NewPages Blog :: Writing Prompts

Coming up with new inspiration is never easy. This week, my mind kept circling back to two ideas.

The first was the old saying that things come in threes—a memory sparked by a YA series I read years ago. I thought it might’ve been The Westing Game, though I’m not sure anymore. One character had a string of bad luck, but by the third time something happened, his fortune had shifted. Maybe good things come in threes after all.

Then there’s the idea of lightning.

We often say lightning never strikes the same place twice, a comforting phrase meant to reassure us that rare, painful events won’t repeat. But how true is that, really?

Growing up, we had an ash tree in our backyard that weathered countless storms—until it was struck by lightning not once, but twice. Scarred the first time, split the second. What are the odds?

You be the judge.

✍️ Inspiration Prompt: Lightning Never Strikes the Same Place Twice

That’s what they say. But tell that to the ash tree in my backyard—scarred but proud after its first strike, split and silent after the second. Now it’s just a memory, like the shed that once stood beneath its branches.

And tell that to the people who’ve survived not one, but multiple lightning strikes—living proof that the improbable can happen again, and again. What does it mean to be marked more than once by the same force? To carry the charge of recurrence in your body, your story, your silence?

This prompt invites you to explore repetition, inevitability, and the myth of safety.
What happens when the extraordinary returns? When the pattern repeats? When the storm circles back?

Write, draw, compose, or create something that wrestles with recurrence—a second chance, a repeated trauma, a rekindled love, or a pattern that refuses to break.

Does lightning strike again in your story?
And if it does, what’s left standing?

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In our college creative writing classes, our beloved professor often reminded us: the best fiction we can write is our own truths and observations disguised in the guise of a fictional story. That wisdom has stayed with me. This week’s inspiration prompt was born from that idea—and from nearly twenty years of caretaking in some capacity since graduating, layered on top of my normal work.

✍️ Inspiration Prompt: Caretakers and the Unseen

As lifespans stretch and support systems shrink, more people are stepping into the role of caretaker—often quietly, often without recognition. Whether tending to aging parents, disabled siblings, or chronically ill partners, these caretakers navigate a world of advocacy, sacrifice, and emotional labor. Their work is rarely glamorous, but it is deeply human.

This week, we invite you to explore the lives of those who care for others—not just professionally, but personally, intimately, and imperfectly.

Consider:

• What does it mean to carry someone else’s needs while suppressing your own?
• What invisible burdens do caretakers shoulder?
• What moments of grace, resentment, humor, or heartbreak emerge in the daily grind of care?

Your Challenge:

Tell the story of someone who tends to others—quietly, invisibly, or imperfectly.

Paint the unseen. Reveal the emotional terrain.

Let your work honor the complexity of care.

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Inspiration often strikes in the quietest moments. Over Labor Day weekend, I sat on a bench overlooking the still waters of Lake Huron. The surface was so calm it looked like glass—reflective, serene, deceptive. It reminded me of a line from the movie Deep Blue Sea, where a character, standing above an oceanic research station, remarks:

“Beneath this glassy surface, a world of gliding monsters.”

The line refers to sharks lurking below, but the imagery reaches far beyond the literal. Glass reflects like a mirror, yet it can also distort—warping what we see, hiding truths, creating illusions.

What lies beneath a polished surface? What dangers—or wonders—glide just out of view?

This week, explore the tension between appearance and reality. Use the idea of a “glassy surface” or “gliding monsters” to inspire your work across genres:

• Fiction: A character peers through the “glass” of a perfect life—only to find something monstrous beneath. Or perhaps a respected figure’s reflection hides a darker truth.
• Nonfiction: Write about a time when appearances deceived you—or the world. When did calm waters mask dangerous currents?
• Poetry / Prose Poem: Explore the tension between reflection and distortion. What happens when you break through the surface?
• Research / Hybrid Work: Investigate the mysteries of the deep—new species, unseen ecosystems, or the science of perception itself.
• Visual / Experimental: Contrast clarity and illusion, surface and depth, beauty and menace.

What glides in the shadows, waiting to be seen?

Time to plumb the depths.

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Maritime history is full of drama—and here in Michigan, where the Great Lakes behave more like inland seas, the stories run deep. Beneath their glassy surfaces lie shipwrecks caused by reckless captains chasing speed, tragedies swallowed by fog, and yes… even pirates.

Real-life pirates in the Midwest! These freshwater swashbucklers weren’t after gold, but lumber, illegal alcohol, and wild game meat—sailing the lakes with stealth and grit.

This week’s inspiration prompt invites you to write into the tension between surface calm and hidden danger:

• A lake that never gives up its dead.
• A family heirloom with a watery past.
• A pirate hat that fits a little too well.
• A ship that returns every year on the same foggy night.

What stories lie beneath the still water? What truths surface when we stop pretending the inland sea is tame?

Craft an ode to imaginary freshwater pirates—or real ones like Jack Rackham, James Jesse Strang, and Dan Seavey. Write a story of a town on the edge of myth, haunted by a foggy ship every November. Dive into the history of the Great Lakes in a lyric essay. Create a poetry collage weaving verse with images of pirates, Petoskey stones, and more.

Dive in—the water’s full of stories.

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Happy Tuesday!
This week’s writing prompt, featured in Monday’s newsletter, was inspired by a video of a gynecologist explaining the difference between correlation and causation—a concept that’s often misunderstood and misused in shaping public opinion and policy in the U.S.

While the video’s core message is serious, one example stood out: the correlation between shark attacks and ice cream sales. It’s attention-grabbing, funny, and oddly perfect for storytelling.

Sometimes, even in dark periods, a spark of inspiration can lead not just to serious exploration and discussion, but also to a break from heaviness—a light-hearted stretch of the imagination.

✨ Inspiration Prompt: Correlation isn’t causation—but it sure makes a good story.

Did you know shark attacks and ice cream sales both spike in summer?
Coincidence? Absolutely.
Causation? Not quite.
But the pattern is seductive—and dangerous when misunderstood.

And maybe, just maybe, someone is behind the screen painting the mice to make the experiments work.

This week’s prompt invites you to explore the tension between correlation and causation—the seductive power of patterns, the danger of assumptions, and the emotional fallout when we mistake one for the other.

🧠 What happens when patterns deceive us?

We live in a world overflowing with data but starving for understanding.
People see two things happen together and assume one caused the other.
Fear spreads. Certainty calcifies.
A coincidence becomes a conspiracy.
A trend becomes a truth.
A symptom becomes a scapegoat.

This prompt is your invitation to interrogate the illusion of cause—and the human need to make meaning, even when the dots don’t connect.

✍️ Try exploring:

• A character who builds their life around a false belief rooted in a misinterpreted pattern—or one who manipulates statistics to justify a personal or political agenda.
• A society that spirals into fear from imagined connections—or a world where every coincidence is treated as divine causation.
• A scientist, artist, or mystic haunted by ambiguity.
• A visual piece that plays with misleading graphs, painted mice, or absurd experiments.
• A poetic representation of data that tells two conflicting stories.
• A collage or graphic narrative that juxtaposes real-world headlines with imagined consequences.

Create in any form: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, scripts, songs, graphic narratives, collages, or other art forms.

And have fun unraveling the stories we tell ourselves when we mistake patterns for truth.

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Last weekend was full of joyful detours—chores and housecleaning gave way to a quick trip to the farmer’s market that somehow turned into a few hours at the Dinosaur Gardens. Perfect fodder for a writing and inspiration prompt, don’t you think?

Those unexpected turns have a way of lingering, their joy carrying over into the week. And now here we are—today is a dreary Tuesday evening, but sometimes dreariness is a blessing, especially when it comes with much-needed rain. Maybe it will revive the struggling vegetables in the garden.

If you’ve been in a rough submissions patch, our latest newsletter featured 80+ opportunities, plus new lit mag issues and book reviews. And if you’ve been in a dry patch creatively, let this be your metaphorical rain to quench those budding ideas.

✍️ Inspiration Prompt: The Joyful Detour

Not everyone maps out their life or schedules every moment, but most of us make To Do lists—those small intentions to get things done. Even with the best of intentions, life often gets in the way.

It’s easy to focus on what didn’t get done—but what if we looked at the upside instead?

Maybe your weekend of chores was interrupted by an unexpected bounty of fresh produce that needed preserving. Or a quick trip to the farmer’s market turned into a spontaneous dinosaur dig and rock-hunting adventure. Or perhaps a friend you haven’t heard from in years calls you out of the blue, interrupting your writing time.

These welcome interruptions might derail your plans, but the joy and memories they bring often make the delay worthwhile—don’t they?

Your turn: Dig into your memory. Write a poem, essay, or story—or create a collage, comic, or artwork—that captures a moment when your best intentions were lovingly overruled by something unexpected, something you didn’t know you needed.

What did the unexpected moment teach you? Did it shift your priorities for only a day, or did it affect long-term change in your life?

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Happy Tuesday!
This week in our newsletter, we tried something new—giving you a sneak peek at what’s coming to our Magazine Stand. Hopefully, you enjoyed that first look at the upcoming lit mag issues. If you missed Monday’s newsletter, you can catch up here.

If you love independent bookstores and maps, we are also working behind the scenes on trying to bring an interactive map to life. Baby steps…wobbly and uncertain, but we’re trying.

Speaking of uncertainty, we actually brought you a writing prompt devoted to turning uncertainty in love into certainty with the idea that you know you will fall in love with a certain person in the future.

Inspiration Prompt: A Premonition of Love

We’ve all seen it—books, movies, songs—where love strikes like lightning. Two strangers lock eyes across a crowded room, and just like that, they’re swept into a whirlwind romance. It’s the classic “love at first sight” trope.

But what if we turned that idea on its head?

In Japanese culture, there’s a beautiful phrase: koi no yokan—a premonition of love. It’s not the instant spark of passion, but rather a quiet certainty that love will bloom in time. A subtle knowing. A gentle inevitability.

It’s the moment before the moment.
A glance that lingers.
A silence that feels full.
A feeling that says, “I’ll love you—just not yet.”

Is this love destiny? A soul recognizing its match? Or is it our mind projecting hope onto a stranger, crafting a story before it’s even begun?

You be the judge.

This week’s prompt invites you to explore the concept of koi no yokan in your own creative way. You can:

📝 Write a poem, story, or essay
🎨 Create a piece of visual art or collage
🎭 Capture the feeling of love’s quiet arrival in any medium you choose

Think of something along the lines of e.e. cummings’ “somewhere I have never travelled, gladly beyond” or Julio Cortázar’s “The Night Face Up.” Maybe write a story that ends with the line:
“I knew I’d love them, just not yet.”

Or illustrate the moment before love begins—a gesture, a shared silence, a fleeting glance. What does that premonition feel like visually?

(And yes, if you now have Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ La Vida Loca” stuck in your head—“I’ve got a premonition, that girl’s gonna make me fall…”—you’re welcome.)

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What if literature wasn’t just a collection of books, but an entire universe?

Welcome to Litfinity—the boundless, ever-expanding cosmos of storytelling, where every genre is a planet, every poem a star, and every narrative a force that fuels the galaxy. This is the kind of imaginative spark you’ll find in the latest issue of the NewPages newsletter—alongside fresh literary magazine issues, submission opportunities, book reviews, and indie bookstore news.

✍️ This Week’s Inspiration Prompt: To Litfinity & Beyond!

(Picture Buzz Lightyear, book in hand, shouting this new catchphrase as he rockets into the literary unknown.)

In this prompt, you’re a Litronaut, tasked with restoring balance to the universe after the mysterious darkening of the Library Nebula—the heart of Litfinity. Your journey will take you across genre-planets like:

• Melancholia – a world powered by poetry and emotion
• Chronotex – a tech-charged sci-fi realm pulsing with innovation
• Mythara – floating isles woven from fantasy and myth

But what caused the nebula to go dark? Is there a villain lurking in the shadows of forgotten stories? Could you uncover a lost genre—one that reshapes the very fabric of Litfinity?

Optional twist: Include excerpts from fictional books or poems you discover along the way. Bonus points if you invent a new genre-planet entirely!

🎨 Art Prompt: The Library Nebula

For the visually inclined, this week’s art prompt invites you to illustrate the Library Nebula—a swirling galaxy of books, scrolls, and glowing ink. Imagine a ship powered by metaphors and similes, navigating constellations shaped like punctuation marks. Think:

• Vellum clouds
• Ink-splatter stars
• Parchment rings
• Genre-themed color palettes

Or take it further and illustrate one of the genre-planets. What does Chronotex look like? How does Mythara shimmer with fantasy magic?

Need more inspiration? View past prompts.

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Heat and humidity are rolling through the Midwest again. If you’re lucky enough to be enjoying a break from the summer swelter, step outside and soak it in—no popsicle-melting today!

If you’re already stuck in the sticky grip of summer, stay cool indoors and dive into this week’s writing inspiration. Our latest newsletter features fresh lit mag issues, new books, indie bookstores to support, and more. But today, we’re spotlighting the writing prompt—one that’s inspired by revisiting Jane Austen, who masterfully explored the social constraints and quiet rebellions of women in her time.

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Writing Prompt: It’s Not a Malady, Milady!

For centuries, women’s emotions, intellect, and resistance were dismissed as “hysteria,” “the vapors,” or “histrionics.” Pain was pathologized. Ambition? Called unnatural. A woman’s voice? Too loud. Too much. Too emotional.

This week, we reclaim those words—and rewrite the narrative.

What was once labeled a malady is, in truth, a mark of power. Your intuition, your fire, your refusal to shrink—these are not symptoms to be cured. They are evidence of your strength, your lineage, your legacy.

Write in honor of the women who were silenced, institutionalized, or ignored. Write for those who whispered their truths into diaries, letters, and poems that never saw the light. Most importantly, write for yourself—and for the future.

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🖋️ Prompt Ideas to Explore

• What part of yourself have you been told is “too much”?
• How can you reframe it as a gift?

Create a poem, essay, or story that celebrates this part of you—not as a flaw, but as a force. Or craft a multimedia piece or collage that bridges history with modern expressions of womanhood. Reclaim what others saw as “flaws” and reveal them for what they truly are: your superpowers.

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Monday was wild—but aren’t they always?
Issue 189 of our weekly newsletter is packed with literary goodness:
📚 New books
📰 Fresh lit mag issues
🏪 Indie bookstores to support
📝 Book reviews
📣 49 Submission opportunities
…and of course, a brand-new inspiration prompt to get your creative gears turning.

This week’s chaos got us reminiscing about the delightfully disastrous Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (aka Daniel Handler), and just like that—poof!—this week’s NewPages writing prompt was born.

✍️ Inspiration Prompt: A Series of Unfortunate Events

Because sometimes, the chaos writes itself.

Ever had one of those days where everything goes sideways? You’re not alone. This week’s NewPages writing prompt was inspired by a real-life comedy of errors involving a birthday mix-up, endless back-and-forths, and a traffic jam that felt like the universe pressing pause.

We’re calling it: “A Series of Unfortunate Events.”

Whether you’re a nonfiction writer, poet, fiction lover, or visual artist, this prompt invites you to explore the beauty, absurdity, and unexpected clarity that can emerge from life’s messiest moments.

Here’s a taste of what you can do with it:

• Nonfiction: Chronicle a day that spiraled out of control. What went wrong? What did you learn?
• Fiction: Create a character whose plans unravel in spectacular fashion.
• Poetry: Use rhythm and imagery to capture the chaos.
• Visual Art: Illustrate a moment of beautiful frustration.
• Hybrid/Experimental: Collage, blackout poetry, comics—anything goes.

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• And more literary goodness

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Because even when life gets weird, there’s always something worth writing about.

Another summer holiday is behind us and it is so hard to let go, isn’t it?

If you’re taking your break this week instead of last, NewPages has plenty of food for your creative fodder!

In Issue 188 of the NewPages Newsletter, we bring you new issues of literary magazines, book reviews, 49 submission opportunities, and—of course—a prompt to inspire your creativity. And this time, the prompt is more of a challenge than anything else!

Inspiration Prompt: The Scintillating Story of Sister “S”

Sometimes, the best way to break through a creative block is to give yourself a constraint—and this week, we’re spotlighting one of the most slippery, stylish letters in the alphabet: S.

Whether you’re a poet, prose writer, doodler, or essayist, here are a few playful ways to let “S” lead the way:

• Write a poem where every line starts with “S”
• Craft a story in which each sentence (or paragraph) begins with “S”
• Draw a doodle composed only of items starting with “S”
• Make a collage devoted to all forms of “S”—lowercase, uppercase, cursive, serif, sans-serif
• Pen an ode to the curves of the letter itself
• Explore an essay on “S”—its history, phonetics, or popularity

Feeling bold? Try the Super S Challenge:
Every single word in a sentence or line must start with “S.”
(Silly? Sure. Stimulating? Surprisingly so.)

Straw-grasping or not, what does pushing yourself to follow such a constraint do for your creative process?
Does it reinvigorate it? Help you pay more attention to rhythm and flow?
Or does it feel synonymous with a different kind of roadblock?

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Thunderstorms and rain swept through, trying their best to cool down the nearly 90-degree heat. Hopefully, you’re all staying cool and comfortable. Our weekly newsletter is here to help with that—packed with great reads to keep you inspired and plenty of submission opportunities to keep your writing goals on track. This week’s writing prompt explores the power of names in storytelling—how they shape identity, perception, and even destiny.

Speaking of which, let’s dive into that prompt and explore how the power of names can shape our stories—and ourselves.

Inspiration Prompt: What’s in a Name? More Than You Think.

A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet, but Anne wasn’t so sure Shakespeare got that right (remember, she thought Ann was just dreadful).

In an era of high infant mortality, Japanese children were often given temporary names to ward off misfortune—only receiving their “true” names once they reached a safer age. The belief was simple but profound: names carry power.

Even in nature, names shape perception. Every plant has at least two: the scientific name—precise but often forgotten—and the common name, which varies by region and culture. Take the autumn olive, for example. Despite its poetic name, it’s not an olive tree at all. Scientifically known as Elaeagnus umbellata, it also goes by Japanese silverberry, spreading oleaster, and autumn berry. It sounds lovely, doesn’t it? Yet in the U.S., it’s considered an invasive species—beautiful, but disruptive to native ecosystems.

It’s strange how something so beautiful can be misunderstood—or misjudged—because of a name.

In some communities, a family name alone can open doors—or close them. In schools, neighborhoods, and small towns, your last name might precede you like a rumor. Some names are spoken with admiration, others with disdain, long before anyone meets the person behind them. Maybe your uncle made headlines. Maybe your cousin got expelled. Maybe your last name means you’re always the troublemaker because of older siblings—or never taken seriously.

Somewhere out there, there’s a person whose entire job is to receive new products—lotions, gadgets, teas, sneakers—and test them, not for quality, but for identity. Their task? To find the name that tells a story, sparks curiosity, and makes someone fall in love at first glance. A name that whispers a story before the product is even touched. Imagine the power in that.

So, do you believe in the power of names? Have you ever liked something until you learned what it was called? Or disliked something, only to be won over by its name?

This week, let names guide your writing. Explore how they shape identity, perception, or even destiny. What stories lie hidden behind the names we give—or the ones we’re given?

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Want more inspiration prompts before committing? Dive in here and explore past prompts to spark your creativity.

Astray. Adverb. Meaning to be away from the correct path or direction, much like being lost.

In our latest newsletter, It’s Looking Like a Lit Wave, we shared literary updates, submission opportunities, book reviews, and new releases to help you stay creatively inspired through the summer heat. One standout feature this week is our inspiration prompt, which invites writers to explore the emotional and creative terrain of being “still astray.”

🌡️ Why This Prompt?

Inspired by the haunting refrain from Stray Kids’ song “Lonely St.”, this prompt taps into the feeling of being unmoored—creatively, emotionally, or existentially. In the thick of a heatwave or a creative dry spell, it’s easy to feel directionless. But what if being “astray” isn’t a failure, but a form of freedom?

Sometimes, others only show support once you’ve nearly arrived at your destination or finally “made it.” But what if you’re still in the in-between? Do you welcome that support—or stand firm in your journey, even if it’s unfinished?

✨ Prompt: Still Astray

Write from the perspective of being “still astray.”

• What does it mean to be lost in a world that demands direction?
• Is being astray a failure—or a kind of freedom?
• What do we discover when we stop trying to arrive?

Whether you’re working on poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction, let this be your invitation to explore the beauty and tension of the in-between.

🎧 Bonus inspiration:
Watch the “Lonely St.” music video by Stray Kids — a visual and lyrical journey through solitude, resilience, and self-direction.

If the idea of being astray doesn’t resonate with you, what does the music video inspire? What story do you see playing out? (Closed caption English subtitles are available if you want to follow the lyrics.) Or maybe this is your chance to learn more about this internationally composed Korean band.

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Want to dig through past writing prompts? Discover more here.

Finding fresh inspiration for our weekly newsletter isn’t always easy but seeing yet another jury duty summons in my mail made me ponder how real life sparks writing. And no, I am not making it up.

Since my first year out of college, I’ve been summoned nearly annually—one year, even twice! What are the odds? No, really—I want to know! This week’s newsletter (Issue 185) turns that ‘wonderful’ luck into writing fodder, plus editor updates, bookstore news, new releases, and book reviews to bulk up your reading list.

Writing Prompt: The Only Things for Certain Are Death, Taxes… and Jury Duty

Some people breeze through life with luck on their side—finding true love, scoring dream jobs, even cracking the perfect lotto numbers. But others? Well, their luck is a bit… different.

Enter jury duty, that unavoidable civic summons, popping up again and again. What are the chances that one person is randomly selected every year—sometimes even more? Statistical bad luck? Or is fate playing an ironic joke?

For those who have experienced jury duty, the process can feel surreal—being scrutinized in selection, locked in a room, cut off from communication, then ushered into a courtroom to make decisions that may alter someone’s life. Some feel the crushing weight of responsibility, while others just want out.

Your Challenge:

Imagine a world where the only luck some people have is jury duty. What does that do to someone? Do they accept their fate? Try to avoid selection at all costs? Or do they lean into the absurdity?

Or, if you’ve served on a jury, share your own experiences! Was it what you expected? What was the strangest, most intense, or oddly hilarious moment?

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Happy Tuesday! Our latest newsletter went out yesterday, packed with literary discoveries—new magazines, books, reviews, bookstore updates, and a fresh writing prompt to spark your creativity.

This week’s newsletter (Issue 184) digs into the rarely used language of flowers—an ancient form of communication hidden in petals and stems.

✍️ Writing Prompt: Flower Language

Once upon a time, flowers weren’t just decorations—they carried messages, secrets, and spells. A red rose whispered love, lavender offered calm, and marigolds warned of grief or jealousy.

But as time passed, the language of flowers faded into myth. What if someone rediscovered it? What if a florist’s arrangements could influence emotions—or fate?

Your Creative Challenge:

💐 Fiction Prompt: Write a story where the language of flowers resurfaces in a powerful way. Who still knows it? Who needs to learn it? What happens when the flowers begin to speak again?

🌼 Poetry Prompt: Use flowers to express emotions too hard to say aloud. What truths bloom in silence?

🌍 Cross-Cultural Essay Prompt: Explore how different cultures have used flowers to communicate—from Chinese plum blossoms to Victorian bouquets.

🎨 Mixed Media Prompt: Create a visual piece that captures the symbolic power of flowers. Use real petals, digital art, or photography to tell a story beyond words.

Want more inspiration like this? Subscribe to the NewPages Newsletter for weekly writing prompts, book reviews, literary news, and more—straight to your inbox! Paying subscribers get early access to submission opportunities before they go live on our site, too!

Every Monday, our newsletter subscribers receive a curated dose of literary goodness—new issue announcements, book reviews, upcoming releases, literary news, and a fresh writing prompt to spark creativity. If you’ve ever felt stuck staring at a blank page, our weekly prompts are here to help reignite that creative spark.

This week’s newsletter (Issue 183!) took a playful turn with a nod to The Time Warp—but instead of dancing through dimensions, we’re diving into the strange elasticity of time itself.

✍️ Writing Prompt: Warped Relativity

Einstein once explained relativity like this: sit on a hot stove for a minute and it feels like an hour; sit with someone you love for an hour and it feels like a minute. But what about the moments that defy even that logic?

Write about a time when the clock ticked forward, but your experience of it didn’t match. Maybe it was a season of grief that passed in a blur, or a long recovery that dragged on despite no dramatic events. Explore how time can feel warped not just by joy or boredom, but by numbness, uncertainty, or quiet endurance. How does time behave when life is neither thrilling nor tragic—just quietly, stubbornly hard?

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