I compiled this list of writing ideas to share with people in my writing circles at the end of 2019. Now I want to share it with everyone who sees this blog. Some of these "sparks" I thought of myself; some I borrowed from other people. You might find something here that appeals to you; if you do....pick up your pen! Start to write!!
Write about your earliest memory.
Write about a kiss. Any kiss. You'll know which one to choose.
Write a list where each entry begins with the phrase “And then….” They don't have to be related (but they can be).
Write in response to one or both of these phrases: In my last life / In my next life.
Write about a compulsion, or compulsions.
Write about the face you show to the world and the face you show to no one.
Write a love letter (however you define “love letter”) to someone or some thing; maybe even to yourself.
Write about an encounter with a stranger.
Write about an umbrella.
Write about a coat (or jacket, sweater, poncho, cape, etc.)
Write about something that happened long ago.
Write about your Ideal Family (the whole family or just one person, for example “My Ideal Mother”).
Write about something that you can NOT do.
Write about something that happens within a small space.
Write about 3 wishes.
Write in response to the phrase “Things I did for love.”
Write about tea; teacups; teapots; tea cakes; High Tea; etc.
Write about all the things you are not going to think about for the next hour.
Write about lies you have told your mother; write about lies she has told you.
Write about eyes.
Write about where you live now.
Write about the first time you heard a particular song, band, or musician.
Write an apology to someone; write an apology you would like to receive from someone.
Write a letter to your younger self (at any age).
Write about being lost; write about some object that is lost.
Write about a door (opening/closing/slamming/etc.).
Write about yesterday.
Write about things that are disappearing.
Write about ice cream.
Write about games you used to play when you were younger, or games you play now.
Write about a friend's mother, truth or fiction.
Write about a (favorite?) sandwich.
Write about a secret.
Write about something you have stolen (or something that was stolen from you).
Write about nicknames (yours, someone else’s, a nickname you would give yourself, etc.).
Write about something red.
Write about something you never want to do again.
Write about an experiment (it could be a science experiment or a life experiment; something you did or heard about; etc.).
Write about a refrigerator, or a toaster, or any other kitchen appliance.
Write about tomorrow.
Write about one or more of your ex-partners. Variation: imagine what one or more of your exes might write about you.
Write about something that has happened to you in the last 7 days.
Write in response to this: if/then.
Write about a stuffed animal.
Write about things you do not (or will not) miss.
Write a list where each line begins with the words “I am waiting.”
Write about crying.
Write about rules/instructions (those you follow, or have followed; those you break or have broken).
Write about something sneaky (or someone sneaky).
Write about a ghost.
Write about an apron.
Write about rain.
Write about a doll.
Write about something tiny and/or something large.
Write about a mistake.
Write about a train trip.
Write about things people do not know about you.
Write about apples.
Write about things that have not changed.
Write about someone with red hair — someone you know, or knew, or a character you create.
Write about hands.
Write about things you are not (or were not) supposed to hear (or say; or touch; or see; etc.).
Write about polka dots and/or circles in general.
Write about fish.
Write about something that happens at midnight.
Write about something that is not yet open.
Write about “that night.”
Write about a gift you have received — loved it? hated it?
Write about what is in your pocket, pocketbook, wallet, tote bag, backpack, etc. — right now.
Write about what it would be like to be an animal for a day.
Write a what-not-to-do list.
Write about before and after.
Write about a box (just the box, or something that is kept in a box).
Write about what you are willing to walk toward; what you are willing to walk away from.
Write about a grandmother (yours, someone else's, or a fictional grandma). Variation: write about your grandmother's childhood; feel free to make it all up if you don’t know anything.
Write about a room where something unusual (or hilarious, or awful, etc.) takes place, or took place.
Write about something you are letting go of, or want to let go of; write about something you want to hold on to.
Write a “praise piece” (poem or prose) for something ordinary: a toe, a pencil, a daffodil, etc. Write extravagantly, heap on the praise, make something ordinary seem extraordinary.
Write about a day in the future — be as specific and detailed as you can be.
Write about an uncle and/or an aunt.
Write about a dream, in as much detail as possible. Your memory of the dream might be fuzzy and vague but in your writing let yourself fill in any blanks.
Write on any subject you like, but each sentence should begin with the word “Maybe.”
Write about TWO — two objects, people, ideas, places, etc.
Write about coincidences.
Write about grown-up “merit badges” you would like to receive — they shouldn't be exclusively for scouts, right?
Write about a cat or dog — or choose any other animal friend/companion you have had.
Write a brief story from your life as truthfully as possible. Then write it again from the point of view of someone else who was there.
Write about a person you know well (or once knew) and hold them in your thoughts as you write sentence after sentence beginning with the words “You are…”
Write about “the other me” — a person living someplace in the world, with your name; go deeply into this imagined persona.
Write about opposites: off/on, hot/cold, in/out, wet/dry, soft/hard, near/far, slow/fast, up/down, left/right, etc.
Write about forgetting. What do you hope you'll never forget? What do you wish you could forget? What do you think you have already forgotten? What have people forgotten about you? How do you preserve your memories? Here is a quote by Doris Lessing: “Why should we suppose that what we remember is more important than what we forget?” You might want to start by writing a list where each entry begins with the phrase “I forget….”
Write in response to this phrase, posted by the writer Elizabeth Gilbert on Facebook, March 3, 2016 (accompanied by a photograph of her teen self): “13 is always hard.”
Write a story that someone else has told to you.
Write about what is (or was) “around the corner.”
Write about something you wouldn't want to live without.
Write about invisibility.
Write about forgiveness — how you did or did not forgive someone else; how someone else did or did not forgive you.
Write about a basement.
Write about an attic.
Write about good juju or bad juju.
Write about a mirror/mirrors.
Write about bliss.
Write about an altar you have created or one that you imagine creating (intentional or accidental).
Write in response to this question: “Wouldn't it be nice if . . . ?” Suggestion: keep it personal and specific rather than broad and general.
Write about things that change quickly; write about things that change slowly.
Write about a hotel.
Write a list where each entry begins with the phrase “And then….” They don't have to be related, but they can be.
Write about something that is broken.
Write about a book you remember from childhood.
Write about mean girls.
Write about superstitions.
Write about things you collect.
Write 2 truths and 1 lie. Make the truths be things that someone would be surprised to learn about you. Make the lie sound as though it could be true.
Write about television shows and/or movies that were important to you in your youth.
Write down a geographical location, a date (month, day, year) and a time. Use this as your title. Then write a piece, truth or fiction. Additional suggestion: if you wish, make the piece have three characters.
Write about writing “tools” — pen, pencil, typewriter — but not computers.
Write about work: work you have done, whether it was paid work or not, whether it was a “job” or not.
Write about time travel.
Write about your hometown.
Write about a bridge.
Write about something that happens in a kitchen.
Write about sleeplessness/insomnia.
Write about a reunion.
Write about beginnings and endings.
Write about a birthday: past or future; yours or someone else’s.
Write a shopping list or a to-do list for a fictional character. How does the list give you insight into the character?
Write about morning; create a morning poem or haiku if you wish.
Write about a journey (or part of a journey) in as much detail as you can; draw a map of how to get from one point to another.
Write about what makes you happy.
Write about shopping.
Write about family traditions/celebrations.
Write about the ideal you; the ideal day; the ideal home; etc.
Write a piece where every sentence is in the form of a question.
Write about listening, or not listening.
Write about quitting something; stopping; leaving; walking away; deflecting; letting go; detaching; etc.
Write about a bath (bathtub).
Write about disappointment.
Write about high school.
Write about a bicycle / bike ride.
Write about the weirdest thing you have experienced, or heard about, or imagined.
Write about a smell — a familiar smell; a terrible smell; a delightful smell; etc.
Write about a time when you said one thing but wish you had said something else.
Write about a promise; a promise given and kept; a promise broken.
Write about something that “disturbs” you.
Write about a scar.
Write about the worst thing you've ever done (the more cringe-worthy the better).
Write about bread.
Write about walking (in general, or going on a particular walk).
Write about a friend of yours.
Write about unexpected or accidental encounters.
Write about milk.
Write about a teacher you have had.
Write about a lucky number.
Write about a dream in as much detail as you can remember; don't hesitate to make up some details to fill in blanks in your memory; embellish if you wish. If you only have vague fragments to begin with start there and keep on building as the words and images come to you.
Write about royalty.
Write about a tree.
Write about a baked dessert (cake, pie, cookies, etc.).
Write about fire.
Write about being late and/or being early.
Write about the public library of your childhood years.
Write about a guilty pleasure.
Write about sacred space.
Write about taking a leap of faith.
Write about night.
Write about teeth.
Write about changing your mind.
Write about a crush (or crushes) you have had (or have right now).
Write about a pair of shoes (your favorite? a lost pair? a painful pair? etc.).
Write about a rug/carpet.
Write about things you worry about and/or things you are afraid of.
Write about water.
Write about cheating.
Write about being in a big crowd.
Write a song.
Write about solitude.
Write about a time you were embarrassed, or a time when you embarrassed someone else.
Write about mending/repairing.
Write about dust.
Write about wrinkles.
Write about danger; something dangerous that you did; something dangerous you avoided; something dangerous you witnessed; etc.
Write about a sister or a brother (your own or fictional).
Write about a hat.
Write about a camera/taking photographs/having your photograph taken, etc.
Write about something true that doesn't seem true.
Write about laundry/laundromats/clotheslines.
Write about “the old house.”
Write about a round thing (or round things).
Write about “how to be tough.”
Write about leaving home.
Write about small annoyances; things that irk you.
Write about eyebrows.
Write about something cold (or being cold).
Write about ink.
Write about a nose, or noses.
Write about how you became yourself.
Write about things you do not want to know.
Write about something you’ve never told anyone else.
Write about the flower name (or “nature name”) you would choose for yourself, if you were to do such a thing.
Write a good-bye letter to someone or something.
Write about doing something (experiencing something) for the last time.
Write about the lies you tell yourself.
Write about creating a ritual for something that is ordinary; pay close attention to things we don’t usually pay attention to; focus on the tiniest details.
Write about running away.
Write about chaos.
Write about ANYTHING you want to write about, in any form you choose (a list, a poem, a story, a memory, etc.).
