Prompts for Prose

Election day is right around the corner, so consider writing about your favorite presidential candidate, realistic standpoint!  Through a personal essay you can explore who you would vote for and why.  Maybe write about why you wouldn’t vote in the 2020 election!  Remember that a personal essay does not need to have anything to do with the intro, body paragraphs and conclusion format used in English classes.  It is organized according to you, the author.  If you try this out and publish it through Inspired Ink, you could be included as a primary source on future US history tests one day!

Election day is right around the corner, so consider writing about your favorite presidential candidate, realistic standpoint!  Through a personal essay you can explore who you would vote for and why.  Maybe write about why you wouldn’t vote in the 2020 election!  Remember that a personal essay doesn’t have to have anything to do with the intro, body paragraphs and conclusion format used in academic settings.  It is organized however you, the author, want it to be.  If you try this out and publish it through Inspired Ink, you could be included as a primary source on future US history tests one day!

Coronavirus abound! The world and our way of life has been shaken by this pandemic, and we must adjust to the cancelation of school, extracurricular activities and community venues, including the Port Washington Public Library. It’s important to document not only the factual effects of the virus, but social changes and personal reactions. Sometime in the future people will be looking for primary sources about ‘Covid-19 Pandemic Experiences’ and we had better be prepared, or this nugget of history will never truly be known!

What would it be like to have one of your baby pictures become a meme that millions of people see and manipulate for humorous purposes? Do you think this will become an issue in the future?

Do you think there should be a magical provider of gifts for celebrations of Hanukkah as there is for Christmas? What do you make of Mensch on a Bench, a holiday themed toy similar to Elf on the Shelf?

Write a style ’emu’lation! Take a chapter from a book or use one of your favorite poems to express your characters and ideas in the style of that author. Bonus points if you make it about emus.

What sorts of traditions have fallen out of favor in your family or in general? What traditions have stayed? What would you like to make a tradition? How many years do people have to repeat a procedure or event to make it a tradition?

Do you believe Thanksgiving gets overlooked? Is it merely tolerated for Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales and upcoming winter festivities?

What’s your verdict on Halloween- is it still a haunted, ill-fated night or an excuse for kids to get candy and dress up? How has Halloween changed? Is it too commercialized? Do you believe in the Great Pumpkin?

For all you students-with-jobs; what has been your craziest or most annoying experience with customers?

Step into the shoes of a Starbucks barista making a pumpkin spice latte

Write a poem with a rhyme scheme- check out Inspired Ink’s running list of poems for extra inspiration! This is a challenging process, but very rewarding.

Write a story or a piece of prose with detailed descriptions using every sense except sight. If interested in creating a sightless character and looking for inspiration, “Not If I See You First” by Eric Lindstrom is a great read!

The weirdest stories are often the most entertaining! Write about something you found ‘cringe worthy,’ or ‘cringy.’

Listen closely to a song, then write the story you find in the lyrics.

What if your desk disappeared into thin air right in the middle of a test! How would such a scenario play out? A similar, but less fantastical school-setting peer-reaction prompt, is writing about someone who goes to school without shoes.

Have you ever had to get through a lengthy amount of school time on crutches? Write about the ups and downs of this tasking experience, or imagine what it might be like.

Write about a student body’s reaction to the implication of school uniforms.

Take something you’ve already written and change it’s tense from past to present or present to past. Then compare. Which do you like better?

What if Hogwarts had a guidance counselor? How would the books be different? Do you think young wizards and witches would benefit from or be hindered by non magical emotional support?

What constitutes noticeability? Write about someone who stands out and someone who blends in.

Think up the craziest, most damage-inducing school pranks, then write about a student accomplishing them all. (Do they get caught? Don’t leave us hanging!)

Write a piece from the perspective of an animal off an endangered species list. https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/directory

Is there something in the news that you feel very strongly about? Send your politically charged perspectives to our inbox! (Anonymous submissions are accepted!)

If you had access (and complete control over) the TARDIS, where and when would you go?