Poetry Writing Prompts 301-320

301. A wall of water, tall as any skyscraper, surfs across the surface of the sea, ready to rain down and wash away every inch of beach. 

302. Use all of the following words in a poem: barrel, bode, wear, drink, stalk, cross, sting, reared.  

303. Write a poem about someone or something that makes you laugh. 

304. Write a poem using the following image: a blue-green lagoon on a tropical is- land.  

305. They roll from town to town, hopped up on beer, lugging amplifiers, drums, and big dreams.  

306. Use all of the following words in a poem: stay, factory, breaker, whistle, rich, demand, hurry.  

307. Write a poem about growing up.  

308. Write a poem using the following image: a bird (or other animal) in a cage. 

309. Molten rock and burning earth bubble from the peak then explode, dazzling the sky; the lava rolls down the mountainside and swallows all life in its fiery path. 

310. Use all of the following words in a poem: miles, pride, supply, insurgent, silver, downhill. 

311. Write a poem about puberty.  

312. Write a poem using the following image: travelers waiting for a delayed flight at the airport. 

313. The wind curls into a neat funnel, skipping through the city streets, catching cars and lampposts, ripping them up, and spitting them out in the distant countryside. 

314. Use all of the following words in a poem: polish, billow, far, divergent, vote, silence, tiger, Zen, rhyme, pitcher, missed, pale, shine.  

315. Write a poem about walking around barefoot.  

316. Write a poem using the following image: a band playing on stage in front of a disinterested audience.  

317. One toe in the water, one toe in the sand. Standing on the precipice. 

318. Use all of the following words in a poem: crow, read, leader, mythology, beginning, rent, means.  

319. Write a poem about a company of dancers. 

320. Write a poem using the following image: a child giving another child a piggy- back ride. 

Poetry Writing Prompts 321-340

321. Dirt under fingernails. Chipped teeth. Rough hands. Bent back. It’s a life. It’s a living. 

322. Use all of the following words in a poem: country, fit, wind, congratulate, approval, itemize, cents, trailer.  

323. Write a poem about birds.  

324. Write a poem using the following image: a camp for prisoners of war. 

325. They huddle around the grave, tossing in flowers, dirt, and memories. 

326. Use all of the following words in a poem: sale, fight, hero, fallen, skinned, congress, occupation, top. 

327. Write a poem about desire and longing.  

328. Write a poem using the following image: a mother or father in the hospital holding a newborn baby.  

329. She waves her wand and the music rises and falls—deep lulls and glorious crescendos, trills from the wind section and a deep hum from the brass. 

330. Use all of the following words in a poem: hemisphere, sharp, address, hill, crush, renegades, blank, glitter, brace, flex, shrug, crocodile.  

331. Write a poem about a marine animal.  

332. Write a poem using the following image: a raccoon rifling through a garbage can.  

333. Deep inside a dark, cold cave, water trickles down a rock wall, carving a wet trail on the hard slate. 

334. Use all of the following words in a poem: earthquake, tournament, pop, lamb, awake, stay, voice, keep.  

335. Write a poem about lust, greed, revenge, laziness, gluttony, jealousy, or pride.  

336. Write a poem using the following image: a stack of blank journals and note- books.  

337. Snap crackle cool slide. Dip trip big-bass jive.  

338. Use all of the following words in a poem: sense, acumen, airplane, pearls, collapse, show, cry.  

339. Write a poem about an empty house. Is it new? Old? Is someone moving in or out? 

340. Write a poem using the following image: a politician giving a speech to a crowd at a county fair. 

Poetry Writing Prompts 341-360

341. Vultures descend on a carcass that is rotting on the side of the road. 

342. Use all of the following words in a poem: race, confession, fool, move, screw, hungry, incinerate.  

343. Write a poem about the many ways love can be expressed. 

344. Write a poem using the following image: a dog barking at a passerby through a chain link fence. 

345. The trail is covered with footprints—human and animal. The large cat crouch- es atop rocks watching the hikers below. 

346. Use all of the following words in a poem: hours, enemy, grunt, choice, good- bye, hint, always, tide, news, lion, sentimental, number.  

347. Write a poem about nudity. 

348. Write a poem using the following image: a big bowl of fresh, homegrown summer fruit.  

349. She walks down the street wearing nothing but a full sized flag wrapped around her body. Lady liberty is on the loose. 

350. Use all of the following words in a poem: wolf, honorable, hurricane, mad, sing, thought, waking, blinded, rapid, choice.  

351. Write a poem about spending time alone.  

352. Write a poem using the following image: an empty, unmade bed. 

353. Headphones, backpack, smooth moves. Dancing on the street corner. Dancing at the bus stop. Rocking out on the subway. 

354. Use all of the following words in a poem: broom, sight, ladder, quiet, century, turned, honey, wasted, pathetic.  

355. Write a poem about what it means to be part of a team.  

356. Write a poem using the following image: a group of rambunctious kids sitting at the back of the bus. 

357. They gather around a steel barrel that is half-filled with coal and douse it with kerosene, and as the flames rise, they drop books in, one by one. 

358. Use all of the following words in a poem: bedroom, vested, structure, every- thing, head, strong, ugly, shame, raw, true.  

359. Write a poem about a predatory animal.  

360. Write a poem using the following image: a big, shiny red fire engine. 

Poetry Writing Prompts 361-380

361. A photograph falls from a hand, sailing to the floor, landing face down. 

362. Use all of the following words in a poem: servant, hide, knees, alive, sworn, shook, wasted, deal, capital.  

363. Write a poem about an animal you admire—not a particular animal, such as your pet, but a type of animal, such as a penguin or a giraffe. 

364. Write a poem using the following image: a unit of soldiers riding in a helicopter. 

365. Power: electric, personal, international, and up for grabs.  

366. Use all of the following words in a poem: road, gentry, combat, listen, plead, hold, about, ring, heartless, relax, defense. 

367. Write a poem about dancing.  

368. Write a poem using the following image: a spread of fresh, homegrown fall vegetables just harvested from the garden.  

369. Workers swarm into the office. A hundred years ago, they would have worn coveralls, kerchiefs, and stood over a conveyer belt. Today, they wear business casual, drink lattes, and bend over computer keyboards.  

370. Use all of the following words in a poem: collar, rationalize, fury, victims, haul, super, achiever, ignore.  

371. Write a poem about the cycle of life from birth to death.  

372. Write a poem using the following image: a telescope aimed at the night sky. 

373. The water is so clear, you can see the bottom. Ten feet below, layers of brightly colored pebbles: blue, green, and amber.  

374. Use all of the following words in a poem: junk, population, bigger, hollow, democratic, screamed, straight, waiting.  

375. Write a poem about a clown. 

376. Write a poem using the following image: people dancing around a bonfire on the beach.  

377. The cocoon wobbles, then a tiny tear stretches into a long gap, and out steps a butterfly. 

378. Use all of the following words in a poem: turn, work, rapture, not, people, shoes, slump, jam, skinny. 

379. Write a poem about a car salesperson.  

380. Write a poem using the following image: a fish with its nose against the glass of a small fishbowl. 

Poetry Writing Prompts 381-400

381. Stand still at the edge of the dock and look out at the gray waves—how they rise and fall. The water, it speaks to you. 

382. Use all of the following words in a poem: jelly, pepper, cream, morning, never, reason.  

383. Write a poem about a movie theater. 

384. Write a poem using the following image: a house with a picket fence and a tire swing hanging from a tree in the front yard. 

385. That summer, everybody was listening to that song. It was playing everywhere.  

386. Use all of the following words in a poem: cause, tower, dusk, precipice, breathing, travels, rock slide.  

387. Write a poem about animals in the wild whose habitats are being destroyed or endangered by humans.  

388. Write a poem using the following image: a soup kitchen on the night of a major holiday.  

389. The years keep turning over, and we just keep spinning around and around.  

390. Use all of the following words in a poem: primitive, burning, miracle, back- ward, hypnotize, rules, promises, desecrate. 

391. Write a poem about a dark, scary place. 

392. Write a poem using the following image: a book with a worn cover and dog- eared pages. 

393. Have you ever walked through a garden at night? What about a forest?  

394. Use all of the following words in a poem: educated, churning, blackbirds, trickle, real, coals, sorry.  

395. Write a poem about loneliness. 

396. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is an island of garbage floating in the middle of the ocean. Write a poem about it.  

397. Every tooth, every discarded shoe, every grass-stained elbow tells a story. 

398. Use all of the following words in a poem: behind, waiting, snakes, engaged, overflow, nation, set. 

399. Write a poem about a long journey.  

400. Write a poem using the following image: someone standing in a doorway, soaking wet, with rain pouring in the background. 

Creative Nonfiction Prompts 1-20

1. Write about someone you admire from afar— a public figure or celebrity. 

2. Revisit your earliest memories of learning about faith, religion, or spirituality. 

3. Write a how-to article about a task, activity, or project you’ve learned to complete through practical experience in your career.  

4. Have you ever had déjà vu— the strange sense that you’ve experienced some- thing before? Write a personal essay about it. 

5. What is the number-one goal you want to achieve as a writer? To reach your main writing goal, what do you need to do? 

6. Think about what your favorite holiday means to you. Why do you celebrate it? How does it shape or affect your life for the rest of the year? 

7. Heartbreak is part of life and full of lessons. Tell the story of a heartbreak you’ve experienced.  

8. Write a critical review of your favorite book. What made it so good? Could it have been better? Provide a detailed analysis of its strengths and weaknesses.  

9. Remember when you were a little kid and you learned something new about life or how the world works? Write an article for kids about what you learned, how you learned it, and how you felt about it. For example: learning where food comes from.  

10. Have you ever felt like you were meant for something, that some event or moment in your life was fated? Have you ever felt an inexplicable call to do some- thing? Where do you think this feeling comes from? Write about it. 

11. Read your favorite poem and take a few minutes to contemplate it. Then write a reaction to the poem. Why do you love it? How does it make you feel? What makes this poem so special to you? If you don’t have a favorite poem, write about your favorite song lyrics. 

12. Write a top-ten article listing your favorite songs or albums with short explanations of why each one earned a spot on your list. 

13. Do you believe the existence of a higher power can be proven or disproved? Write a personal essay about it.  

14. Art is all around. You can purchase books packed with images of art. You can visit museums and galleries. You can surf the web for photographs of paintings and sculptures. Choose a piece of art that speaks to you and write about it. Describe the piece. How does it make you feel? What details give it power or make it captivating? 

15. They say it’s better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. Whom have you loved and lost? 

16. Think back on some embarrassing moments that you’ve experienced. Now write a series of scenes depicting those moments. 

17. Write a how-to article about something you can do that is not part of your job (for example: how to bake a cake from scratch or how to change the oil in your car). 

18. What do you like to wear during summer, winter, fall, or spring? Write about your sense of fashion (or lack thereof). Does it change with the seasons? 

19. Tell a story about one (or both) of your parents.  

20. Write about your experience with a mentor, teacher, or coach, explaining how working with someone more knowledgeable than you helped you. 

Creative Nonfiction Prompts 21-40

21. What determines an action or person as good or evil? Who gets to decide what or who is good or evil? Write a personal essay about it.  

22. Think about the last book you read. How did the book make you feel? Were you sad? Scared? Intrigued? What was it about the book that evoked an emotional response from you? Was it the characters? The plot? The subject matter? 

23. Write about a sport you play or watch, or write about an athletic activity you enjoy. 

24. Tell the story of the first time you earned your own money.  

25. Write a personal essay about how music has affected you or shaped your life.  

26. Write about how the real world influences your writing, or write about how your personal experiences and beliefs influence your writing. 

27. You get to create your very own garden. Will it be a flower garden or a vegetable garden? Maybe you’d prefer a grove of trees instead? Write a descriptive personal essay about it. 

28. Write a critical review of your favorite movie. What made it so good? Could it have been better? Provide a detailed analysis of its strengths and weaknesses.  

29. Choose a polarizing topic you feel strongly about and write an essay espousing the opposing point of view. For example, if you believe in the death penalty, write an argument against it.  

30. It’s the last snowfall of the year. What do you do? Go sledding? Build a snow-man? Head to the pond for some ice skating? 

31. Sometimes, we use common sense and do the right thing or make the best choice. But sometimes, we learn lessons the hard way. Write about a time in your life when you made the wrong choice and learned a lesson the hard way.  

32. Most people aren’t single-issue voters, but chances are that when you go to polls, there’s one issue at the top of your list of concerns. Write an essay about your position through the lens of your personal experiences. What in your life experience has caused you to take this position? 

33. Film is one of the greatest forms of entertainment. The audience gets to sit back and snack on junk food while the movie plays and takes us on a wild ride through someone else’s life story. We all have our favorite films. What are yours and why? What do you love most about them? The characters? The plot? The special effects? 

34. Throughout history, many stories have been told about the origins of the uni- verse. Some people rely on religion to answer this question; others look to science. What do you think? 

35. Every once in a while, someone comes into our lives for a short time and fundamentally changes us. Has that ever happened to you?  

36. Write an article about your top-ten favorite authors, highlighting the strengths of each one.  

37. Write a personal essay about coping with the loss of a loved one. 

38. Many dramas use comedic relief to add emotional balance and realism. Write about how this is done successfully and why readers and audiences find it so compelling. 

39. Write about animals. How do you feel about them? What is their purpose? Do they have rights? Should they have rights? 

40. At some point, we are taught enough science to begin to grasp just how big the universe is and how small we are. Describe the moment you made this realization. 

Creative Nonfiction Prompts 41-60

41. Write a personal essay about what you would do with your own personal robot. 

42. Think of a book that was a page-turner. What were the hooks or cliffhangers that made you want to keep reading? How did the author build tension?  

43. Do you believe in a supreme being or higher power? Are you atheist or agnostic? How did you arrive at your beliefs? Have you always held the same beliefs on this issue, or has your perspective changed over time? 

44. Many of us have experienced a terrifying moment in which we thought we were going to die. If you’ve ever experienced a moment like that, write about it. 

45. Here’s what sells: sex, money, and articles on how to look your best. Write a splashy article on one of these topics.  

46. Write a manifesto: a mission statement that includes your personal and professional goals and philosophies.  

47. Music makes the world go round. Listen to your old favorites or explore some brand-new music. Choose a song or album that you have a visceral response to. Maybe it makes you want to dance, laugh, or cry. Write a descriptive essay about it. Is it soft and tender? Hard and brash? Hip and groovy? What moves you? The lyrics? The melody? The rhythm? 

48. Fate or free will? Do you believe in destiny, or do you believe that life’s out- come is strictly the result of choice and circumstance? What experiences or evidence has led you to your position on fate versus free will? 

49. Tell the story of an important long-term goal you have accomplished.  

50. Write a critical review of your favorite television show. What made it so good? Could it have been better? Provide a detailed analysis of its strengths and weaknesses.  

51. Write a personal essay about a time when you wanted to escape or run. Maybe you actually did it! 

52. Write about nonfiction. Do you read memoir, biographies, or reference books? Which ones are your favorites and what do you get out of them?  

53. Think of something you wish you were good at but aren’t. Write a narrative about your attempts to do this thing and how you coped with failure.  

54. Write an article about your favorite musician. What makes this musician so special? Looks? Talent? The sheer number of fans? Awards and critical acclaim? Sales? Quality of craftsmanship? 

55. Go through your photos and choose one that is special to you. Write a personal essay about it. You can also use a series of photos from a single event. 

56. What is your favorite genre of books? Why? What makes that genre so special or interesting? 

57. Do you believe in absolute good and evil? Are good and evil counterpoints that are constantly striving to balance each other out? Do good and evil both have to exist, or can one eliminate the other for once and for all? Are good and evil nothing more than human-made concepts? 

58. Tell the story of a difficult or harrowing period in your life that helped you be- come a better person.  

59. Choose something you’re good at— the thing you are better at than anything else. Then write an article including ten to twenty five tips on the subject.  

60. Write a personal essay about your proudest moment in life so far, and don’t leave out the events leading up to it! 

Creative Nonfiction Prompts 61-80

61. Choose one of your favorite stories. What was uniquely likable about the protagonist? What made the antagonist bothersome or despicable? 

62. Are your morals and ethics circumstantial or static? For example, if you believe it’s wrong to kill someone, is it always wrong, or are there exceptions? Is it unethical to kill a mass murderer or someone who is attacking you? What other moral beliefs do you hold and what are some exceptions that would cause you to put those morals aside? 

63. Think of something important you’ve learned about human relationships, and write an article describing what you learned, how you learned it, and how it could benefit others.  

64. We’ve all had bad days. But there’s probably a day for you that stands out as the worst. Write a personal essay about it.  

65. E. B. White said, “All that I hope to say in books, all that I ever hope to say, is that I love the world.” What do you hope to say through your writing? 

66. Dystopia is an imagined world in which humanity is living in the worst possible (or most unfavorable) conditions. One person’s dystopia is another person’s utopia. What would the world look like in your version of dystopia? 

67. Identify a key theme from your childhood and write about it. For example, perhaps your family spent a lot of time camping. Write a series of stories from the trail. 

68. Write a top-ten article listing your favorite films with short explanations of why each film earned a spot on your list. 

69. Most of us have had an aha moment, an instant in which we reached an epiphany about something. Write a personal essay about one of your aha moments. 

70. Throughout history, books have been banned by governments, schools, and churches. To this day, people will launch campaigns to ban a book. What do you think about book banning? Do you believe in freedom of speech? Who has the right to decide what other people can and can’t read? 

71. What happens when we die? This is a question many people don’t like to think about even though it’s the only certainty in life and the one thing that happens to every single living thing. Do you believe in an afterlife? Is the jury still out? Where did you get your ideas about what happens at death? 

72. Write a narrative about how fear has shaped your life—steering you away from some things and toward others.  

73. Think about something you were good at or enjoyed when you were a kid: for example, sports, drawing, or academics. Write an article for kids about it. 

74. Write a descriptive essay about a gadget, device, or other new technology that you wish someone would invent. 

75. Write about your earliest memory. Include as much detail as you can remember. 

76. Think of something you’re good at— something you taught yourself. For example: cooking, working on cars, gardening, or caring for animals. Write a narrative about how and why you developed these skills.  

77. Write an article about your top-ten favorite books highlighting the strengths of each one.  

78. Write a personal essay about someone or something that gave you hope when you really needed it.  

79. What is your greatest goal in life? Have you started working toward it yet? What is your plan for achieving it? 

80. Tell the story of your early childhood up until kindergarten. Recollect stories your family has told you. Interview relatives if necessary. 

Creative Nonfiction Prompts 81-100

81. Think of something you’ve always wanted to learn how to do, and then write an article explaining what steps one might take to learn that thing.  

82. Many of us grew up with pets and currently live with pets. Write a personal essay about a special pet who had a profound impact on your life. 

83. What is your least favorite genre of books? Why don’t you like it? 

84. Utopia is the opposite of dystopia. It is an imagined world in which humanity is living in the most ideal and favorable conditions. What does your utopia look like? 

85. Tell the story of how you ended up in the career you have now. 

86. Write about a flaw or negative trait or behavior that you’ve overcome. Write it as an article for helping others overcome the same thing. For example, how to stop being a pessimist, how to live a healthier lifestyle, etc. 

87. Write a personal essay about a place that has special meaning for you.  

88. Write a detailed description of your writing process for a particular project you completed.  

89. Write about the happiest day of your life.  

90. Choose someone you know well (or used to know) who is unconventional or eccentric, and tell the story of your relationship with this person and how he or she affected you. 

91. Write a critical review of your favorite song or album. What made it so good? Could it have been better? Provide a detailed analysis of its strengths and weaknesses.  

92. Write a personal essay about something you, as an adult, learned from a child. 

93. Write a few paragraphs describing censorship. Include examples of how, when, and where censorship might occur. Is it ever okay to censor a book? Who has the right to censor a book? Is it ever okay for the government to censor its citizens?  

94. Think back to the first time you had a best friend. Tell the story of your friendship.  

95. Write an article for children titled “Ten Things I Wish an Adult Had Told Me When I was a Child.” 

96. Write a personal essay about money. How important is it to you? What would you do if you had lots of it? What would you be willing to do in order to obtain lots of it? 

97. Literature is where writers live and breathe. Where would we writers be today without our predecessors who, through their artistry, contributed to the literary canon and years of best seller lists? Which novels or poets inspired you to become a writer? Which authors embody a voice that resonates with you? Which genres are you most drawn to? 

98. If you could obtain any superpower, which one would you choose and why? How would you use it? 

99. Most of us have plenty of vivid childhood memories. Make a list of some of your most vivid memories from elementary school, and form them into a narrative.  

100. Write an article filled with travel tips based on your own travel experiences.