Looking for fuel to get your ideas flowing? We’ve got you covered. Here you’ll find prompts from our past Narrative High School Writing Contests and more.
Where I'm Going
In this activity you will read winning works from the First Narrative High School Writing Contest and respond to the same prompt.
The Prompt:
Some of you are planning to leave home, perhaps to attend college, and may be in the midst of choosing schools as we speak. Many more of you are daydreaming about the summer, and about the next year of high school. Either way, we invite you to think about the words “Where I'm Going” and write a 600-word personal narrative that serves to describe the future you imagine.
Your personal narrative should share a story about you that conjures a singular and distinct journey. Be sure to illuminate specific moments and unexpected revelations that give your readers access to your experiences. Most of all, dare to dream big about all the places, the people, and the accomplishments you wish to experience.
Read the winners:
Consider:
To learn more about the First Annual High School Contest, click here.
Escape
In this activity you will read winning works from the Sixth Narrative High School Writing Contest and respond to the same prompt.
The Prompt:
Escape might entail getting to a specific place or time, or to a person or feeling. It might involve running toward something, or away from it. Escape can mean a trip outside yourself, or a journey within. Does your escape plan include companions? Is there an adventure you’re longing to go on? What words or images come to mind when you hear the word escape? What circumstance are you itching to get away from?
Reflect on these questions, and write a poem of 10 to 50 lines detailing what it means for you—or perhaps for all of us—to escape. Remember: the best writing shies away from easy conclusions and neatly packaged ideas, so while you’ll want to use crystal-clear images in your piece, try to leave room for ambivalence or ambiguity too. Write a poem that takes your audience on an escape that only you can write.
Read the winners:
Consider:
or stay grounded in this world?
To learn more about the Sixth Annual High School Contest, click here.
True or False?
In this activity you will read winning works from the Eighth Narrative High School Writing Contest and respond to the same prompt.
The Prompt:
In an age swirling with misinformation and misunderstandings, it’s easy to wonder: What is true? And given all the multiple-choice exams you’ve taken, it’s just as easy to assume there are only two choices in life. But is that ever really the case?
In a poem of 10 to 50 lines, address the truths of your life, but make it complicated. The best writing shies away from easy conclusions and neatly packaged ideas, so while you’ll want to use crystal-clear images in your piece, try to leave room for ambivalence or ambiguity too.
Read the winners:
Consider:
To learn more about the Eighth Annual High School Contest, click here.
When Everything Changed
In this activity you will read winning works from the Third Narrative High School Writing Contest and respond to the same prompt.
The Prompt:
Think about the words “When Everything Changed,” and write a 600-word personal narrative that serves to describe such a moment. Tell an engaging story that only you can tell while also reminding us of universal bonds and commonalities.
Your personal narrative should share a story about you that includes a unique perspective or how one of your previously held attitudes changed in a significant way. Be sure to illuminate specific moments and unexpected revelations that give your readers access to your experiences.
Read the winners:
Consider:
To learn more about the Third Annual High School Contest, click here.
Dear America
In this activity you will read winning works from the Second Narrative High School Writing Contest and respond to the same prompt.
The Prompt:
Start with the words “Dear America,” and write a 600-word personal narrative that serves as a letter to the country. Tell an engaging story that only you can tell while also reminding us of the ties that bind us together.
Your personal narrative should share a great story about you that includes a unique journey with conflict and resolution. Be sure to crystalize specific moments and unexpected revelations that give your readers access to your perspective and experiences.
Read the winners:
Consider:
To learn more about the Second Annual High School Contest, click here.
The Mistake
In this activity you will read winning works from the Fourth Narrative High School Writing Contest and respond to the same prompt.
The Prompt:
What happens when you make a mistake?
We’re living in such fraught times. And too often the adults we see and hear on the public stage won’t fess up to their mistakes. So we roll along. But wait. In the hands of skilled writers, mistakes are gold. They are opportunities for drama, reflection, reversals of fate and fortune, or, at bottom, they are a grim reminder of life lived and suffered.
In a 600-word story or essay, address a pivotal “mistake.” Be fearless as you mine the hard lessons life hands you. Find grace, if grace is in the offing. You might find humor to share with your audience. And if nothing else, show your readers how truly painful, irrevocable, and life-altering mistakes can be.
Read the winners:
Consider:
To learn more about the Fourth Annual High School Contest, click here.
Other Great Prompts
• Six-Word Stories: A delightfully difficult form that asks you to write a complete story that transpires in a moment’s reading.
• A Letter in Time: Read letters address to past and future selves, then write your own.
• My Note to the World: Write about an issue that confounds the world at large or troubles your life specifically.
• Blindspots: Write about a blindspot you feel needs greater attention and bring to light what others have been missing.
• The Choice: Write about a decision that altered the course of a life in some way, big or small.
