ever had involving crayons
  22. The bravest cat you know and why
  23. Something super cool you found in a super cool way
  24. The elephant you will never forget
  25. A time you found your keys in a really dumb place
  26. A time you wrecked something on purpose
  27. A time a small child was better than you at something and you were actually kind of hurt by it
  28. That time you realized you'd been using that word wrong the whole time
  29. Trying to get away from talking to your neighbor
  30. Something that deeply unsettled you
  31. The person who most influenced your life and how
  32. An experience that made you feel close to nature

Discovering Hidden Powers

  1. Write a story about a person who discovers they can communicate with inanimate objects.
  2. Write a story about a time traveler who accidentally goes back to yesterday.
  3. Write a story about a person who discovers they can taste colors.
  4. Write a story about a person who discovers they can hear plants talking.
  5. Write a story about a person who discovers they can see through walls, but only when they're not trying to.
  6. Write a story about a person who discovers they can communicate with their own reflection.
  7. Write a story about a person who discovers they can travel through time, but only in 15-minute increments.
  8. Write a story about a person who discovers they can understand what animals are thinking.
  9. Write a story about a person who discovers they can see the future, but only when they're asleep.
  10. Write a story about a person who discovers they can communicate with the wind.
  11. Write a story about a person who discovers they can travel to parallel universes, but only ones where everything is slightly different.
  12. Write a story about a person who discovers they can understand what plants are feeling.
  13. Write a story about a person who discovers they can see through people's lies, but only when they're not trying to.
  14. Write a story about a person who discovers they can communicate with the stars.
  15. Write a story about a person who discovers they can travel to the past, but only to moments when they were bored.
  16. Write a story about a person who discovers they can understand what machines are thinking.
  17. Write a story about a person who discovers they can see through time, but only in 30-second intervals.
  18. Write a story about a person who discovers they can communicate with the moon.
  19. Write a story about a person who discovers they can travel to the future, but only to moments when they're still bored.
  20. Write a story about a person who discovers they can understand what books are thinking.
  21. Write a story about a person who discovers they can see through reality, but only when they're not paying attention.
  22. Write a story about a person who discovers they can communicate with the universe.
  23. Write a story about a person who discovers they can travel to any moment in history, but only when they're completely bored.
  24. Write a story about a person who discovers they can understand what the future is thinking.
  25. Write a story about a person who discovers they can see through everything, but only when they close their eyes.
  26. Write a story about a person who discovers they can communicate with boredom itself.
  27. Having chameleon powers
  28. The 7th sense
  29. Learning how to talk to animals but can never prove it

Imaginary Worlds & What-If Scenarios

  1. Describe a world where everyone has to wear their emotions on their sleeves (literally).
  2. Describe a world where people communicate through interpretive dance instead of words.
  3. Describe a world where people have to pay for each word they speak.
  4. Describe a world where people have to wear their thoughts on their foreheads.
  5. Describe a world where people have to pay for each step they take.
  6. Describe a world where people have to wear their dreams on their clothing.
  7. Describe a world where people have to pay for each memory they want to keep.
  8. Describe a world where people have to wear their fears on their faces.
  9. Describe a world where people have to pay for each idea they have.
  10. Describe a world where people have to wear their hopes on their backs.
  11. Describe a world where people have to pay for each dream they want to have.
  12. Describe a world where people have to wear their imaginations on their heads.
  13. Describe a world where people have to pay for each thought they want to think.
  14. Describe a world where people have to wear their creativity on their sleeves.
  15. If you could control the crows
  16. What happens in Happy Happy Fun World?
  17. Visiting Goldfish City
  18. A world without coffee
  19. If you got taxidermied
  20. Having 3 heads
  21. Buildings becoming sentient and fighting back
  22. If I could control the ants
  23. What I'd build if I were a mad scientist
  24. If you could control the bees
  25. If the board game of Life was realistic
  26. What Bigfoot's children would be like
  27. If I had gills
  28. What you'd do if you lived on the moon

Life With Strange Limits

  1. Write a story about a person who can only speak in questions.
  2. Write a story about a person who wakes up one day and can only see in black and white.
  3. Write a story about a person who can only move when no one is looking at them.
  4. Write a story about a person who can only remember things that happened on Tuesdays.
  5. Write a story about a person who wakes up one day and can only speak in rhymes.
  6. Write a story about a person who can only see the color blue.
  7. Write a story about a person who can only move when they're singing.
  8. Write a story about a person who can only remember things that make them laugh.
  9. Write a story about a person who can only speak in movie quotes.
  10. Write a story about a person who can only see things that are moving.
  11. Write a story about a person who can only move when they're thinking about something happy.
  12. Write a story about a person who can only remember things that happened in the rain.
  13. Write a story about a person who can only speak in song lyrics.
  14. Write a story about a person who can only see things that are broken.
  15. Write a story about a person who can only move when they're telling a story.
  16. Write a story about a person who can only remember things that made them cry.
  17. Write a story about a person who can only speak in questions that have no answers.
  18. Write a story about a person who can only see things that are about to happen.
  19. Write a story about a person who can only move when they're creating something.
  20. Write a story about a person who can only remember things that happened in the sunshine.
  21. Write a story about a person who can only speak in riddles that make no sense.
  22. Write a story about a person who can only see things that are impossible.
  23. Write a story about a person who can only move when they're solving a problem.
  24. Write a story about a person who can only remember things that happened in the snow.
  25. Write a story about a person who can only speak in stories that never end.

Pop Culture Parodies & Made-Up Media

  1. The story of Prancer, one of the 8 regular nosed reindeer
  2. How Casper died
  3. TV show called Asses with Glasses
  4. Star Wars if it were only Yodas
  5. A movie called "The Last Straw"
  6. Crazy frog lady
  7. Hufflepuff Stuff
  8. Supercoolman (like Superman but more cool)
  9. The story of Batman's cousin, Betman
  10. Wizard of Oz 2
  11. Becoming a Pokemon slave
  12. Horror movie about ducks
  13. What she ended up doing with all that junk inside her trunk
  14. Ninja tortoises
  15. Horror movie about hedgehogs
  16. Former president James K. Polk and how he liked to poke people
  17. Rudolph's revenge
  18. Darth Vader sex scene (and/or love scene)
  19. Fullest House
  20. Silence of the Lambs 2
  21. The Brady Few
  22. A time when Bob Ross got angry
  23. A movie called "Numb and Number"
  24. Napoleon Dynamite 2
  25. Snakes on a train

Unusual Jobs & Workday Tales

  1. Describe a day in the life of a professional pillow fluffer.
  2. Describe a day in the life of a professional bubble wrap popper.
  3. Describe a day in the life of a professional sock matcher.
  4. Describe a day in the life of a professional boredom tester.
  5. Describe a day in the life of a professional daydreamer.
  6. Describe a day in the life of a professional procrastinator.
  7. Describe a day in the life of a professional imagination consultant.
  8. Describe a day in the life of a professional daydream architect.
  9. Describe a day in the life of a professional boredom researcher.
  10. Describe a day in the life of a professional imagination engineer.
  11. Describe a day in the life of a professional creativity coach.
  12. Describe a day in the life of a professional daydream scientist.
  13. Describe a day in the life of a professional imagination therapist.
  14. Parrot therapist
  15. The stresses of a penguin's new job
  16. Perfect job for a potato

Superheroes & Super Skills

  1. Create a superhero whose power is the ability to make people forget what they were about to say.
  2. Create a superhero team made up of household appliances.
  3. Create a superhero whose power is the ability to make people yawn uncontrollably.
  4. Create a superhero whose power is the ability to make people forget their own names.
  5. Create a superhero whose power is the ability to make people forget how to tie their shoes.
  6. Create a superhero whose power is the ability to make people forget their passwords.
  7. Create a superhero whose power is the ability to make people forget what they were looking for.
  8. Create a superhero whose power is the ability to make people forget their own birthdays.
  9. Create a superhero whose power is the ability to make people forget how to use technology.
  10. Create a superhero whose power is the ability to make people forget their own phone numbers.
  11. Create a superhero whose power is the ability to make people forget how to read.
  12. Create a superhero whose power is the ability to make people forget their own addresses.
  13. Create a superhero whose power is the ability to make people forget how to write.
  14. Create a superhero whose power is the ability to make people forget their own names for exactly 24 hours.
  15. The worst superpower ever

Invent Something New

  1. Create a new holiday and write about how people celebrate it.
  2. Create a new type of weather phenomenon and describe its effects.
  3. Create a new type of transportation that runs on something unusual.
  4. Create a new type of music that has never been heard before.
  5. Create a new type of art that can only be experienced in complete darkness.
  6. Create a new type of game that can only be played by people who are bored.
  7. Create a new type of story that writes itself as you read it.
  8. Create a new type of entertainment that only works when you're completely alone.
  9. Create a new type of creativity that only works when you're completely stuck.
  10. Create a new type of inspiration that only works when you're completely out of ideas.
  11. Create a new type of boredom that's actually interesting to experience.
  12. Create a new type of writing that only exists in the moment you create it.
  13. Create a new type of inspiration that only works when you're completely stuck and have no idea what to do next.

Whimsical Characters & Talking Things

  1. Write a story about a potato that learns to talk and becomes a famous comedian.
  2. Describe a day in the life of a cloud who is afraid of heights.
  3. Write a story about a ghost who is afraid of other ghosts.
  4. Write a story about a person who finds a door in their house that wasn't there before.
  5. Particularly buff elves
  6. The allegory of the Cheese Wizard
  7. The lady who sold jars of bees
  8. Banana Camp
  9. What a boomerang would think about if it could think
  10. What happens at Banana Camp
  11. Dragon romance
  12. An awkward encounter with a Venus flytrap that can talk
  13. Father Time dates Mother Earth

Food & Feasts

  1. Create a recipe for a dish that doesn't exist, including detailed cooking instructions.
  2. Create a new type of food that has never been invented before.
  3. Grilled cheese showdown
  4. The tale of the Dairy Princess and her quest to become the next Dairy Queen
  5. The Spicy Chicken Sandwich War of 2019
  6. Fruits and vegetables have a war
  7. Confessing your obsession with grilled cheese sandwiches

What to Do When Bored

Random Games
Hundreds of Flash games, picked at random. Play 'em right in your browser.
Drawing Ideas
Funny things to doodle with pencils or crayons.
Painting Ideas
Easy things to paint with acrylic or watercolor.
Things to Do at Home
Ways to annoy your siblings, parents, and/or pets while trying not to get hurt.
Things to Talk About
Entertaining topics to discuss with your boyfriend or cat or whatever.
Things to Build in Minecraft
Create amazing shelters and artistic stuff to look at with your many colorful cubes.
Things to Eat
New foods for dinner, lunch, breakfast, brunch, and snacks.
Things to Do Outside
Stuff to do in your yard or on a street or in the woods.
Things to Do in Public
Just so you know, the public will hate you if you do any of these.
Thoughts
These are thoughts...by people. Some are deep...some are not.
Questions
This could maybe be helpful if you're feeling philosophical.
Puns
Jokes so unfunny that they're actually kinda funny.
Challenges
Please don't actually do all of these.
Ways to Make Money
Quick ways to make extra cash when you're stuck without a job.
Best Things to Do
Ideas for what to do when you're really, really bored.
Funniest Things to Do
Ideas for how to make yourself laugh.
Worst Things to Do
Bad ideas that are stupid, or at least super awkward.
Superpowers
There's always room for another comic book idea.

To Do Lists

18 Prank Call Ideas
Those poor, poor minimum wage employees.
22 Stupid Challenges
Sure, you're bored, but how do you prove that you're really, really bored?
23 Funny YouTube Video Ideas
Wow your friends with these unheard of innovations in online video media.
25 Hilarious McDonald's Pranks
A lot of these also work for Burger King or Wendy's, if you have one of those instead of a McDonald's.
16 Really Weird Things to Do
These will most likely not help you gain any friendships.
25 Shortest Jokes Ever
Caution: Pretty much all of these are puns.
17 Things to Do at School
Other than look at this website, obviously...
22 Most Boring Things to Do
Some of us are just too excited sometimes.
29 Fun Things to Do with Friends
Crazy ideas that are great for best friends who are really bored. Also they're free!
17 Things to Text
Helpful suggestions on how to successfully get someone to block your number.
32 Funny Short Story Ideas
Amusing writing prompts for those with writer's block.
35 Things to Do When You're Really Bored
Are you dying of boredom? Some or all of these suggestions might help!
16 Prank Call Responses for Telemarketers
Why settle for a simple no thank you?
23 Things To Do Outside
There's a whole vast world out there, so you could at least check out your front yard.
16 Funny Movie Theater Prank Ideas
But seriously people, please turn off your cell phone first.
56 Ideas for Cool Things to Draw
Prepare your 96 pack of crayons.
48 Easy Things to Paint
Simple acrylic and watercolor subjects, from food and animals to surreal landscapes.
18 Immature Walmart Pranks
Cheap prices and cheap entertainment.
26 Easiest Challenges Ever
Time to boost that self esteem!
29 Cool Snow Day Ideas
If it's not snowing by you, you can always head north.
16 Fun Things to Do at Home
Oh hey that's where you are right now!
20 Things You Should NOT Do
Sent in by all of you lovely website visitors.
22 More Prank Call Ideas
Phone numbers not provided. You can look those up on your own if you want to deal with the consequences.