Young Adults Action Writing Prompts

Your character signs up for an exciting new activity that promises to help them make friends...

Think about who this character is and what this kind of person might have signed up for.

Write a short story about a birthday party that almost goes wrong.

What almost ruins the day? What saves it?

Get out of my house!

Write a confrontational scene which begins with this.

It began as all bad days do:

Finish this sentence, and continue your story from here.

Holding a torch in front of them, the main character decides to explore the basement to find out what has been making that noise.

You are offered a huge sum of money to babysit a neighbour's child for the weekend.

What happens in this story? Why is your character being offered so much money?

Write a few entries of a captain’s log that is found washed up on the shore.

What kind of story can you reveal through this form of narrative?

In a world where space travel is the norm, your protagonist chooses to stay on earth.

Write a story from this character's point of view, revealing details about their reasons for this stance.

"If we pull this off, we're set for life!"

Write a story where this line of speech drives the main plot.

Having done this before, I convinced myself that nerves were unusual but not unexpected.

Write a short story beginning with this line. What might the character be well-practised but still apprehensive about?

Create a scene where your character is fleeing from something dangerous.

How will you create pace, atmosphere and tension in this single scene?

I told my brother not everyone found his stupid pranks funny. He didn't listen...

Continue the story from the perspective of a sibling watching the events unfold.