Poetic devices are techniques poets use to shape language in poetry. They involve deliberate choices about sound, structure, and meaning that influence how a poem reads, sounds, and conveys ideas and emotions.
Poetic devices examples“The moon is a pale lantern in the night sky.” [metaphor]
“Soft sounds of summer slipped away.” [alliteration]
“The leaves whispered secrets to the wind.” [personification]
Poetry is a form of writing that uses carefully chosen words, rhythm, and sound to express emotions and ideas in a condensed, artistic way. From structured forms like sonnets to flowing free verse, poets use various techniques to create works that resonate deeply with readers.
Narrative writing is where stories come alive—whether you’re writing a personal memoir, helping students find their voice, or exploring your own experiences on the page. The right prompt can bring memories to the surface, inspire new ideas, and turn a blank screen or page into something meaningful.
Below, you’ll find narrative writing prompts organized by theme and age level, from personal memories to creative storytelling exercises. And if you need more inspiration, a prompt-writing tool like QuillBot’s writing prompt generator can help you generate custom ideas in seconds.
Short story ideas can come from anywhere—a conversation you overheard, a vivid image, a wild, what-if question that popped into your mind while doing the dishes. But what happens when inspiration runs dry and writer’s block hits? No need to worry; this article includes over 100 short story ideas across different genres and age groups to inspire your next creative project.
Need even more inspiration? Try QuillBot’s free AI story prompt generator, which creates unique prompts tailored to your writing style and interests.
Dialogue prompts inspire writers to write conversations between their characters. Even the best writing can fall flat without good dialogue, so experimenting with how your characters’ voices interact with each other is an important exercise for any writer.
This article includes 105 dialogue prompts
Need more help writing dialogue? Try QuillBot’s free AI dialogue generator. You can also use the tool to create conversation-style dialogue prompts tailored to your characters.
Journaling is a simple yet powerful way to reduce stress, cultivate mindfulness, and track personal growth. A collection of thought-provoking and unique journal prompts makes the experience even more rewarding and productive.
Journal prompts are questions or statements that inspire you to write about specific goals, memories, and scenarios, such as “Describe a time when you were the best version of yourself.” They provide focused opportunities for self-reflection and motivate you to make journaling a consistent practice.
The 75 prompts in this collection cover a variety of meaningful and engaging topics that will help you uncover new insights and pathways for growth.
Looking to add even more variety to your journaling routine? Ask QuillBot’s free AI Chat to show you journal prompts on any topic you want to write about.
Published on
November 25, 2025
by
Nicole Routh, M.Ed
Revised on
December 10, 2025
High school and college writers grow more confident when they practice regularly, which is why many teachers rely on daily writing prompts and other low-pressure assignments. The best writing prompts for students spark curiosity, activate prior knowledge, and invite personal reflection, while focusing on familiar topics.
If you’re seeking fresh writing prompts that do all of these things, look no further. This article includes over 100 writing prompts on engaging, informal topics that are perfect for 10–15 minute warm-ups, quick in-class activities, or low-stakes homework assignments.
QuillBot’s free writing prompt generator can also help you brainstorm writing prompts on a wide range of motivating and thought-provoking topics.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words—and for writers, it literally can be. Pictureprompts (also called picturewritingprompts) use images to spark creativity, inspire storytelling, and overcome writer’s block.
Picture prompts can spark imagination, whether you’re a teacher helping students practice picture story writing, a writer looking to exercise your creativity, an artist who wants to work with the written word, or an English learner aspiring to improve your writing.
This article rounds up 130 pictureprompts, plus story starter ideas for each. If you want to create your own pictureprompts, try QuillBot’s AI image generator.
A second-person point of view is a narrative technique where the writer uses the pronoun “you,” directly addressing the reader. This turns the reader into a character or even a protagonist in the story. Although uncommon in fiction writing, second-person narration often appears in video games, tabletop games, recipes, and instruction manuals, where giving direct instructions or choices makes sense.
Second-person point of view exampleYou wake up on a small wooden raft drifting down a wide, muddy river. Your clothes are damp, your pack is half-open, and your companions are still asleep. Up ahead, the black shape of a ruined fortress rises through the fog, its gates creaking open as if waiting for you.
A third-person point of view is when the narrator stands outside the story and refers to the characters by name or with pronouns like “he,” “she,” or “they.” This perspective offers a broader view of events, since the narrator knows what different characters think and feel. A third-person point of view can be limited or omniscient, depending on how much of this knowledge the author wishes to relate to the reader.
Third-person point of view example “I couldn’t care less,” she said, turning her gaze toward the window. Her hands clasped the pen tightly.