Marie Said:

Do you know of any good writing prompts?

We Answered:

Begin a brand new character, but before you think about the person, think about their pet. It can be any pet - a unicorn, a dragon, a mouse, a hedgehog, a horse, a fish - ANYTHING. Give the pet a name, a gender, an age, and a personality. Then give that pet to a character.

Write for 10 minutes about the pet and the character interacting. Is the pet someone for the character to talk to, even though it doesn't talk back? Is the pet your character's only friend? Is the pet just there for your character to abuse?

That was one of my favorite prompts I've done before :)

Kristina Said:

I need some writing prompts for a fiction story?

We Answered:

Writing prompts? I've never heard of those but I think they might be like something my sister and I do (we call it specifications, one gives a list of specifications...like words, colors, etc. and the other writes a story with it...so....)....

1. Your character(s) meet a race of giant raccoons and the story should contain the words...purple, score, installation and scrapbooking.

2. A story around the words/numbers...17, charged, geomorphic and hemostasis.

3. A story with at least 2 characters and chocolate ice cream...must be chocolate! (Doesn't matter what brand, feel free to make up one).

4. A mystery story.

or 5. A story with tiny leaf butterfly-like critters who love to eat lebkuchen.

Good luck and have fun! Sometimes, if my sister suggests a specification that I don't want to do, my brain will come up with another idea and in a flash...writer block's gone! Hope this helps.

Luis Said:

WHat do you do when writing promps make your story too complicated?

We Answered:

Deus ex machina. A wizard did it. S--- happens.

Just go with the narrative flow. Sometimes, you don't have to have a reason.

If fifteen people look at a prompt, it'll end up with thirteen different responses (some people copy others, or just have the same idea). Choose what's fun for you.

Set an exact word goal, then either fill in or trim out parts of the story until you make that goal. If necessary, a couple words to one side or the other is okay. Sit back, and check out the narrative flow.

Without a more specific set of guidelines, we can't be more helpful.

Joanne Said:

Can you give me some good writing prompts for an essay on a short story?

We Answered:

Who am I, your parents?

Paul Said:

Prompts???

We Answered:

Five people, totally unknown to each other, are crossing a bridge at the same time when it collapses. How did they come to be there together?

A man is arrested, charged with a crime, and brought to trial. He doesn't remember doing anything wrong, and no one will tell him what he's accused of doing.

A young man from the country is on a train going to the city to visit relatives when he falls asleep. When he wakes up, all of his money is gone. He knows who the thief is, though. Now all he has to do is catch him and prove it.

A little girl is given some particularly ugly dolls by an old woman. Her parents let her keep them, but then notice that whatever the girl pretends happens to her dolls (one gets sick, one is visited by an old friend) happens to her family in real life.

People think they own cats. What do cats think about the situation?

Heather Said:

Story writing ideas, prompts and title ideas? Ten points, five stars and a whole load of gratitude! (:?

We Answered:

I'm just going to through some random stuff around and hope it inspires you! =D
Graveyard
Ghastly shadows
Eerie silence
The calm before the storm
Evacuation of civilization
Biological war
Winter's bitter kiss
Survival of the fittest
Wind sang through the treetops
The heavens cried a thousand tears
The silent screams of death echoed within me
The room was filled with darkness, a soft gloom seeping through the doorway
The next time I emerged from the tarpaulin walls it was sunlight, the air was icy cold and as sharp as the blade that pierced me next.

Rebecca Said:

Please give me some good short story writing prompts?

We Answered:

90% of the fantasy or sci-fi story is working around an interesting premise :-P

Hmm, let me think . . .

Family takes home the world's first talking dog (genetically engineered, or whatever)

Group of people with magical abilities have gathered to protest a law making magical abilities illegal (you could focus on how The Powers That Be would deal with this threat)

Astronauts make Earth's first contact with "aliens" - microbes/fungi/something else small that may or may not be sentient (have to find out)

And this is something I always used to daydream about as a kid . . . having some sort of magic handheld machine where I could push a button and freeze time for everyone around me - either everyone in the world, or just in a certain radius. And sometimes I could "unfreeze" people by touching them, or sometimes people were "frozen" but were conscious but just coulnd't move, but could see me walking around. I bet that would be a tempting situation for a kid who somehow acquired this device to get into trouble :-)