YA Fiction Writing Prompts

“That was probably the worst idea you’ve ever had… and yet it worked.”

Write a story that opens or ends with this line of speech.

Create a character with a specific personailty flaw. Detail this flaw and how it affects their life, perhaps including a scene where it leads them to make a bad decision.

Create a character who is envious of someone without using the words:

jealous, envy, wish, want, desire, or covet.

Write a story about a character who makes an incorrect assumption about someone or something.

Describe a tense scene backstage at some kind of audition. Focus on the internal monologue of your protagonist.

Detail their anxieties and motivations as they wait for their turn. How do their nerves affect the outcome of their audition?

Depict a character's room that reflects their personality.

Try not to focus only on the things that they have or put on display, but the features of their space that reflect something about their personality.

Depict a character's room that reflects their personality.

Try not to focus only on the things they have or display, but the features of their space that reflect something about their personality.

Write a story about the end of an era between friends.

What part of their lives is ending, and how are they feeling about it?

Your character is sitting an exam that they absolutely must pass. Create a narrative focusing on their emotions during this scene.

Don’t focus on the event; focus on the character's thoughts and feelings, and how this situation affects them.

Your new college roommate turns out to be someone you disliked in high school.

Continue the story.

"I was just trying to be what you wanted."

Use this piece of dialogue to open a story surrounding a character who is struggling to meet someone's expectations.

Write a story that begins at some kind of assembly.

You can take the narrative anywhere from here, but the assembly should be integral to the unfolding plot.

Write a story about a character who’s considering quitting, but decides to give it one last go.

Create a scene where two characters who dislike each other are forced to cooperate in a critical task.

Build tension and contempt between the characters whilst they work together, but do not resolve the conflict.

Write an Epic following the life of any of your favourite characters.

An Epic poem typically tells a long, narrative story and often centers around heroic deeds and legendary adventures. It tends to focus on the actions of the character rather than their traits or emotions.