Transcript Write Away - Mrs. Fiery's English Classes

Writing Prompts for HSAP Prep Class
1
Storms have knocked out the power.
You find the flashlight and make shadow bunnies on the
wall, but you can tell the kids are not amused.
So instead you decide to tell a scary story.
Create a story that would scare even the toughest of
teenagers.
2
Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the
beginning of words.
For example: Annie always ate apples
Sally sells seashells by the seashore
Using as much alliteration as you can, write a story about
your meeting with a group of talking termites.
3
Write a story about two brothers who are competing for
the affection of the same woman.
4
Come up with a new holiday.
Explain why and how it should be celebrated.
5
You are given the opportunity to talk to one dead person
and tell him one thing that you didn't get to before he
passed away.
Who would you pick and what would you tell him or her?
6
You've left town—ditching your old, miserable life—
hoping to start a new life for yourself.
You've given yourself a new name, fake background and
style.
When you arrive in your new town, the first person you
meet is Rev. Skies, who wants to start a conversation
about who you are and where you come from.
Write about your conversation. Use dialogue.
7
A knock at the door catches you off-guard.
Upon answering it, you're greeted by an alien who says
he's a real alien—and he can prove it.
What do you do?
8
 Which fairy tales or made-up creatures did you believe in
when you were little? Do you still believe in them today?
If not, why? What marked the time you quit believing?
9
You arrive at work to find all the items in your office
packed up in a box.
There's no note and you have no idea what is going on.
What do you do?
10
You're riding an elevator when the power goes out.
The situation take a turn when the pregnant woman next
to you goes into labor.
It’s just the two of you, and she can’t help herself. How
are you going to save the day?
11
You're late for work because you overslept, but your boss
hates over-sleepers. In fact, he often overlooks tardiness
from people who can tell him the most creative story.
Because he does love entertaining stories, create the
most outlandish excuse as to why you were late.
12
The love of your life is getting married to someone else.
In a last-ditch attempt to win the love of your life back,
you bust into the wedding and profess your love midceremony.
Start your story with the line, "Don't say yes!"
13
One week after attending the funeral of a close friend,
you receive a postcard in the mail with the words, "I'm
not dead. Meet me tonight at Russell’s Pizza 8 sharp. Tell
no one."
What do you do?
14
Write the most outlandish story you can think of using an
elephant, monkey, and police officer as the three main
characters.
15
Write the most outlandish story you can think of using
the following items: bubble gum, red ribbon, and a
banana.
16
Write the most outlandish story you can think of using a
golfer, mouse, and goldfish as the three main characters.
17
A penguin, a horse, and a cheetah are going on an
adventure.
Write about it.
18
You are going to a funeral with your mom and your Aunt
MeeMee.
Even though they are sisters, they have never liked each
other, and have recently been fighting over who gets to
claim the lock of hair they stole from their high-school
boyfriend.
Using dialogue, write what you hear.
19
Your plane crashes on a deserted island.
You and two other passengers survive.
The only salvageable items from the plane are pair of
scissors, a stopwatch and an electric keyboard.
Use these items creatively to get off the island.
20
You wake up shackled to a chair and can't remember how
you got there.
Two voices are talking.
You recognize one of them.
21
You roll through your favorite fast-food drive-thru, order
your usual and wait for the cashier to repeat it back to
you.
Only, he doesn't repeat it. Instead, through the speaker,
you hear a very unsettling conversation.
What is being said? What do you do?
22
You and a friend break into the pool at the country club
late one night to go for an after-hours swim.
While splashing around in the pool, you go into shock
when a dead body floats to the top.
Write about your experience.
23
It’s your first day at a new job. You head into the
bathroom, walk into a stall and close the door.
Moments later, as you leave the stall, you notice two
people standing there and there's one major problem:
They are of the opposite sex.
On the spot, you make up an story as to why you are in
their bathroom.
What is it?
24
You wake up to the smell of sizzling French toast.
You have to have some, but it's coming from your
neighbor's house and the two of you aren't on speaking
terms.
How do you get the French toast?
25
You've recently purchased a new house.
During your first full night there, you begin to hear noises but
think nothing of it.
The next night, each of the ceiling fans falls to the floor at the
exact same moment.
On the counter is a note, written in smeared peanut butter…it
is signed “Little Emily.”
What do you do? Selling the house or moving out is not an
option.
26
After years of handing out dyed eggs, the Easter Bunny is
in search of a new gift to give to kids.
You're a pitchman for a company who's hoping to land
the Easter Bunny's account.
What's your product and your pitch?
27
What's your number one pet peeve?
Develop a punishment for anyone caught in the act.
28
A man buys a parrot, and is horrified when he discovers
the only thing it can say is, “If I ever hear your voice, I will
stab you with my beak.”
The man decides to keep the parrot and not talk in the
parrot room.
However, one day, he accidentally talks to himself while
cleaning the parrot’s cage.
Write a story about what happens next.
29
If you had to choose between yesterday and tomorrow,
which would you pick?
Why?
30
You're cleaning out your garage and, hidden away in a
back corner, you find an old shoebox.
The box is heavier than it should be.
When you open it up, you find cash—$40,000, to be
exact.
Where did the cash come from, who hid it there and
why?
31
Write about an intense game of Go Fish that takes an ugly
turn for the worse.
32
Your best friend has been arrested for illegally
downloading music.
The same night he is arrested, he asks you to go to his
house and clear everything off his computer.
As you start deleting files, you notice a folder called "Top
Secret: Official Use Only"
Out of curiosity, you open it—and are shocked by what
you find…Write about this experience.
33
After years of leading a normal life, you discover you have
a special ability. Afraid to share this information with
anyone, you confide only in your closest friend. To your
surprise, your friend shares some information with you—
he also has a super power. What is this super power, and
what are the two of you going to do?
34
You wake up in jail and have no memory of how you got
there.
As you pace around the cell, you find five items in your
pocket from the night before.
As you look at each piece, the night slowly comes back to
you.
Write about your night, why you have these five items
and how you ended up in jail.
No drugs, weapons, alcohol, or etc. please.
35
You and a friend have just finished a lovely meal at your
favorite restaurant.
But things take a turn when you notice that the waiter
has scribbled an unexpected—and startling—message on
your bill.
Apparently, he needs your help.
Write this scene.
36
The government has issued a warning that a particular
(and common) household item is having an unusual side
effect on children.
Worse yet, you own this item.
You rush home to check on your kids. When you get
there, you're shocked to find that your kids have ... .
Write about this experience.
37
Write about a millionaire who suddenly loses his fortune
and finds himself without any possessions.
38
Describe your dream house.
Where is it located?
How many bedrooms?
Is there a swing set in the backyard or a motorcycle?
The more details, the better.
39
Your family has just moved to a country where you don’t
speak the language.
What will you do to get through the first week of school?
40
On January 1, 1892, Ellis Island opened. This is an island
in New York where each immigrant was registered and
accepted into the United States.
Put yourself in the shoes of those first immigrants to the
United States.
Write a story as though you are there.
41
You're at home watching "CSI" when you hear a faint
scratching at the door.
Upon opening it, you see a small dog looking up at you.
You examine the dog's collar and see a phone number
and the message "If you find this cat, call this number
immediately." (Yes, that's right, cat.)
Against your better judgment, you call the number.
Two hours later you find yourself in a basement with two
dead bodies on the floor. What happened?
42
Babies typically talk in babbles that adults can't
understand.
But one day, while at the park, you're sitting on a bench
next to two babies.
They start their babbling, when all of a sudden you
realize you can understand them.
Even more, they are plotting a nefarious (evil) plan. Write
this scene.
43
It's garbage day and you put your trash on the curb, but
when you return home from work, it's still there (though
everyone else's garbage has been taken away).
The next week, it happens again--and again the following
week.
Why is the trash collector snubbing you? Write a scene
explaining why he's skipping your garbage and how you
figured it out.
44
You're a pizza delivery driver and it's your last stop of the
night.
The house is on an unlit, unfamiliar street.
As you ring the doorbell, you're greeted by a talking
elephant who invites you in to eat the pizza with him.
Against your better judgment, you agree.
Write about your time with the elephant.
45
You arrive at an annual Halloween party only to discover
that someone else is dressed in the same costume as you.
Bad things start happening to you throughout the night.
You suspect this person has something to do with it.
46
Write about the only time you cooked Thanksgiving
dinner for everyone.
But, there’s a catch!
You must end your story with "And that's why we all ate
hamburgers."
47
The countdown clock for Christmas is ticking.
Santa's elves begin working their magic on the assembly
lines, but the line comes to a screeching halt when
rumors leak that one elf is going to be fired that day.
Write about this day.
48
Most people have a favorite month of the year. Write an
essay in which you describe your favorite month. Include
several details about this month. Explain what makes this
month special. Do holidays or special events occur during
this month? When did this month become your favorite
time of the year? What does your decision say about you
as a person?
49
People have parties and celebrations for different reasons.
Write an essay in which you tell about a party or
celebration. Give several details about it. You might
include information such as the purpose for it, who
attended, and what took place during that time. You
might want to include the reaction of the person for
whom the party was given or the result of the
celebration.
50
Many people have pets. Write an essay in which you
describe a pet. Give several details about this pet. You
might include information such as how to take care of the
pet, the breed of the pet, and unique qualities of the pet.
Also, you might discuss what this pet says about the
person who owns it. How does the pet define the owner?
51
You have been asked to speak to rising freshman at a school
assembly. Write a speech to them or an essay about the
advice that you would give these students for their first
year of high school. Consider all of the tips they need to
know about their classes, planning for career paths after
high-school, and participating in extra-curricular
activities. You may want to consider specific issues for
freshman at your own school.
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