creative writing word games

• 43 Creative writing exercises

A selection of fun creative writing exercises that can be completed solo, or with a group. Some are prompts to help inspire you to come up with story ideas, others focus on learning specific writing skills.

I run a  Creative Writing Meetup  for adults and teens in Montpellier or online every week. We start with a 5 to 20 minute exercise, followed by an hour and a half of silent writing, during which each participant focuses on their own project. Every exercise listed below has been run with the group and had any kinks ironed out.  Where the exercises specify a number of people, if you have a larger group, simply split everyone up into smaller groups as appropriate.

The solo exercises are ideal to help stimulate your mind before working on a larger project, to overcome writer’s block, or as stand-alone prompts in their own right. If a solo exercise inspires you and you wish to use it with a larger group, give every member ten minutes to complete the exercise, then ask anyone who wishes to share their work to do so in groups of 3 or 4 afterwards.

Looking for something quick to fire your imagination? Check out these  creative writing prompts for adults .

• Writing Retreat in South France

A note on running exercises remotely

While you can enjoy the exercises solo, they are also designed for online writing groups using Zoom, WhatsApp, or Discord.

If you're running a group and follow a ' Shut Up and Write ' structure, I recommend connecting on WhatsApp (for example) first, doing the exercise together, sharing writing samples as needed. Next, write in silence for an hour and a half on your own projects, before reconnecting for a brief informal chat at the end. This works great with small remote groups and is a way to learn new techniques, gain online support, and have a productive session.

If you have a larger online group, it's worth looking into Zoom, as this has a feature called  Breakout Rooms . Breakout Rooms let you split different writers into separate rooms, which is great for group activities. The free version of Zoom has a 40 minute limit, which can be restrictive, but Zoom Pro is well worth it if you're going to use it on a regular basis. In my experience, Zoom has a better connection than Facebook chat or WhatsApp.

A Letter From Your Character To You

Spend ten minutes writing a letter from a character in your novel to  you , the author, explaining why you should write about them. This serves three purposes:

• As you write, it helps you get into the mindset of the character. Ask yourself how they would language this letter and what they would consider important.
• It's motivating to know that your character wants you to write about them.
• If your goal is to publish a complete work of fiction one day, whether it be a novel, a play or a movie script, you will want to contact an agent or publisher. This helps you practice in an easy, safe way.

If you're doing this exercise with a group of teens or adults, and some of the group haven't already started working on their masterpiece, they can instead choose any fictional novel they love. Ask participants to imagine that a character within the book wrote to the author in the first place to ask them to write their story. How did they plead their case?

The Opening Sentence

The opening sentence has to grab the reader's attention and make them want to keep reading. Many authors achieve this by starting with an action scene. In modern literature, it's best to avoid starting with someone waking up, or a description of the weather. In this exercise the task is to write an opening sentence either to a book you're currently writing, or simply for an imaginary piece of literature.  Here are some of my favourite opening sentences to get you going:

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.

George Orwell , 1984

The Golem's life began in the hold of a steamship.

Helene Wecker , The Golem and the Djinni

All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.

Leo Tolstoy , Anna Karenina

It wasn't a very likely place for disappearances, at least at first glance.

Diana Gabaldon , Outlander

You better not never tell nobody but God.

Alice Walker , The Color Purple

The cage was finished.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez ,  Balthazar’s Marvelous Afternoon

Imagine that you are living your life out of order: Lunch before breakfast, marriage before your first kiss.

Audrey Niffenegger ,  The Time Traveler's Wife

Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun.

Douglas Adams ,  The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

There are a plethora of ways you can start a book, however two ways that help engage the reader immediately are:

• Set the scene in as few words as possible, so the reader immediately knows what's happening and wants to know what happens next.  The scene must be original and create a vivid image in the reader's mind.
• Surprise the reader with an unusual event or usual point of view.

Spend 5 minutes working on your own opening sentence, then share it with the other participants.

Make your protagonist act!

Exercise for 2 writers, or can be done solo.

According to John Gardner:

"Failure to recognise that the central character must act, not simply be acted upon, is the single most common mistake in the fiction of beginners."

Spend 5 minutes writing a scene where the protagonist is passive in a conversation with one other character. It could be that the other character says something dramatic, and the protagonist just listens, or it could be anything else of your choice!

Once the 5 minutes is up, swap papers with another writer. If you're using Zoom, or working online, send it to each other in a private chat. Now the other person spends 8 minutes rewriting the scene to make the protagonist as active as possible. This might include:

Read both scenes together. Which makes you want to keep on reading?

If you're doing this as a solo writing exercise, simply complete both parts yourself.

• Showing the emotion this evokes.
• Getting them to disagree with the other character.
• Showing how they respond physically (whether it's as a physical manifestation of how they feel, or a dramatic gesture to make a point).

Overcoming writer's block

Are you staring at a blank page or stuck for any story ideas? This exercise will help anyone who's experiencing writer's block with a particular piece of writing. If this isn't you, that's great, others will value your input!

If anyone has a particular scene they're stuck with (a pool of blood on the floor they have no explanation for, a reason why the rich lady just walked into a particular pub, etc.) then at the start of the exercise everyone briefly describes their scenes (if working online with a large group, typing it into the chat might be best). Everyone then chooses one scene to use as a writing prompt to write a short story for 10-15 minutes.

Afterwards, split into small groups if necessary, and read out how you completed someone else's writing prompt. As everyone listens to everyone else's ideas, this can be a wonderful source of inspiration and also improves your writing. As an alternative solo exercise, try free writing. With free writing, simply write as quickly as you can on the topic without editing or censoring yourself - just let your creative juices flow. If you're not sure what happens next, brainstorm options on the page, jot down story ideas, or just put, "I don't know what happens next." Keep going and ideas will come.

Writing Character Arcs

There are several different types of character arc in a novel, the 3 most common being:

For this exercise choose either a positive or negative character arc. Spend 8 minutes writing a scene from the start of a novel, then 8 minutes writing a scene towards the end of a novel showing how the character has developed between the two points. Don't worry about including how the character has changed, you can leave that to the imagination.

The point here is to capture the essence of a character, as they will be the same, but show their development.

• Positive  - Where a character develops and grows during the novel. Perhaps they start unhappy or weak and end happy or powerful.
• Negative  - Where a character gets worse during a novel. Perhaps they become ill or give in to evil tendencies as the novel progresses.
• Flat  - In a flat character arc the character themself doesn't change much, however the world around them does. This could be overthrowing a great injustice, for example.

Sewing Seeds in Your Writing

In this exercise, we will look at how to sew seeds. No, not in your garden, but in your story. Seeds are the tiny hints and indicators that something is going on, which influence a reader's perceptions on an often unconscious level. They're important, as if you spring a surprise twist on your readers without any warning, it can seem unbelievable. Sew seeds that lead up to the event, so the twists and turns are still surprising, but make intuitive sense. Groups : Brainstorm major plot twists that might happen towards the end of the novel and share it in a Zoom chat, or on pieces of paper. Choose one twist each. Individuals : Choose one of the following plot twists:   -  Your friend is actually the secret son of the king.   -  Unreliable narrator - the narrator turns out to be villain.   -  The monster turns out to be the missing woman the narrator is seeking.   -  The man she is about to marry happens to already have a wife and three kids.

Write for ten minutes and give subtle hints as to what the plot twist is. This is an exercise in subtlety. Remember, when the twist occurs, it should still come as a surprise.

This is a fun writing activity for a small group. You’ve found a magic potion labelled ‘Cat Chat’ and when you drink it, you turn into whichever animal you’re thinking about; but there’s a problem, it also picks up on the brainwaves of other people near you!

Everyone writes down an animal in secret and then reveals it to the other writers.  The spell will turn you into a creature that combines elements of all the animals.  Each person then spends 5 minutes writing down what happens when they drink the potion.

After the 5 minutes is up, everyone shares their story with the other participants.

If you enjoy this exercise, then you may also want to check out our  Fantasy and Sci-Fi writing prompts  full of world building, magic, and character development prompts..

Joe Brainard wrote a novel called:  I Remember It contains a collection of paragraphs all starting with “I remember”.  This is the inspiration for this exercise, and if you’re stuck for what to write, is a great way to get the mental gears turning.  Simply write “I remember” and continue with the first thing that pops into your head.

Spend 5 minutes writing a short collection of “I remember” stories.

Here are a couple of examples from Joe Brainard’s novel:

“I remember not understanding why people on the other side of the world didn't fall off.”

“I remember waking up somewhere once and there was a horse staring me in the face.”

Giving feedback to authors

If you're running a workshop for more experienced adult authors and have at least an hour, this is a good one to use. This is the longest exercise on this page, but I felt it important enough to include.

Give each author the option to bring a piece of their own work. This should be double spaced and a maximum of 3 pages long. If you're running a workshop where not everyone is likely to bring a manuscript, ask everyone who wants to bring one to print two copies each. If someone forgets but has a laptop with them, the reader can always use their laptop.

Print out a few copies and hand them around to everyone in the workshop of the guide on: 'How to give constructive feedback to writers'

Each author who brought a sample with them then gives them to one other person to review. They write their name on the manuscript in a certain colour pen, then add any comments to it before passing it to a second person who does the same (commenting on the comments if they agree or disagree).

Then allow 5 minutes for everyone to discuss the feedback they've received, ensuring they are giving constructive feedback.

The Five Senses

Painting by Giovanni Battista Manerius -  The Five Senses

Choose a scene and write it for 5 minutes focusing on one sense, NOT sight. Choose between:

Hearing  Taste Smell Touch

This can be internal as well as external (I heard my heartbeat thudding in my ears, or I smelt my own adrenaline).

After the 5 minutes stop and everyone reads it out loud to each other. Now write for another 5 minutes and continue the other person's story, but do NOT use sight OR the sense they used.

You can use any sense to communicate the essentials, just focus on creating emotions and conveying the story with the specific sense(s).

If you need some writing prompts, here are possible scenes that involve several senses:

• Climbing through an exotic jungle
• Having an argument that becomes a fight
• A cat's morning
• Talking to someone you're attracted to

Show don't tell

2 or 3 people

A lot of writing guides will advise you to, "Show, don't tell". What does this actually mean?

If you want to evoke an emotional reaction from your reader, showing them what is happening is a great way to do so.  You can approach this in several ways:

Split up into pairs and each person writes down a short scene from a story where they "tell" it.  After this, pass the description of the scene to your partner and they then have 5 minutes to rewrite it to "show" what happened.  If there are an odd number of participants, make one group of three, with each person passing their scene clockwise, so everyone has a new scene to show.  After the 5 minutes, for small groups everyone reads their new description to everyone else, or for large groups, each person just reads their new scene to their partner.

• Avoid internal dialogue (thinking), instead have your protagonist interact with other people, or have a physical reaction to something that shows how s/he feels.  Does their heart beat faster?  Do they notice the smell of their own adrenaline?  Do they step backwards, or lean forwards?
• Instead of using an adjective like creepy, e.g. "Mary entered the creepy house", show why the house is creepy through description and in the way the protagonist responds - "The light streamed through the filthy skylight, highlighting the decomposing body of a rat resting on top of it.  As Mary stepped inside, she felt a gust of freezing air brush past her. She turned, but there was nothing there..."

World building

World building is the art of conveying the magic of living in a different world, whether it's a spaceship, a medieval castle, a boat, or simply someone's living room. To master world building, it's not necessary to know every intricate detail, rather to convey the experience of what it would be like to live there.

Choose one of the above images as a prompt and spend 10 minutes writing a scene from the perspective of someone who is seeing it for the first time. Now, move your character six months forward and imagine they've spent the last six months living or working there. Write another scene (perhaps with an additional character) using the image as a background, with the events of the scene as the main action.

Click the above image for a close-up.

Gossiping about a character as if they're a friend.

Judy Blume says that she tells her family about her characters as if they’re real people. 

Chris Claremont said, "For me, writing the 'X-Men' was easy - is easy. I know these people, they're my friends." 

Today’s exercise has 2 parts. First, spend 5 minutes jotting down some facts about a character you’ve invented that might come up if you were telling your friends about them. Either choose a character in something you’ve already written, or invent one from scratch now.

Answer the questions:

What are they up to? How are they? What would you say if you were gossiping about them?

Then split up into groups of 4 to 6 writers. 2 volunteers from each group then role-play talking about their character as if they were a friend (perhaps another character in the story).  The other participants will role-play a group of friends gossiping about the character behind their back and ask questions. If you don’t know the answer, invent it!

Degrees of Emotion Game

This is based on an acting game, to help actors understand how to perform with different degrees of emotion.

Ask everyone to write the following 4 emotions:

For groups of 5 or less, write down numbers starting with 1 and going up until everyone has a number, then give them out in order. For groups of 6 or more, divide groups into 3's, 4's or 5's.

Each person has to write a scene where the protagonist is alone and is only allowed to say a single word, e.g. "Banana".  The writer with number 1 should write the scene with a very low level of the emotion (e.g. happiness), number 2 increases the intensity a bit and the highest number writes a scene with the most intense emotion you can possibly imagine.

Once each writer has written about happiness, rotate the numbers one or two spaces, then move onto anger, then fear, then sadness.

It can help to give everyone numbers showing the intensity of the emotions to write about at the start of the exercise, in which case you may wish to print either the Word or PDF file, then use the ones corresponding to 3, 4 or 5 writers.

Everyone shares their scene with the other course participants.

Three birds, one line

The first paragraph of a surprising number of best-selling novels serves multiple purposes. These are to:

• Establish a goal
• Set the scene
• Develop a character

Nearly every chapter in a novel also serves all three purposes. Instead of establishing a goal though, the protagonist either moves towards it, or encounters an obstacle that hinders them from achieving it.

Some books manage to meet all three purposes with their opening lines, for example:  

Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.

J.K. Rowling ,  Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone  

A little more than one hundred days into the fortieth year of her confinement, Dajeil Gelian was visited in her lonely tower overlooking the sea by an avatar of the great ship that was her home.

Iain M. Banks ,  Excession  

"We should start back," Gared urged as the woods began to grow dark around them.

George R.R. Martin ,  A Game of Thrones

For this exercise write a sentence or short paragraph that serves all three purposes. If you're already writing a novel, then see if you can do this for the first line in a chapter. If not, choose any combination from the following table:

Blind Date on Valentine's Day (Exercise for Adults)

In pairs one writer spends a minute or two describing a character they're writing about, or alternatively they can describe a celebrity or someone from a work of fiction.  The next writer then describes their character.

The story is that these 2 characters (or in my case, person and alien, as I'm writing a sci-fi) have accidentally ended up on a blind date with each other. Perhaps the waiter seated them in the wrong location, perhaps it's an actual blind date, or perhaps they met in some other fashion the writers can determine.

Now spend 10 minutes discussing what happens next!

A Success (Works best for online groups)

This exercise works best for online groups, via Zoom, for example.  The instructions to give are:

"In a few words describe a success in your life and what it felt like to achieve it. It can be a small victory or a large one."

Share a personal example of your own (mine was watching my homeschooled sons sing in an opera together).

"Once you have one (small or large), write it in the chat.

The writing exercise is then to choose someone else's victory to write about for 10 minutes, as if it was the end of your own book.

If you want to write for longer, imagine how that book would start. Write the first part of the book with the ending in mind."

This is great for reminding people of a success in their lives, and also helps everyone connect and discover something about each other.

Your dream holiday

You’re going on a dream holiday together, but always disagree with each other. To avoid conflict, rather than discuss what you want to do, you’ve decided that each of you will choose a different aspect of the holiday as follows:

• Choose where you’ll be going – your favourite holiday destination.
• Choose what your main fun activity will be on the holiday.
• Decide what mode of travel you’ll use to get there.
• If there’s a 4 th  person, choose what you’ll eat on the holiday and what you’ll be wearing.

Decide who gets to choose what at random. Each of you then writes down your dream holiday destination/activity/travel/food & clothes in secret.  Next spend 5 minutes discussing your dream holiday and add any other details you’d like to include, particularly if you’re passionate about doing something in real life.

Finally, everyone spends another 5 minutes writing down a description of the holiday, then shares it with the others.

A haiku is a traditional Japanese form of non-rhyming poetry whose short form makes it ideal for a simple writing exercise.

They are traditionally structured in 3 lines, where the first line is 5 syllables, the second line is 7 syllables, and the third line is 5 syllables again. Haiku tend to focus on themes of nature and deep concepts that can be expressed simply.

A couple of examples:

A summer river being crossed how pleasing with sandals in my hands! Yosa Buson , a haiku master poet from the 18 th  Century.

And one of mine:

When night-time arrives Stars come out, breaking the dark You can see the most

Martin Woods

Spend up to 10 minutes writing a haiku.  If you get stuck with the 5-7-5 syllable rule, then don’t worry, the overall concept is more important!

See  How to write a haiku  for more details and examples.

Unlike a haiku, which is profound and sombre, a limerick is a light-hearted, fun rhyming verse.

Here are a couple of examples:

A wonderful bird is the pelican. His bill can hold more than his beli-can He can take in his beak Food enough for a week But I'm damned if I see how the heli-can.

Dixon Lanier Merritt, 1910

There was a young lady named Bright, Whose speed was far faster than light; She started one day In a relative way, And returned on the previous night.

Arthur Henry Reginald Buller in  Punch,  1923

The 1 st , 2 nd  and 5 th  line all rhyme, as do the 3 rd  and 4 th  line.  The overall number of syllables isn’t important, but the 3 rd  and 4 th  lines should be shorter than the others.

Typically, the 1 st  line introduces the character, often with “There was”, or “There once was”. The rest of the verse tells their story.

Spend 10 minutes writing a limerick.

Time Travel - Child, Adult, Senior

Imagine that your future self as an old man/woman travels back in time to meet you, the adult you are today.  Alternatively, you as a child travels forward in time to meet yourself as an adult.  Or perhaps both happen, so the child you, adult you, and senior you are all together at the same time.  In story form write down what happens next.

Participants then share their story with other writers either in small groups, or to the whole group.

Focus on faces

Solo exercise.

One challenge writers face is describing a character. A common mistake is to focus too much on the physical features, e.g. "She had brown eyes, curly brown hair and was five foot six inches tall."

The problem with this is it doesn't reveal anything about the character's personality, or the relationship between your protagonist and the character. Your reader is therefore likely to quickly forget what someone looks like.  When describing characters, it's therefore best to:

• Animate them - it's rare that someone's sitting for a portrait when your protagonist first meets them and whether they're talking or walking, it's likely that they're moving in some way.
• Use metaphors or similes  - comparing physical features to emotionally charged items conjures both an image and a sense of who someone is.
• Involve your protagonist  - if your protagonist is interacting with a character, make it personal.  How does your protagonist view this person?  Incorporate the description as part of the description.
• Only give information your protagonist knows  - they may know if someone is an adult, or a teenager, but they won't know that someone is 37 years old, for example.

Here are three examples of character descriptions that leave no doubt how the protagonist feels.

“If girls could spit venom, it'd be through their eyes.” S.D. Lawendowski,  Snapped

"And Ronan was everything that was left: molten eyes and a smile made for war." Maggie Stiefvater,  The Dream Thieves

"His mouth was such a post office of a mouth that he had a mechanical appearance of smiling." Charles Dickens

Spend 5 minutes writing a character introduction that is animated, uses metaphors or similes and involves your protagonist.

If working with a group, then form small groups of 3 or 4 and share your description with the rest of the group.

Onomatopeai, rhyme and alliteration

Today's session is all about sound.

Several authors recommend reading your writing out loud after you've written it to be sure it sounds natural.   Philip Pullman  even goes as far as to say:

"When I’m writing, I’m more conscious of the sound, actually, than the meaning. I know what the rhythm of the sentence is going to be before I know what the words are going to be in it."

For today's exercise, choose the name of a song and write for 10 minutes as if that's the title for a short story. Focus on how your writing sounds and aim to include at least one onomatopoeia, rhyme or alliteration.  At the end of the 10 minutes, read it out loud to yourself, or to the group.

Alliterations

An alliteration example from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”

The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, The furrow followed free; We were the first that ever burst Into that silent sea.

Onomatopoeias

Buzz, woof, quack, baa, crash, purr, beep, belch,...

The alphabet story - creating a story as a group

This is a novel way to write a story as a group, one word at a time.  The first person starts the story that begins with any word starting with “A”, the next person continues the story with a word starting with “B”, and so on.

Keep going round until you have completed the alphabet.  Ideally it will all be one sentence, but if you get stuck, start a new sentence.  Don’t worry if it doesn’t make complete sense!

It can be tricky to remember the alphabet when under pressure, so you may wish to print it out a couple of times, so the storytellers can see it if they need to, this is particularly helpful if you have dyslexics in the group.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Here’s an example of an alphabet story:

A Band Can Dance Each Friday, Ghostly Hauntings In Jail Kill Lucky Men, Nobody Or Perhaps Quiet Rats, Still That Unifies Villains Who X-Ray Your Zebras.

As I mentioned, it doesn’t need to make sense!

A question or two

Small or large groups

The standard format in our group is a short writing exercise followed by an hour and a half of silent writing on our projects.

At one point I felt like we'd done a lot of small group exercises, and wanted to gain an insight into what everyone was working on, so we did the following exercise instead:

Go round the table and ask everyone to briefly talk about their writing.  Each person then asks one or two yes/no questions.

Everyone responds either by raising their hand for 'yes' or shaking their heads for 'no'. You can also leap up and down to indicate a very strong 'yes'.

Questions can be about anything, and you can use them either to help guide your writing or to help find other people in the group who have similar interests.

Here are some random examples you might ask:

• I want to write a romance novel and am considering setting it in Paris, a traditional romantic setting, or Liverpool which is a less obvious setting. Who thinks Liverpool would be best?
• I need to know more about the life of a farmer. Has anyone got farming experience who I can interview in exchange for a drink?
• My character gets fired and that night goes back to his office and steals 35 computers. Does that sound realistic as the premise of a story?

This works best when you give participants some advance notice, so they have time to think of a question.

Murder Mystery Game

Groups of 3 or 4

This exercise takes 20-30 minutes and allows participants to create a murder mystery outline together.

Phase 1 (3 minutes)

• Split into groups of 3 or 4
• Decide as a group where the murder occurs (e.g. the opera house, a bar, a casino)
• Decide one person who will write the details of the victim and the murder itself.  Everyone else writes the details of one suspect each.
• The ‘victim author’ then invents a few extra details about the scene of the crime, who the victim was (a teenage punk, an adult opera singer, etc.) and the murder weapon and summarises this to the others.

Phase 2 (10 minutes)

Each person then writes a police report as if they are either describing the scene of the crime, or recording the notes from their interview with a single suspect:

Write the following:

• 1 line description of the victim.
• When they were last seen by a group of witnesses (and what they were doing).
• How the murder occurred in more detail based on the evidence available.

Write the following (from the perspective of the investigator):

• 1 line description of the suspect
• What they said during the interview (including what they claim to have doing when the murder occurs).
• A possible motivation (as determined by the police from other witnesses).

Phase 3 (5 minutes)

• Each person reads out their police reports to the other members of their small group
• As a group, decide who the murderer was and what actually happened

See more ideas on  creating murder mystery party games

The obscure movie exercise

Pick a famous movie and spend 5 minutes writing a scene from it from an unusual perspective.  Your aim is to achieve a balance between being too obscure and making it too obvious.  Feel free to add internal dialogue.

At the end of the 5 minutes, everyone reads their movie scene to the others and all the other participants see if they can guess what the movie is.

How to hint at romantic feelings

Write a scene with two people in a group, where you hint that one is romantically interested in the other, but the feelings aren’t reciprocated.

The goal of this exercise is to practice subtlety. Imagine you are setting a scene for the future where the characters feelings will become more important. Choose a situation like a work conference, meeting with a group of friends, etc. How do you indicate how the characters feel without them saying it in words?

Some tips for hinting at romantic feelings:

• Make the characters nervous and shy.
• Your protagonist leans forward.
• Asks deeper questions and listens intently.
• Finds ways to be close together.
• Mirrors their gestures.
• Gives lots of compliments.
• Makes eye contact, then looks away.
• Other people seem invisible to your protagonist.

A novel idea

Take it in turns to tell everyone else about a current project you’re working on (a book, screenplay, short story, etc.)

The other writers then brainstorm ideas for related stories you could write, or directions your project could take.  There are no right or wrong suggestions and the intention is to focus on big concepts, not little details.

This whole exercise takes around 15 minutes.

Creative writing prompts

Exercise for groups of 3-5

If you're in larger group, split up into groups of 3 or 4 people.

Everyone writes the first line of a story in the Zoom chat, or on paper. Other people can then choose this line as a writing prompt.

For this exercise:

• Say who the protagonist is.
• Reveal their motivation.
• Introduce any other characters

Once everyone's written a prompt, each author chooses a prompt (preferably someone eles's, but it can be your own if you feel really inspired by it.)  Then write for 10 minutes using this prompt. See if you can reveal who the protagonist is, what their motivation is (it can be a small motivation for a particular scene, it doesn't have to be a huge life goal), and introduce at least one new character.

Take turns reading out your stories to each other.

• Write in the first person.
• Have the protagonist interacting with an object or something in nature.
• The challenge is to create intrigue that makes the reader want to know more with just a single line.

Creative story cards / dice

Cut up a piece of paper and write one word on each of the pieces of paper, as follows:

Give each participant a couple of pieces of paper at random.  The first person says the first sentence of a story and they must use their first word as part of that sentence.  The second person then continues the story and must include their word in it, and so on.  Go round the group twice to complete the story.

You can also do this creative writing exercise with story dice, your own choice of words, or by asking participants to write random words down themselves, then shuffling all the cards together.

Alternative Christmas Story

Every Christmas adults tell kids stories about Santa Claus. In this exercise you write a Christmas story from an alternative dimension.

What if every Christmas Santa didn't fly around the world delivering presents on his sleigh pulled by reindeer? What if gnomes or aliens delivered the presents? Or perhaps it was the gnomes who are trying to emulate the humans? Or some other Christmas tradition entirely that we humans have never heard of!

Group writing exercise

If you're working with a group, give everyone a couple of minutes to write two possible themes for the new Christmas story. Each theme should be 5 words or less.

Shuffle the paper and distribute them at random. If you're working online, everyone types the themes into the Zoom or group chat. Each writer then spends 10 minutes writing a short story for children based on one of the two themes, or their own theme if they really want to.

If working alone, choose your own theme and spend 15 minutes writing a short story on it. See if you can create the magic of Christmas from another world!

Murder Mystery Mind Map

In a murder mystery story or courtroom drama, there's often conflicting information and lots of links between characters. A mind map is an ideal way to illustrate how everything ties together.

Split into groups of 3 or 4 people each and place a blank piece of A3 paper (double the size of A4) in the middle of each group. Discuss between you who the victim is and write their name in the middle of the piece of paper. Then brainstorm information about the murder, for example:

Feel free to expand out from any of these, e.g. to include more information on the different characters involved.

The idea is that  everyone writes at the same time!   Obviously, you can discuss ideas, but anyone can dive in and write their ideas on the mind map.

• Who was the victim? (job, appearance, hobbies, etc.)
• Who did the victim know?
• What were their possible motivations?
• What was the murder weapon?
• What locations are significant to the plot?

New Year’s resolutions for a fictional character

If you’re writing a piece of fiction, ask yourself how your protagonist would react to an everyday situation. This can help you to gain a deeper insight into who they are.

One way to do this is to imagine what their New Year’s resolutions would be.

If completing this exercise with a group, limit it to 3 to 5 resolutions per person. If some participants are historical fiction or non-fiction writers, they instead pick a celebrity and either write what their resolutions  will  be, or what their resolutions  should  be, their choice.

Verb Noun Fiction Exercise (Inspired by Stephen King)

Stephen King said, "I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs, and I will shout it from the rooftops."

He also said, "Take any noun, put it with any verb, and you have a sentence. It never fails. Rocks explode. Jane transmits. Mountains float. These are all perfect sentences. Many such thoughts make little rational sense, but even the stranger ones (Plums deify!) have a kind of poetic weight that’s nice."

In this fiction writing exercise, start by brainstorming (either individually or collectively) seven verbs on seven different pieces of paper. Put those aside for later. Now brainstorm seven nouns. Randomly match the nouns and verbs so you have seven pairs. Choose a pair and write a piece of fiction for ten minutes. Avoid using any adverbs.

It’s the end of the world

It’s the end of the world!  For 5 minutes either:

If working as a team, then after the 5 minutes is up each writer reads their description out to the other participants.

• Describe how the world’s going to end, creating evocative images using similes or metaphors as you wish and tell the story from a global perspective, or
• Describe how you spend your final day before the world is destroyed.  Combine emotion and action to engage the reader.

7 Editing Exercises

For use after your first draft

I’ve listened to a lot of masterclasses on writing by successful authors and they all say variants of your first draft won’t be good and that’s fine. Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman summarise it the best:

“The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.”  

Terry Pratchett

“For me, it’s always been a process of trying to convince myself that what I’m doing in a first draft isn’t important. One way you get through the wall is by convincing yourself that it doesn’t matter. No one is ever going to see your first draft. Nobody cares about your first draft. And that’s the thing that you may be agonising over, but honestly, whatever you’re doing can be fixed… For now, just get the words out. Get the story down however you can get it down, then fix it.”

Neil Gaiman

Once you’ve written your first draft, it will need editing to develop the plot, enhance the characters, and improve each scene in a myriad of ways – small and large. These seven creative editing exercises are designed to help with this stage of the process.

The First Sentence

Read the first paragraph of the novel, in particular the first sentence. Does it launch the reader straight into the action? According to  On Writing and Worldbuilding  by Timothy Hickson,  “The most persuasive opening lines are succinct, and not superfluous. To do this, it is often effective to limit it to a single central idea… This does not need to be the most important element, but it should be a central element that is interesting.” Ask yourself what element your opening sentence encapsulates and whether it’s the best one to capture your readers’ attention.

Consistency

Consistency is crucial in creative writing, whether it’s in relation to location, objects, or people.

It’s also crucial for personality, emotions and motivation.

Look at scenes where your protagonist makes an important decision. Are their motivations clear? Do any scenes force them to choose between two conflicting morals? If so, do you explore this? Do their emotions fit with what’s happened in previous scenes?

As you edit your manuscript, keep the characters’ personality, emotions and motivation in mind. If their behaviour is inconsistent, either edit it for consistency, or have someone comment on their strange behaviour or be surprised by it. Inconsistent behaviour can reveal that a character is keeping a secret, or is under stress, so characters don’t always need to be consistent. But when they’re not, there has to be a reason.  

Show Don’t Tell One

This exercise is the first in  The Emotional Craft of Fiction  by Donald Maass. It’s a writing guide with a plethora of editing exercises designed to help you reenergize your writing by thinking of what your character is feeling, and giving you the tools to make your reader feel something.  

• Select a moment in your story when your protagonist is moved, unsettled, or disturbed… Write down all the emotions inherent in this moment, both obvious and hidden.
• Next, considering what he is feeling, write down how your protagonist can act out. What is the biggest thing your protagonist can do? What would be explosive, out of bounds, or offensive? What would be symbolic? … Go sideways, underneath, or ahead. How can your protagonist show us a feeling we don’t expect to see?
• Finally, go back and delete all the emotions you wrote down at the beginning of this exercise. Let actions and spoken words do the work. Do they feel too big, dangerous, or over-the-top? Use them anyway. Others will tell you if you’ve gone too far, but more likely, you haven’t gone far enough.

Show Don’t Tell Two

Search for the following words in your book:

Whenever these words occur, ask yourself if you can demonstrate how your characters feel, rather than simply stating it. For each occasion, can you use physiological descriptors (a racing heart), actions (taking a step backwards) or dialogue to express what’s just happened instead? Will this enhance the scene and engage the reader more?

After The Action

Find a scene where your characters disagree – in particular a scene where your protagonist argues with friends or allies. What happens next?

It can be tempting to wrap up the action with a quick resolution. But what if a resentment lingers and mistrust builds? This creates a more interesting story arc and means a resolution can occur later, giving the character development a real dynamic.

Review how you resolve the action and see if you can stretch out the emotions for a more satisfying read.

Eliminating the Fluff

Ensure that the words used don’t detract from the enormity of the events your character is going through. Can you delete words like, “Quite”, “Little”, or “Rather”? 

Of “Very” Florence King once wrote: “ 'Very' is the most useless word in the English language and can always come out. More than useless, it is treacherous because it invariably weakens what it is intended to strengthen .” Delete it, or replace the word after it with a stronger word, which makes “Very” redundant.

“That,” is another common word used in creative writing which can often be deleted. Read a sentence as is, then reread it as if you deleted, “That”. If the meaning is the same, delete it.

Chapter Endings

When talking about chapter endings, James Patterson said,  “At the end, something has to propel you into the next chapter.”

Read how each of your chapters finish and ask yourself does it either:

• End on a cliff hanger? (R.L. Stine likes to finish every chapter in this method).
• End on a natural pause (for example, you’re changing point of view or location).

Review how you wrap up each of your chapters. Do you end at the best point in your story? Can you add anticipation to cliff hangers? Will you leave your readers wanting more?

How to run the writing exercises

The editing exercises are designed to be completed individually.

With the others, I've always run them as part of a creative writing group, where there's no teacher and we're all equal participants, therefore I keep any 'teaching' aspect to a minimum, preferring them to be prompts to generate ideas before everyone settles down to do the silent writing. We've recently gone online and if you run a group yourself, whether online or in person, you're welcome to use these exercises for free!

The times given are suggestions only and I normally get a feel for how everyone's doing when time's up and if it's obvious that everyone's still in the middle of a discussion, then I give them longer.  Where one group's in the middle of a discussion, but everyone else has finished, I sometimes have a 'soft start' to the silent writing, and say, "We're about to start the hour and a half of silent writing now, but if you're in the middle of a discussion, feel free to finish it first".

This way everyone gets to complete the discussion, but no-one's waiting for ages.  It's also important to emphasise that there's no wrong answers when being creative.

Still looking for more? Check out these creative writing prompts  or our dedicated Sci-Fi and Fantasy creative writing prompts

If you've enjoyed these creative writing exercises, please share them on social media, or link to them from your blog.

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• Writing Activities

105 Creative Writing Exercises To Get You Writing Again

You know that feeling when you just don’t feel like writing? Sometimes you can’t even get a word down on paper. It’s the most frustrating thing ever to a writer, especially when you’re working towards a deadline. The good news is that we have a list of 105 creative writing exercises to help you get motivated and start writing again!

What are creative writing exercises?

Creative writing exercises are short writing activities (normally around 10 minutes) designed to get you writing. The goal of these exercises is to give you the motivation to put words onto a blank paper. These words don’t need to be logical or meaningful, neither do they need to be grammatically correct or spelt correctly. The whole idea is to just get you writing something, anything. The end result of these quick creative writing exercises is normally a series of notes, bullet points or ramblings that you can, later on, use as inspiration for a bigger piece of writing such as a story or a poem. 

Good creative writing exercises are short, quick and easy to complete. You shouldn’t need to think too much about your style of writing or how imaginative your notes are. Just write anything that comes to mind, and you’ll be on the road to improving your creative writing skills and beating writer’s block . 

Use the generator below to get a random creative writing exercise idea:

List of 105+ Creative Writing Exercises

Here are over 105 creative writing exercises to give your brain a workout and help those creative juices flow again:

• Set a timer for 60 seconds. Now write down as many words or phrases that come to mind at that moment.
• Pick any colour you like. Now start your sentence with this colour. For example, Orange, the colour of my favourite top. 
• Open a book or dictionary on a random page. Pick a random word. You can close your eyes and slowly move your finger across the page. Now, write a paragraph with this random word in it. You can even use an online dictionary to get random words:

• Create your own alphabet picture book or list. It can be A to Z of animals, food, monsters or anything else you like!
• Using only the sense of smell, describe where you are right now.
• Take a snack break. While eating your snack write down the exact taste of that food. The goal of this creative writing exercise is to make your readers savour this food as well.
• Pick a random object in your room and write a short paragraph from its point of view. For example, how does your pencil feel? What if your lamp had feelings?
• Describe your dream house. Where would you live one day? Is it huge or tiny? 
• Pick two different TV shows, movies or books that you like. Now swap the main character. What if Supergirl was in Twilight? What if SpongeBob SquarePants was in The Flash? Write a short scene using this character swap as inspiration.
• What’s your favourite video game? Write at least 10 tips for playing this game.
• Pick your favourite hobby or sport. Now pretend an alien has just landed on Earth and you need to teach it this hobby or sport. Write at least ten tips on how you would teach this alien.
• Use a random image generator and write a paragraph about the first picture you see.

• Write a letter to your favourite celebrity or character. What inspires you most about them? Can you think of a memorable moment where this person’s life affected yours? We have this helpful guide on writing a letter to your best friend for extra inspiration.
• Write down at least 10 benefits of writing. This can help motivate you and beat writer’s block.
• Complete this sentence in 10 different ways: Patrick waited for the school bus and…
• Pick up a random book from your bookshelf and go to page 9. Find the ninth sentence on that page. Use this sentence as a story starter.
• Create a character profile based on all the traits that you hate. It might help to list down all the traits first and then work on describing the character.
• What is the scariest or most dangerous situation you have ever been in? Why was this situation scary? How did you cope at that moment?
• Pretend that you’re a chat show host and you’re interviewing your favourite celebrity. Write down the script for this conversation.
• Using extreme detail, write down what you have been doing for the past one hour today. Think about your thoughts, feelings and actions during this time.
• Make a list of potential character names for your next story. You can use a fantasy name generator to help you.
• Describe a futuristic setting. What do you think the world would look like in 100 years time?
• Think about a recent argument you had with someone. Would you change anything about it? How would you resolve an argument in the future?
• Describe a fantasy world. What kind of creatures live in this world? What is the climate like? What everyday challenges would a typical citizen of this world face? You can use this fantasy world name generator for inspiration.
• At the flip of a switch, you turn into a dragon. What kind of dragon would you be? Describe your appearance, special abilities, likes and dislikes. You can use a dragon name generator to give yourself a cool dragon name.
• Pick your favourite book or a famous story. Now change the point of view. For example, you could rewrite the fairytale , Cinderella. This time around, Prince Charming could be the main character. What do you think Prince Charming was doing, while Cinderella was cleaning the floors and getting ready for the ball?
• Pick a random writing prompt and use it to write a short story. Check out this collection of over 300 writing prompts for kids to inspire you. 
• Write a shopping list for a famous character in history. Imagine if you were Albert Einstein’s assistant, what kind of things would he shop for on a weekly basis?
• Create a fake advertisement poster for a random object that is near you right now. Your goal is to convince the reader to buy this object from you.
• What is the worst (or most annoying) sound that you can imagine? Describe this sound in great detail, so your reader can understand the pain you feel when hearing this sound.
• What is your favourite song at the moment? Pick one line from this song and describe a moment in your life that relates to this line.
•  You’re hosting an imaginary dinner party at your house. Create a list of people you would invite, and some party invites. Think about the theme of the dinner party, the food you will serve and entertainment for the evening. 
• You are waiting to see your dentist in the waiting room. Write down every thought you are having at this moment in time. 
• Make a list of your greatest fears. Try to think of at least three fears. Now write a short story about a character who is forced to confront one of these fears. 
• Create a ‘Wanted’ poster for a famous villain of your choice. Think about the crimes they have committed, and the reward you will give for having them caught. 
• Imagine you are a journalist for the ‘Imagine Forest Times’ newspaper. Your task is to get an exclusive interview with the most famous villain of all time. Pick a villain of your choice and interview them for your newspaper article. What questions would you ask them, and what would their responses be?
•  In a school playground, you see the school bully hurting a new kid. Write three short stories, one from each perspective in this scenario (The bully, the witness and the kid getting bullied).
• You just won $10 million dollars. What would you spend this money on?
• Pick a random animal, and research at least five interesting facts about this animal. Write a short story centred around one of these interesting facts. 
• Pick a global issue that you are passionate about. This could be climate change, black lives matters, women’s rights etc. Now create a campaign poster for this global issue. 
• Write an acrostic poem about an object near you right now (or even your own name). You could use a poetry idea generator to inspire you.
• Imagine you are the head chef of a 5-star restaurant. Recently the business has slowed down. Your task is to come up with a brand-new menu to excite customers. Watch this video prompt on YouTube to inspire you.
• What is your favourite food of all time? Imagine if this piece of food was alive, what would it say to you?
• If life was one big musical, what would you be singing about right now? Write the lyrics of your song. 
• Create and describe the most ultimate villain of all time. What would their traits be? What would their past look like? Will they have any positive traits?
• Complete this sentence in at least 10 different ways: Every time I look out of the window, I…
• You have just made it into the local newspaper, but what for? Write down at least five potential newspaper headlines . Here’s an example, Local Boy Survives a Deadly Illness.
• If you were a witch or a wizard, what would your specialist area be and why? You might want to use a Harry Potter name generator or a witch name generator for inspiration.
• What is your favourite thing to do on a Saturday night? Write a short story centred around this activity. 
• Your main character has just received the following items: A highlighter, a red cap, a teddy bear and a fork. What would your character do with these items? Can you write a story using these items? 
• Create a timeline of your own life, from birth to this current moment. Think about the key events in your life, such as birthdays, graduations, weddings and so on. After you have done this, you can pick one key event from your life to write a story about. 
• Think of a famous book or movie you like. Rewrite a scene from this book or movie, where the main character is an outsider. They watch the key events play out, but have no role in the story. What would their actions be? How would they react?
• Three very different characters have just won the lottery. Write a script for each character, as they reveal the big news to their best friend.  
• Write a day in the life story of three different characters. How does each character start their day? What do they do throughout the day? And how does their day end?
•  Write about the worst experience in your life so far. Think about a time when you were most upset or angry and describe it. 
• Imagine you’ve found a time machine in your house. What year would you travel to and why?
• Describe your own superhero. Think about their appearance, special abilities and their superhero name. Will they have a secret identity? Who is their number one enemy?
• What is your favourite country in the world? Research five fun facts about this country and use one to write a short story. 
• Set yourself at least three writing goals. This could be a good way to motivate yourself to write every day. For example, one goal might be to write at least 150 words a day. 
• Create a character description based on the one fact, three fiction rule. Think about one fact or truth about yourself. And then add in three fictional or fantasy elements. For example, your character could be the same age as you in real life, this is your one fact. And the three fictional elements could be they have the ability to fly, talk in over 100 different languages and have green skin. 
• Describe the perfect person. What traits would they have? Think about their appearance, their interests and their dislikes. 
• Keep a daily journal or diary. This is a great way to keep writing every day. There are lots of things you can write about in your journal, such as you can write about the ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ of your day. Think about anything that inspired you or anything that upset you, or just write anything that comes to mind at the moment. 
• Write a book review or a movie review. If you’re lost for inspiration, just watch a random movie or read any book that you can find. Then write a critical review on it. Think about the best parts of the book/movie and the worst parts. How would you improve the book or movie?
• Write down a conversation between yourself. You can imagine talking to your younger self or future self (i.e. in 10 years’ time). What would you tell them? Are there any lessons you learned or warnings you need to give? Maybe you could talk about what your life is like now and compare it to their life?
• Try writing some quick flash fiction stories . Flash fiction is normally around 500 words long, so try to stay within this limit.
• Write a six-word story about something that happened to you today or yesterday. A six-word story is basically an entire story told in just six words. Take for example: “Another football game ruined by me.” or “A dog’s painting sold for millions.” – Six-word stories are similar to writing newspaper headlines. The goal is to summarise your story in just six words. 
• The most common monsters or creatures used in stories include vampires, werewolves , dragons, the bigfoot, sirens and the loch-ness monster. In a battle of intelligence, who do you think will win and why?
• Think about an important event in your life that has happened so far, such as a birthday or the birth of a new sibling. Now using the 5 W’s and 1 H technique describe this event in great detail. The 5 W’s include: What, Who, Where, Why, When and the 1 H is: How. Ask yourself questions about the event, such as what exactly happened on that day? Who was there? Why was this event important? When and where did it happen? And finally, how did it make you feel?
• Pretend to be someone else. Think about someone important in your life. Now put yourself into their shoes, and write a day in the life story about being them. What do you think they do on a daily basis? What situations would they encounter? How would they feel?
• Complete this sentence in at least 10 different ways: I remember…
• Write about your dream holiday. Where would you go? Who would you go with? And what kind of activities would you do?
• Which one item in your house do you use the most? Is it the television, computer, mobile phone, the sofa or the microwave? Now write a story of how this item was invented. You might want to do some research online and use these ideas to build up your story. 
• In exactly 100 words, describe your bedroom. Try not to go over or under this word limit.
• Make a top ten list of your favourite animals. Based on this list create your own animal fact file, where you provide fun facts about each animal in your list.
• What is your favourite scene from a book or a movie? Write down this scene. Now rewrite the scene in a different genre, such as horror, comedy, drama etc.
•  Change the main character of a story you recently read into a villain. For example, you could take a popular fairytale such as Jack and the Beanstalk, but this time re-write the story to make Jack the villain of the tale.
• Complete the following sentence in at least 10 different ways: Do you ever wonder…
• What does your name mean? Research the meaning of your own name, or a name that interests you. Then use this as inspiration for your next story. For example, the name ‘Marty’ means “Servant Of Mars, God Of War”. This could make a good concept for a sci-fi story.
• Make a list of three different types of heroes (or main characters) for potential future stories.
• If someone gave you $10 dollars, what would you spend it on and why?
• Describe the world’s most boring character in at least 100 words. 
• What is the biggest problem in the world today, and how can you help fix this issue?
• Create your own travel brochure for your hometown. Think about why tourists might want to visit your hometown. What is your town’s history? What kind of activities can you do? You could even research some interesting facts. 
• Make a list of all your favourite moments or memories in your life. Now pick one to write a short story about.
• Describe the scariest and ugliest monster you can imagine. You could even draw a picture of this monster with your description.
• Write seven haikus, one for each colour of the rainbow. That’s red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. 
• Imagine you are at the supermarket. Write down at least three funny scenarios that could happen to you at the supermarket. Use one for your next short story. 
• Imagine your main character is at home staring at a photograph. Write the saddest scene possible. Your goal is to make your reader cry when reading this scene. 
• What is happiness? In at least 150 words describe the feeling of happiness. You could use examples from your own life of when you felt happy.
• Think of a recent nightmare you had and write down everything you can remember. Use this nightmare as inspiration for your next story.
• Keep a dream journal. Every time you wake up in the middle of the night or early in the morning you can quickly jot down things that you remember from your dreams. These notes can then be used as inspiration for a short story. 
• Your main character is having a really bad day. Describe this bad day and the series of events they experience. What’s the worst thing that could happen to your character?
• You find a box on your doorstep. You open this box and see the most amazing thing ever. Describe this amazing thing to your readers.
• Make a list of at least five possible settings or locations for future stories. Remember to describe each setting in detail.
• Think of something new you recently learned. Write this down. Now write a short story where your main character also learns the same thing.
• Describe the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen in your whole life. Your goal is to amaze your readers with its beauty. 
• Make a list of things that make you happy or cheer you up. Try to think of at least five ideas. Now imagine living in a world where all these things were banned or against the law. Use this as inspiration for your next story.
• Would you rather be rich and alone or poor and very popular? Write a story based on the lives of these two characters. 
• Imagine your main character is a Librarian. Write down at least three dark secrets they might have. Remember, the best secrets are always unexpected.
• There’s a history behind everything. Describe the history of your house. How and when was your house built? Think about the land it was built on and the people that may have lived here long before you.
• Imagine that you are the king or queen of a beautiful kingdom. Describe your kingdom in great detail. What kind of rules would you have? Would you be a kind ruler or an evil ruler of the kingdom?
• Make a wish list of at least three objects you wish you owned right now. Now use these three items in your next story. At least one of them must be the main prop in the story.
• Using nothing but the sense of taste, describe a nice Sunday afternoon at your house. Remember you can’t use your other senses (i.e see, hear, smell or touch) in this description. 
• What’s the worst pain you felt in your life? Describe this pain in great detail, so your readers can also feel it.
• If you were lost on a deserted island in the middle of nowhere, what three must-have things would you pack and why?
• Particpate in online writing challenges or contests. Here at Imagine Forest, we offer daily writing challenges with a new prompt added every day to inspire you. Check out our challenges section in the menu.

Do you have any more fun creative writing exercises to share? Let us know in the comments below!

Marty the wizard is the master of Imagine Forest. When he's not reading a ton of books or writing some of his own tales, he loves to be surrounded by the magical creatures that live in Imagine Forest. While living in his tree house he has devoted his time to helping children around the world with their writing skills and creativity.

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Word Games for Writers

Kirk McElhearn  /  29 JUN 2022

Have fun with words and exercise your brain with these word games.

Writers work with words, but many writers also like to play with words. This makes sense; writing can be a puzzle at times - when the writer tries to find the right word or phrase - and there is a playfulness in finessing your writing to get it just exactly right.

When you need some downtime from your writing, why not play some word games? Not only will they amuse you and distract you, but they may also exercise your mind and make writing, or at least finding the right words, a bit easier.

A Wordle a day

Unless you've been in a cave for the past year, you've certainly heard about Wordle . This simple word game went viral in late 2021, and was purchased by the New York Times shortly after in a seven-figure deal. Originally created by developer Josh Wardle for his partner who likes word games, it's similar to a much older game called Jotto, or the TV game show Lingo. You get six chances to solve a five-letter word, and the game shows you which letters are used in the word, and which are correct and in the right position.

Wordle is as much a logic puzzle as a word game, and part of its charm is that there is only one game per day. There are many apps that have copied the idea, but I like doing Wordle just once to start off the day (or end it, if I'm up that late; games change at midnight GMT).

Wordle is free for now, but it's likely that the New York Times will fold it into their subscription game package in the future.

Spelling Bee

Another New York Times game, Spelling Bee presents a honeycomb of seven letters. You must make as many words, four letters or longer, that you can, including one or more pangrams , words that use all seven letters.

You get one point for each four-letter word, and for longer words, one point per letter; you also get a bonus of seven points for each pangram you find. The ultimate goal is to reach Queen Bee status, and find all the words, but this is difficult. I satisfy myself with attaining Genius level most days, which you get if you attain 70% of the point total. It's fun and frustrating.

Spelling Bee is part of the New York Times games subscription, which costs $40 a year. You can subscribe through the New York Times , or via Apple's App Store or the Google Play store in the New York Times Crossword app.

If this article is heavy on the New York Times, it's partly because it has a great selection of word games, but also because of the quality of their crossword puzzles. Now 80 years old, the New York Times crossword is the gold standard of American crossword puzzles. They have varying levels of difficulty: Mondays are easiest, Saturdays are hardest, and the large Sunday puzzles are generally about the level of Thursdays. If you are a crossword fan, the subscription mentioned above is a no-brainer.

For a different type of puzzle, you can try cryptic crosswords. Mainly British, these crosswords are tricky and complex, and gave a steep learning curve. All British newspapers publish cryptic crosswords, and many have more traditional crosswords, often called quick or concise puzzles. The grids of British crosswords are different from American crosswords, giving less overlap, and this can make them more difficult.

Newspapers like The Guardian , The Times , and The Telegraph offer daily cryptic crosswords along with quick and concise puzzles. This Wikipedia article lists a number of other newspapers, including in other countries, that feature cryptic crosswords, as well as books that explain how to solve them.

Cryptic crosswords are deduction puzzles, unlike other crosswords that mainly feature clues that exercise your ability to find the right word. That latter process can be helpful for your writing.

Knotwords is a new game for iOS, Android, and Steam, that combines crosswords and sudoku. You see available letters for each section of a puzzle, then you have to figure out how they all fit together to make words. You can get hints in the puzzles, if you need them, and you can build up streaks by completing the various daily puzzles.

With progressive difficulty during the week, and easy Daily Mini puzzles, Knotwords is a great alternative to classic crosswords.

When you take a break from writing, you may want to stop thinking about words. But if you do want to have fun with words, and exercise your brain, all of these games are a great way to do so.

Kirk McElhearn is a writer , podcaster , and photographer . He is the author of Take Control of Scrivener , and host of the podcast Write Now with Scrivener .

Got the Blank Page Blues? Take a Walk. How Walking Boosts Creativity.

Write now with scrivener, episode no. 15: rowan hooper, science writer, keep up to date.

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10 Fun Classroom Writing Games to Improve Literacy Skills

The best writing games to engage students

A colleague of mine recently shared these ten great writing game ideas to improve literacy skills in the classroom.  They are simple to play and can be applied to nearly all year levels. 

These are some of the best writing games that require minimal or no setup time and are an excellent option for substitute teachers looking to quickly break the ice with students or English teachers just seeking fresh ideas to brighten up their lessons. Enjoy.

Remember that if you are looking for more excellent free resources and structured guides to teaching all aspects of English, especially writing, be sure to visit  literacyideas.com .

Sentence Stretching

Start with a short sentence or group of words.  Pass it around to about 6 people, with the rule that each person must add (a word or a group of words) or change ONE word ( to another word or a group of words) to make the sentence more specific and more enjoyable.

Rebus writing

Students write sentences or longer texts and substitute drawings for nouns.

COMPLETE DIGITAL AND PRINT FUN WRITING UNIT

25 FUN and ENGAGING writing tasks your students can complete INDEPENDENTLY with NO PREP REQUIRED that they will absolutely love.

Fully EDITABLE and works as with all DIGITAL PLATFORMS such as Google Classroom, or you can PRINT them for traditional writing tasks.

It’s in the bag

Place an object in a bag- ensure the students don’t see it. Students feel the object in the bag and use words to describe how it feels. They take it out and add /alter their adjectives.

Touch and tell

An object is passed around a group of students. Each student suggests an adjective to describe it.

Alternative

Students provide an adjectival phrase or clause to describe the object

Students randomly select from a box a picture of an animal, person or object that moves. They brainstorm action verbs for the chosen object.

The students can supply verbs and adverbs

They can supply adjectives or adjectival groups

Read a text ( this case narrative ), and at a particular point, stop and ask students to select a character and suggest, for example:

• What the character is doing, thinking, and feeling ( focus on processes)

Change the meaning- change one word

Students locate and change one word that will alter the sentence’s meaning.

They share their alterations and discuss which part of speech was the most important in changing the meaning .

Locate and classify

Read a text and ask students to write nouns on cards ( red), adjectives (blue), and articles in orange. Rearrange words to create different noun groups. Students can also locate verbs ( green card) and adverbs (yellow). Rearrange all the words to create new sentences.

Students can locate adjectival phrases, clauses, or adverbial phrases and write these on other coloured cards.

Grammar toss- Sentence making

Players must throw a 1 before they can begin. The winner is the first person to make a sentence that includes all of the following:

• A group of words that tell what or who ( singular)
• A group of words that tell when
• A verb in the past tense
• An adverb telling how
• A group of words telling where

They can then rearrange the sentence parts to see how many ways they can make another meaningful sentence. 

Other parts of speech can be used for each number thrown.

Toss and write

Before the activity, a cube is prepared. Upon each face of the cube, a task is written that requires specific grammar knowledge. For example:

Make a sentence

Make a question

Provide two adjectives

Provide two verbs

Create a noun group (e.g. article, adjective/s noun)

Provide a noun and an adverb

Students select a subject ( noun) from a tin. They throw the cube, and whichever side of the cube faces up is the task they must attempt.

OTHER GREAT ARTICLES RELATED TO WRITING GAMES

10 fun writing activities for the reluctant writer

How to Write a Scary Story

7 Fun Writing Sub Plans for Substitute Teachers

10-Minute Writing Games to Play with Your Students

Jen Schneider Blog , Writing writing 1

Want some quick games to share with your students during transitions or as attention-getters. Play these fun games independently or with groups! Here are a few of my favorites 10-minute writing games to play with your students. This post uses some affiliate links. Purchases from these links result in a small commission to help sustain this site.

Word Association Game

Word association games are perfect for 10-minute writing games! Start by giving students a random word and ask them to write down the first word that comes to their mind when they hear it. Then, have them pass their paper to the person next to them and repeat the process with the new word. Set a timer for 10 minutes and see how far around the circle they can go, building off of each other’s words. This game is a blast for generating vocabulary words or words to use in future writing prompts or stories.

Writing Roulette

My students beg to play writing roulette! I give each student five different colored sticky notes (or use this FREE Jamboard template ).

Each sticky note has a different topic. For example, here are the literary elements I use for my students. You can change these up depending on your grade level.

• Yellow: character
• Blue: quotation
• Pink: setting
• Green: conflict
• Orange: theme

Have your students each generate one of the literary elements on each colored sticky note. Make sure they write only one idea per note. Mix up the sticky notes, then give the students five sticky notes (one on each topic) to generate their own story. We LOVE sharing these with the class. As a bonus, expand on the quick stories and create a published, polished piece.

Literary Jenga

Literally playing a game when writing is so much fun! Write creative writing prompts on the sides of Jenga blocks (such as “Write a story in which the main character is an animal” or “Describe a place you’ve never been”) and stack them up. Students take turns pulling a block and then writing for 2-3 minutes based on the prompt they see. The game continues until the tower falls, and then students can read aloud what they’ve written.

Finish the Story Writing Game

This game is also called story or paper pass. I remember playing this writing game in school. I loved it then as much as I love it as a teacher! First, give students the first line of a story and have them write for 2-3 minutes. Then, have them pass their paper to the person next to them and that person continues the story for 2-3 minutes. Continue this process until everyone has contributed, and see how the story turned out in the end.

Random Word Stories

Use this random word generator to pick a fun, unique word. Have your students write a story using that word as a focus. You can have each student select their own word or use a class word.

Descriptive Writing Game

Many ELA curriculums have descriptive writing as an assessment. Why not teach descriptive writing skills with a 10-minute writing game! First, ask students to close their eyes and imagine a scene you describe to them, such as a beach or a forest. Give them 10 minutes to write a detailed description of what they see in their mind’s eye. Encourage them to use sensory language and descriptive adjectives to really paint a picture with their words. Share the stories, and as a bonus, have students illustrate their writing. You can also adapt this and share a picture as a writing prompt starter. Show students a picture or image and give them 10 minutes to write a story or poem based on what they see. Encourage them to be creative and use their imagination to build a story around the picture.

Character Creation Game

Students love creating their own characters! Have students brainstorm a character by answering questions about them, such as their name, age, occupation, likes and dislikes, fears, etc. Then, set a timer for 10 minutes and have them write a short story or scene featuring that character. You can add to the fun by having two characters team up together to create a new story or have a conversation with one another based on their characters’ backgrounds.

Six-Word Stories

Challenge students to write a complete story in just six words, such as “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Set a timer for 10 minutes and see how many six-word stories they can create.

Mad Libs Game

The old Mad Libs games are so much fun! I remember having paper Mad Libs books that my siblings and I giggled over with delight. Online Mad Libs games let students work independently to create funny stories. I love using Mad Libs online !

Fan Fiction

My students absolutely love writing fan fiction. This gives them a chance to explore stories on a deeper level, and change the outcomes to what they really wanted to happen in the book! Have students choose a favorite book or movie character and write a short story featuring that character in a new adventure or scenario. Set a timer for 10 minutes and see how well they can capture the voice and personality of the character in their writing.

Story Cubes

Use storytelling dice or story cubes with pictures on each side, and have students roll the dice to create a story. Set a timer for 10 minutes and challenge students to create a story that includes all of the pictures they rolled. Share the stories in small groups or with the full class.

Writing Prompts

Using writing prompts in the classroom is an effective way to encourage a love for writing in students. Here are five ways to inspire and engage middle school students:

Daily writing prompts

Start the day with a short 10-minute writing exercise that covers various genres and themes. Use this list of 25 daily prompts to get started.

Structured writing prompts

Use prompts as a starting point for more structured writing assignments such as essays or research papers. This encourages students to think critically and provides specific guidelines for the writing task. Use this list of 10 structured prompts to get started.

Group brainstorming

Encourage students to work together in small groups to generate their own writing prompts. This fosters collaboration and creativity.

Writing prompt dares

Students can create their own writing prompt dares or use these 15 writing prompt dare examples to get started. These are great for group brainstorming prompts.

Try out this 52 writing prompt workbook . You even get an editable Canva link to add your own unique prompts!

Get ready for 10-minute writing games to use in your classroom! These games can be scaffolded and differentiated for all grade levels. What writing games do you use in your classroom!

Creative writing games: A great way to unleash your creative side @

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Erin Lafond

Writer, Reviewer, and Mom

Four Creative Writing Games to Get Your Group Started

April 4, 2018 · In: Creativity , Writing

Last updated on March 17th, 2023 at 07:16 am

This article is part four of a series about starting your own creative writing group/club. Part one is here .  Topics will include giving constructive criticism , running a workshop , and writing games / prompts .

I found that the best way to start a group meeting is a fun game.

Here are my general rules for writing games/prompts:

• Encourage everyone to share their writing, but no one ever has to share. This creates an environment where people feel comfortable. The important thing is doing the exercise. If they decide to share, they must read their prompt aloud so everyone knows what it was.
• Set a time limit. I would generally give everyone five to ten minutes per round to write, and then I would open up for sharing. Once everyone had the opportunity to read their work, I would start another round or move on. This also encouraged people to share. After all, no story is good after five minutes.
• No one ever has to keep their prompt. You’ll notice that all of these games include pulling prompts randomly out of a basket. If someone gets something and they don’t like it, they’re allowed to put it back and pick something else.

I created these games for a teen writing group. However, they’re still fun and can easily be played by adults. I encourage you to try them, and tell me how it goes!

The Inanimate Perspective

My teens loved this one. Write down some nouns on slips of paper and put them in a basket for people to randomly pick out. Write a description or a story from the perspective of the inanimate object, and everyone else will try and guess what your noun was. Your goal is to try to trick your listeners but still give them all the information they need in order to guess. Here are some nouns to get you started: rug, clock, ocean, laptop, rubber band, pencil, applesauce, printer, TV, photograph, bookmark, credit card, comic book, water bottle, tape, playing cards, headphones, bed, trash can, shoes, seed, calculator, blender.

Create a Villain

Write down adjectives on slips of paper and put them in a basket for people to randomly pick out. Pick two adjectives and describe or write a story about a villain that matches those adjectives. You can put back your adjectives, but you must put back both and pick two new ones. Here are some adjectives to get you started: pensive, onerous, arrogant, quiet, sneaky, classy, fumbling, disillusioned, determined, mature, chilly, cautious, tough, nervous, meek, grateful, dull, dysfunctional, selfish, proud, smart, ashamed, self-righteous, sulky, squeamish, weary, delicate, discreet, tactful, silent, outgoing, somber, cowardly, ambitious, elitist, whimsical, cheerful, noisy,  lazy.

Occupation Meet Setting

For this game, you’ll need two baskets. One for various occupations and one for various settings. Pick one from each basket to write a story about a person with that occupation in that setting. You can put back your prompts, but you must put back both and pick two new ones. Some occupations and settings to get you started: doctor/nurse, princess/prince, baker/chef, lawyer, journalist, student, tour guide, server, writer, farmer, secretary, homemaker, scientist, musician, photographer, cave, forest, asylum, desert, airport, cemetery, cottage, library, castle, restaurant, boat/yacht, classroom, office, car, hotel, church.

Photo Character

This is my favorite game. Get a bunch of pictures of people from the internet. There are several places to do this . Mix in pictures of people doing everyday things with people wearing bizarre costumes or doing bizarre things. Print them out and put them in a basket for people to randomly pick out. Write a story about the person or one of the people in the photo. It’s an exercise in character development that garners some pretty funny and unique results.

Do you want access to my templates for these games? Check out my resource library !

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5 Enjoyable English Writing Games That Turn Practise Into Playtime

Step into a world of fun while improving your English writing skills. Fun writing games let you practise and learn at your own pace, making studying an enjoyable experience. In this article, discover 5 English writing games that are suitable for all learning levels, so you can improve your English writing skills while having a blast !

How games can help you learn English

Games for learning English are a fun and effective way to improve your language skills. English creative writing games can help learners like you explore different writing styles and experiment with language, ultimately helping to build your confidence.

Games are a great way to help you remember what you learn in English. They are enjoyable, and when you have fun, it’s easier to remember things for a long time.

Game #1: Story Starters

Story Starters is an English creative writing game that works best with a group of players. This game involves taking turns to write a story with each player adding a sentence within a set time limit.

How to play

To play Story Starters, gather a group of friends, some paper, pens, and a timer.

You will start with a pre-written sentence (if you Google “Story Starter sentences” you can find plenty). You must add a sentence to this story within 2 minutes set on the timer. Once you have written your sentence, pass the paper to the next person and let them repeat the process by adding a new sentence of their own.

This is a great game for letting your imagination run wild and getting your creative juices flowing !

Game #2: Scategories

Scategories is a quick and creative game where you think of words that start with a given letter and that fit into specific categories to earn points for answers that are unique.

A group of players is given a list of prompts such as “things babies need”. Then, a letter from the alphabet is picked at random (using a lettered die or an online letter generator). Once the letter has been chosen, the timer is set, and each player must quickly come up with a word starting with the chosen letter to answer each of the prompts.

To make things a bit trickier, you only get a point for your answer if nobody else has put the same answer. Playing this game challenges you to think fast to find the most creative and unique answers.

Game #3: Picture Prompts

Picture Prompts is a fun writing game that involves using pictures to create imaginative stories or descriptions. This game can be played by yourself or with a group of people.

Each player is given a picture or an image. Next, a timer is set for a specific amount of time – 5 to 10 minutes usually works well. The players must then write a creative story or description based on their picture. The goal is to be as imaginative as possible. Once the time is up, players take turns reading their descriptions or stories to the rest of the group.

Game #4: Consequences

In the game of Consequences, players take turns writing words or phrases on a piece of paper, then hiding what they have written to collaboratively create a funny and often silly story.

Each player takes a turn writing a word or phrase on a piece of paper, then folding the paper after each turn to hide what they’ve written. Then, it’s passed on to the next player, who adds their part before folding the paper and passing it on again. This continues until all players have contributed. Finally, unfold the paper and read out the funny story you created together.

Game #5: Rewrite The Ending

In this English writing game, players are encouraged to choose a favourite film or book and then rewrite the ending.

Rewrite The Ending is a game that does what it says on the tin . Quite simply, you get to rewrite the ending of your favourite book or film. You can change the story, add new characters, or create exciting twists. It’s a creative way to practise writing and using your imagination while having fun with stories that are already familiar to you.

Ready to take your English writing skills to the next level?

While games offer a fun and interactive way to practise and improve your writing skills, combining them with structured learning is even more powerful.

If you’re serious about mastering English, check out our English Online courses. Choose between group classes or private, one-to-one tutoring and experience expert-led learning and personalised guidance to help you perfect your English writing skills in no time at all.

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Writing Fun , Writing Support

Wordplay Wonders

As parents and educators, fostering a love for language and writing in our children is a gift that lasts a lifetime. One engaging way to enhance vocabulary and writing skills is through the magic of wordplay games. From elementary to high school, we’ve curated a list of games that not only make learning fun but also help young writers flourish. Let the wordplay wonders begin!

Games for Elementary Students

Word games serve as an engaging and effective tool for elementary-aged children, offering a playful avenue to enhance their writing skills. These games not only make learning fun but also provide valuable opportunities for language development and creativity. By introducing word games, children can expand their vocabulary, grasp a deeper understanding of word meanings, and improve spelling in a dynamic and interactive manner. Additionally, these games stimulate critical thinking as children strategize to form words, fostering cognitive development. Moreover, the enjoyment factor inherent in word games cultivates a positive association with language and writing, instilling a love for the written word from an early age. Overall, incorporating word games into learning not only strengthens fundamental writing skills but also nurtures a lifelong appreciation for language and communication.

Writing Bingo

Build language skills by matching words to photos of 50 common objects You can use this game to practice writing sentences.

Roll the perfect story! Seven dice, four million combinations, unlimited stories to tell.

Daily Word Ladders

Students climb to new heights in reading and writing with these fun, engaging, reproducible word-building games!

Morning Meeting Chips

Morning Meeting Chips have simple-to-answer, kid-friendly questions that easily stimulate discussions. Great way to work on writing and speech skills.

Picture Story Starters

Make writers block a thing of the past and watch the blank pages fill up as inspiration strikes.

Sentence Building Dominoes

Engage visual and tactile learners with this set of colorful, playful, hands-on dominoes! A fun way to practice vocabulary, spelling, parts of speech, punctuation, sentence building, and reading.

The Storymatic Kids

Make writing fun with 360 storytelling prompt cards and story starters for kids. A creative, family-friendly activity that little and big kids can play together. Age 5 and up, up, up. A gift for writers of all ages.

Tall Tales Story Telling Board Game

A lot of great laughs and a great way to get to know your kids better and spend time with them. The Educational Family Game of Infinite Storytelling

Games for Middle Schoolers

For middle school-aged students, word games emerge as an invaluable tool that seamlessly blends entertainment with educational benefits, fostering the development of strong writing skills. These games provide an interactive platform for expanding vocabulary, honing spelling abilities, and reinforcing language comprehension. By engaging in word games, students are encouraged to think critically, strategize, and solve linguistic puzzles, thereby enhancing their cognitive abilities. Additionally, the competitive and collaborative aspects of these games instill a sense of enthusiasm for language exploration, making the learning process enjoyable. This enjoyment factor contributes to a positive attitude towards writing, inspiring students to view language as a dynamic and exciting tool for self-expression. In essence, word games at the middle school level serve not only as educational aids but also as catalysts for cultivating a passion for language and writing.

Grammar Police Game

Challenge your grammar skills with our exciting card game! Form teams, and step into the shoes of your grammar teacher as you navigate through English language intricacies. Beware, though, as the game promises epic levels of frustration when that elusive mistake remains hidden.

Synonyms Splat Game

This simple yet fun game takes almost no time to learn and set up. Within minutes of opening the box, young learners can be ready to compete and show what they know. Splat! can be easily modified to make it more or less challenging for the players.

Grammar Wise

A fun board game for teaching vocabulary to English language learners. A great game that will get you to exercise your color and language muscles at the same time.

No need to be a PhD. Proper nouns, slang, and even non-english words are all fair game! Stretches kids' vocabulary, and often used alongside gifted games

Yammer Card Game

It's quick to learn and fun to play – perfect for family game night or a party with friends. Yammer rules easily adjust to player skill levels, making Yammer a fun and challenging all-ages card game for word game enthusiasts and novices alike. Plus, play Yammer Solitaire to hone your skills!

Brain Freeze Family Card Game

Get to know friends and family better - When the fastest answer wins, you never know what they’ll let slip Fast-action group game - Get your friends and family shouting out the hilarious answers that are top of mind

Sketchword Family Game

Make a word using the letters in your hand and on the Sketchword board. Then...SKETCH it If someone guesses your word before time runs out, you score and so does the player who guessed.

Two Tumbleweeds Writing Dice

Whether you’re an experienced writer or you just want to dabble — with thousands of combinations, you’ll never fear the blank page again!

Games for High Schoolers

Word games for high school-aged students represent a dynamic and effective tool for honing strong writing skills. As these students navigate the complexities of language and literature, engaging in word games becomes a multifaceted exercise. These games encourage the expansion of vocabulary, refinement of spelling, and reinforcement of grammar rules, crucial elements for effective writing. The strategic nature of word games also stimulates critical thinking and problem-solving skills, essential attributes for crafting well-structured and compelling written pieces. Furthermore, the competitive and social aspects of these games make learning enjoyable, fostering a positive attitude towards language exploration. By incorporating word games into their routine, high school students not only reinforce fundamental writing skills but also cultivate a nuanced understanding and appreciation for the art of expression through words.

Storymatic Synapsis

Jumpstart your brain, play with language, dive into genres, and quickly invent characters, scenes, settings, plots, and motivations. Go solo or play in a group (2-6 people). Great gift for teachers and students!

Family Card Game

It is a wonderfully thrilling experience that also happens to improve vocabulary and reflexes. It's a fun and educational card game for kids, teens, and adults that allows them to learn and play together while making memories.

Play On Words

Put your thinking cap on and enjoy this hands-on and engaging all-ages card game. This highly-versatile game meets players right where they’re at with spelling, resourcefulness in word making, and vocabulary. The no-rush format also allows for lots of creativity and conversation during game play.

Idiom Addict

IdiomAddict is the party game that challenges players to decipher idioms and common phrases from clues read by opposing teams to advance on the game board

Anomia Card Game

A fast-paced card game that challenges quick thinking and word recall. Fast-paced, brain-bending, and laugh-til-you cry hilarious!

A word association game promoting strategic thinking and communication. A social word game with a simple premise and challenging game play.

Scattergories

A game that encourages thinking outside the box and creative word association. Try to outwit other players by coming up with unique answers in this version of the fast-paced Scattergories party game for adults and teens.

​Balderdash

Time to grab the 'bull' by the horns and hope other players don't call your bluff! Balderdash game features compelling, unbelievable-but-true content in five fun categories: 'famous' people, words, initials, laws, and movies.

Fun, Learning & Word Games

Wordplay wonders are more than just games; they are gateways to a world where language becomes a playground of creativity. Tailor these games to the age and interests of your child, and watch as their vocabulary blossoms, and their writing skills soar. As we embark on this linguistic adventure, let the joy of learning and creating through words inspire our young writers to become wordsmiths of the future.

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15 Creative Writing Games And Activities For Kids

Help your children develop their writing skills with the help of games and practice.

Elisa has 17 years of experience in early childhood education as a teacher and a director. With a passion to work with young kids, she did her post graduation in Education and received her online teaching certificate from California State U... more

Harshita is a graduate in commerce and holds a PG Diploma in Patent and Copyrights Law from NALSAR University. She has also pursued CA and has more than three years of internship experience in auditin... more

Deepa Rachel Thomas holds a master’s degree in English from the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad. She has done a certification course in Child Development and worked as a mentor for... more

Nisha Bharatan is a writer with six years of experience. After completing her engineering from Savitribai Phule Pune University, she did content marketing courses to complement her interest in writing... more

Mark Twain said, “Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words.” Although children may not find it that easy and entertaining, you can inculcate the habit through interesting writing games for kids . It is a fun and distinct way of piquing their interest in this skill by letting them enjoy it as they learn. In this post, we have a list of the best games and activities to help you engage your children in writing while having fun.

Fun Writing Games For Kids

Writing games need not be all plain, boring or intense. You can try some creative ways to make writing pleasant and enjoyable. Try these fun games for children to begin their lessons in writing.

1. Secret Pictionary

A game of Pictionary is fun to play when there are more than three players. You can play this game even without the Pictionary cards as all you need is a pencil and a blank paper.

• The first player writes a random phrase and passes it on to the next player.
• The second player has to draw an image based on his/her perception of the phrase written by the first player. Fold the first phrase, and pass it to the next player.
• Now the third player has to understand the drawing by the second player and write a line or a phrase based on the drawing. Fold the paper to cover the first phrase and the first drawing, and pass it on.
• This shall go on with the phrase and drawing alternately until it reaches the last player.
• Unfolding all the pages at the end of the game will reveal a very funny short story.

Charlotte Bismuth, a mother and an author, shares how pictionary brings her family together for a fun after-dinner entertainment. She says, “Last week, my husband and I played Pictionary with our little girls after dinner for three consecutive nights… The first night, I was just so happy we’d played. The second night, I thought it was just a lucky break. By the third night, I was ecstatic —we were on the brink of a family tradition! I couldn’t believe it was possible to anchor in something fun ( ⅰ ).’’

2. Telephone oracle

Image: IStock

Asking your questions to the Oracle is like sitting with a funny magic ball. Come up with wacky questions and gear up for equally wild answers.

• Every player has to write one question each which they want the Oracle to answer, at the top of the page.
• Now every player has to pass their papers to the person on their left.
• Each player has to answer the question according to their perception.
• Now the players have to conceal the question written on the top portion by folding it and then pass on the papers again to their left.
• This step is tricky but interesting. Every player has to write a possible question after reading the previous answer they see in their paper.
• Fold the paper such that only the latest question is visible and pass it to the left side player.
• The same rounds continue till the bottom of the page and end with an answer.
• At the end of the game, all the players unfold their papers to read their original question, the answers they have received, and everything in between. Kah-ray-zee! You will be surprised to see the crazy answers to your original question.

Free Worksheets and Printables for Kids

3. finish the story.

Your search for creative writing games for kids ends here. This is a delightful and engaging storytelling game you can indulge in during playtime.

• The first player writes two lines on a paper and folds the first line so that only the second line is visible to the next player.
• The second player has to guess the first line, read the second line, add another line to the story and fold the paper such that the first two lines are covered and only the last line is visible.
• All the players continue adding their lines to the story.
• The end result will be a very funny tale with no meaning at all.

4. Consequences

Image: Shutterstock

This incredibly enjoyable writing game will keep your child writing on new pages for multiple rounds. You will need a pen, paper, and a minimum of 6 players to play the game.

• The first player has to write the name of a male, on the paper. After writing, conceal the name by folding the paper.
• The second player has to write the name of a female and then fold it again, to conceal it.
• The next player has to write about where they met and fold the paper.
• The fourth player has to write about what he said and fold to conceal it.
• The fifth player writes what she said, and conceals it.
• The last player has to write about what happens in the end.
• Then, unfold the paper to read a very funny story .
• Note that children can write any name, be it their favorite hero or friends in the school, parents or just anybody.

Interesting Writing Activities For Kids

These activities can enhance writing skills and benefit the family’s daily life. Children can tap into their creativity beyond just playing board games and quizzes.

5. Grocery list writing

This is one of the fun writing activities for kids that requires minimal effort and helps them learn the names of many grocery items, such as types of bread, toiletries, and even spices.

• Grab a pen and paper, and head to the kitchen pantry.
• With the assistance of parents, kids have to note down each item and the quantity required.
• You can color code each item to make it easier for them to access.
• Make an elaborate grocery list and head out for shopping.

6. Writing letters

Writing letters is old school but is still relevant. So, why not introduce your kids to the old-world charm with this letter writing activity?

• Decide which form you wish to write — a formal letter or an informal one.
• Accordingly, choose whom to address the letter.
• Keep the letter content crisp if it’s a formal letter and give it an emotional feel if you are writing an informal one.

7. Advertisement writing

This writing activity can keep their creative juices flowing.

• Pick an item to write about. For example, children may choose to write an advertisement for their favorite candy.
• Let them write an entertaining advertisement to sell the product.
• Kids can get innovative and may design brochures, leaflets or even a hoarding style ad.

8. Dialogue writing

Dialogue is a conversation or interaction between two or more people. This activity can also improve their style of conversation. You can begin with simple dialogues.

• Write an introductory line to begin the activity.
• The next player has to reply to the previous line.
• Keep adding dialogues after each line. In the end, you will have your very own record of the conversation.

9. Written debate

This activity is similar to dialogue writing, but will have an argumentative tone. This writing activity will help in enhancing their conversational and presentation skills.

• Pick a subject and write down your first argument on the paper.
• Let your child reply to the argument, putting forth his/her point.
• It goes on like a debate but in a written format.

10. Writing instructions

Learn direct speech through this activity.

• Choose a subject to write instructions about. For example, an experiment on lighting a bulb.
• Kids must write about the tools required and elaborate instructions about how to light a bulb, in detailed steps.
• The style of writing must be communicative and simple to follow.

11. Writing a poem

Poetry knows no boundaries or age limits. Writing poems is a creative pursuit well-suited for children who love writing.

• Select a theme to write about.
• Kids can use rhyming words or just express their emotions in whichever poetic style they like.

12. Writing a message on the envelope

Be it a birthday greeting or a thank you note, this activity will help the child write short messages on cards and envelopes.

• Pick a card or envelope depending on the occasion.
• Write a short crisp paragraph to convey the message.
• Add a salutation, “To” address and a “From” address.
• If your child enjoys crafts, they can also make unique cards with meaningful messages.

13. Newspaper summary writing

This activity is ideal for older kids. It helps in understanding their level of reasoning and perception.

• Assign a newspaper headline for them to read and follow.
• Kids have to go through the entire news article, read and understand it in detail.
• Now the challenge is to write a summary about the same news article in their style.

14. Five lines about their hero

Children will enjoy playing this game for sure as it involves their favorite superhero.

• Find out who your child’s favorite superhero/ idol is.
• Ask them to write any five things about him/her, which they admire.

15. Drawing words

This activity does not involve writing directly but inspires to write and makes learning enjoyable for kids. Make their imagination run wild with this game.

• Choose a word to draw. It can be any word like sun, moon, precious, beautiful, mountain or anything.
• Let the child draw the word in their style. Do not insist on drawing it perfectly. They can create a doodle too if they want.

15. Starting a feelings journal

Children often find it difficult to express how they feel as expressing oneself is a learning process that develops gradually. This activity can serve as an amazing emotional outlet for your child and help you understand them much better.

• Printed journals are available that contain pictorial depictions of various feelings and emotions from which the child can choose daily.
• You may also DIY such a journal from a regular one by printing different pictures of emotions and telling your child to add a few words every day.
• Encourage them to write vivid descriptions of what they feel and the reason behind it for the activity to become more productive.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How does writing help in the growth of a child?

Writing helps in a child’s growth by promoting language development, improving spelling knowledge, increasing communication skills, enhancing creativity, promoting critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and fostering emotional intelligence. It also helps children develop fine motor skills and self-discipline. Additionally, writing can serve as an outlet for children to express their thoughts and feelings, leading to increased self-awareness and self-esteem.

2. What are the benefits of writing games for kids at home and school?

Writing games for kids offers numerous benefits, such as improving language skills, encouraging creativity, boosting confidence, enhancing critical thinking, and developing fine motor skills. Writing games can help children develop their language skills, including vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure. These games can also challenge children to think critically and encourage them to be imaginative in their writing, leading to a more positive attitude toward learning.

3. What age range are writing games suitable for?

Writing games vary for children of varying age groups, depending on the game’s complexity. For example, a game of writing a poem can be played by children over six years, while drawing games are ideal for toddlers. As your child grows, expose them to a variety of writing games.

4. Can writing games help children overcome writer’s block?

Writing games enhance critical thinking, improves language skills, and sparks creativity in children, enabling them to overcome writer’s block. Provide different prompts and challenges to your child to promote thinking abilities. Besides, you can invite their friends and organize a collaborative writing activity. Give feedback to everyone so that children can refine their writing.

5. Can writing games help kids develop their storytelling abilities?

Children engaging in writing while playing games boosts their imagination and creativity. They can also express their thoughts and emotions when playing writing games, thereby aiding in developing their storytelling skills. Encourage your child to explore various writing styles and create a unique composition.

6. How can technology be used for writing games for kids?

Technology provides opportunities to choose interactive games and apps containing several engaging learning experiences, capturing children’s attention and promoting creativity and inclusivity. Parents can choose age-appropriate writing activities and receive instant feedback and suggestions that help sharpen their writing skills.

Writing is an integral part of children’s education that helps them express themselves better. It is a life skill that relates to communication and allows children to better understand and remember a particular concept. Writing skills should be developed in children from a young age. However, many children are not enthusiastic about writing because they feel it is a difficult task. In such circumstances, you may introduce writing games for kids. Puzzles and games such as Secret Pictionary or Finish the Story and activities such as Dialogue Writing or Message Writing can help children learn about writing. Anagrams, crosswords, creating secret code puzzles, and the hangman are other good options that will help fine-tune their writing skills. Reading books and journaling are other activities that can help enhance a child’s self expression abilities.

Infographic: Fun Writing Games For Children

Illustration: Momjunction Design Team

Get the high-quality PDF version of this infographic.

Key Pointers

• Pique your children’s interest in writing by introducing Pictionary of secret phrases followed by drawing.
• “Finish the story” will enhance the child’s creativity as they take turns to add sentences to the story.
• Dialogue or advertisement writing, word drawing, etc., for your children as you scroll down.

Image: Stable Diffusion/MomJunction Design Team

Engage your kids in fun pre-writing activities! Learn how to help them develop their writing skills in a creative way.

Personal Experience: Source

MomJunction articles include first-hand experiences to provide you with better insights through real-life narratives. Here are the sources of personal accounts referenced in this article.

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Elisa Yi Early childhood educator

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Writing Games for Kids

Explore our interactive writing games for kids! Our experienced language arts teachers have designed fun writing games to boost early writing skills and also improve kids' handwriting. This collection covers various writing activities like tracing uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet and ... Read more writing high-frequency words or sight words. Parents and teachers love these writing games as they guide kids from letter tracing to writing fluency! Start now for free!

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Handwriting Games

Time to Trace Uppercase A Game

Learn language skills by practicing to trace uppercase A.

Let's Make the Letter A Game

Let's take a look at how to make the letter A with this game.

Tracing Small Letters With Standing & Curvy Lines - a, d & q Game

Practice tracing small letters with standing and curvy lines - a, d and q.

Tracing Big Letters With Sleeping & Slanting Lines - A, V, W, X, Y & Z Game

Practice tracing big letters with sleeping & slanting lines - A, V, W, X, Y & Z.

Writing Sight Words Games

Learn to Write the Sight Words: brown, their, our, now & ride Game

Children must learn to write the sight words: brown, their, our, now & ride.

Learn to Write the Sight Words: his, down, baby, want & three Game

Children must learn to write the sight words: his, down, baby, want & three.

Learn to Write the Sight Words: like, the & likes Game

Children must learn to write the sight words: like, the & likes.

Learn to Write the Sight Words: play, funny & many Game

Children must learn to write the sight words: play, funny & many.

All Writing Games

Time to Trace Lowercase a Game

Get familiar with writing by learning to trace lowercase a.

Learn to Write the Sight Words: you, look, pretty, said & ball Game

Children must learn to write the sight words: you, look, pretty, said & ball.

Tracing Big Letters With Standing & Curvy Lines - B, D, & P Game

Practice tracing big letters with standing & curvy lines - B, D, & P.

Learn to Write the Sight Words: yes, four, there, her & came Game

Children must learn to write the sight words: yes, four, there, her & came.

Tracing Small Letters With Standing & Curvy Lines - b & p Game

Enhance your language skills by tracing small letters with standing & curvy lines - b & p.

Learn to Write the Sight Words: were, garden, ate, please & help Game

Children must learn to write the sight words: were, garden, ate, please & help.

Let's Make the Letter B Game

Let's take a look at how to make the letter B with this game.

Learn to Write the Sight Words: too, white, give, did & get Game

Children must learn to write the sight words: too, white, give, did & get.

Time to Trace Uppercase B Game

Learn language skills by practicing to trace uppercase B.

Learn to Write the Sight Words: buy, for, yellow & not Game

Children must learn to write the sight words: buy, for, yellow & not.

Time to Trace Lowercase b Game

Get familiar with writing by learning to trace lowercase b.

Learn to Write the Sight Words: small, black, put, blue & went Game

Children must learn to write the sight words: small, black, put, blue & went.

Tracing Big Letters With Curvy Lines - C, O & S Game

Practice tracing big letters with curvy lines - C, O & S.

Learn to Write the Sight Words: day, out, school, new & him Game

Children must learn to write the sight words: day, out, school, new & him.

Tracing Small Letters With Curvy Lines - c, o, & s Game

Practice tracing small letters with curvy lines - c, o, & s.

Learn to Write the Sight Words: and, where & find Game

Children must learn to write the sight words: and, where & find.

Let's Make the Letter C Game

Let's take a look at how to make the letter C with this game.

Learn to Write the Sight Words: time, good, ran, away & them Game

Children must learn to write the sight words: time, good, ran, away & them.

Time to Trace Uppercase C Game

Learn language skills by practicing to trace uppercase C.

Learn to Write the Sight Words: this, they, are & here Game

Children must learn to write the sight words: this, they, are & here.

Time to Trace Lowercase c Game

Get familiar with writing by learning to trace lowercase c.

Learn to Write the Sight Words: and, see & what Game

Children must learn to write the sight words: and, see & what.

Let's Make the Letter D Game

Let's take a look at how to make the letter D with this game.

Learn to Write the Sight Words: jump, eat & she Game

Children must learn to write the sight words: jump, eat & she.

• Time to Trace Uppercase D Game

Learn language skills by practicing to trace uppercase D.

Learn to Write the Sight Words: from, was, under & can Game

Children must learn to write the sight words: from, was, under & can.

Time to Trace Lowercase d Game

Get familiar with writing by learning to trace lowercase d.

Learn to Write the Sight Words: one, that, saw & two Game

Children must learn to write the sight words: one, that, saw & two.

Tracing Big Letters With Standing & Sleeping Lines - E, F, H, I, L & T Game

Practice tracing big letters with standing & sleeping lines - E, F, H, I, L & T.

Learn to Write the Sight Words: make, water & run Game

Children must learn to write the sight words: make, water & run.

Tracing Small Letters With Curvy & Sleeping Lines - e Game

Have fun tracing small letters with curvy & sleeping lines - e.

Learn to Write the Sight Words: have, has, all & come Game

Children must learn to write the sight words: have, has, all & come.

Let's Make the Letter E Game

Let's take a look at how to make the letter E with this game.

Learn to Write the Sight Words: your, some & very Game

Children must learn to write the sight words: your, some & very.

Time to Trace Uppercase E Game

Learn language skills by practicing to trace uppercase E.

Learn to Write the Sight Words: front, take, will, does & with Game

Children must learn to write the sight words: front, take, will, does & with.

Time to Trace Lowercase e Game

Get familiar with writing by learning to trace lowercase e.

Learn to Write the Sight Words: front, could & first Game

Children must learn to write the sight words: front, could & first.

Tracing Small Letters With Standing, Sleeping & Curvy Lines - f, h, m, n & r Game

Practice tracing small letters with standing, sleeping & curvy lines - f, h, m, n & r.

Learn to Write the Sight Words: over, goes, but, how & after Game

Children must learn to write the sight words: over, goes, but, how & after.

What Is Writing for Kids?

Learning to write involves acquiring the ability to form letters, words, and sentences using various techniques like tracing and practicing sight words. It's a developmental process where kids enhance their fine motor skills and build a foundation for effective communication through written expression.

Writing for kids is the process of learning how to put thoughts and ideas into words on paper. It's an essential skill that helps children express themselves and communicate effectively. Learning to write can be challenging for young learners, as it involves coordination and practice. However, incorporating games and interactive activities can make the learning journey more enjoyable and easier. 

Kids gradually develop their writing skills, starting with basic letters and progressing to forming sentences and paragraphs, fostering creativity and communication along the way.

Foundational Writing Skills for Kids

Let's look at a few important writing skills that kids need to learn for effective communication through writing.

Letter Tracing

Letter tracing for kids involves following the shapes of letters with a pencil or finger. It helps children learn the correct formation of letters and improves fine motor skills. Tracing also enhances letter recognition and reinforces the connection between visual and motor skills, setting a strong foundation for writing. 

Do you want to make letter tracing fun for kids? Try our interactive Letter Tracing Games covering all A-Z letters for engaging and effective writing exercises!

Writing Sight Words

Sight words are words that children instantly recognize by sight or learn as a whole by sight without needing to sound them out. Identifying words by sight accelerates their reading speed and fluency. Writing sight words for kids involves practicing and memorizing common words that appear frequently in texts. 

A few examples of sight words are he, she, they, his, you, yes, day, and, see, etc.

Writing sight words aids in building a strong reading foundation as sight words often can't be sounded out. Writing them repeatedly enhances recognition, spelling, and fluency, facilitating smoother reading. 

Elevate the learning experience with our interactive Writing Sight Words Games , making learning enjoyable and fun.

How to Support and Promote a Love for Writing in Kids

• Reading Together : Immerse children in stories to ignite their imagination and storytelling abilities. Reading enhances their capacity to envision characters, settings, and plots, which translates into their own writing.
• Collaborative Writing : Begin with joint story creation, inspiring kids with diverse ideas and techniques. This collaborative approach paves the way for more independent writing endeavors.
• Start Small : Commence with concise sentences or brief paragraphs before progressing to more extensive compositions. 
• Incorporating fun prompts like pictures: Incorporating visual elements through picture stories can facilitate comprehension and creativity.
• Supportive Guidance :
• Acknowledge Effort : Celebrate even the smallest writing accomplishments, recognizing the effort invested by young writers.
• Constructive Feedback : Offer valuable feedback to help them improve, sharing your writing insights and encouraging their progress.
• Motivation : Instill confidence and motivation, emphasizing that skill development takes time and practice.

Explore SplashLearn's curated collection of engaging online educational games and activities. These resources combine entertainment with learning, fostering your child's growth as a creative thinker and proficient writer.

Importance of Teaching Writing to Kids through Games

Utilizing online ELA games to improve writing skills is the best way to help kids fall in love with reading and writing. Here are a few notable benefits:

• Tracing Letters with Fun : Online writing games incorporate tracing letters in a playful manner, helping kids practice forming letters accurately and enhancing muscle memory.
• Sight Words Integration : Writing games online for kids integrate sight words into challenges, aiding kids in recognizing and recalling frequently used words effortlessly.
• Colorful Visuals : Vibrant visuals and interactive characters in games capture kids' attention, making the learning process more engaging and memorable.
• Interactive Characters : Interactive writing games with fun characters create a relatable learning environment, encouraging kids to write and communicate in a friendly, interactive setting.

What Are the 5 Best Fun Writing Games and Activities for Kids?

Here are a few fun writing games for elementary students by SplashLearn:

• Learn to Write the Sight Words Game
• Let’s Make the Letter E Game
• Tracing the Small Letters with Standing and Curvy Lines - b and p Game
• Tracing the Small Letters with Sleeping and Curvy Lines - e Game

How do you help kids practice writing?

• Printable Worksheets : Provide printable Writing worksheets and other writing learning resources for tracing letters, forming words, and practicing writing skills.
• Online Games : Provide interactive and engaging Writing games to play online that focus on letter formation, sight words, and creative writing exercises. 
• Activities : Suggest writing activities for kids like journaling, creating stories, writing letters to family members, or using sensory writing trays to encourage regular writing practice.

How do you teach writing effectively to kids?

• Understand each child's writing level and needs, offering tailored activities and challenges to cater to their progress.
• Ask kids to write about their favorite superhero, a dream adventure, or their happiest memory. Such attractive prompts spark creativity and interest in learning.
• Integrate apps and online tools for engaging learning. Explore educational writing games for kids online for additional hands-on practice.
• Practicing daily is the key. Help kids set aside a specific time each day for practicing writing. Use writing practice games to check their understanding.

What are some specific skills and concepts that children can develop through writing games?

• Tracing Practice: Writing games involving tracing activities enhance fine motor skills and help in letter formation, ensuring neat handwriting. It helps kids practice forming letters accurately.
• Sight Words Mastery : Writing games reinforce recognition and usage of sight words, improving reading and writing fluency.
• Vocabulary Building : Games encourage the use of diverse words and expand vocabulary.

Your one stop solution for all grade learning needs.

Writing Games for Kids

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You want your kids to spark to writing, but how do you do that? 

Enter these entertaining and fun writing games for kids!

9+ Creative Writing Games for Kids

I know what you’re thinking, “Games and writing? 

Those words don’t go together!”  But any imaginative challenge that gets the pen moving can be a game. 

The goal is always to inspire children to write—and even have fun in the process!

This article contains affiliate links to things that you might like.

Design an Ad

Children love to persuade! 

What better way than to have them write their own advertisement? 

You can bring in sample products or let them come up with their own. 

They can create their own cereal, or imagine their own sneaker with amazing properties.  

Story Generator

Roll your way to a story! 

Create six characters and number them. 

For example: 1. Chameleon 2. Firefighter 3. Magician, etc…. Then create six settings and number those: 1. Forest 2. Transylvania 3. Library, etc….  Give the child two dice. 

Roll the first die to get a character and the second for a setting.  ‘

Now create!

Newspaper Article

Create your own newspaper that reports real or imagined events! 

Your students can learn to write articles with the 5 Ws (who, what, when, where, and why) for Dragon University, Mermaid Academy, or for your real-life local school or community.  

Pass Around the Story

You need two or more people for this game. 

Come up with a story starter, like “Ever since that day in the summer, I have been afraid of crickets. 

Here’s what happened.”  Then one student composes the next sentence. 

Then another student does the sentence following. 

Keep passing around the story!

Comic Story Inspiration

Find a comic and black out the words. 

This comic should be three to six pictures in length. 

The student should write a story that explains the comic—who are the characters? 

What did they think, feel, and say? 

What was the problem?

Game Poetry

Give your students some Bananagrams and ask them to form words for two minutes. 

When they are done, they must use those words in a poem (along with other words of their choosing).

Interview Story

This game take two or more people. 

Have a list of questions ready:

• Who is in this story?
• Where does it take place?
• When does it take place?
• What problem do the characters face?
• How does it end?

One person acts as the interviewer and asks the questions of the others. 

You can write the answers down, and then at the end ask someone to tell the story.  

Story Unveiled

This game is like Pass Around the Story but with a twist (you need a group for this game). 

Begin with a story starter. 

The next student writes the second sentence of the story. 

Now fold the paper so only the second sentence is visible. 

The next person looks at the sentence he can see and writes a sentence to follow it. 

Now fold the paper again so the first two sentences are covered and only the most recent sentence is visible. 

The next person writes a sentence to follow it. 

Repeat this process until the story is complete. 

The result will be wild and fun!

Adjective Stretch

This game teaches students to use specific adjectives to create a strong mental picture for the reader. 

Come up with a basic sentence like, “The donkey munched the hay.”  Now add adjectives that describe the donkey. 

You can ask prompting questions like, “What color was he?” “How did his fur feel?” “What did he smell like?” “How was he feeling?”  The result will be a sentence with a string of vivid adjectives:  “The stinky, pudgy, cranky, furry gray donkey munched the hay.”

Story Cubes

Do not underestimate the power of Story Cubes . 

Roll these cubes and create a story with the resulting pictures. 

Story Cubes come in categories to capture every student’s interest. 

From basic sets like action and mystery to trademarked sets like Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Batman, Story Cubes should be in every writing teacher’s drawer.

Fun Writing Games

Writing doesn’t have to elicit groans. 

Add some zest and laughter with these fun writing games for kids.  

You May Also Like:

• Fun Writing Activities for Middle School
• Teaching Creative Writing
• Teaching Writing: Ways to Say Said

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16 Fun Word Games For Adults to Play

You found our list of the best word games for adults .

Word games are fun activities that test vocabulary, spelling, and language skills. Examples include Hangman, Skribbl, and Crosswords. These games aim to ensure that teammates have fun, interact and unwind while improving communication skills.

These challenges are similar to vocabulary games , letter games , interactive activities for students , and quick games for the office .

This list includes:

• word games for groups
• spelling word games for adults
• simple word games
• writing games for adults
• verbal games
• word puzzles for adults
• popular word games

Here we go!

List of fun word games for adults

From I Spy to Words Within a Word to Scattergories, here is our list of fun word games and activities.

1. Words Within a Word

Words Within a Word is one of the best word games for groups because it encourages teammates to brainstorm and share ideas.

• Share pieces of paper and pencils with teammates.
• The teammates will choose a host for the game.
• The host will select 15 to 20 long words.
• The host will share the words one at a time with the players.
• The players have 30 to 60 seconds to find as many words as possible within the given word and write them on paper. For example, the word “Explanation” has the words “Planet,” “plane,” “tin,” and “pin.”
• The player with the most words within the allocated time wins the round.
• The game will continue this way until the players have used up all the words.

This game is a fun way for teammates to test their language skills and develop their spelling skills. You can also organize this activity online by encouraging teammates to use the chat box. This activity can serve as an icebreaker activity for online meetings or a fun game during team get-togethers.

2. Sparkles

Sparkles is a fun word game that improves teammates’ spelling skills. In this activity, the players will sit in a circle. The first player will say a word out loud, then the second player will spell out the first letter of the word while the third player spells out the second letter. The game will continue until the last letter of the word is spelled out. The next player will yell “sparkles” and get out of the game.

The players will then begin spelling another word, and whosoever yells “sparkles” at the end of the word is out of the game. This game broadens teammates’ vocabulary and ensures that teammates collaborate. Whichever player also spells out the wrong letter is out of the game. To make this game as exciting as possible, challenge the players with difficult words that may be difficult to spell.

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• icebreaker games
• bingo cards

3. Common Quality

Common Quality is one of the best verbal games for teammates because it teaches players to connect specific descriptions to words. In this activity, the first player will say a word and a characteristic that the word has. For example, apples are green. The next player will then say a word with the same attribute or characteristic. For instance, vegetables are also green and healthy.

The next players will then use the next attribute to describe another word. The game will continue in this fashion until each player has several turns.

Hangman is a fun and exciting game where teammates solve word puzzles to escape the hangman’s noose.

• Split the teammates into small groups of four to six.
• Choose a player to create words.
• The wordmaster writes down dashes on a board to represent each letter of a word.
• The teammates will need to guess the word by guessing the letters.
• The wordmaster will write each correct letter as it appears within the word.
• If a player guesses incorrectly, then the wordmaster draws a part of the hangman’s noose
• The game will continue in this fashion until players guess the word or the wordmaster completes the hangman.

This game is one of the best spelling word games for adults because it is easy to play and exciting. You can also play this game on any video conferencing platform using the whiteboard feature.

I Spy is a classic word game that boosts teammates’ vocabulary and improves language. In this game, a player will identify an item and give hints for teammates to guess. For example, players will say, “I spy with my little eye something beginning with H.” Then, the teammates will take turns guessing the word.

Players have 60 seconds to get the answer right, or another player will take a turn. This activity is simple to organize, fun, and easy to play. You can also organize this activity via video call for teammates. I Spy counts as a word game because it encourages participants to associate descriptive words with nouns.

6. Scattergories

Scattergories is one of the most simple word games for adults. This game expands players’ vocabulary and is a fun way for teammates to engage and interact.

• Choose 12 categories. For example, fruits, names, and animals.
• The players will randomly choose a letter, and each teammate has 60 seconds to fill in words starting with the given letter in each category. For example, if the teammates choose the letter “S,” they may fill in the given categories with “Strawberries,” “Sonia’, and “Snake.”
• Each teammate who fills each category within the allocated time gets three points.
• Players do not get any points for an answer if another player also comes up with the same response.
• At the end of the game, the player with the highest point wins.
• Teammates can also play this game online on any video conferencing platform or applications like Slack or Discord.

Here is a collection of team building Scattergories lists .

7. Crosswords

Crosswords is a simple and entertaining game where teammates match letters in a grid to make words. Teammates can play this game individually or in teams for free online.

The teammates can set a timer for 15 to 20 minutes, and each team must find all the words in the grid within the allocated time. The first team to cross all the words wins the game. To play this activity online, you can use a fillable crossword website or share a puzzle onscreen during a conference call and turn on the annotation feature so that participants can fill in letters.

This game is an exciting way for teammates to unwind, get to know each other, and develop friendships.

Here is a free online crossword game .

8. My Story

My story is one of the most interactive games for adults. This game allows teammates to build stories or create novel ideas from scratch.

• Split the teammates into groups.
• Each group will get a set of words. For example, “Miami,” “wealth,” “sadness,” and “future.”
• Each team member must write a short two-sentence story with one of the words.
• The group members will then combine stories and ensure that it flows.
• The best story wins.

This game is an easy way for teammates to show their creativity, collaborate and share ideas. To make this game even more exciting, the teammates can make their stories as funny and outrageous as possible.

9. Random Word Game

Random Word Game is a fun and easy game that challenges teammates’ knowledge. In this game, players must come up with words starting with the last letter of a teammate’s word.

• The players will sit in a circle.
• The first player will choose any category. For example, fruits.
• The first player must name any word within the selected category. For example, “banana.”
• The next player must then call any other fruit beginning with the last word of the given word. For example, “apple.”
• The game will continue in this fashion until all the teammates get several turns.
• The teammates have only 30 seconds to come up with words.
• Any player who cannot come up with a word within the allocated time is out of the game.

This game teaches teammates to think and brainstorm under pressure and helps test teammates’ knowledge on a variety of topics and categories.

For inspiration, here is a random word generator .

10. Rhyming Word Game

Rhyming Word Game is a fun activity that promotes learning and encourages teammates to interact with each other. In this activity, the first player will say a word, and the other teammates will take turns saying words that rhyme.

If the teammates run out of rhymes, the next player will come up with a new word, and other players will find matching rhymes. The game will continue in this fashion for several rounds. This game is a fun way to test teammates’ knowledge and challenge players to learn new words.

Pro tip: To make the game extra funny and challenging, teammates might purposely use words that are difficult to rhyme.

11. The Alliteration Game

The Alliteration Game is a fun and engaging game that requires teammates to create complete sentences, all beginning with a chosen letter.

• The teammates will sit in a circle.
• The players will play in alphabetical order. For example, the first player will choose the letter “A,” the second player the letter “B,” and the third player the letter “C.”
• Each player will create a full sentence using alliterations with their given letter. For example, A llison A te A ll the Angel’s A pples
• The game will continue in the fashion until each player has had a turn.
• The players must switch positions to play a new round.
• Players who can’t use their given letter can skip to the next one.
• Each player can only skip twice.

This game is a great way to spark conversations among teammates and encourage employees to interact with each other. This is one of the best activities for team building or an icebreaker activity for online meetings.

12. Scrabble

Scrabble is a classic word board game where teammates get words for creating new words. This activity is an easy way to encourage team building and foster team bonding.

• Get a Scrabble board with all of its components.
• Get a dictionary in case teammates need to confirm words.
• The players will choose an order in which to play.
• Shake the bag of letters to mix up the letters, then each player will pick a letter.
• The players will continue in this fashion until each player has drawn seven letters.
• Next, each player will arrange their letters on a letter.
• The first player will create a word on the board horizontally or vertically.
• Each letter has score points. The player will accumulate points for each complete word and note them down.
• Players will draw new tiles for each tile used up during a turn. For example, if a player uses up five tiles for a word, then can only draw five more tiles from the bag at the end of their turn.
• Players can create new words from other teammates’ words on the board.
• The game will continue in this fashion until the board is full.

The teammates can refer to the dictionary if they have any confusion about a teammate’s word. This activity is a fun way for teammates to develop their spelling skills and learn the meaning of words. In addition, since players must make words around the letters already on the board, this activity encourages employees to build upon teammates’ ideas instead of creating solo.

13. Four Pictures One Word

Four Pictures One Word is an exciting online game that challenges teammates to brainstorm and pay attention to detail. In this game, the players will get four pictures that can be described with one word. Then, the players must guess the word right within a given time.

Participants can play individually or in teams. Teammates have 30 to 60 seconds to guess the word before the game passes it on to the next player or team. This activity broadens teammates’ vocabulary and helps improve spelling skills.

Here is a free Four Pictures One Word website.

14. Skribbl

Skribbl is a fun game that encourages players to cooperate and work together to solve word puzzles.

• Access the Skribbl website.
• Choose between three given words to draw.
• Each group will choose a player to draw.
• The player will draw the given word using the tools available on the screen.
• The teammates must guess the word the player is drawing within 60 to 80 seconds.
• The game will continue in this manner until each group has had several turns.
• The group with the highest points wins the game.

This game teaches teammates to collaborate and follow instructions from colleagues or superiors. This activity is also the perfect opportunity for teammates to engage and get to know each other.

Here is the Skribbl website .

15. The Word Spell

The Word Spell is a fun activity that teammates can use to develop their spelling skills. For this game, teammates will need a dictionary, a sheet of paper, and a pencil or pen.

• The teammates will choose a host to oversee the game.
• The teammates will choose an order in which to play.
• The host will randomly select a word in the dictionary and read out its definition without saying what the word is.
• The first player will guess the word and spell it.
• The host may offer clues through synonyms or by telling the player how many letters the word has.
• The game will continue in this fashion until each player has had several turns.

This activity challenges teammates to learn and helps broaden their vocabulary. This activity is a fun icebreaker for work and is a great way to ensure team bonding and interaction. You can also play this game online by typing the word’s definition and sharing it with attendees, and players must guess and send the word via the comment box. The first player to get the answer right wins the round.

16. Comic Story Telling

Comic Story Telling is one of the best writing games for adults because it allows folks to show off their storytelling skills and have fun. In this activity, teammates will need a notepad and pens.

• Sit in a circle.
• The first player will write a line of a funny story and pass the notepad to the next player.
• The next player will continue the story with another funny line.
• The game will continue in this fashion until the players find a satisfying and funny end to the story.

This activity will cause loud bouts of laughter, which will help teammates unwind, interact and bond with each other. This activity is also an excellent opportunity for teammates to share fun ideas and work together.

Word games help test teammates’ verbal, language, and spelling skills which may be necessary at work. These games also allow teammates to discuss, interact and get to know each other. Most of these activities are very easy and require little to no guidance.

For more resources, check out communication games , guessing games , and question games .

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FAQ: Word games

Here are some frequently asked questions about fun word games.

What are some fun word games for adults in English?

Some fun word games for adults in English include The Alliteration Game, Random Word Game, and The Word Spell.

How do you play word games as an adult?

To play word games as an adult, choose fun verbal games that test and challenge your spelling, vocabulary, and language skills. Choose a group of friends or teammates to play with and ensure that you have a fair point system to select winners easily. It is also essential to have plenty of paper and pens handy to play these games. You can play these games in person or online using the screen sharing feature, whiteboard feature or have responses sent via the chat box on your video conferencing software.

Author: Grace He

People & Culture Director at teambuilding.com. Grace is the Director of People & Culture at TeamBuilding. She studied Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, Information Science at East China Normal University and earned an MBA at Washington State University.

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100 Word Prompts for Writing: Boost Your Creativity with These Simple Words

By: Author Paul Jenkins

Posted on August 1, 2023

Categories Writing

If you’re a writer looking for inspiration, one of the best tools at your disposal is word prompts. These are single words or short phrases that can spark your creativity and help you come up with new ideas for your writing. Whether you’re struggling with writer’s block or just looking for a fun challenge, word prompts can be a great way to get your creative juices flowing.

There are many different types of word prompts available, ranging from simple nouns like “tree” or “book” to more complex phrases like “lost in the woods” or “abandoned mansion.”

Some prompts are specific to certain genres, like romance or horror, while others can be used for any type of writing. No matter what kind of writing you’re interested in, there’s sure to be a word prompt that can help you generate new ideas and explore different directions for your work.

Using word prompts can have many benefits for writers. They can help you break out of your comfort zone and try new things, as well as provide a starting point for your writing that you might not have thought of otherwise.

Additionally, by using prompts regularly, you can develop your writing skills and become more confident in your ability to generate ideas and write creatively. So if you’re looking for a way to boost your writing practice, consider incorporating word prompts into your routine.

Key Takeaways

• Word prompts are a useful tool for writers looking for inspiration and new ideas.
• There are many different types of word prompts available, including genre-specific prompts and prompts for different age groups.
• Using word prompts regularly can help writers break out of their comfort zone, develop their skills, and become more confident in their writing abilities.

Understanding Word Prompts for Writing

When it comes to writing, prompts are an excellent way to get your creative juices flowing. A writing prompt is a word, phrase, or sentence that serves as a starting point for your writing. It can be a tool to help you overcome writer’s block or a way to challenge yourself to write something new and exciting.

One type of writing prompt that has gained popularity in recent years is the one-word writing prompt. These prompts are exactly what they sound like – a single word that serves as the inspiration for your writing. One-word prompts can be especially useful for generating new ideas and exploring different themes in your writing.

To make the most of a writing prompt, it’s essential to understand what it’s asking you to do. Before you start writing, take some time to analyze the prompt and consider what it means. Look for key words and phrases that can guide your writing and help you stay on track.

When working with a one-word prompt, think about the different meanings and associations that the word has. Consider how the word makes you feel and what images or ideas it brings to mind. Use this information to guide your writing and create a piece that is both unique and engaging.

In summary, writing prompts can be a powerful tool for writers of all levels. One-word prompts, in particular, are a great way to challenge yourself and explore new themes in your writing. By taking the time to understand the prompt and using it as a starting point, you can create something truly special and unique.

Here Are 100 One-Word Writing Prompts

1. Sunset 2. Raindrop 3. Butterfly 4. Seashell 5. Feather 6. Rose 7. Wind 8. Wave 9. Forest 10. Mountain 11. River 12. Desert 13. Island 14. Ocean 15. Lake 16. Morning 17. Night 18. Dawn 19. Dusk 20. Journey 21. Adventure 22. Discovery 23. Mystery 24. Secret 25. Surprise 26. Imagination 27. Courage 28. Hope 29. Dream 30. Vision 31. Success 32. Failure 33. Friendship 34. Loyalty 35. Betrayal 36. Forgiveness 37. Regret 38. Memory 39. Childhood 40. Growing 41. Learning 42. Searching 43. Finding 44. Losing 45. Waiting 46. Returning 47. Leaving 48. Arriving 49. Beginning 50. Ending 51. Change 52. Stillness 53. Silence 54. Noise 55. Darkness 56. Light 57. Shadow 58. Fear 59. Joy 60. Sorrow 61. Anger 62. Calm 63. Storm 64. Shelter 65. Escape 66. Refuge 67. Peace 68. War 69. Victory 70. Defeat 71. Strength 72. Weakness 73. Pride 74. Humility 75. Kindness 76. Cruelty 77. Love 78. Hate 79. Truth 80. Lies 81. Freedom 82. Captivity 83. Wisdom 84. Folly 85. Courage 86. Danger 87. Safety 88. Risk 89. Reward 90. Loss 91. Serenity 92. Chaos 93. Order 94. Confusion 95. Clarity 96. Obscurity 97. Light 98. Darkness 99. Life 100. Death

Types of Word Prompts

There are different types of word prompts that can help spark your creativity. Here are some of the most common types:

Action Prompts

Action prompts are words that suggest movement or activity. They can be used to write about a character’s physical actions or to describe a scene. Some examples of action prompts include:

Using action prompts can help you create dynamic scenes and add energy to your writing.

Emotion Prompts

Emotion prompts are words that evoke a particular feeling or mood. They can be used to explore a character’s emotions or to set the tone of a scene. Some examples of emotion prompts include:

Using emotion prompts can help you create more nuanced characters and add depth to your writing.

Setting Prompts

Setting prompts are words that suggest a particular location or environment. They can be used to describe a scene or to create a sense of atmosphere. Some examples of setting prompts include:

• Underground

Using setting prompts can help you create vivid, immersive worlds that draw readers in.

By using different types of word prompts, you can generate a wide range of writing ideas and explore different aspects of your characters and stories. Experiment with different types of prompts and see what works best for you.

Benefits of Using Word Prompts

Using word prompts can offer a variety of benefits to writers of all levels. Here are some of the benefits you can expect when using word prompts:

1. Inspiration

Word prompts can be an excellent source of inspiration for writers who are struggling to come up with ideas. They can help you break out of writer’s block and get your creative juices flowing. By providing a starting point, word prompts can help you generate new and exciting ideas that you might not have considered otherwise.

2. Creativity

Word prompts can also help you develop your creativity by encouraging you to think outside the box. When you’re given a specific word or phrase to work with, you’re forced to come up with creative ways to incorporate it into your writing. This can help you develop your creativity and expand your writing skills.

3. Imagination

Word prompts can also help you tap into your imagination and explore new ideas and concepts. By providing a starting point, word prompts can help you imagine new worlds, characters, and scenarios that you might not have considered otherwise. This can help you develop your imagination and expand your writing skills.

4. Productivity

Using word prompts can also help you become more productive as a writer. By providing a starting point, word prompts can help you get started on your writing more quickly and easily. This can help you overcome procrastination and writer’s block, and can help you produce more writing in less time.

Overall, using word prompts can be an excellent way to improve your writing skills and develop your creativity, imagination, and productivity. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced writer, using word prompts can help you take your writing to the next level.

How to Use Word Prompts Effectively

Word prompts can be a powerful tool to help you generate ideas, begin your writing, and provide direction for your writing journey. Here are some tips on how to use word prompts effectively:

1. Choose the Right Word Prompt

Choose a word prompt that resonates with you or sparks your imagination. Don’t be afraid to choose a word that challenges you or takes you out of your comfort zone. The goal is to use the word prompt as a starting point for your writing, so choose a word that inspires you to write.

2. Use the Word Prompt as a Starting Point

Use the word prompt as a launching pad for your writing. Don’t try to force the word into your writing, but let it guide you in a natural way. The word prompt can be used as a way to brainstorm ideas or as a way to begin your writing.

3. Let Your Writing Take You on a Journey

Let your writing take you on a journey. Don’t worry about where your writing is going or how it will end. The journey is the destination, and the word prompt is just the beginning.

4. Embrace the Process

Embrace the process of writing. Writing is a journey, and it’s important to enjoy the process along the way. Don’t worry about being perfect or having all the answers. The beauty of writing is in the journey, and the word prompt is just the beginning of that journey.

By following these tips, you can use word prompts effectively to generate ideas, begin your writing, and provide direction for your writing journey.

Word Prompts for Different Genres

If you’re a writer, you know that sometimes it can be difficult to come up with new ideas. That’s where word prompts come in. Word prompts are a great way to get your creative juices flowing and to help you come up with new and exciting story ideas. Here are some word prompts for different genres that you can use to get started.

Fiction Prompts

If you’re looking for fiction prompts, there are plenty of options out there. You can use a single word or a phrase to get started. Here are a few examples:

• “The last time you saw her”
• “A knock at the door”
• “The sound of footsteps”

Using these prompts, you can create a story that is unique and engaging. You can use them as a starting point and build your story from there.

Mystery Prompts

Mystery stories are all about suspense and intrigue. Here are some prompts that can help you create a compelling mystery:

• “A missing object”
• “A secret room”
• “A mysterious phone call”

With these prompts, you can create a story that will keep your readers on the edge of their seats. You can use them to create a plot that is full of twists and turns.

Adventure Prompts

Adventure stories are all about excitement and danger. Here are some prompts that can help you create an adventurous tale:

• “A lost city”
• “A treasure map”
• “A dangerous journey”

With these prompts, you can create a story that is full of action and adventure. You can use them to create a plot that is full of challenges and obstacles.

No matter what genre you’re writing in, word prompts can be a great way to get started. They can help you come up with new and exciting ideas that you may not have thought of otherwise. So the next time you’re feeling stuck, try using a word prompt to help you get started.

Creating Your Own Word Prompts

If you’re looking to invent unique writing prompts, you can use your imagination and creativity to come up with words that inspire you. Here are some tips to help you create your own word prompts:

• Think about your interests and hobbies. What are some words that come to mind when you think about these topics? For example, if you’re interested in gardening, you could use words like “soil,” “seeds,” or “bloom.”
• Consider using words that evoke strong emotions. Words like “love,” “hate,” “fear,” or “joy” can be powerful prompts that encourage you to explore your feelings in your writing.
• Use random word generators to spark your creativity. There are many online tools that can generate random words for you to use as prompts. You can use these words as they are or combine them to create your own unique prompts.
• Create a list of words that you find interesting or unusual. You can use these words as prompts for your writing, or combine them with other words to create more complex prompts.

Once you have a list of word prompts, you can use them in a variety of ways. You can choose one word each day and write a short story or poem inspired by that word. You can also use multiple words to create more complex prompts that challenge you to explore different themes and ideas in your writing.

The key to creating your own word prompts is to be open to new ideas and willing to experiment with different approaches. With a little creativity and imagination, you can come up with word prompts that inspire you to write and help you develop your skills as a writer.

Word Prompts for Different Age Groups

Prompts for children.

Word prompts are a great way to encourage children to write creatively. They can help children to develop their vocabulary, improve their writing skills, and express their thoughts and feelings. Here are some word prompts that are suitable for children:

Prompts for Teens

Teens often have a lot on their minds, and word prompts can be a great way to help them express themselves. Here are some word prompts that are suitable for teenagers:

Prompts for Adults

Word prompts can be a useful tool for adults who want to improve their writing skills or explore their creativity. Here are some word prompts that are suitable for adults:

No matter your age, word prompts can be a fun and effective way to get your creative juices flowing. Whether you’re a student, a parent, or just someone who loves to write, try using some of these word prompts to inspire your next writing project.

Word Prompts for Group Writing Activities

If you are looking for a fun and engaging way to get your writing group to work together, using word prompts is a great option. Word prompts can be used to inspire creativity, encourage collaboration, and provide a starting point for group writing activities.

One way to use word prompts in a group writing activity is to give each member of the group a different word and then have them write a paragraph or short story that incorporates all of the words. This activity can help to build unity within the group as everyone works together to create a cohesive story.

Another option is to use a single word prompt and have everyone in the group write their own story or poem based on that word. This activity allows for individual creativity while still providing a common starting point for everyone.

When choosing word prompts for group writing activities, it is important to consider the interests and skill levels of everyone in the group. You want to choose words that are challenging but not so difficult that they discourage participation.

Here are a few examples of word prompts that could be used in group writing activities:

By using word prompts in your group writing activities, you can encourage everyone to work together, inspire creativity, and have fun while writing.

Incorporating Word Prompts in Daily Writing

If you’re looking to improve your writing skills or simply want to write more frequently, incorporating word prompts into your daily writing routine can be an effective strategy.

Word prompts can be a single word, phrase, or sentence that inspires you to write on a specific topic or theme. Here are a few ways you can incorporate word prompts into your daily writing:

Use Word Prompts in Your Journal

If you keep a journal, using word prompts can help you explore new topics and ideas. You can use a different word prompt each day or week to challenge yourself to write about something new.

For example, if your word prompt is “adventure,” you could write about a recent adventure you had or imagine a future adventure you’d like to take.

Use Word Prompts in Your Letters

If you enjoy writing letters to friends and family, using word prompts can help you add variety to your correspondence. You can use a different word prompt for each letter you write or use the same prompt for multiple letters to explore different angles or perspectives.

For example, if your word prompt is “memories,” you could write about a favorite childhood memory or ask your recipient to share a memorable experience of their own.

Use Word Prompts to Write News Articles

If you’re interested in journalism, using word prompts can help you practice writing news articles on different topics. You can use a different word prompt each day or week to challenge yourself to write about a newsworthy event or issue. For example, if your word prompt is “climate change,” you could write about the latest climate change research or the impact of climate change on a specific community.

Use Word Prompts for Daily Writing Practice

If you want to improve your writing skills, using word prompts for daily writing practice can be a helpful tool. You can set aside a specific time each day to write on a different word prompt or use the same prompt for multiple days to explore different angles or perspectives.

For example, if your word prompt is “time,” you could write about the importance of time management or reflect on a significant moment in your life.

Incorporating word prompts into your daily writing can help you stay motivated, explore new topics, and improve your writing skills. Whether you’re writing in a journal, writing letters, or practicing journalism, using word prompts can be a fun and effective way to enhance your daily writing routine.

Special Word Prompts

If you are looking for some unique and exciting writing prompts, then special word prompts can be a great option to explore. These prompts can help you to unleash your creativity and come up with some truly amazing ideas. In this section, we will explore some of the most popular types of special word prompts that you can use to spark your imagination.

One-Word Prompts

One-word prompts are an excellent way to get started on a writing project. They are simple, yet effective, and can help you to focus your thoughts and ideas. Some examples of one-word prompts include “love,” “fear,” “adventure,” “mystery,” and “hope.” You can use these prompts to write a short story, a poem, or even a novel. The possibilities are endless.

Picture Prompts

Picture prompts are another great option for writers who are looking for something a little different. These prompts involve using a photograph or image as inspiration for your writing. You can use the image to create a setting, a character, or even a plot. Some examples of picture prompts include a deserted beach, a crowded city street, or a spooky forest. You can use these prompts to write a descriptive paragraph, a short story, or even a novel.

Music Prompts

If you are a music lover, then music prompts can be a great way to get inspired. These prompts involve using a song or piece of music as inspiration for your writing. You can use the lyrics or the melody to create a mood, a character, or even a story. Some examples of music prompts include “Yesterday” by The Beatles, “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, or “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin. You can use these prompts to write a poem, a short story, or even a screenplay.

In conclusion, special word prompts can be a great way to get inspired and come up with some truly amazing writing ideas. Whether you prefer one-word prompts, picture prompts, or music prompts, there is something out there for everyone. So, go ahead and give them a try. You never know what you might come up with.

Word Prompts for Self-Exploration and Personal Growth

Writing is a powerful tool for self-exploration and personal growth. When you write, you can explore your thoughts, feelings, and experiences in a safe and private space. Word prompts can help you get started and guide you on your writing journey. Here are some word prompts for self-exploration and personal growth:

Writing about yourself can help you gain a deeper understanding of who you are and what makes you unique. Here are some word prompts to explore yourself:

• Describe your strengths and weaknesses.
• Write about a time when you felt proud of yourself.
• What are your values and beliefs?
• What are your goals and aspirations?
• What are your fears and insecurities?

Writing can help you explore new ideas, perspectives, and experiences. Here are some word prompts to help you explore:

• Write about a place you’ve never been before.
• What are your thoughts on a controversial issue?
• Write a letter to your future self.
• Describe a challenge you overcame.
• What are some things you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t yet?

Writing can help you reflect on your experiences and learn from them. Here are some word prompts to help you grow:

• Write about a mistake you made and what you learned from it.
• What is something you’ve changed your mind about?
• Describe a time when you had to step out of your comfort zone.
• Write about a person who has had a significant impact on your life.
• What are some areas you want to improve in?

Personal Growth

Writing can help you track your progress and set goals for personal growth. Here are some word prompts to help you focus on personal growth:

• What are your priorities in life?
• Write about a time when you had to make a difficult decision.
• Describe a time when you felt fulfilled.
• What are some habits you want to develop or break?
• Write about a goal you’ve achieved and how you did it.

In conclusion, word prompts can be a valuable tool for self-exploration and personal growth. By using these prompts, you can gain a deeper understanding of yourself, explore new ideas and experiences, reflect on your experiences, and track your progress towards personal growth.

Word Prompts for Story Development

When it comes to developing a story, word prompts can be a great tool to help you get started and overcome writer’s block. These prompts can be used for short stories, novels, or any other type of writing project.

Using word prompts can help you to create a plot and develop characters. They can also help you to explore different themes and ideas. Here are some tips for using word prompts for story development:

1. Choose a Word Prompt

Choose a word prompt that resonates with you and fits the type of story you want to write. You can find word prompts online or create your own. Some examples of word prompts include “love,” “fear,” “betrayal,” “adventure,” or “mystery.”

2. Brainstorm Ideas

Once you have chosen a word prompt, brainstorm ideas for your story. Think about how the prompt can be used to develop characters, create conflict, or drive the plot forward. You can use mind maps, index cards, or other brainstorming tools to help you generate ideas.

3. Develop Your Characters

Use the word prompt to develop your characters. Think about how the prompt relates to their backstory, personality, or motivations. Use the prompt to create conflict between characters or to drive their actions forward.

4. Create a Plot

Use the word prompt to create a plot for your story. Think about how the prompt can be used to create tension, build suspense, or drive the action forward. Use the prompt to create a twist or surprise ending.

5. Explore Themes

Use the word prompt to explore different themes and ideas in your story. Think about how the prompt relates to larger issues or questions. Use the prompt to create a message or moral for your story.

In conclusion, word prompts can be a powerful tool for developing a story. They can help you to create a plot, develop characters, and explore different themes and ideas. By following these tips, you can use word prompts to overcome writer’s block and create a compelling story.

Challenges in Using Word Prompts

Using word prompts for writing can be a fun and engaging way to get your creative juices flowing. However, it can also present some challenges that you may need to overcome to fully benefit from this exercise. Here are some of the difficulties you may face when using word prompts:

Challenge 1: Feeling Stuck

Sometimes, the word prompt you are given may not inspire you or may not seem interesting. You may feel stuck and unable to come up with any ideas. In such cases, it is important to remember that you do not have to write a masterpiece every time. Just start writing whatever comes to mind, even if it seems silly or unimportant. This can help you get past the initial hurdle of feeling stuck and may lead to more creative ideas later on.

Challenge 2: Lack of Direction

Another challenge you may face when using word prompts is a lack of direction. You may not know where to take your writing or what direction to go in. In such cases, it may be helpful to brainstorm some ideas before you start writing. You can also try breaking down the prompt into smaller parts and focusing on one aspect at a time.

Challenge 3: Overthinking

When using word prompts, it is easy to overthink and try to come up with the perfect idea. However, this can lead to writer’s block and prevent you from actually writing anything. To overcome this challenge, try to let go of your expectations and just write without worrying about the outcome. Remember that writing is a process, and not every idea has to be perfect.

Challenge 4: Limited Vocabulary

Using word prompts can also be challenging if you have a limited vocabulary. You may find it difficult to come up with different words or phrases to use in your writing. In such cases, it may be helpful to read more and expand your vocabulary. You can also use a thesaurus to find synonyms for words you commonly use.

Overall, using word prompts for writing can be a fun and rewarding exercise. However, it is important to be aware of the challenges that may arise and to find ways to overcome them. By doing so, you can unlock your creativity and improve your writing skills.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some unique one-word writing prompts.

There are many unique one-word writing prompts that can inspire creativity. Some examples include “Surrender,” “Mirage,” “Euphoria,” “Enigma,” and “Serendipity.” One way to find more unique prompts is to think of uncommon words or concepts and use them as a starting point for your writing.

Where can I find a good writing prompts book?

There are many writing prompt books available online or in bookstores. Some popular options include “642 Things to Write About” by the San Francisco Writers’ Grotto, “The Daily Prompt: A Year of Writing Exercises” by Hannah Braime, and “The Writer’s Block: 786 Ideas to Jump-Start Your Imagination” by Jason Rekulak. You can also find many free writing prompt resources online.

What are some creative writing prompts for adults?

Creative writing prompts for adults can vary depending on your interests and writing goals. Some examples include “Write a story from the perspective of a tree,” “Describe a character’s dream job and how they achieve it,” or “Write a letter to your future self.” You can also find many creative writing prompt generators online that can provide unique and unexpected prompts.

What is an example of a successful writing prompt?

A successful writing prompt is one that inspires creativity and encourages writers to explore new ideas and perspectives. An example of a successful writing prompt might be “Write a story about a character who discovers a hidden door in their house and what they find behind it.” This prompt provides a clear starting point for a story while also leaving room for the writer to explore their imagination.

What are some two-word writing prompts?

Two-word writing prompts can be a fun and challenging way to spark creativity. Some examples include “Broken Dreams,” “Silent Thunder,” “Whispered Secrets,” “Hidden Treasure,” and “Fading Memories.” You can also create your own two-word prompts by combining words that have interesting or contrasting meanings.

Where can I find a daily word prompt generator?

There are many daily word prompt generators available online that can provide a new prompt every day. Some popular options include “OneWord,” “The Daily Post,” and “Writing Prompts.” These generators can be a great way to challenge yourself to write regularly and explore new ideas.

Is creative writing already a lost art? Kids show the joy of the written word still exists.

The request was simple enough: Please come and talk to 11 separate Southern Indiana grade school classes about writing . You know, the thing you do for a living. Rearranging the alphabet into words . Then lining up those words into thoughts and pictures to make a point, tell a story, make a difference.

The request was from Susan Stewart, advanced program coordinator for Greater Clark County Schools . It was instantly appealing. No one had ever come to my grade school to talk about writing. No one had ever told me early on about the absolute joy to be found in putting words and thoughts on paper. It took me 25 years to learn that.

Or, as Susan said in her letter asking me to give it a try:

“I truly believe your presentation will be one of those pivotal moments in some of these kids’ lives where they pinpoint this experience as discovering they are really good at writing and decide they want to pursue a career in writing.”

No pressure there.

So, about a month later I sat down in a low chair in a grade school in downtown Jeffersonville. I had always believed writing classes work best at eye level with the kids. The class sizes varied from two to nine. The kids, selected by aptitude and test scores, had been somewhat prepped, appeared eager to learn and were trying to figure me out.

Are kids so tied to social media that creative writing is already a lost art?

I did somewhat the same. I had no real idea what was on the minds of nine-, ten- and eleven-year-old kids these days. My fear was that they are so tied to social media games that pure creative writing is already a lost art. And what is artificial intelligence going to do to all that?

Follow Diane Porter's example. JCPS board chair was a fierce advocate for Black students.

On the other hand, as I quickly learned, almost all are avid readers. Books. Words used to paint pictures, make a point, tell a story. So there was hope.

But how to further connect? I began by discussing possibilities, the places newspaper writing has taken me in more than 40 years and 4,000 columns and stories, the places they could go.

I told them how I have been to the World Ice Skating Championship in Czechoslovakia, NCAA basketball championships in St. Louis and Indianapolis, being on the sidelines and in press boxes at NFL, NBA and major league baseball games.

Moving away from athletics, I explained how I wrote about classical dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, covered Broadway shows in Louisville, took a trip to Ghana to write of Louisville doctors on a medical mission, spent time inside the U.S. Supreme Court, got caught in the middle of a gun fight between police and a man holed up in his house and wandered Kentucky for a coupled years writing of great forests, country stores and mules.

I have now written or helped with 15 books, so I pushed the conversation a little deeper. I explained the work required over months and years to write a book, the satisfaction derived from holding such a finished product in my hands.

Kids love books and the writing it takes to tell stories

One fifth grader said she had already started.

We began to bond. Several of the kids were eager to answer all my questions, and quickly thrust their hands in the air. I was more interested in those remaining silent and mostly in the back row.

We talked some of keeping personal diaries – and many of them said they do. We talked of the need to write well and clearly at some point in almost any job. We talked about writing letters to friends and family. Many said they already do that. We talked of reading, of sharing books, and having their parents read to them.

Or maybe them reading to their parents.

Their questions about writing, the places I have been, were interesting, fun, welcome and spontaneous, my favorite being “What is your favorite genre?” 

That meant it was time – past time - for the basics. My writing suggestions were simple. I asked the kids to write them down and warned they will be asked to write something with pencil on paper afterward, then read it out loud.

The writer’s job to explain to people who are not there what’s going on

I told them writing is like being a foreign correspondent. It’s the writer’s job to explain to people who are not there what’s going on. That action could be fiction, whatever was on the writer’s mind, or something outside on a playground, or some place on vacation. Use details to make a point, tell a story, describe the situation. With only four simple rules:

Write what you see.

Write what you hear.

Write what you think.

Write what you feel.

That was it. At this point I didn’t get too far into the 10 or 15 revisions required for every paragraph, how excessive use of detail can get in the way of the story. Not to mention the years it can take to get this writing thing fully figured out. With no guarantees of ever being published.

Just write.

To help the process along, to focus them on a story subject, I asked them to describe me and my mission. Use those four simple rules: see, hear, think, feel. Write it for someone who is not there but needs to know the experience.

What are we going to do? Reading is the greatest civil rights issue of our time.

That got everyone involved, the entire class quickly offering descriptions of a deep voice, large body, a funky shirt, likeable mannerisms and yes, a bald head, although it took them awhile to get around to that.

When in doubt, write the truth

Then I went off point a bit, adding a little culture and sociology. I always on these writing missions bring along a big bag of very distinctive hats, cowboy hat, golfer’s hat, baseball cap, leprechaun’s hat. I put on each in succession and the kids, loving it, went crazy with apt descriptions, even those who had been silent – especially those who had been silent.

The kicker came when I explained they had each described me by the hat I was wearing, but underneath all that I am the same person. Only the hat changed. Point being the biggest mistake any writer can make is to judge a book by its cover.

Lessons learned they all began writing, cranking out words that became sentences that became descriptions and word pictures. Some more quickly than others, They were only allowed about 15 minutes. Afterward, mostly standing up proudly, they read to the others about a big amiable guy with no hair and a deep voice wearing funky clothes and hats as he talked about using see, hear, think and feel to become good writers.

Or words to that effect.

Some of them didn’t want to read their work aloud and I understood – been there, done that. But I did feel – as every teacher must hopefully feel at some point in their day – that I had made a difference, that some kids had learned of the absolute joy to be found in writing and would take that home with them.

And maybe beyond.

It’s a message that should be spread to all students with a hidden interest and ability in writing, not just those who test well. Some immediate satisfaction came when the students in one class offered me “high fives,” asked me to autograph their papers. My finest moment came while walking out of the school through the cafeteria, one of my students, a precocious second grader, walked over and gave me a big hug.

May all teachers find such a moment.

Bob Hill was a Louisville Times and Courier Journal feature writer and columnist for 33 years.