Writing Prompt Generator
Choose a kind of prompt and a genre and get a fresh idea each time. Story prompts are built from a character, a setting, a problem and a twist, so the combinations run into the millions.
Worked examples
The shape of a story idea
Story idea, any genre
Write about [a character] in [a place] who [has a problem]. Twist: [a twist].
Each bracketed part is chosen at random from its own list.
About Writing Prompt Generator
Staring at a blank page is hard. A prompt gives you something to push against. This generator offers four kinds. A story idea joins a character, a setting, a problem and a twist into one sentence. An opening line gives you the first sentence of a story that has not been written. A what if sets up a situation, and a line of dialogue gives you a voice to build a scene around.
Story ideas can be set to a genre: fantasy, mystery, science fiction, romance or horror. Choosing a genre adds settings and problems that suit it to the general ones, so you may still get an everyday setting with a darker problem. The parts are mixed at random, so the thirty characters, the settings, the problems and twelve twists combine into many thousands of ideas. Take the whole prompt, one part of it, or write the twist first.
How to use Writing Prompt Generator
- Choose the kind of prompt and, for story ideas, the genre.
- Enter how many prompts you want to see at once.
- Press Generate until one catches your eye.
- Set a timer for ten minutes, write without stopping, and decide afterwards whether it is worth keeping.
Common uses
- A daily writing habit or a warm-up exercise
- Ideas for a creative writing class or a club
- Finding a starting point for a short story or a scene
- Breaking writer's block on a longer project
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to use the whole prompt?
No. Use it as a spark. Many writers keep only the character or the setting, or start with the twist and work backwards.
Are the prompts original?
The parts were written for this tool and are mixed at random. Any single combination may resemble an existing story by chance, which is true of all plots.
What does the genre change?
It adds settings and problems that fit that genre to the general lists. Characters and twists stay the same, which keeps the combinations surprising.
Can I get several prompts at once?
Yes. Set a number up to ten and you get that many at once, which is handy for choosing between them or for a class.
Do you keep what I write?
This page does not have a writing area and does not keep anything. Write in your own program or notebook.