Jennifer Mary G

Like stretching your muscles before a work-out, writing prompts are a great way to get warmed up before writing. Even writing a sentence or two — about something unrelated to your work-in-progress — can lead to fresh ideas and inspiration. Or maybe veering off course and writing more detail about a secondary character — let’s say their backstory — can help you fine tune their personality traits and bring them to life (in a bigger way) in your novel.

Of course, it’s no fun and a waste of time to sit and think of your own writing prompts — that would defeat the purpose. Prompts should be quick and easy reference tools to get your creative mind in gear. I’ve collected a few sources on the web for YA writers.

Check these out and feel free to add more in the comments:

YA Creative Writing Prompts (on Pinterest) https://www.pinterest.com/dancemargaret/ya-creative-writing-prompts/

Writing Prompts (on Tumblr — with amazing images) http://writingprompts.tumblr.com

Writing Prompts that Don’t Suck (on Tumblr — a different spin on prompts) http://awesomewritingprompts.tumblr.com

Writing Forward (fiction prompts for YA) http://www.writingforward.com/writing-prompts/fiction-writing-prompts/fiction-writing-prompts-young-adult-ya-genre

Writers Digest (assorted creative writing prompts) http://www.writersdigest.com/prompts

YA Yeah! Yeah! (prompts originally meant for NaNoWriMo) http://www.yayeahyeah.com/2012/10/nanowrimo-writing-prompts.html

Creative Writing Now (story ideas — story starters) http://www.creative-writing-now.com/story-ideas.html

Teen Girls that Write (teen writing prompts) https://teengirlsthatwrite.wordpress.com/category/teen-writing-prompts/

Visual Writing Prompts (clickable slideshow with categories) http://visualprompts.weebly.com