Notes from the Inkpot

Writing, teaching, creating - one ink-stained idea at a time.

70 Fairytales Reimagined Writing Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas

70 Fairytales Reimagined Writing Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas

70 Fairytales Reimagined Writing Prompts for Teens is a premium creative writing collection designed to help young writers retell classic fairytales through modern, dystopian, and speculative lenses. Inspired by traditional folklore and contemporary YA retellings, these prompts explore how familiar stories change when power shifts, systems replace magic, and happily-ever-afters are no longer guaranteed. Featuring plot hooks, story titles, opening and closing lines, character ideas, reimagined settings, and atmospheric picture prompts, this collection is ideal for classroom creative writing, writing clubs, and independent teen writers who enjoy fairytale retellings with darker, smarter, or more modern twists.

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70 Steampunk Writing Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas

70 Steampunk Writing Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas

Steampunk writing prompts for teens blend Victorian history with speculative invention, creating worlds shaped by steam power, machinery, and bold technological imagination. More than an aesthetic, steampunk explores systems of power, class, labour, and progress — asking what happens when innovation advances faster than ethics. This collection of 70 steampunk writing prompts is designed to help teen writers build rich, believable worlds through plot hooks, story titles, opening and closing lines, character ideas, immersive settings, and visual picture prompts. From inventors and rebels to airships, factories, and mechanical cities, these prompts encourage thoughtful, consequence-driven storytelling rather than surface-level genre tropes. Ideal for classroom creative writing, genre studies, or independent projects, these steampunk prompts support worldbuilding, narrative tension, and imaginative problem-solving — making them a powerful resource for teachers and young writers exploring speculative fiction.

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70 Dark Fairytale Writing Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas

70 Dark Fairytale Writing Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas

70 Dark Fairytale Writing Prompts for Teens is a premium creative writing collection inspired by the darker roots of classic fairytales from the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and modern retellings like Angela Carter. These prompts invite teen writers to reimagine familiar tales through eerie settings, unsettling characters, moral consequences, and haunting endings. Featuring plot hooks, story titles, opening and closing lines, character ideas, atmospheric settings, and picture prompts, this collection supports classroom creative writing, writing clubs, and independent writers who enjoy fantasy with a sharp, unsettling edge.

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70 Dark Fantasy Writing Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas

70 Dark Fantasy Writing Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas

Dark fantasy writing prompts for teens invite young writers into worlds where magic is dangerous, heroes are flawed, and every choice carries consequences. From cursed kingdoms and whispering crowns to eerie forests and impossible bargains, dark fantasy blends wonder with menace to create stories rich in atmosphere and moral tension. This collection of 70 dark fantasy writing prompts is designed for classrooms, writing clubs, and independent teen writers. Inside, you’ll find plot hooks, character ideas, evocative settings, opening and closing lines, and visual prompts that encourage imaginative storytelling while supporting skill development in tone, worldbuilding, and character motivation.

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70 Mythology Writing Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Titles, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas

70 Mythology Writing Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Titles, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas

Mythology is shaped by fate, power, and the fragile boundary between mortals and gods — from ancient temples and cursed heroes to oracles, underworld journeys, and divine punishment. This collection of 70 mythology writing prompts for teens draws on Greek and Roman myths to explore epic storytelling through plot hooks, mythic titles, complex characters, symbolic settings, and evocative picture prompts inspired by classical mythology. Ideal for classrooms, creative writing clubs, or independent writers, these prompts encourage imaginative writing rooted in consequence, sacrifice, and timeless mythic themes.

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70 Cyberpunk Writing Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Titles, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas

70 Cyberpunk Writing Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Titles, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas

Cyberpunk writing prompts for teens explore futures shaped by surveillance, megacorporations, and technology that controls as much as it empowers. Rooted in questions of power, identity, and resistance, cyberpunk fiction asks what happens when systems outgrow the people living inside them. This collection of 70 cyberpunk writing prompts includes plot hooks, story titles, opening and closing lines, character ideas, immersive settings, and picture prompts designed to support consequence-driven storytelling. From social credit systems and hacked identities to corporate control and digital rebellion, these prompts help teen writers build speculative worlds that feel unsettlingly plausible. Ideal for classroom creative writing, science fiction units, or independent projects, these cyberpunk prompts encourage ethical thinking, modern worldbuilding, and narrative tension — making them a powerful resource for teachers and young writers exploring contemporary speculative fiction.

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70 Ghost Story Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Titles, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas

70 Ghost Story Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Titles, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas

Ghost stories are built on atmosphere, memory, and the unsettling sense that something has been left unresolved. This collection of 70 ghost story writing prompts for teens explores haunted places, lingering spirits, strange encounters, and the thin boundary between the living and the dead through eerie plot hooks, story titles, opening and closing lines, character ideas, settings, and atmospheric picture prompts. Ideal for classrooms, creative writing clubs, or independent writers, these prompts support suspenseful, emotion-driven storytelling without relying on shock or horror.

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70 Historical Fiction Prompts for Teens: Story Hooks, Titles, and Characters Across the Ages

70 Historical Fiction Prompts for Teens: Story Hooks, Titles, and Characters Across the Ages

Historical fiction writing prompts for teens help young writers explore the lives behind the history books — from private rooms and working spaces to moments of quiet rebellion and social change. This curated collection of 70 historical fiction writing prompts includes plot hooks, titles, opening and closing lines, character ideas, immersive settings, and carefully designed picture prompts, offering teachers and teen writers a premium resource for developing historically grounded, emotionally rich stories.

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70 Magical Realism Writing Prompts for Teens: Ideas, Openings, and Visual Starters for the English Classroom

70 Magical Realism Writing Prompts for Teens: Ideas, Openings, and Visual Starters for the English Classroom

Magical realism writing prompts for teens blend the ordinary with the impossible, creating stories that feel grounded, symbolic, and emotionally rich. This curated collection of 70 magical realism writing prompts includes plot hooks, title ideas, opening and closing lines, character concepts, settings, and picture prompts designed for classroom use or independent creative writing. Ideal for KS3–KS4 students, these prompts help teen writers explore memory, identity, loss, and belonging through subtle magic and familiar worlds.

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70 Fantasy Writing Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas

70 Fantasy Writing Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas

Fantasy writing invites teen writers to imagine worlds beyond their own while exploring real questions about identity, power, and choice. This collection of 70 fantasy writing prompts for teens offers structured yet flexible inspiration through story starters, character ideas, settings, opening and closing lines, and visual prompts designed to support imaginative, emotionally grounded storytelling. Ideal for English lessons, creative writing units, writing clubs, and independent practice, these fantasy prompts help students develop worldbuilding, character voice, and narrative structure without relying on clichés or complex magic systems. Whether used for short stories or longer fantasy projects, the prompts encourage thoughtful creativity and meaningful exploration of imagined worlds.

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70 Horror Creative Writing Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Titles, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas

70 Horror Creative Writing Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Titles, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas

Explore 70 horror creative writing prompts for teens designed to build atmosphere, tension, and unsettling storytelling. This collection of horror writing prompts includes story starters, title ideas, eerie opening and closing lines, character concepts, unsettling settings, and image-based inspiration focused on psychological dread rather than jump scares. Ideal for classroom writing prompts, creative warm-ups, independent writing, or full horror writing units, these prompts help students practise voice, mood, and descriptive writing while exploring fear in a safe, creative way.

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70 Dystopian Writing Prompts for Teen Writers

70 Dystopian Writing Prompts for Teen Writers

Dystopian writing prompts give teen writers a powerful way to explore control, resistance, survival, and imagined futures shaped by fear or authority. This collection of 70 dystopian story ideas includes picture prompts, opening lines, titles, and speculative scenarios designed to support creative writing lessons, independent writing, and classroom discussion. Ideal for students studying dystopian fiction or learning how to write a dystopian story, these prompts encourage critical thinking, worldbuilding, and meaningful storytelling.

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