Writing prompts for high school students are an excellent way to get reluctant writers to express themselves. For fiction, nonfiction, and any other writing project, writing prompts can be silly or serious. The purpose of a writing prompt is simply to get you brainstorming ideas for writing.
Creative High School Poetry Writing Prompts
Poetry is one type of creative writing. As a language arts class assignment or as a personal poem, you can use poetry prompts for high school.
- Make a poem out of a song lyric that best describes your personality.
- An acrostic poem can be started with the name of your favorite band or music group.
- Your first class at school each day should be the subject of a haiku.
- Create a rhyming school spirit chant using your school’s name, mascot, and colors.
- Dress up in your favorite outfit or item of clothing and write an ode to it.
- Make a poem with the first 10 words you think of, and then use each word in one line.
- Each year of high school should be described in a verse.
- Your favorite meme or any viral meme can be turned into a poem by using the opening line from the meme.
- Write a poem about the opposite of a video game’s title based on the title of the game.
Fun Writing Prompts for Creative Fiction in High School
Any piece of creative writing can be helped by creative fiction writing prompts. When creating your fantasy world, you can draw inspiration from real life.
Writing Prompts for Short Works of Creative Fiction
These prompts will help you come up with a short piece of fiction, whether it’s a short story, flash fiction, or a letter.
- When you turn 16 or 18, what magical thing might happen to you?
- There is a colony in space your parents have decided to move you to. How does it feel?
- All of you are trapped in your high school and may be the last teens left to save the world.
- When you are 60 years old, write yourself a letter.
- Choose a book or movie that parallels your life in an eerie way. Is there a story behind how they got yours?
- People now communicate exclusively through social media, so how does this world look?
- You have imagined a monster that now terrorizes the world. In what form does it appear? What drives it to grow? What can you do to stop it?
Writing Prompts for Long Works of Creative Fiction
You can use these prompts to create an original storyline for your first novel, screenplay, or skit.
- A superstorm is the result of the combination of two weather phenomena.
- In an epic peace agreement, the world ceases to exist as separate countries and becomes a single nation.
- It is only you who can access the parallel universes of your closest friends.
- There are people who create a world in which kids can never grow up.
- You’re high school has been taken over by scientists.
- Songs open doors to other worlds whenever you hear them.
Creative Nonfiction Writing Prompts for Teenagers
Nonfiction writing prompts can be as creative as fiction writing prompts, from persuasive essays to high school journals. You can take inspiration from current news headlines or journal writing prompts for high school students.
- What does the world look like now that global warming has reached its worst point?
- Who becomes the new celebrities in a world where actors, singers, and athletes are no longer relevant?
- You are 45 years old and the parent of a teenage daughter who just told you she is pregnant. How would you handle this difficult situation?
- You discover a time machine that allows you to travel back in time. Based on the knowledge you have now, what would you tell your younger self?
- You are approached by a Hollywood executive interested in making a movie about your life after seeing your Instagram account.
- If you swapped places with the person you most admire for a day, what would happen?
- How would you feel if you swapped places for the same amount of time with your worst enemy?
- There is a protest at your school by teenagers in your town.
- A teenager is appointed mayor of your town.
Visual Writing Prompts for High School Creative Writing
A great alternative to wordy writing prompts is using photographs as writing prompts or other forms of visual writing prompts. From memes to movie stills, you can find inspiration for your creative writing everywhere.
High School Creative Writing Games Using Prompts
Using creative writing games in high school doesn’t have to feel immature and can inspire teens’ creativity.
- Rather than drawing pictures, players should write poetry or flash fiction about the prompts in a drawing board game like Pictionary.
- Host a story starter bee where each student is shown an image instead of being given a word, and they have 30 seconds to shout out a writing prompt. It is the last answer given by the last student standing that serves as the prompt for everyone else.
- Each student should write a prompt on a piece of paper and crumple it up. Let the teens have a mini paper war, but when you say “Stop!” they have to pick up the closest crumpled prompt.
Spark an Idea With Writing Prompts
Kids and teens can benefit from writing prompts when they need ideas for creative writing assignments. You can get high school students excited about your writing lesson by using creative writing prompts and even journal prompts geared toward this age group.