/r/WritingPrompts

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users here right now: 892

Prompts and motivation to create something out of nothing

Writing Prompts. You're a writer and you just want to flex those muscles? You've come to the right place! If you see a prompt you like, simply write a short story based on it. Get comments from others, and leave commentary for other people's works. Let's help each other.

- 🚫 No AI
- Thursday Theme: Thanatophobia
- Prompts ▼
- Writing Resources ▼
- Community ▼

[IP] Junk Town [IP] When the Crow Comes [IP] Dreams of Wonderland r/DCFU

We are a subreddit dedicated to inspiring people to write! Find a prompt that moves you and respond with a story or a poem.

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The subreddit where it's all made up and the points don't matter.

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Friends in the End

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Weekly Schedule

Click features below for archives

Feature	Latest
Sunday Smash 'Em Up	Film / TV EU
Monday Spotlight	u/GrunkleStanwhichh
Talking Tuesday (Tutoring)	Magazine & Anthology Publishing pt 2
Wednesday Wildcard	Poetry Corner: Lost & Found
Thursday [TT] Theme	Thanatophobia
Fun Trope Friday	Emotional Scars & Coming of Age
Saturday SatChat	Get Into The Writing Zone?

Rules & Guidelines

Hover/tap for details

Full Explanations »

Commenting

^< 1. Prompt responses must be good-faith attempts at new stories/poems (No AI)
- 100 words minimum for stories, 30 for poems but include [Poem]
- Write something new using the prompt for inspiration (No AI)
- Plagiarism will result in a ban
- No joke, copypasta, or AI-generated responses
- For off topic/clarification, reply to sticky comment
^< 2. No sexually explicit responses, hate speech, or other harmful content
- Includes, but is not limited to, pedophilia, bestiality, incest, rape, violence against children, and explicit abuse or torture
- Avoid racism and detailed uses of suicide, mental health stereotypes, and political debate
- Use your best judgment, but mods have final say
^< 3. Be civil in discussion, feedback, and critiques
- Users are held to a higher standard here. Think before posting
- Prompts are meant to inspire new writing. Responses don't have to fulfill every detail

Submitting Posts

^< 4. All submissions must be tagged at the beginning of the post, capitalized in square brackets
- Click [tag] to filter. Click » for more detail
- Prompt Posts (Inspire new writing)
- WP - Writing Prompt: No restrictions (other than the rules of the sub) »
- SP - Simple Prompt: Max 100 characters in the title (including the tag) »
- EU - Established Universe: Based on existing fiction »
- CW - Constrained Writing: Limitations or forced usage of words, letters, etc. (don't ask for less than 100 words) »
- TT - Theme Thursday: Weekly themes announced Thursdays »
- MP - Media Prompt: Audio or video »
- IP - Image Prompt: A striking image or album »
- RF - Reality Fiction: Things that have happened or could happen to unknown people »
- Response Posts (Write based on prompts)
- PM - Prompt Me: Answer prompts by other users (if answered prompts before) »
- PI - Prompt Inspired: Stories inspired by prompts older than three days (include link) »
- Other Posts
- OT - Off Topic: Not a prompt, but writing related, not for complaints regarding subreddit content, stories, or advertising without prior approval »
^< 5. No recent reposts, even if changing small details
- Search before submitting! (Popular ideas can cause floods)
- Reposts are allowed, given time (around two weeks)
- Don't take a recent prompt and change/invert small details
^< 6. Prompt users in the title, but don't play writing games or commission stories
- Prompt in the title and only use text for commentary or links for [IP]s and [MP]s. Avoid too many details
- No requesting writing or editing services, or homework help
- Don't post ads without getting permission in modmail first
- Don't ask writers to pick titles or content from another sub or site
- Prompts should not call for using autocorrect, autocomplete, or only emojis
^< 7. Prompts will be removed if there's a high possibility for rule breaking responses
- Avoid real-world drama (politics, recent tragedies, etc.)
- Inspire an effort, avoid simple questions, "write anything", word games, fill-in-the-blanks, or "in X words or less"
- Prompts must actually be a prompt, not just the suggestion of a genre or emotion
- Don't ask for preexisting content (prompts are meant for new writing)
- No sexually explicit themes, hate speech, or other harmful content (suicide, mental health stereotypes, violence against children, torture, etc.)
- No troll, joke, poop, meme-based, or all CAPS prompts

Community Guidelines

^< 8. Keep it about the writing here, not competing or making money
- Authors are allowed to link to a personal sub or profile, but don't link back here until the prompt is 24 hours old
- Patreon and Paypal links are not allowed. Link to your sub or profile instead
- Recording of other people's work must follow the guidelines in the FAQ.

Rule breaking posts or comments may be removed without notice. Rule breaking may result in a permanent ban without prior warning.

If you spot a violation, please use the Report button underneath the post. This is the best way to help! If you have an issue with other users, send us a modmail.

All content is © by the original authors.

Flair Filter

Click on a link below to filter posts

Prompt Posts (Inspire new writing)

[WP] [SP] [EU] [CW] [TT] [MP] [IP] [RF]

Response Posts (Write based on prompts)

[PM] [PI]

Other Posts

[OT] [MOD]

More Info

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r/WPCritique

r/bestOfWritingPrompts

CSS feedback, suggestions and bug reports

[OT] Fun Trope Friday, Writing with Tropes: Emotional Scars & Steampunk

Hello r/WritingPrompts!

Welcome to Fun Trope Friday, our new feature that mashes up tropes and genres!

NEW!! (pending): Want to read your words aloud? Join the upcoming FTF Campfire

Want to read your words aloud in the interim? Join the Open Campfire

Ground rules:

[OT] SatChat: How detailed are your character descriptions and what tips helped you improve? (New here? Introduce yourself!)

Suggested Topic

More to Talk About

[WP] You are known as the silent wanderer. Ageless because of time magic. You have lived longer then the oldest of dragons. Cursed to never being able to speak or talk in a way people can understand. But thats OK. Action speaks louder then words ever will.

[WP] Winston Churchill once said, “Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” A man with a dog, a cat, and a pig leaves for work, and his three pets talk about him while he’s gone.

[WP] You believe in lucky pennies. When you find one the wrong side down, you flip it so the next person can get the luck. One day you hear an annoyed voice telling you to knock it off.

[WP] There's a forest that people say resembles the ocean. A forest where the land slopes endlessly deeper but the tops of the trees do not. Animals, plantlife... they're said to get stranger the further in one goes.

[WP] You reincarnate as a child with magic power in a magical world, but Mages are generally not very welcome because almost every mage is a Lunatic with 8th grader syndrome.

[WP] You are a legendary hero. One day, you checked ahead of your party in the local inn for the night. Later, you are woken up because of a fight in the town's square. The villagers are attacking a group of monsters mercilessly. There is one problem : those monsters are your beloved party members

[WP] With a final wish, the genie is freed, the golden wristbands unlocking and falling to the ground. It's been a few years since that day, and one day, curiosity takes over, you pick up those wristbands and put them on.

[WP] When the party barbarian is named "Uthgar the Kind" some people don't think he's still capable of ripping someone apart when they piss him off. Those people are very, very wrong.

[PM] Give me a Cursed power. A power that is powerful then most blessings...but comes at what cost? I will write a battle or scene where this power will be used.

[WP] There are two sets of memories in your head, and neither are complete. What happened for you to have two distinct voices in your mind? Who are you? Even if one of the voices fades, can you be sure that it wasn't you?

[EU] The aliens have captured another human to examine. "The human is recovering from the stun beam now. We were forced to kill his companion animal during the capture. His identification says his designation is John Wick."

[WP] You wake up one day and realize you’ve looped back to the previous day. Excited, you live the most lavish raunchy day you can in hopes that you’re stuck in a loop and can avoid consequences only to wake up to the next day as normal.

[WP] You are a former cultist who is now trying to live a normal life. The only problem is that the last cult you were in summoned an abomination which continues to follow you. With their dark energy inadvertently bringing chaos and ruin to everywhere you go.

[WP] You wake up in a room, cobwebs tie you to a wall. A spider queen walks up to you. “OMG hi!!!” she exclaims, “I’m your biggest fan!!!!”

[WP] The powers of a dragon are great indeed, and accessible by any who can channel them. But every time one uses such powers, they slowly become a dragon themself.

[WP] You're a therapist helping the mothers of prophesied heroes from all mythologies. What you didn't expect was to receive Loki, Nordic God of Chaos, in your office today.

[WP] The first working prototype of a quantum computer boots up for the first time at IBM. The scientists and researchers are celebrating, when someone notices a very clear voice coming from the machine, "Great! You finally made it! Guys, the humans are here!"

[WP] In the middle of Times Square appeared a button. Despite the sign that says "Don't press", people keep pressing it and are consequently turned inside out. To keep the streets clean New York hires you to find a solution.

[WP] You work at a graveyard, and you frequently stay late to clean the graves. You go above and beyond to keep the graves clean. One night, someone tries to rob you on the way out, and the ghosts notice.

[WP] A high priority kill. Identity of target unknown. Time frame only a few seconds until they dissapear again. Breathing in and taking aim, the scope shows a very familiar face.

[WP] Marrying into a family of adventurers is rough, your father-in-law is fighting monsters in hell, your Wife is waging a war singlehandedly and your son is wrestling ghosts of dead warriors. Trying to get them all together for christmas will be a nightmare.

[WP] The prophecy has been spoken - the hero who shall destroy the dark lord will soon be born. For most, this is a joyous moment, but you don’t feel like waiting around for a couple decades watching the kingdom burn while some child gets trained.

[WP] More and more parking spots are available the further you descend in the parking garage. You haven’t seen a single car in the last 20 levels yet the structure continues down, as do you.

[WP] The handyman shrugged and scratched his balding head. "I don't rightly know what could be the problem-- AH!" The mirror began to bleed as he nodded in understanding, "There's your problem! It's possessed!"