Mysterious Message in a Bottle (story, play)

You are walking along the beach and you see a bottle with a note inside. You read it and are shocked to the core. What does it say? Who was the writer? Were they? Are they connected to the narrator in any way? Is there a mission they have to embark on because of the note?

Psychological Profile (journal, story, play, poem)

The patient can be you, someone in your life you seek to understand better, or a fleshed out character whose subconscious you want to delve into. Have them at a therapy session discussing their past, relationships, and problems. The therapist doesn't have to be omniscient, they could be cooky and idiosyncratic, but they should have a good grasp on who the main character is. Write it like a story but also include the therapist's notes verbatim which should include psychological theories and the characters' diagnosis.

Alphabet Soup (poem)

This is a word poem, or prose, where the letter of every sentence or line is a the next letter in a word which summarizes the topic of the piece.

Here is a bad example of a haiku with an extra line:

DOGS

Doting on your soul

Oggling the ball to play fetch

Growls and barks at you

So you throw it into the field and smile

Dream Diary (short story, poem, journal)

Do you ever wonder what the source of dreams is? Is it parallel universes that they take place, or is it simply our brains unique way of processing our transitory experiences throughout our daily life as well as the supressed desires of our subconscious? This topic can branch into many prompts.

1.) Keep a dream diary for a month. These entries in themselves could count as short stories. Then pick out the weirdest, most memorable or emotionally charged one and turn it into a fully fledged story with a deeper underlying plot. World build and add new characters.

2.) Turn a dream into a poem.

3.) Write about a dream detective who wants to get to the root of dreams, who with scientific equipment records herself dreaming, only to fall into a nightmare she can't wake up from.

Lights camera ACTION! (story)

Improve your writing skills by writing an action packed adventure story. Engage all the readers senses as you describe the events (visual, auditory, smell, touch, taste). Make it as vivid, immersive, and exciting as possible.

Who Are You In Their Eyes (journal)

Ever thinking about switching perspectives with someone for a day? Do that mentally, then interact with yourself. Describe yourself through the eyes of your boss, your granny, your friend, your worst enemy, or your cat. This journal entry can make you feel closer to someone, repair a relationship, or bring you closer to the objective truth about yourself through a subjective one.

Not A Rom Com (story)

Write a comedy story about two friends. Tease the possibility of romance only to trick the readers and keep the pair strictly platonic. Friendship-com, here we go.

Personify a Tree (poem)

In one of my old writing classes, we had the assignment of selecting a seashell, and describing the first person while describing the seashell. It required a lot of similes and metaphors. I want you to do this with a plant but it could work with any object as a source of inspiration.

Face Your Darkest Fears (story, journal, poem)

Do you have any phobias? What brings upon night terrors and existential dread? Create a hero or heroine similar or different in personality traits to you who is faced with your greatest fear and has enough ferocity, courage, and tricks up their sleeve to overcome it.

In 100 Years (story, journal)

Welcome to 2119. How do you picture it? A fragile dystopia run by corporations with famine and war? Something more lighthearted and optimistic? Are there flying cars? Odd mutations? It's your great great grandchild's first day of school.

A sub-prompt is to pick somebody in this generation, they could be someone you know personally or a famous world-leader and write how about the dominoes that fell from their actions and how it impacted the world 100 years later, big or small.

Additionally you could have your descendent do a presentation on you, their great grandparent, and the struggles you faced, back in "olden times." This story telling format was used on the show Bojack Horseman in the episode "Ruthie" where the clever and hard-working agent Princess Carolyn imagines her great-great-great granddaughter talking to her class about a tough day she had and how everything worked out in the end, "otherwise how could she be telling the story?"

Awkward Anti-Hero (story)

They have super powers, yes, but they are also an idiot. Write about someone who either in spite or due to their paranormal/ supernatural abilities manages to get into the most crazy, daunting, ridiculous situations.

How I Met Your Mother (journal, story)

Ask your parents theembarrassing embarrassing yet interesting question of how exactly they created you. Particularly how did they first meet? Make sure you conduct a thorough interview to get all the details right and write a full fledged story.

You can also do this with your grandparents or other relatives.

24 Hours (story, journal, poem)

You (or a character) have been given 24 hours left to live. This could be from a terminal illness, a death threat, or the apocalypse. How are you going to spend it? Who do you see, and what do you want your final act to be on this earth? Why?

Alternatively, write a poem regarding death and the ephemeral nature of life.