Notes from the Inkpot
Writing, teaching, creating - one ink-stained idea at a time.
Ekphrastic Writing for the Classroom: Art, Photo & Science Prompts for English Teachers
Ekphrastic writing — responding to art with words — is one of the most powerful ways to build voice, imagination, and close observation in the English classroom. This ultimate guide pulls together classical paintings, surreal artworks, historical photographs, sculpture, science imagery, and AI visuals, with practical teaching ideas, student prompts, and cross-curricular extensions. Whether you’re planning a cover lesson, a full unit, or a gallery walk, this is the resource you’ll want bookmarked.
2000+ Creative Writing Prompts for Teens (Ultimate Master List by Genre, Trope, Season & Month)
Explore more than 2000 creative writing prompts for teens in this growing master list. Each themed collection includes 70 original prompts designed to spark imagination, build storytelling confidence, and support daily writing habits. Browse by genre, trope, holiday, season or month to find the right ideas for fiction writing, journaling or creative warm-ups. New collections are added every Friday, making this resource ideal for teen writers, creative writing clubs, homeschool and classroom activities. Bookmark this page and return as the list expands.
70 Urban Fantasy Writing Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas
Urban fantasy fuses magic with the modern world—think secret covens behind coffee shops, cursed metro lines, and enchanted city streets. In this post you’ll find 70 creative writing prompts for teens, including plot hooks, titles, opening lines, characters, settings, and picture prompts to spark fresh stories.
70 New Year Writing Prompts for Teens: Midnight Thresholds, Hidden Promises, and the Moment Between Years
This collection of 70 New Year writing prompts for teens explores the moment between years: when time turns, promises are made in secret, and the future feels both vast and unforgiving. Drawing on themes of Father Time, midnight thresholds, hidden resolutions, and cosmic consequence, these prompts invite writers into stories where celebration fades and meaning sharpens. Blending contemporary realism with magical realism, gothic atmosphere, and high-fantasy imagery, the prompts include plot hooks, story starters, character ideas, settings, and cinematic visual prompts — perfect for classrooms, writing clubs, or independent writers ready to explore what it really means to step into a new year.
70 January Writing Prompts for Teens: New Beginnings, Aftermaths, and Turning Points
January is a month of quiet turning points — what comes after the celebrations, when routines return and choices begin to matter. This collection of 70 January writing prompts invites teen writers to explore aftermath, new beginnings, and moments of change through plot hooks, opening and closing lines, character ideas, settings, and visual prompts designed for classrooms or independent writing.