Want to be a writer but can’t think of anything to write? Use these 100 writing topic ideas and writing prompts to get inspired and stay motivated.
March 4, 2024 Table of ContentsWriting can be one of life’s most fulfilling and satisfying experiences. But what can you do when you hit a creative block or are unsure what your writing voice is? Every writer will tell you just get writing. We have fifty-five writing ideas plus writing prompts, so you can discover your amazing writing potential just waiting to be expressed.
These ideas are organized by theme and topic for easy reference whenever you’re unsure what to write. Don’t forget to print or bookmark this article so you can refer to it when needed.
In Anne Lammott’s classic book on writing, Bird by Bird, she encourages writers to start by writing their personal experiences.
“You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories.”
—Anne Lamott, Author
These are eight ideas to help you write about your personal experiences.
Even if you don’t think your life is interesting, it’s still a treasure trove of source material and inspiration! Start with your earliest memory or something that seems mundane but holds a special place in your heart. Get as detailed as possible.
People love to learn new things, and if you have personal experience or knowledge about a topic, you’re the perfect person to write about it. You don’t have to have a Ph.D. in British literature to write about Jane Austen, and you certainly don’t need to be an expert on everything about relationships to write about dating.
Your personal experiences give you a unique view of the subject. Instead of trying to write as an expert (unless you are!), write from your unique angle.
Maybe you crochet because you live with a chronic illness and need something you can do from bed. Or maybe you’re obsessed with trains because a train engine is easier to understand than interpersonal relationships.
When writing about interests and hobbies, start with why you love this thing. The rest will follow.
You may think writing about experiences means going on dramatic global adventures or doing daring and shocking things in daily life. Skip the drama and intrigue––some of the most interesting writing is about mundane things.
What do you do every day? Write about it. For example, 5% of the American workforce 1 https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2021/acs/acs-48.pdf takes public transport daily. What does that feel like? Do you have to wake up an hour earlier to get to work on time? Do you worry about your safety? Does public transportation give you freedom, or does it limit what you can do?
5% of Americans will identify with your experiences. For the rest of the population, your writing could offer insight and understanding of an experience far from their own.
Maybe you’ve lived in Hong Kong and New York. The public transportation between these two places is incredibly different. Or maybe you live in India, where public transport 2 https://www.uitp.org/news/energy-transition-and-climate-action-public-transport-india-2022-budget/ has been an ongoing concern for years. Write about that.
Pro Tip: Write about how experiences vary by time, location, and even for different people.
How are you feeling today? Get into the practice of reflecting on your feelings and emotions, either at the start or the end of the day. You’ll build emotional intelligence through self-awareness as you write down your feelings.
Being connected to your emotions is vital to the writing process. It facilitates writing from multiple perspectives and understanding what motivates people. Whether you’re writing a blog for a specific audience or the next great novel, you’ll need that.
Short List of Feelings and Emotions:
Do you ever wonder why mockingbirds sing or feel like the blossoming of cherry trees is a symbol of beauty and regeneration? Whatever you think about, even the most random passing thought can be the foundation for beautiful writing.
Pro Tip: Carry paper and pencil with you, or use your notes app on your phone to quickly record your thoughts as they come. Those short notes you made on the commute to work or at night when you can’t sleep may be the seed for something longer. When you aren’t sure what to write about, look over those notes and think about whether you could write an article, a poem, or if it’s even a plot premise for a new book.
Keep a notebook by your bed and write down your dreams as soon as you wake up. Don’t rely on doing it later because, as we all know, dreams often dissolve from memory if they aren’t recorded immediately.
As well as being a good practice for processing your unconscious thoughts, it gets you into the practice of writing without the pressure of anyone seeing what you’ve written.
We’re a big advocate of setting goals at the start of the year! But you can also write down your goals and aspirations throughout the year.
Write down your goals and the steps you’ll need to get there, and don’t forget to add specific goals to your writing. This could include a weekly word count, submitting your writing at least once a month, joining a writer’s group, completing your novel by the end of the year, etc.
Do you set the same goals over and over again? If you’re not achieving your goals – it’s not your fault!
Let me show you the science-based goal-setting framework to help you achieve your biggest goals.
Whether it’s your family history or the quirky and strange personalities that make up your family unit, writing about your family can offer insight into who you are. Try taking a step back as you write to observe your family members with less emotion and judgment.
Be curious, and explore what makes your family special, surprising, or intriguing. Even if you don’t have a good relationship with family members, look for things you can appreciate our respect as you write about them.
Pro Tip: Ask questions! We often think we know everything about our family, but there are probably experiences and events you’ve never heard about.
When writing about current events, it’s important to be informed before you write and respectful of the people you’re reporting on. Don’t be afraid to be controversial, but don’t seek controversy just for the sake of it.
As you approach any news story, differentiate between opinion and report. Even if you have a personal perspective, your feelings shouldn’t be included in a news report. That’s what opinion pieces are for.
Let’s dive into five different ways to cover the news.
If you want to report on local events, get involved in your community. Make connections with key people, and always be on the lookout for stories. Even if you’re not writing for a publication, you can write about local events to get experience writing and sharpen your observation skills.
Action Steps: Attend a festival or other event and see if you can identify the person in charge. Tell them you’re writing an article about the event and ask if you can have five minutes of their time. If they say no, thank them for their time, leaving them with a good impression of you. They may prove to be a contact for you later!
Interview at least three people attending the event and practice taking good pictures. If you submit your story to a local paper, they will want photos.
Pro Tip: Research the event, performer, or location and prepare some interesting interview questions in advance. When you ask questions, get permission to record them using a voice memo app on your phone. Have paper and pencil so you can jot down some quick notes as well.
Global events offer a constant source for writing topics. Even if you can’t write knowledgeably about foreign relations, you may be able to offer a local perspective on a global concern. Subscribe to a good news round-up, preferably nonpartisan, to get a daily overview of what’s happening. Plus, check several different partisan news sources to get an idea of the difference in reports.
If you’ve been tracking local and global news for a while, you’ll start forming educated opinions. Not to be confused with what people write on social media every day. If you’re going to write opinion pieces, start developing a robust research process that integrates both the present and an understanding of the past.
Action Step: Pick a social or political issue to start researching. Think critically about the present and ask questions. For example, instead of looking at the labor strikes in England based only on the present, consider the context of British history. Research the first labor strike (The General Strike of 1926) and explore the various responses to and interactions with labor workers by the Conservative and Labor parties.
Pro Tip: If you don’t have a good grasp on global history, sign up for a class at your local college or start reading books that cover topics relevant to current social or political issues. Again, read and study varying perspectives.
As a writer, think about what you can add to the conversation that makes it fresh. Skip all the regular tourist destinations, and do a deep dive into what makes a place special or exciting. Here are some fun ways to get a unique view of the place you’re visiting and gather unique suggestions for things to do.
Pro Tip: Read a novel written by a local about the location you’re visiting. You’ll get an insider perspective on where you’re going and may learn about a location or fact that isn’t in the guidebooks.
Packing the right things can make a trip more enjoyable or even downright frustrating. Use your knowledge of the location to suggest what people should pack. Here are some questions to help you put together a location-specific packing list.
While travel and adventure can appear glamorous, countless stresses and challenges are involved. That’s the type of content that is interesting, so don’t feel like you need to censor or sanitize your travel experiences. Obviously, you need to think about your audience and what publication you’re writing for, but sharing challenges can make your experiences more relatable.
Let’s start with the caveat––anytime you’re writing about other people, respect their privacy and their stories.
With that in mind, when you travel, try to make human connections. It can be incredibly lonely when you’re traveling, especially in another country. And while it may be tempting to simply eat the food and see the sights, slow down a little and interact with locals in the location you’re visiting. After all, this is their home. Taking time to talk to others, ask questions, and even listen to their stories is a way to respect the environment you’re visiting as an outsider.
When you write about places, write about people.
Pro Tip: Don’t just go for the spectacular beaches of Costa Rica. Go to hear the dancing melody of the Spanish language, talk to the artisans selling their handmade products, and meet the families growing coffee for generations.
Don’t just go to Singapore because you watched Crazy Rich Asians and love boba tea. Go to learn about a country that was greatly altered by rapid urbanization and is considered one of the most religiously diverse countries in the world. Wherever you travel, go to appreciate the beauty and complexity of the local people.
If you love to write and take photos, the photo essay has been waiting for you to discover it! Photo essays offer an immersive experience for your reader.
The photos should create a narrative or theme that your writing will support and expand on.
Types of photo essays:
Practice your writing skills and share your opinions with these pop culture writing topics.
How-to guides and tutorials are always popular! If you’ve got a skill, we can almost guarantee there is someone out there who wants to learn.
Human emotions are complex, and people love reading about other people’s relational fails or successes. Share some of your interpersonal stories and tips with these topic ideas.
Humor can make a serious topic more approachable or relatable. Plus, good humor in writing is surprisingly hard to find. If you’re skilled at writing humorous stories or articles, that’s not a skill to sleep on.
Writing prompts are something even the best writers use at times to spark creativity, find new ways of expression, and help with focusing on a topic or theme.
Plus, writing prompts are a nice diversion when you’re blocked on another piece of writing.
We’ve written some fun and interesting prompts to keep you going.
Fact: Poetry didn’t die out with the modern world. We need poetry now just as much as people in times past. If you’re struggling to get started, try these poetry prompts.
Poetry Resources:
Next time your bored, don’t reach for your phone! As a writer, you’ll need empty space so unexpected ideas have room to grow. Instead of distracting yourself when bored, settle into it as an opportunity to become a better writer.
Resources for Songwriters
Think about your family history within the context of time and place. Did you grow up with Florida sunsets, church barbeques, Bugs Bunny, and listening to 90s grunge? Or were you raised with miners’ strikes, Margaret Thatcher, and Jacob’s Trio biscuits? Your life may seem boring at best, but your experiences can provide delightful vignettes or source material for a novel.
Resources for Nonfiction Writers:
If you’re ready to write a novel or a short story, but don’t have any inspiration, try using a plot generator. We tested Reedsy, and it’s pretty fun! Here are some examples.
A veteran who is weary. A reporter who is deaf. It’s a family saga story about overcoming insecurities. It kicks off in a manor with a job offer. (Note that: someone in the story had a troubled childhood.) And there’s a twist! You should tell the story in epistolary form.
A detective who is cynical. A pilot who is poor. It’s a hardboiled PI story about blackmail. It kicks off at a farmhouse with news that a research institute’s confidential database has been hacked. (Note that: the case in this story will span four decades.) And there’s a twist! Everyone in the story dies.
A jockey who can be stubborn. A barista, who is cautious. It’s a romantic suspense story about standing up for oneself. It kicks off near a yard sale with a runaway cat. (Note that: both protagonists are always in the right place at the wrong time.) And there’s a twist! The two protagonists never manage to meet in person.
Resources for Novelists and Short Story:
While most people don’t write letters anymore, there’s something special about this mode of communication. Don’t worry about saying something profound or having lots of news to share when writing a letter. A letter is similar to writing in your diary, but of course, not quite so vulnerable or uncensored. Write what you think, and share your feelings without worrying about the content or structure. Use these writing prompts to start your letter.
These are eight of our best tips and tricks to help you when writing feels like a drag.
Now that you have everything imaginable to write about, get going! We’re excited to imagine what you’ll produce. Curious about what a writing process looks like? Check out Vanessa Van Edwards’s Writing Process for the book Captivate and watch our video below:
