Notes from the Inkpot
Writing, teaching, creating - one ink-stained idea at a time.
Favourite Short Stories for the Classroom: Powerful Texts That Spark Discussion and Debate
Short stories offer some of the richest opportunities for discussion in the classroom. Their compact form allows students to engage deeply with power, choice, identity, and consequence, while leaving space for interpretation rather than easy answers. The best short stories do not rush towards resolution; they invite debate, uncertainty, and close attention to language. This post brings together favourite short stories for the classroom — texts that consistently spark discussion and reward close reading. Organised by theme, it explores stories such as The Lottery, The Yellow Wallpaper, The Necklace, and The Monkey’s Paw, alongside practical classroom ideas designed to support thoughtful, discussion-led teaching.
70 February Writing Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas
These February writing prompts for teens explore the quieter, colder side of late winter, focusing on atmosphere-driven storytelling, seasonal folklore, and emotionally grounded conflict. Designed for secondary classrooms and independent writers, this 70-prompt collection moves beyond Valentine’s Day clichés to capture the tension, endurance, and subtle transformation that define February. Inside, you’ll find plot hooks, opening and closing lines, character and setting ideas, and picture prompts inspired by icy landscapes, winter rituals, and communities pushed to their limits. Ideal for creative warm-ups, short fiction, or extended writing projects, these prompts support confident creative writing while encouraging depth, restraint, and reflection during the final stretch of winter.
70 Winter Writing Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas
Winter is a season of contrasts — beauty and danger, warmth and isolation, silence and storm. These 70 winter writing prompts invite teen writers to explore atmosphere-driven storytelling through snowbound settings, high-stakes survival, quiet unease, and emotional restraint. Designed for creative writing in secondary classrooms or independent projects, the prompts focus on winter itself rather than festive themes. Including plot hooks, opening and closing lines, character and setting ideas, and picture prompts, this collection supports confident creative writing across genres such as gothic, speculative fiction, realism, and romance. Whether used for short fiction, exam preparation, or extended writing tasks, these winter writing prompts help writers develop mood, tension, and narrative control.
70 October Writing Prompts for Teens: Spooky Starters, Autumn Titles, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas
October creative writing prompts inspired by misty mornings, fading light, and the quiet unease of autumn. This collection is designed for teen writers and classrooms, featuring story starters, opening and closing lines, character ideas, atmospheric settings, and cinematic picture prompts rooted in autumn, folklore, and seasonal change rather than novelty Halloween themes. Ideal for creative writing lessons, independent projects, or writers seeking October writing inspiration, these prompts explore mystery, transformation, and atmosphere while linking into a wider Creative Writing Archive of genre- and season-based ideas to support imaginative writing all year round.