by Bryn Donovan
a beaded evening gown
a coat that’s two sizes too big for the wearer
a mechanic’s coveralls
tap shoes
a hand-knitted scarf
100 Prompts Based on Real People
Writers gather inspiration from people they know, people they read about, and fictional characters. Writers can get themselves in legal trouble if they write about people directly, but it’s fine to use elements of someone’s personality and combine them with other traits. Once you’ve fictionalized some of the aspects of a person and you’ve dropped them in a completely new storyline, the character you’ve created will diverge from your inspiration and become someone new.
Here’s how to use these prompts. Change one or more significant things about the given person, such as appearance, age, gender, occupation, or time period. For the real people who are famous, imagine if they weren’t.
Once you’ve got this in your head, write a scene in the character’s voice or a scene starring the character.
Don’t be afraid to choose a person you only know a little bit about. That will only give your imagination more free rein.
Not all of the personal ones will apply to you. Naturally, you could do this same exercise with any real person you wanted—or even with a fictional character, if you change it so much that you make it your own.
your grandmother
your grandfather
someone you have a crush or celebrity crush on
Diana, Princess of Wales
your sister or brother
Joan of Arc
a coworker or classmate you like
a coworker or classmate you wish would quit or change schools
your newest friend
Mark Zuckerberg
your hairstylist
Frida Kahlo
your former boyfriend, girlfriend, or spouse
your current boyfriend, girlfriend, or spouse
Serena Williams
one of your favorite teachers of all time
one of your least favorite teachers of all time
Elvis Presley
the unluckiest person you know
a person you admire in your personal life
your friend’s mom
your friend’s child
Julie Andrews
your cousin
Leonardo Di Caprio
a boss you liked
your worst boss ever
your dog or cat (imagine he or she is a person)
your doctor
Jennifer Lawrence
Dwayne Johnson
someone you know who worries a lot
someone who you worry about
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Donald Trump
an aunt of yours
an uncle of yours
Oprah Winfrey
a friend you’d like to get to know better
a friend of one of your parents
Albert Einstein
someone you love who died
Cristiano Ronaldo
Angelina Jolie
Will Smith
your niece
your nephew
a creative person you know
the richest person you know
the poorest person you know
Jane Austen
Prince
Audrey Hepburn
someone you’re no longer on speaking terms with
someone you know who’s dealing with a health problem
Christopher Columbus
King Arthur
Michelle Obama
your brother-in-law or sister-in-law
Buddha
an extremely intelligent person you know
Tom Hanks
someone you avoid discussing politics with
a religious person you know
Queen Elizabeth II
Muhammad Ali
your best friend
someone you’re friends with even though you’re very different from one another
the most immature adult you know
Amelia Earhart
your father
your mother
Mahatma Gandhi
an annoying person you know
an actor from one of your all-time favorite movies
Abraham Lincoln
Queen Victoria
a neighbor, past or present
Beyoncé
someone you know who makes terrible life decisions
someone you know who’s very quiet
someone you know who’s loud
Mary Magdalene
someone you know who’s eighty or more years old
someone you know who’s exceptionally healthy or fitness-minded
Marie Antoinette
J.K. Rowling
someone you know who’s quick to get in arguments
someone you know who’s extremely talented
Margaret Thatcher
Vincent Van Gogh
Marilyn Monroe
a famous person you’d like to invite to dinner
a famous person you would never hear about again if you had your way
Michael Jordan
someone you know who’s very attractive
Winston Churchill
a very traditional person you know
a very unconventional person you know
someone you know a little, and about whom you’re curious
100 Prompts Based on Occupations
Many writers, especially newer ones, tend to write main characters very much like themselves. Sometimes that’s fine, and in other cases, it makes it difficult to think objectively about a strong plot.
One of the best ways to write a character who isn’t just a stand-in for yourself is to give them a job that’s different from your own. Many stories don’t deal with workplace experiences at all, even though they can be fascinating, so including them in your story might make it distinctive and fresh.
For these prompts, write a paragraph or a scene about a character with one of the following occupations. If you imagine what a fantastic, horrible, surprising, or hilarious day on the job might be, you’re likely to come up with an interesting storyline.
If you’re just using the prompt to inspire some new writing, don’t worry about how much you actually know about the particular occupation (although, I’ll also let you in on a secret: most of us have stored away vast amounts of information on all kinds of subjects, and we’re not even aware of it). If you find yourself interested in the writing the prompt inspires, you can always research the job later.
florist
customer service representative at a call center
personal shopper
piano teacher
welder
referee
pharmacist
veterinarian
camera operator on a movie or TV set
animator for film or television
architect
bank teller
mail carrier
DJ at a nightclub
scuba diving instructor
antique appraiser
information security expert (or “ethical hacker”)
concierge at a hotel
housekeeper in a hotel
doula
entertainment journalist
food critic
sommelier
event planner
helicopter tour pilot
truck driver
radio personality
nurse
firefighter
political campaign manager
microbrewery owner
bartender
psychiatrist
physical therapist
usher at a movie theater
social media manager for a nonprofit organization
landscape designer
house painter
camp counselor
FBI agent
private tutor
university professor
marine biologist
real estate agent
plumber
U.S. ambassador
small-town mayor
librarian
meteorologist
travel writer
interior designer
surgeon
judge
mixed martial arts fighter
Secret Service agent
nanny
organic farmer
forensic investigator
lawyer
perfume designer
overnight stocker for a retail store
dishwasher at a country club
stand-up comedian
theme park princess
Hollywood stunt performer
aviation rescue swimmer in the Coast Guard
Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician
flight attendant
park ranger
food truck owner
fortune teller
hedge fund trader
dealer at a casino
corporate recruiter
fast food worker
personal trainer
mortician
translator
nutritionist
speech-language pathologist
animal shelter worker
zookeeper
manager of a racehorse sanctuary
belly dancer
robotics engineer
NASCAR mechanic
tennis instructor
rabbi
logger
web developer
videogame developer
orchestra conductor
volcanologist
sales associate at a shoe store
police officer
massage therapist
goat farmer
butler
sniper
paleontologist
Shame: 50 Reasons Why Your Character Feels Guilty
First off, a warning. I don’t believe that all of the things on this list are reasons one should feel guilty. You might have a character who’s been made to feel ashamed about something that’s really okay. Maybe over the course of the story, they grow into self-acceptance. You might also show a character’s momentary guilt over something small to demonstrate that he or she is a caring, conscientious person.
Other things on this list are, in my opinion, mistakes. Even good people can make them. Sometimes good people make really bad mistakes. You may have a character who needs to forgive himself or herself in order to move on, or you may have a character who needs to change his or her behavior and work hard to make amends.
If you’re creating a less sympathetic character, your character may have done something on this list without feeling guilty about it at all.
When she leaves for work in the morning, her dog looks sad.
He took the collar off the family cat and abandoned her in a park because they couldn’t afford to feed her.
As a child or as an adult, he didn’t notice or figure out that someone he knew was in a terrible situation.
She keeps imagining what it would be like to kiss her female best friend.
He didn’t make it to his father’s deathbed on time.
She didn’t go to her grandmother’s funeral.
Because of an illness, he can’t work and has to accept the support of others or the government.
Despite a happy childhood and a fortunate adulthood, he struggles with depression and anxiety.
She frequently indulges in unhealthy food.
He called in sick to work when really, he just didn’t feel like going in.
She called in sick to work and is genuinely sick.
He forgot someone’s birthday.
She cheated on her boyfriend or spouse.
His girlfriend killed herself after he broke up with her.
He had sex before marriage.
She had an abortion.
He decided not to have kids, even though his parents really want grandchildren.
She wasn’t able to breastfeed her baby.
His houseplant died.
The fruits and vegetables in her fridge went bad because she didn’t eat them in time.
She was in a car crash that injured the other driver.
He accidentally hit someone’s dog that ran out in front of his car.
Someone asked her to volunteer, and she said no.
He’s depressed, and he knows that unlike many people, he doesn’t face big problems.
She just splurged and bought herself an expensive item.
He moved to another town and his parents or relatives miss him.
She’s ignoring somebody’s texts or phone calls.
As a lawyer, he got his client off scot free, even though the guy really was guilty.
As a teenager, she bullied others.
He and his friends spread a fake rumor about someone just for fun.
She has a huge crush on her stepbrother.
His parents spent a ton of money on his college education, and he dropped out.
She thinks she loves one of her children more than the other.
He is in his 40s and dating someone half his age.
She put the clean clothes away without folding them – just threw them in the drawers.
As a child or as an adult, he successfully blamed his wrongdoing on someone else who was punished for it.
She backed into another car in a parking lot and drove away without leaving a note.
He’s in a relationship with a kind person who loves him, but he doesn’t love the person back.
She stole from a friend.
He killed a mouse in a mousetrap.
She had her dog put down because he was very old and miserable.
He got someone else addicted to drugs.
She was too tired to go on a date with her boyfriend or husband.
He gave someone a cheap or thoughtless birthday or wedding gift.
She doesn’t visit her father, who abused her when she was growing up.
As a child, his horsing around or dangerous behavior led to the death of a sibling or friend.
She slept in on Saturday even though she had a ton of things to do.
He gave his kids fast food for dinner for the third time that week.
An old friend she lost touch with contacts her to say he misses her.
Although she pretends to love books, it’s been two years since she read one.
Cringe: 25 Writing Prompts to Embarrass Your Character
You learn a lot about someone from how they behave in their most embarrassing moments, and this is a great way to create a sympathetic character. You can also use these for writing about yourself in an essay or memoir.
Her bra comes undone or the bra strap breaks.
He says something inappropriate, not realizing his microphone is still on.
She breaks a chair or a fence she’s sitting on.
He’s gone to the wrong classroom, business meeting, or funeral.
She
says something very personal to her best friend or partner and then realizes someone else is in earshot.
He breaks a glass or spills a drink.
Her period starts early and she bleeds through her clothes.
He congratulates a woman on her pregnancy. She’s not pregnant.
She accidentally hugs a stranger, mistaking him for her father or significant other.
He was only pretending to know about something, and then somebody asks him detailed questions about it.
She takes a spectacular fall on stage.
He says the wrong thing during his wedding vows.
She walks into a pole or a wall.
He realizes he’s been calling someone the wrong name for weeks.
She shows up for dinner on the wrong night.
Someone reads his private letter or diary entry out loud in a group.
He realizes his shirt is on backwards or inside out (or both).
She’s underdressed, overdressed, or wearing something completely inappropriate for the occasion.
He farts while taking part in a group conversation.
She faints or gets sick at the worst possible time.
An unflattering or compromising photo of her is widely distributed.
A family member brings up something private in front of friends.
He’s caught talking to himself when he thought he was alone.
He takes a bite of something that was only meant for decoration.
She sends an important email to important people with a truly unfortunate typo.
Grrr: 25 Writing Prompts to Annoy or Anger Your Character
His coworker or neighbor keeps listening to awful music.
At the casino, she played the slot machine for an hour before giving up. The next person sat down and got a huge jackpot on the first try.
Someone who was caught breaking a rule, or the law, wasn’t properly punished.
Someone stole or copied his creative work, research, or invention.
Someone’s taking up two seats on public transit, so she has to stand.
There are no parking spaces, and someone double-parked.
Someone criticizes her cat, dog, or child.
His pet, child, partner, or roommate wakes him up at night for the third time in a row.
Her snack just got stuck in the vending machine.
Someone he knows keeps talking about himself or herself, dominating the conversation.
She’s wrongly accused of a misdeed, or even punished for it.
