Writing is something we both love but we also struggle with it at times. If you read our last blog post, you will know that we have decided to write 52 short stories this year. One. Per. Week. That seems doable, right? 

Your writing doesn’t need to be a short story. It could be a poem, a script, or anything really. It’s just about getting something on the page every week without feeling bogged down or stuck. New week, you attack a new idea. 

Some prompts will be three random words/concepts to be incorporated into a story. Some may be the first line of a story. It’s absolutely up to you how you interpret the prompt. So, without further ado, here are 52 writing prompts to get the creative juices flowing.

52 Writing Prompts for 2022

1. A hidden talent. An attic. The sky
2. Wandering through a used bookstore, you find an old polaroid stuffed in a copy of Catcher In The Rye.
3. A cup of black coffee. A skateboard. Your ex.
4. Scientists discover a way to make nutrient-rich capsules during a food shortage. You run the black market for fresh lemons (the only remaining food on earth).
5. Your family is one of four that volunteer to start a colony on the Moon.
6. You turn the tap on but instead of water, milk pours out.
7. A writer writes a story every night but wakes up to the characters showing up in town every morning.
8. You refuse to tell your partner how you got a scar. They wouldn’t understand.
9. A group of teens discover a dead body.
10. A young prodigy becomes orphaned.
11. Your character discovers a ghost in their bathroom.
12. Your character bumps into their soulmate on the sidewalk.
13. A group of kids discover a treehouse in the woods. Every time they enter, it’s different.

14. A monster works at a post office.
15. Your character witnessed their parents’ murders when as a child, and now, at work, their new boss looks vaguely familiar.
16. Your character’s sixth-grade teacher disappears on a Friday. Her husband replaces her in class on Monday morning with no explanation.
17. A rotary phone. A tv only showing static. A rainstorm.
18. First Line – “And from that moment on, his heart __________.”
19. A homeschooled boy suddenly disappears, and the only clue is a short story he recently printed off his computer.
20. You grew up in an old mansion, never allowed to go outside. The only people you’ve ever seen are your father, sister, and three servants. What secret is the family hiding?
21. Share a relationship that impacted you.
22. Reveal a superpower you’d love to have and what you’d do with it.
23. Describe the trip of a lifetime.
24. Choose three photos with different scenes and create a story to tie them together.
25. A set of identical twins. A party invitation. A locked closet.
26. A broken watch. A peppermint. A hug that goes too far.

27. A secret diary. Something weird under the bed. Apple pie.
28. A lucky charm. A pair of binoculars. The smell of cleaning products.
29. A missing finger. Makeup. A horoscope.
30. A small lie that keeps getting bigger. A campfire. A scream.
31. A babysitter snoops around her employer’s house and finds a horrifying photograph.
32. Your character opens a fortune cookie and it reads: “Run now. You are in danger. Say nothing to anyone. Your father is waiting.”
33. A stranger in an airport hands you an envelope and $1000, asking you to deliver the letter upon your arrival at your destination. You’ve both already gone through security so there can’t be anything illegal in the envelope. You agree to the task.
34. First line – “Her face went still as her eyes widened, watching the glass shatter on the floor.”
35. Invent a character with a bad habit that gets them into trouble.
36. Your character buys an antique urn at a garage sale. It’s only when they get home do they realize the urn is full of someone’s ashes and a note.
37. Your character is sitting in a coffee shop. The barista brings over a latte but your character didn’t order it. A person sitting a few tables over gives a small wave.
38. Your character is caught shoplifting. The shop owner promises not to call the police if you help her with one small favour.
39. You open your high school locker and find a note from yourself, dated 20 years in the future.

40. Your character is returning books to a library and notices that the librarian looks exactly like them, but 30 years older.
41. Your character picks up a hitch-hiker on their way home from work. The hitch-hiker persuades them to leave everything and drive across the country.
42. Your character starts to believe that they can hear the voices of the dead speaking to them through the radio. 
43. Your character goes out for dinner on a date but is more interested in the server than their date.
44. Your character notices that a stranger is following her. Pretending not to notice, they evade the stranger and double back. They are now following the stranger.
45. In order to make friends at a new school, a child makes up stories about their new house being haunted. The stories aren’t as fictitious as they think.
46. Your character is a painter. But their new neighbours are so noisy that they can neither work nor sleep. Action is taken.
47. Your character has recently married someone with a teenage son. The son wants nothing to do with them. The spouse disappears, only leaving a short goodbye note.
48. Think of something you are afraid of and write a story about your character dealing with that fear.
49. Your character’s emotions control the weather but not in the way you would think.
50. A man elbows your character in a crowd. After he is gone, your character hears a phone ring. It’s coming from their pocket but it’s not their ringtone.
51. Create a situation where your character can save the day.
52. Your neighbour is a superhero and you run into them in the laundry room.
53. A hidden message is found in a crossword puzzle.

Bonus Prompt – use the photos in this blog as prompts for a story.

Happy Writing

In June of 2020, Jette and a friend did daily writing prompts together with a 10 minute limit. This led to what will hopefully be a short story collection, because the same characters kept popping up. Who knows where these 52 stories will lead?  We are excited to find out! After writing 52 stories, there has to be a gem or two in there.

Grab a hot beverage and your favourite writing tool of choice. Get comfy and let’s do this.