Novel Writing Prompts: 25 Old-School Prompts to Spark Your Imagination

Writing a novel is like setting out on a journey where you have the map, but the path you take is entirely up to you. If you are someone who wants to write a book but don’t have an idea or If you're looking for inspiration after a dry spell to begin writing, these are some of the top prompts available for novel writing to help you create stories for drama.

Character-Based Prompts

As characters are an essential part of any story, such prompts would help in building deep, multi-dimensional characters with whom readers from different demographics can relate:

• A woman wakes up from sleep and finds herself in a completely different place, different identity and different face.

  
  

• When the protagonist wakes up he finds a message on his phone saying, "Run!"

  
  

• A person discovers that he can listen to people's thoughts, but only when he tells a lie.

  
  

• The villain is actually the hero's future self trying to correct a past mistake.

  
  

• The secret has been kept by your main character for years, but today is the day for it finally to come out.

  
  

Plot-Turning Prompts

One book after another can always be endowed with the kind of twist that makes it memorable: Here are some prompts that could give surprises:

• In a small town, the doors of the houses close at 8 PM, only to be found by the protagonist why it was decided like that. 

  
  

• Two people who hate each other must join forces to solve a mystery.

  
  

• A parcel is found at your character's doorstep, only that it's actually not addressed to him, but to someone who has disappeared years back.

  
  

• A bunch of people wake up in an unfamiliar place, with no memory whatsoever of how they got there.

  
  

• The protagonist learns that his entire life has been a lie.

Fantasy Prompts

These are the ones to inspire the entertainment of anyone who wishes to play with fantasy worlds or futuristic fictional settings:

• A door appears where there is only a forest leading into another dimension.

  
  

• Only a little child can see the beings from another dimension. 

  
  

• A magical spell goes wrong, putting the minds of two characters into each other's bodies.

  
  

• The character found herself inside the novel she had been reading.

  
  

• A young woman entered a portal opened in the middle of town, only to find herself as the mother of a 5-year-old kid she had never met. 

Emotionally and Thought-Provoking Prompts

Deep emotion and tough decision-making can be the subject of many good novels, and here are the prompts that put pressure on the inner world of your characters: 

• Your protagonist has to either save a loved one or millions of strangers. 

  
  

• A letter arrives from someone who died years ago. 

  
  

• A character finds an old photograph that suddenly changes all he believed to be true about his family. 

  
  

• Two best friends, who made a pact in their childhood days, find themselves both grown up and one of them wants to get out of it. 

  
  

• One day, a person wakes up to a body that is not going to feel emotions anymore, and he has to find out the reason.

Mystery and Thriller Prompts

For writers who love suspense and crime-solving, these prompts will keep readers on the edge of their seats:

• A detective receives a case file from the future with their own name as the next victim.

  
  

• Someone goes missing, but the only clue left behind is a single playing card.

  
  

• A journalist uncovers a scandal, but every source they contact mysteriously disappears.

  
  

• A locked room’s mystery where the only key was found in the victim’s hand.

  
  

• A character receives text messages from their dead sibling.

Why Use Writing Prompts?

Even the greatest writers need a creative push sometimes. Prompts are a fantastic way to:

• Overcome writer’s block.

  
  

• Experiment with new genres and writing styles.

  
  

• Develop characters, settings, and plots.

  
  

• Stay motivated and committed to writing consistently.

Every excellent novel begins with a single idea. So if you are ready to start your writing journey, let these prompts get you started. 

Not sure how to put the finishing touches on your novel? Perhaps it's all about plot development or polishing your final draft. Our expert editors and ghostwriters are here to help. 

So, get in touch with us and bring your story to life!