Notes from the Inkpot

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

Placeholder image with the text 'Start here.' in large black font on a white background.
A stack of five closed books on a wooden table, with an open book nearby, and a blurred plant in the background, captioned 'The Literature Library'.
Open notebook with a fountain pen resting on lined pages, on a wooden table. Text overlay reads 'Creative Writing Prompts'.
A nearly blank white background with no visible objects or details.
The Resurrection Collection: Writing Into the Dark History of Body Snatching
For Teachers, For Writers, Creative Writing Boxes Ink & Insights . For Teachers, For Writers, Creative Writing Boxes Ink & Insights .

The Resurrection Collection: Writing Into the Dark History of Body Snatching

Edinburgh, 1828. Anatomy lectures are full. Graves are not staying closed. As medical knowledge advances, a quiet trade emerges in the shadows of churchyards and lecture rooms. Bodies are exhumed, sold, recorded, and forgotten — while institutions continue as normal. The Resurrection Collection is a document-led creative writing experience inspired by the real history of body snatching, anatomy, and institutional silence. Through fragmented records, personal writings, ledgers, adverts, and modern historical commentary, writers and students are invited to investigate what happened — and what was deliberately left unrecorded. This isn’t a single story or a guided prompt. It’s an archive. The documents don’t agree, some voices are missing, and the truth depends on what you choose to trust. Every reader uncovers a different version of events — shaped by inference, interpretation, and the uncomfortable spaces between evidence.

Read More
7 Genre Writing Collections to Transform Your Creative Writing Lessons (With 30 Daily Prompts Each!)
For Teachers, Creative Writing, Teaching Resources Ink & Insights . For Teachers, Creative Writing, Teaching Resources Ink & Insights .

7 Genre Writing Collections to Transform Your Creative Writing Lessons (With 30 Daily Prompts Each!)

Creative writing is exciting for some students and existential for others — especially when faced with a blank page. Genre prompts change that dynamic entirely. In this post, I’m sharing seven complete genre collections (plus a free one!) that make daily writing actually work in real classrooms.

Read More
70 Mystery Writing Prompts for Teens: Ideas, Openings, and Visual Starters for the English Classroom
For Teachers, For Writers, Writing Prompts, Creative Writing, Genres Ink & Insights . For Teachers, For Writers, Writing Prompts, Creative Writing, Genres Ink & Insights .

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.

Read More
The Kindling Collection: A Writing Box of Ritual, Firelight, and Uneasy Traditions
For Writers, Behind the Business, Creative Writing Boxes, Writing Prompts Ink & Insights . For Writers, Behind the Business, Creative Writing Boxes, Writing Prompts Ink & Insights .

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.

Read More