Notes from the Inkpot
Writing, teaching, creating - one ink-stained idea at a time.
70 Cyberpunk Writing Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Titles, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas
Cyberpunk is all about rebellion, technology, and survival in a neon-drenched future. These 70 prompts dive into hackers, megacities, AI, and underground resistance movements, giving teen writers the chance to experiment with high-tech drama and raw emotion. Whether you’re teaching dystopian literature, exploring sci-fi themes, or just want to fuel creativity, this collection blends classic cyberpunk grit with fresh, atmospheric ideas.
Dark Inheritance: 31 Haunting October Writing Prompts for Teachers and Teens
October is the perfect month for eerie storytelling, and Dark Inheritance delivers 31 gothic-inspired prompts packed with secrets, curses, and unsettling twists. Each daily prompt includes a title, image, opening line, closing line, and full plot idea—ideal for classrooms or independent writers who want to embrace the darker side of creativity this Halloween season.
70 Ghost Story Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Titles, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas
Step into the shadows with 70 ghost story writing prompts for teens. From eerie plot hooks and chilling opening lines to haunted settings, character ideas, and picture prompts, this collection is packed with inspiration for spooky season. Perfect for classroom activities, creative writing practice, or anyone who loves a good scare.
The Silent Directive: A Creative Writing Box Inspired by a World Without Sound
What if silence wasn’t a choice, but the law? In our latest writing boxThe Silent Directive, citizens live under a regime where sound itself is treason. Broadcasts, memos, detention registers, and propaganda leaflets reveal a world where silence is loyalty, silence is safety, and silence is survival. Unlike my other writing boxes, this one doesn’t whisper secrets — it issues orders in plain sight.
30 Daily Writing Prompts for September: The Architect of Fate
September’s daily writing prompts come wrapped in gold thread and shadow. The Architect of Fate is a month-long journey into stories where destiny isn’t fixed—it’s forged. Across thirty prompts, you’ll explore mythic landscapes, surreal machines, whispered bargains, and impossible choices. Each day offers a spark for your creativity, whether you’re a teacher in search of classroom starters, a student finding your voice, or a writer chasing your next great idea. From villages that vanish before dawn to dreamwalkers trapped between worlds, these prompts are designed to challenge, inspire, and unsettle—in the best possible way.
Why I Swear by Picture Prompts for Teaching Literature (And How to Use Them)
Picture prompts aren’t just for creative writing units — they can transform the way students connect with literature. Whether you use them to spark predictions before reading or to inspire a fresh take after finishing a text, the right image can flip the switch from passive reader to active thinker. Here’s how I use picture prompts to teach language through literature, keep lessons fresh, and make analysis feel less like a chore.
70 Romance Writing Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Titles, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas
Looking for fresh, heartfelt, or slightly messy story ideas? This collection of teen romance prompts includes everything from first crushes and love letters to emotional plot twists and swoon-worthy settings. Whether you're building a creative writing unit or just want a single spark of inspiration, these prompts are designed to help teen writers explore connection, vulnerability, and what it means to fall in (and out of) love.
70 Historical Fiction Prompts for Teens: Story Hooks, Titles, and Characters Across the Ages
From candlelit courts to war-torn trenches, these historical fiction prompts invite students to step inside the past and imagine the lives history left behind. Whether you’re drawn to whispered secrets at Versailles or the flicker of revolution in the streets, these 70 prompts combine vivid detail with emotional depth - perfect for creative teens and curious minds of any age.
70 Magical Realism Writing Prompts for Teens: Ideas, Openings, and Visual Starters for the English Classroom
Magical realism invites students to see the ordinary world through an extraordinary lens. These 70 creative writing prompts are built for teens who love stories that shimmer just beneath the surface- where lost towns reappear, time bends in kitchens, and emotions take physical shape. Perfect for classroom inspiration or personal writing practice, this collection blends poetic titles, eerie openings, visual prompts, and grounded storytelling to help young writers explore the surreal in everyday life.
70 Mystery Writing Prompts for Teens: Ideas, Openings, and Visual Starters for the English Classroom
From eerie settings to twisty plot hooks, these 70 mystery writing prompts are built to spark curiosity and sharpen storytelling. Whether you're planning a full unit or just want a way to get students writing again, you'll find character ideas, opening lines, titles, and atmospheric visuals ready to use in the classroom.
Save Hours Planning Creative Writing Units with Daily Prompts
Tired of reinventing the wheel for every creative writing lesson? Daily prompts offer a flexible, low-prep way to boost engagement, sharpen skills, and save you hours of planning. Here's how to build an entire unit around them, and where to grab your first month of prompts for free.
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.
The Atlas of Lost Places: A Free Creative Writing Resource to Unlock Student Imagination
Want to see how I use daily writing prompts in the classroom? The Atlas of Lost Places is a free 7-day resource that blends eerie images, rich prompts, and flexible teaching tips. It’s a sneak peek into my full daily writing prompt subscription launching in August—and it’s designed to actually get students writing.
The Ashridge Collection: A Free Creative Writing Resource for Curious Students and Tired Teachers
Tired of worksheets? The Ashridge Collection is a free printable creative writing mystery designed for curious classrooms. Built from letters, diary entries, and eerie school documents, it invites students to step into a story, and shape it themselves.
Download a Free Daily Writing Prompt for Your Students (Plus 31 Bonus Prompts Inside)
Download a free daily writing prompt to spark creativity in your classroom - plus get 31 bonus prompts when you join the waitlist for my upcoming Daily Writing Prompt Membership. Low-prep, high-impact ideas to keep students engaged and excited to write!
Why Ray Bradbury Is the Original Black Mirror (and How to Teach Both in the Classroom)
Ray Bradbury might not have predicted Instagram likes or parental control implants, but his stories hold up like eerie reflections of our own tech-obsessed world. In this post, I pair classic Bradbury short stories with Black Mirror episodes to explore how both challenge our ideas about progress, power, and humanity. Perfect for teachers looking to spark meaningful discussions in the classroom.
The Shoe Lesson: A Simple, Powerful Creative Writing Activity
What if one ordinary object could unlock a thousand extraordinary stories? The Shoe Lesson is one of my favourite creative writing activities - a simple, unexpected way to spark imagination, build character depth, and turn even the most reluctant writers into storytellers. Here's how a single shoe can transform your classroom or writing group.
How to Use Picture Prompts to Inspire Powerful Creative Writing
If you’ve ever felt like “describe the picture” prompts were falling flat, this is for you. In this post, I break down how I use picture prompts in the classroom to move beyond surface-level writing, and into rich, imaginative storytelling that students actually want to create.
Velvet Shadows and Candlelight: Why Darkness Belongs in the Classroom
Why are teens drawn to dystopias, gothic settings, and grief-soaked poetry? The answer might be simpler than you think. In this post, we explore how darker stories offer emotional depth, powerful writing opportunities, and space for healing inside the classroom.
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.