32 Fiction Writing Prompts for Middle School Kids
Hey there, middle schoolers!
Feeling all awkward and figuring yourselves out?
Totally normal.
Guess what’s a super cool way to deal with that? Writing awesome stories!
Ever wished your daydreams were more than just, well, dreams?
Boom!
Writing lets you turn those wild ideas into epic adventures. Plus, it helps you become a storytelling ninja.
This article is bursting with story ideas just for you.
We’re talking aliens, secret maps, and maybe even a talking hamster (hey, anything is possible!).
So grab your notebook, unleash your imagination, and let’s get this story started!
Fiction Writing Prompts for Middle School
The Lost Diary: Imagine walking through the forest behind your school and stumbling upon a tattered old diary buried beneath a tree’s roots. The entries date back to a time before your school was even built. As you start reading, you realize the writer might have predicted future events in your life. Dive deep into the stories of the diary and the mystery that unravels around its predictions.
The Unexpected Pen Pal: One day, you receive a handwritten letter from a student in a far-off country, detailing their life, dreams, and challenges. Intrigued, you begin exchanging letters, growing closer and more connected. Write about the bond you share, the differences in your lives, and how you both help each other overcome personal obstacles.
The Silent Town: You wake up one morning to find that everyone in your town has lost their ability to speak. Communication has to be done through gestures, writing, or other non-verbal means. Navigate through this silent world, discovering the cause of this strange phenomenon and the new challenges that arise from it.
The Curious Camera: On your 13th birthday, you receive a vintage camera from your grandmother. You quickly discover that the photos it takes aren’t from the present, but snapshots from the past or possible future. Delve into the stories these photos tell, and the power and responsibility that comes with holding such a device.
The Mysterious New Student: A new student joins your class mid-semester. They’re quiet, keep to themselves, and have a peculiar habit of always drawing in a worn-out notebook. One day, you notice the sketches they create come alive for a brief moment. Embark on a journey to understand the magic behind the drawings and the new student’s hidden secrets.
The Hidden Door in the Library: During a routine trip to the school library, you accidentally stumble upon a hidden door concealed behind a bookshelf. This door leads to a maze of underground tunnels, filled with ancient artifacts and texts. Unearth the secrets and history hidden beneath your school and the guardians who have protected them.
The Exchange Program to the Past: Your school announces a new exchange program, but it’s not with another country – it’s with another time. Students have the opportunity to live a week in a past decade of their choice. You decide to experience life in the 1980s. Write about the culture shock, the challenges, and the lessons you learn from living in a world before smartphones and the internet.
The Musical Rain: One day, it starts raining, but instead of the usual sound of droplets, every raindrop produces a musical note. Soon, the entire town is enveloped in harmonious melodies. Describe how daily life changes with this magical rain, the challenges it poses, and the way people come together to create or combat this phenomenon.
The Disappearing Colors: One morning, you wake up to a world drained of color. The vibrant hues of everyday life are now shades of grey. As the days go by, you notice certain objects regaining their color when touched by genuine emotion. Dive into a journey of understanding emotions, connections, and the quest to bring color back to the world.
The Gift of Dream Travel: On your 14th birthday, you discover an uncanny ability to travel into other people’s dreams. Each night, you can choose whose dream to enter, but you can’t control the events of the dream. Write about the adventures, dangers, and insights you experience, and the ethical dilemmas of intervening in someone’s most intimate thoughts.
The Abandoned Theme Park: On a family trip, you stumble across an old, forgotten theme park. To your surprise, once you enter, the rides come to life, operating by themselves. Each ride tells a story from the past. Venture into the tales and history behind each attraction, and the reason for the park’s mysterious closure.
The Book of Unwritten Stories: In your attic, you find a peculiar book titled “Unwritten Stories.” Each page is blank until you touch it, and then a new story emerges, one that feels eerily connected to your own emotions or experiences. Explore the origins and impact of this mysterious book, and the power of creating or altering narratives.
The Woods that Talk: The forest near your home is known to have whispers that only children can hear. These whispers guide them to hidden treasures or offer sage advice. One day, the whispers beckon you to save the woods from an imminent threat. Dive deep into an adventure to protect the forest and its mysterious entities.
The Ever-Changing Map: Your history teacher lends you an ancient map, but you soon realize that this isn’t an ordinary map. It constantly shifts and changes, showing places from different times, realms, and even fictional worlds. Embark on journeys guided by the map, each time landing in a new setting with its own set of challenges.
The Silent Night Sky: One evening, all the stars in the night sky disappear. Panic ensues around the world, as scientists scramble for answers. You, however, notice a hidden pattern or message forming in their absence. Write about your endeavor to decode the celestial message and restore hope to the world.
The Lost Art of Letter Writing: A city-wide power outage forces everyone to disconnect from their electronic devices. With no idea of its duration, people turn to old-fashioned letter writing to communicate. Detail the transformation in relationships, self-reflection, and the resurgence of forgotten arts as the community adapts to a life without modern technology.
The Clock that Slows Time: In a hidden corner of a local antique shop, you discover a beautiful old clock. Once you wind it up, you realize it has the power to slow down time, but only for the person who winds it. Write about the adventures, challenges, and moral dilemmas faced with manipulating time for personal gain.
The Lost City Beneath the School: During a school renovation, workers discover a trapdoor that leads to a forgotten underground city. As you and your friends explore, you realize the city mirrors your own town but from centuries ago. Dive into the stories, artifacts, and mysteries of this hidden civilization and its connection to your current world.
The Mirror of Alternate Lives: You inherit a mirror from a distant relative. When you look into it, instead of your reflection, you see glimpses of yourself living different lives based on choices you never made. Explore the question: What if? Dive into stories of these alternate realities, learning lessons along the way.
The Library with Living Books: A new library opens in town, but these aren’t ordinary books. When opened, the characters come to life, stepping into the real world, while the reader is drawn into the story. Navigate the challenges of characters adapting to the modern world and the choices of whether to stay in the narrative or the real world.
The Garden of Emotions: In your backyard, flowers start to bloom overnight. Each flower represents an emotion, and when smelled, it can make a person feel that emotion intensely. Delve into the effects of experiencing raw, unfiltered emotions, the beauty and danger it presents, and its impact on the community.
The Dreamcatcher’s Reality: Your grandmother gifts you a dreamcatcher, saying it’s a family heirloom. Soon, you find out that not only does it catch dreams, but it can also make them real for a day. Write about the adventures and challenges faced when fantasies merge with reality, and the moral dilemmas of altering reality.
The Compass of Fate: On a hiking trip, you find a golden compass buried under some leaves. It doesn’t point north, but instead, it points towards moments or people that will have a significant impact on the holder’s fate. Embark on a journey where the compass leads, discovering life-altering encounters and pivotal decisions.
The Painting that Predicts Weather: At a garage sale, you buy a beautiful painting of a landscape. Soon, you realize that the painting changes to depict the weather 24 hours in advance. Detail the advantages, problems, and challenges this poses, especially when the painting shows unprecedented and catastrophic weather events.
The Musical Shoes: You buy a pair of shoes from a thrift store, and every step you take in them creates a musical note. As you walk, run, or dance, they produce different melodies. Delve into the stories that unfold when you discover these shoes allow you to communicate with and influence emotions through their music.
The Forgotten Station: On a field trip, you accidentally board the wrong bus and end up at a train station no one has ever heard of. The trains don’t run on tracks but on beams of light, taking passengers to distant stars and galaxies. Describe a journey through space, meeting alien civilizations and navigating cosmic wonders.
The Lost Shadow: One day, you wake up and find your shadow is missing. Soon, you discover it’s gained independence and is living its own life. Dive into the complexities of reconciling with a part of yourself that’s gone rogue, and the adventures that ensue.
The Recipe Book of Memories: You stumble upon an old cookbook in your attic. However, instead of regular recipes, each dish brings back a specific memory for whoever consumes it. Explore the stories, both sweet and bitter, that emerge from revisiting long-forgotten memories, and the lessons learned from them.
The Balloon of Whispers: At a carnival, you purchase a balloon. However, instead of floating with helium, it’s filled with whispers of secrets from the town. Write about the quest to understand the origins of these secrets and the choice of whether to reveal or protect them.
The River that Flows Backwards: During a summer vacation, you find a river that doesn’t flow to the sea but instead flows inland. Deciding to explore it, you discover it leads to moments in the past. Dive into a journey where every drop can rewind time and revisit past moments, both personal and historical.
The Notebook of Unfinished Stories: In the school library, you find a notebook labeled “Unfinished Stories.” Reading it, you’re pulled into the narrative, tasked with completing each tale. Navigate the challenges of solving story dilemmas and crafting endings, while also seeking a way out of the narrative web.
The Sunglasses of Perspective: At a yard sale, you buy a pair of quirky sunglasses. Wearing them, you don’t just see the world differently; you see it from the perspective of whoever you’re looking at. Delve into the lessons learned from experiencing the world through multiple viewpoints, understanding feelings, biases, joys, and struggles of different individuals.
