Writer Igniter

Click the shuffle button to get a randomly generated prompt. Then start writing!

Want some writing tips to help you polish the piece you create? Check out these writing resources, with all the best-of-the-best articles from the DIY MFA archive. From time-management and productivity tips, to character development and plot structure, you’ll find tons of techniques and answers to your writing questions here.

We hope you enjoy the Writer Igniter. If you’re hungry for more, sign up with your email below and get your FREE DIY MFA starter kit!

What are you waiting for? Click “shuffle” and write!

Shuffle
  • Taxi driver
  • Mime
  • Bronze-medal Olympian
  • Jewelry thief
  • Serial killer
  • High school theatre student
  • Water polo referee
  • Soccer mom
  • Kindergarten school teacher
  • City planner
  • Stage magician
  • B-list celebrity
  • Con artist
  • Joke store owner
  • Driver's Ed instructor
  • Former beauty queen
  • Shopping mall Santa
  • Composer of elevator music
  • Someone with nothing to lose
  • Child prodigy
  • Game show host
  • Coat check attendant
  • Pawn shop owner
  • Time traveler
  • Apothecary
  • Retired magician
  • Oppressed artist
  • Cartographer
  • Night-shift nurse
  • Plumber-in-training
  • Professional poker player
  • Computer game designer
  • Talking elephant
  • Butcher
  • Mortician
  • Alien
  • Traveling preacher
  • Famous choreographer
  • IRS worker
  • Statue-come-to-life
  • Gardener
  • Personal shopper
  • Professional pet groomer
  • Assassin
  • Party planner
  • Kleptomaniac
  • Pyromaniac
  • Tattoo artist
  • Antique collector
  • Children's party clown
  • Night club bouncer
  • Surf instructor
  • Crazy cat lady
  • Parent of 13 kids
  • Unlikely secret agent
  • Professional ballroom dancer
  • Bathroom attendant at a swanky club
  • Fashionista
  • Psychic
  • The best man
  • Heiress
  • Someone unlucky in love
  • Someone who's lost faith in love
  • Hopeless romantic
  • Someone with an obsession
  • Workaholic
  • Bohemian
  • Celebrity chef
  • Local politician
  • The runner-up
  • Whacky inventor
  • Breeder of exotic animals
  • Someone with a vendetta
  • Someone in witness protection
  • Lab assistant
  • Ship captain
  • Tug boat operator
  • Garbage truck driver
  • Athlete past his or her prime
  • Line dance instructor
  • 911 phone operator
  • Dental hygienist
  • Deejay
  • Video game tester
  • Photographer
  • Carpet store sales clerk
  • Jeweler
  • Postal Service worker
  • Witch
  • Fast food restaurant manager
  • Dog walker
  • Marathon runner
  • Celebrity's personal assistant
  • Museum security guard
  • Curator at a posh gallery
  • Junk sculptor
  • Delivery truck driver
  • Class clown
  • Mr. or Ms. Popularity
  • Wallflower
  • Millionaire
  • Gets a cryptic letter
  • Buys a tiger
  • Stumbles upon an ancient mystery
  • Wins the lottery
  • Contacts a long-lost child
  • Goes on an exotic vacation
  • Meets his or her idol
  • Goes camping
  • Hosts a horror movie marathon
  • Hosts a wedding
  • Has an arranged marriage
  • Forgets an anniversary
  • Goes sky-diving
  • Hosts a dinner party for the first time
  • Gets lost on a hike
  • Finds a baby on the doorstep
  • Goes through the attic
  • Meets the in-laws
  • Does something embarrassing in public
  • Reads a book eerily like his or her life
  • Runs away from home
  • Misplaces an important file
  • Gets a first tattoo
  • Is abducted by aliens
  • Goes back in time
  • Forgets who he or she is
  • Becomes famous overnight
  • Invents a wildly popular food
  • Receives the wrong directions
  • Runs into an old rival
  • Accidentally steals something priceless
  • Exterminates an infestation
  • Throws a temper tantrum
  • Loses a bet
  • Needs money fast
  • Runs into an ex
  • Inherits something bizarre
  • Makes a bad bargain
  • Gets fired
  • Goes to a reunion
  • Loses something important
  • Gets surprising news
  • Gets arrested
  • Is mistaken for someone else
  • Runs away
  • Returns to his or her hometown
  • Goes on honeymoon... Alone
  • Is trapped
  • Gets one wish
  • Can go back in the past and change one thing
  • Gets left at the altar
  • Overhears something important
  • Discovers a loved one isn't what he or she seems
  • Has a secret crush
  • Has a secret identity
  • Goes from rags to riches
  • Loses everything
  • Wakes from a coma
  • Witnesses a crime
  • Tries to pull off a crazy scheme
  • Has to escape
  • Falls in love with the wrong person
  • Discovers a talent or superpower
  • Trespasses
  • Ignores all the signs
  • Gets amnesia
  • Loses his or her sense of direction
  • Is betrayed
  • Takes matters into his or her own hands
  • Gets stranded
  • Is left to his or her own devices
  • Decides to take down the status quo
  • Must make a hard sacrifice
  • Poses as someone else
  • Discovers a long-lost twin
  • Has someone steal his or her identity
  • Hacks into an important computer system
  • Cracks a code
  • Unknowingly marries a criminal
  • Must cooperate with the one person he or she hates
  • Believes he or she is a superhero
  • Professes a secret love
  • Borrows from loan sharks
  • Finds a dead body
  • Flies in an airplane for the first time
  • Takes a road trip
  • Discovers a relative who everyone thought was dead
  • Enters a contest
  • Loses his or her wedding band
  • Finds something valuable amid junk
  • Meets someone from his or her past
  • Meets the new roommate
  • Confesses a terrible secret
  • Goes on a journey
  • Moves to a new town
  • Is stranded in a foreign country
  • Stands up to a bully
  • Enters into a forbidden romance
  • Discovers a conspiracy
  • Has never spoken up... until now
  • Challenges someone to a duel
  • Must face his or her worst fear
  • Lucky penny
  • Silver quill
  • Novelty alarm clock
  • Homemade necklace
  • Classic record
  • Broom
  • Velvet curtains
  • Car hood ornament
  • Anvil
  • Romance novel
  • Lava lamp
  • Embroidered handkerchief
  • Hourglass
  • Toenail clippers
  • Photo album
  • Hammer
  • Guitar pick
  • Trophy
  • Pet monkey
  • Basketball
  • Pocket calendar
  • Old coat
  • Wine glass with lipstick on it
  • Lucky charm
  • Needle in a haystack
  • Handcuffs
  • Hair
  • Red shoes
  • Something stolen
  • Ballot box
  • Mask
  • Briefcase filled with money
  • Broken glasses
  • A surprise
  • The antidote
  • Harmonica
  • Someone else's spouse
  • Secret recipe
  • Key
  • Special song
  • Half-eaten box of chocolates
  • Embarrassing physical trait
  • Old photograph
  • Broken mirror
  • Invitation
  • Antique ring
  • Wedding dress
  • Dried flowers
  • Fortune cookie
  • Hidden note
  • Dark secret
  • Something old
  • Something new
  • Something borrowed
  • Something blue
  • Machete
  • Bullets but no gun
  • Cowboy boots
  • Something vile and disgusting
  • Elaborate hat
  • Stolen artifact
  • Laser
  • Someone who's bad news
  • Excess baggage
  • Spindle
  • Poison
  • Last will and testament
  • Frying pan
  • Garters
  • Robot
  • Magic spell
  • Beauty elixir
  • Tube of green goo
  • Hidden door
  • Underground passageway
  • Magician's cape
  • Gold-plated microphone
  • Remote that controls EVERYTHING
  • Toy car
  • Nightmare
  • Flashlight
  • Last wine bottle of a certain vintage
  • Filthy shirt
  • Perfume
  • Stream of toilet paper
  • Paint chip sample
  • Tickets to a sold-out event
  • Tarot cards
  • Unopened package
  • Child's drawing
  • Pack of supplies
  • Suitcase
  • Fake ID
  • Passport
  • Wish
  • Mardi Gras beads
  • Disguise
  • Mysterious scar
  • Something that's one-of-a-kind
  • Footprints
  • Journal
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