Things to Write When Bored: 100+ Writing Ideas, Prompts and Inspiration

Feeling bored and looking for things to write about? Whether you’re a writer facing writer’s block or just someone looking to pass the time, coming up with ideas for writing when bored can be a struggle.

This complete guide is packed with over 100 interesting and fun writing prompts, ideas, and inspirations to spark your creativity and banish boredom. From writing stories, letters and blogs to journaling, world-building and self-care writing, there are writing ideas here to entertain all interests and get your creative juices flowing.

Why Writing is an Interesting Activity When Bored

Writing serves many purposes beyond simple communication. When feeling bored, writing can be a productive, meaningful and even entertaining way to pass the time. Here are some of the top reasons to try writing when boredom strikes:

• Spark creativity: Free writing and responding to thought-provoking prompts help generate new ideas and get your creative juices flowing.
• Practice a skill: Writing is a skill that requires regular practice, so use your boredom as motivation to improve.
• Organize thoughts: Writing things out helps crystallize nebulous thoughts and gives structure to randomness.
• Express yourself: Writing whatever comes to mind allows you to tap into your unique perspective.
• Enjoyment: Writing stories and imagining new worlds can transport you away from boredom.
• Flow state: Writing absorbs your full attention, bringing you into a state of flow.
• Mindfulness: Journaling promotes self-awareness and keeps your mind grounded in the present.

So if boredom has you seeking an interesting way to pass the time, grab a pen and paper or open up your laptop. Writing is a fun, productive antidote to boredom.

Things to Write: 100+ Writing Ideas, Prompts and Topics

Ready to start writing your boredom away? Below you’ll find over 100 things to write about, including writing prompts, story ideas, journaling topics, and more writing inspiration.

Creative Writing Ideas and Prompts

Feel like flexing your fiction writing muscles or developing interesting new characters? Try these creative writing story starters and prompts to get the juices flowing.

• Write a story that begins with this line: “I never would have found it if the squirrel hadn’t led me there.”
• Imagine you wake up one day with the ability to fly. Write about your first flight.
• Use the title “The Gift” and craft a story based around it.
• Write a conversation between you and your future self 30 years from now. How is your future self wiser? What lessons have they learned to pass on?
• Come up with a fictional product or service that would make people’s lives easier. Write a webpage, commercial script, or advertisement for this new creation.
• Describe a typical day in your ideal life 30 years from now. What does your dream home, job, family, etc look like? How do you spend your time?
• Create detailed character profiles for 3 characters including physical features, backstories and unique quirks. Then write a scene where they interact.
• Pick two fictional characters from books, movies or TV shows that don’t know one another. Write a scene where they meet for the first time.
• Write a short play that incorporates the lines: “That’s the last time I tried that” and “Well, what did you expect?”
• Use the following 5 words in a metaphorical poem: flower, scar, sunrise, power, sand.
• Write a poem inspired by an interesting or beautiful natural landscape you imagine.

Journaling Topics and Prompts

Journaling is a reflective writing practice that promotes mindfulness, self-awareness and emotional intelligence. Here are thought-provoking journal prompts for personal development:

• Make a list of 30 things that bring you joy, from simple pleasures to meaningful activities. Refer to this when bored for inspiration.
• Describe how you’re feeling at this very moment. Dig deeply — is there anxiety, sadness, loneliness or another feeling beneath the boredom?
• Make a list of goals you’d like to achieve in the next month. They can be related to work, hobbies, health/fitness, relationships and more.
• What’s something you’re currently procrastinating on? Write down action steps to finally tackle this task.
• Write about a conflict you have with someone. Acknowledge their point of view before analyzing your own role in the disagreement.
• Describe one of your personal shortcomings or areas for growth. Then, write about how this quality has also helped you.
• Re-read journal entries from a year ago. Write about how you’ve grown and changed since then.
• Write a letter to your teenage self giving advice about living a good life.
• What does your ideal morning routine look like? Describe your perfect start to the day.
• Choose a positive affirmation such as “I am strong” or “I deserve good things”, etc. Freewrite about why this affirmation is true for you.

World-Building and Fiction Writing Prompts

Immerse yourself in fictional worlds by brainstorming everything from magic systems to political structures. Outline new civilizations, create character backgrounds and let your imagination wander.

• Dream up a magic system with at least 10 unique spells — name them, describe visual effects, establish limits, etc.
• Design a complete fictional university including classes, professors, extracurriculars — even floorplans if desired!
• Pick two contrasting geographical areas like a desert and Arctic tundra. Define features like climate, native plants/animals, cultures found there, etc.
• Create a fictional family tree spanning 5 generations including character profiles for each family member.
• Write a short scene featuring 3 fictional characters you’ve developed, ensuring consistent voices/mannerisms per their profiles.
• Outline the political system and lawmaking bodies for your fictional nation. How are rulers chosen? What’s the judicial system like?
• Design cultural practices like styles of dress, cuisine, art forms, music, holidays and more for a civilization different than anything found in reallife.

Writing Exercise Prompts

Hone your writing craft with exercises focused on descriptive writing, scene-setting, character development and more.

• Pick an interesting photo as a visual writing prompt. Practice descriptive writing by bringing the image to life through words.
• Write two separate stories that both open with this line: “I never meant for it to end this way”.
• Describe your bedroom in exquisite detail as if the reader has never seen one before.
• Pick an emotion like grief, rage, joy etc. and write a scene depicting a character feeling this way without directly referencing the emotion word itself.
• Narrate an everyday activity like making breakfast or commuting, using figurative language to make it more dramatic and interesting.
• Challenge your dialogue writing by scripting an exchange between an impatient customer and weary service worker.
• Practice integrating setting details seamlessly into a scene rather than info-dumping lots of physical descriptions upfront.
• Write only in metaphors and observations for half a page about any person or place familiar to you.

Random Writing Prompts for Idea Generation

Short on ideas or want to challenge your creativity? Try these unpredictable, off-the-wall writing prompts:

• Explain the backstory behind a mysterious scar — who or what caused it and how?
• Send a message in a bottle — what do you write and why? Who do you hope finds it?
• Write a poem from the perspective of an insect wandering through a garden.
• Use the title “The Adventures of Blanky” to brainstorm a children’s book concept. Outline the plot and characters.
• Compose song lyrics to a random song currently playing in your environment.
• Pick two random nouns and make up a story incorporating both items.
• Read a foreign language news article and write your imagined translation.
• Write your own interpretation for what an abstract painting is trying to convey.
• Design an imaginary course syllabus on any bizarre topic of your choosing like “Advanced Fairy Identification”.

Fun Writing Challenges

Try these engaging writing challenges and games when you’re seeking writing ideas:

• Write a short story in exactly 350 words, no more and no less.
• Compose a poem where the first letter of each line spells out a hidden message vertically.
• Outline a murder mystery plot that takes place in your current home or workplace. Who dies and who is the culprit?
• Write a novella-length fan fiction story in an existing fictional universe like Harry Potter or Star Wars.
• Draft captions for a “behind the scenes” photo gallery of a movie depicting fictional events we don’t see play out onscreen.
• Compose a short one-act play to perform solely between you and your pet, complete with stage directions.
• Pick 5 random words. Use them all in a metaphor comparing writing to something unusual and amusing.
• Write a sitcom-style script where you interact comically with an inanimate object.
• Describe a mundane task like doing laundry or walking the dog as if it were an adventure quest fraught with epic obstacles.

Self-Care Writing Prompts

Writing about self-care strengthens your wellbeing by promoting reflection on your needs. Here are self-care journal prompts:

• Make a list of your unique personality traits — which do you appreciate about yourself and why?
• What’s one small act of self-care you can do right now while writing such as sipping tea or putting on cozy socks?
• Write about what financial independence means to you. How might achieving it impact your life and ability to practice self-care?
• Make a list of lesser obligations you can delegate or drop to free up more time and energy for self-care.
• What healthy emotional boundaries do you need to implement moving forward and why?
• Picture your life 5 years from now if you practice stellar self-care. Manifest this future through writing.

Argument Writing Prompts

Flex your critical thinking by writing argued positions about thought-provoking debates. Some topics to tackle:

• Is censorship of the internet justified? Why/why not?
• Do works of art have an objective quality or is it purely subjective? Craft an argued position.
• Write an editorial arguing the pros/cons of year-round schooling rather than summer vacation.
• Should advertising to children be regulated? Make an argued case.
• Is space exploration worthwhile for society? Justify your position.
• Does access to healthcare qualify as a basic human right? Persuasively make your case.
• Craft an argument around the question: contests, prizes and giveaways, do more harm than good?

Additional Tips and Inspiration for Writing When Bored

Hopefully the over 100 writing ideas and prompts above provide loads of inspiration to banish boredom! If you need additional tips:

• Set a timer for 10-15 minutes and write freely without self-editing to get your creative juices flowing.
• Take a walk outdoors for new writing inspiration and to clear your mind.
• Pick a random book, flip to a random page and passage and use it as a creative jump-off point.
• Turn on music and write whatever the lyrics inspire, like a song response poem.
• Read the news and use a current event headline as a writing prompt.
• People watch in public and observe interesting characters to describe in writing later.
• Freewrite about a childhood memory tangentially inspired by your boredom — what you learned, how you felt, etc.
• Envision readers also feeling bored and write specifically for them — to uplift, inspire or entertain.

Overcoming Writer’s Block When Bored

Even with loads of writing ideas, writer’s block can still strike when bored. Here are tips to overcome it:

• Completely switch writing topics/genres to give your brain a break.
• Take a 30 minute break to recharge. Go for a walk, listen to music, make a snack.
• Write by hand to establish different thinking patterns than typing.
• Set a small achievable word count goal like 500 words to minimize pressure.
• Try a writing exercise like describing a fond childhood memory in exquisite detail.
• Freewrite everything circulating in your mind without self-editing to declutter thoughts.
• Read a poem, book passage or writing example you admire for inspiration.

Writing Tools and Resources

Take your writing to the next level with these useful writing tools and resources:

• Grammarly – this writing assistant checks grammar and spelling mistakes.
• Prompts.org – generates random story ideas and first line writing prompts.
• Story Generator – sparks short story plots from key words.
• Figment – an online writing community to share your writing and find inspiration.
• Written? Kit – creative writing prompts and journals to purchase.
• Writing Exercises – a database of poetry and fiction writing ideas submitted by users.
• Quora – can help you research any topic to write knowledgably about.

Start Writing Today

Have your boredom cured? With over 100 engaging writing ideas and prompts in this guide ranging from journaling topics to fictional story concepts to world-building prompts and more, you’re now fully equipped to grab a pen and paper or open a fresh document to write your boredom away while challenging your creativity and building your skills.

Some additional ideas: set a timer for a 10-15 minute free writing sprint, put on some music for inspiration, or browse the writing tools listed to spark new lines of thinking.

Treat boredom as a gift — an opportunity to journey within your imagination, to express your unique ideas and perspective on paper while improving your writing abilities in the process. Write on!