Notes from the Inkpot
Writing, teaching, creating - one ink-stained idea at a time.
70 Fantasy Writing Prompts for Teens
Let students build magical worlds and unforgettable characters with these 70 fantasy writing prompts for teens. From enchanted forests and forgotten prophecies to mysterious maps and celestial mirrors, this collection includes story starters, titles, character ideas, setting inspiration, and stunning visual prompts to spark imagination in any classroom.
70 Horror Creative Writing Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Titles, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas
Looking for horror writing prompts that go beyond haunted houses and jump scares?
This post includes 70+ eerie and original ideas designed to help teen writers build atmosphere, suspense, and unforgettable stories. Perfect for creative writing units, Halloween lessons, or students who love the strange and uncanny.
Creative Writing Lessons That Feel Like Time Travel: How I Use Writing Boxes in the Classroom
Tired of blank stares during creative writing lessons? These immersive story boxes turn students into detectives, poets, and storytellers. From séance invitations to village festivals with a secret, here’s how I use creative writing boxes to spark serious engagement (and save my sanity) in the classroom.
70 Dystopian Writing Prompts for Teen Writers
Looking for dystopian writing prompts that actually get teens thinking? This post goes way beyond “write about a world with no rules.” You’ll find story ideas, eerie titles, opening and closing lines, character inspiration, settings, and high-impact picture prompts. Everything you need to help students build powerful dystopian narratives from the ground up.
70 Sci-Fi Writing Prompts for Teens: Ideas, Openings, and Visual Starters for the English Classroom
Looking for sci-fi writing prompts that actually work with teens? This post goes beyond aliens and spaceships. You’ll find story starters, eerie opening lines, character ideas, atmospheric settings, and picture prompts. all designed to help students write science fiction with substance.
One Month In: What I’ve Learned from Launching My Own Website
One month after launching my website, I’m sharing what really happened. From the unexpected slow start to the small wins that made it all feel worth it. Here’s what I’ve learned, what surprised me, and why I’m more excited than ever for what’s coming next.
10 Creative Writing Challenges to Stretch Your Imagination
Looking for ways to spark fresh ideas? These 10 creative writing challenges are perfect for classrooms, workshops, or solo writing sessions. From genre mashups to story reversals, each quick challenge helps stretch imagination, build skills, and unlock unexpected stories.
Why Creative Writing Boxes Aren’t Just for Kids (And Why You Might Need One Too)
Creative writing boxes aren’t just for kids—and the ones I’ve built were never meant to be. They’re for adults and older teens who want to reconnect with writing, rediscover their creativity, or get lost in a story built from fragments, mystery, and atmosphere. If you've ever needed a spark to write again, this might be it.
The Kindling Collection: A Writing Box of Ritual, Firelight, and Uneasy Traditions
If you’ve ever wanted to stumble across a forgotten box of secrets, piece together a decades-old mystery, or uncover what a village has tried to forget, this is the one.
The Kindling Collection invites you into the village of Ashwick, where the Longlight Festival burns brighter than reason. What starts with weathered letters and faded photos slowly begins to feel… real. You’ll find cinnamon-scented fragments, unsettling children’s drawings, volunteer lists, and sealed envelopes that beg not to be opened.
Step into something old, strange, and quietly horrifying, and let the story pull you under.
Inside the Victoriana Collection: A Writing Box of Mystery, History, and Creative Intrigue
The Victoriana Collection isn’t a set of writing prompts. It’s a mystery told through forgotten photographs, torn letters, and eerie clues from another time. If you’re the kind of writer who finds inspiration in texture, mood, and fragments, this box was made for you. Gothic, atmospheric, and open-ended - this is where your next story begins.
Creative Writing Prompts Reimagined: A Story in a Box
Creative writing prompts don’t have to be flat. These immersive, tactile storytelling boxes are designed for writers who crave atmosphere, mystery, and a spark of the unexpected — whether you’re writing alone, in a group, or just starting to explore your voice.