Free Writing Prompts - Story Ideas
Here are some free writing prompts you can turn into stories. For more ideas, be sure to join our free email group.
1) Your character is chatting with a stranger on a website. Both your character and the other person are using nicknames -- they don't know each other's real names. The stranger starts to flirt with your character, even though she tells him she is married. The more they talk, the more strongly she suspects that the stranger is actually her husband, but that he has no idea who she is...
2) While your character and his wife are on a safari, the car breaks down. Their guide says he'll go for help, leaving your character and wife alone by the car. After a few minutes, they decide to get into the car, but the doors are locked. There's no sign of the guide, and it's starting to get dark...
3) A child develops a wild plan to keep his parents from getting divorced...
4) Tracey's husband is about to publish a novel about a character named "Stacey", who is obviously based on Tracey. The novel is about how much "Stacey" secretly hates her in-laws, whose house she currently lives in. Tracey too lives with her in-laws, but has always worked hard to get along with them. She begs her husband not to publish the book or at least to disguise the character more, but her husband refuses...
5) One evening, as your character's getting ready for bed, s/he notices a Webcam attached to his/her home computer, filming him/her. Your character does not own a Webcam...
6) A teenager hears that the movie star she's in love with will be in town. She develops a plan to meet him and make him fall in love with her...
7) Your character and his/her husband/wife are both unemployed and sending out CVs. When they both get interviews at the same time, they discover that they are competing for the same job. Both of them want the job, and each thinks that he/she is better suited for it than the other...
8) Your character's teenage child makes a rule that no one's allowed in his/her bedroom. Your character respects this rule until one morning when s/he wants a book that s/he thinks that the teenager has borrowed. S/he goes to look in the teenager's room and can't believe what s/he finds there...
9) Your character discovers a secret family recipe for a love potion.
10) Your character lives in an apartment above a psychotherapist's office. Because of an acoustical anomaly with the heating vents, your character can hear the patients talking to the psychotherapist. When your character is feeling lonely, she sometimes intentionally listens to the sessions. One patient's story deeply moves your character, who decides to track down the patient and help him herself.
Story Prompts About Houses
1) Your character was the victim of a crime committed by a man named Barry. Barry has been sentenced to house arrest. He has to wear an electronic monitor and is not allowed to leave his house. Your character feels strongly that this sentence is not severe enough. S/he comes up with a plan that will tempt or force Barry out of the house so that he will be sent to prison.
2) Your character's inlaws disapprove of him/her (you decide why). Up until now, your character has dealt with the situation by having limited contact with the inlaws. However, now that your character's mother-in-law has become very ill and cannot care for herself, the inlaws are coming to live with your character and his/her spouse...
3) Your character lives alone. Lately, when s/he goes home from work in the evenings, s/he has the sensation that someone else has been in his/her house during the day. Things have been subtlely moved, and the air smells faintly of an unfamiliar perfume...
4) One day, your character arrives home and finds a baby, bundled in blankets, on the doorstep...
5) Your teenaged character decides to run away from home (you decide why)...
6) Your character's mother wants to sell the family house. Your character has a strong sentimental attachment to the house, which is the only place where your character has ever felt happy. Your character had always intended to move back there himself/herself one day. S/he can't let it be sold to a stranger, but s/he doesn't have any money to buy it herself/himself...
Story Prompts About Transportation
1) Your character never used to believe in love at first sight, but the stranger in his/her train car inspires a powerful emotion that your character is convinced must be love. Your character doesn't know what to do or what to say, but when the stranger gets off at an unfamiliar stop, your character is compelled to follow....
2) Your character is on an airplane, where the man across the aisle is exhibiting suspicious behavior. When your character reports his/her concerns to the flight attendant, she doesn't take him/her seriously. But, watching the man across the aisle, your character is increasingly convinced that they are all in danger...
3) Your character opens the trunk of his/her car and discovers someone hidden inside...
4) Your character is on a first date with someone who offers to take your character for a ride in a private plane. They're flying over the wilderness that lies beyond the city limits (this might be forest, desert, etc. -- you decide), when something apparently goes wrong, and they have to make an emergency landing...
5) During a security check at the airport, something illegal (you decide what) is found in your character's suitcase, although your character has no idea how it got there...
6) Someone is following your character's car. Trying to get away, your character leaves the main road and follows little side streets until s/he finds himself/herself on an isolated road, far away everyone except for his/her pursuer, who is still right on his/her tail...
More Free Writing Prompts
Join our e-mail group to get free writing prompts and tips sent to your inbox. Also check out:
