Narrative Writing Prompt Ideas
- Think of a real experience you have had that would be hard to forget. Think about what makes it so hard to forget. Tell what happened.
- Think about your best holiday celebration ever. Write an essay to tell about this celebration and why it was your favorite.
- Remember the best school assembly ever. Write an essay telling what happened, how the audience responded, and why the assembly was important.
- You won a school contest that allowed you to be teacher-for-a-day. Write about your experience as teacher-for-a-day.
- You and your family went on a camping trip during the weekend. A friend of yours, who has never been camping, wants to know what it was like. Write a letter to your friend telling about one evening of your weekend camping trip.
- Pretend your favorite book character or comic book character came to life for a day. Write a story for your classmates about the character that came to life for a day.
- We all have memories connected to our experiences. Think about an experience you feel you'll always remember. Try to picture the time, the place, and the people involved. Try to remember everything you can about this experience. Write about the experience you remember. Be sure to include enough details so that your reader can share your experience. Show why this memory stands out for you.
- Choose something for show & tell, but rather than bringing your object to class, your job is to write a short story or poem that shows us the object and tells us why it's important to you. You'll need to use lots of details to demonstrate the significance of the object -- use your words to create images that show readers the object and why it is important to you.
- Write about a time you experienced or learned something for the first time. It could be when you first rode a bike or learned a new game. It could have been your first day of school, your first train or plane ride, or your first trip to an amusement park. First experiences are special for some reason. They may be funny, scary, or exciting.
- Write about a time when you were surprised. It could have been a birthday party or when you got something you had not expected. It could be when you planned something and it did not turn out the way you thought it would. It could have been when someone came for a surprise visit. Surprises can be funny, scary, or exciting.
- Write about a time when you did something that made you feel good. It could be when you helped a team, sang, or played music for others. It could be a time when you were nice or did a special favor for someone. It could be when you did something you had never done before. The important thing is that you felt good about what you did.
- Choose a vivid time from your childhood. Narrate the events related to the childhood memory that you've chosen so that your readers will understand why the event was important and memorable.
- Teaching someone else how to do something can be rewarding. Think of a skill that you've taught someone else how to do. Think about the events that made up the process of teaching the skill, and narrate the story for your readers.
- Choose a time when you did something that took a lot of nerve, a time when you didn't follow the crowd or a time when you stood up for your beliefs. Think about the details of the event and write a story that tells about what happened. Your narrative should show your readers why you decided to make a stand or try something that took nerve, give specifics on the events, and share how you felt after the event.
- Think about either your first or last day of school. Write a story to a friend telling about that day. Be sure to describe the atmosphere and tell what impressed you most about your experience.
- Tell a friend about an experience that you had involving an animal. It might be an experience with your pet, someone else's pet, or even a wild animal. Be sure to tell the story in a way that shows why this experience was memorable to you.
- Tell about a time when you were embarrassed.
- Think of a friend you have, in or out of school. Tell one story that comes to mind when you think of this friend.
- Retell a fairy tale from the villain's point of view.
- Choose one of your favorite authors. Write a letter telling why you like his/her work.
- Think about something that happened at school that you will remember for a long time. Tell what happened.
- Pretend that you have superhuman powers. Think about all the different types of superpowers that you would have. Explain to the reader of your paper about your superhuman powers and how you use them.
- All children have fun with their friends. Think about a friend you have. This friend might be a classmate, neighbor, family member or pet. Think about something fun you have done together. Now tell about a time you had fun with your friend.
- We have all taken trips, even if it is to the library or grocery store. Think about a trip you have taken. Where did you go? Why did you go there? What was it like? Write about a trip you have taken.
- We have all had happy things happen to us that we will never forget, like getting a good grade, being picked for a team or winning an award. Think about some unforgettable thing that has happened to you. What happened? How did you feel? Tell about this memorable experience so that your reader can picture it in his or her mind.
- If you could have any job/career you wanted, what would it be? Why?
- What is the best place to go for vacation? Why?
- Is there a special object or family tradition that is important to everyone in your family? For example, do you have an heirloom that has been handed down through generations, a quilt your grandmother made, or a special way of celebrating birthdays? For a younger relative - perhaps even for someone who hasn't been born yet - describe this family treasure or tradition in as much detail as you can.
- A noise outside awakens you one night. You look out the window and see a spaceship. The door of the spaceship opens, and out walks a space creature. What does the creature look like? What do you do? Write a story about what happens next.
- Write a story about a ride in a hot air balloon.