The Attic Journal
After discovering a mysterious journal in their attic, a teenager uncovers secrets of their town’s past that parallel their own struggles of identity and belonging. Write a story where each journal entry guides them through a personal rite of passage.
Suggested length: A short story: 1,500 to 5,000 words, or flash fiction under 1,000
Start the clock
Pick a sprint, press start and keep going until it stops. Momentum beats polish on a first draft.
Make it yours
Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- Give your hero a secret they're keeping from their best friend.
- Let your hero make a big mistake for a reason the reader understands.
- End with a choice only this hero would make.
Writing young adult books
Ages 12 to 18: firsts, identity and everything at stake.
Young adult fiction is written for teens, with protagonists usually 14 to 18. Every genre lives here, from fantasy to thrillers to romance. What makes it YA is the voice: immediate, intense and inside a teenager's head.
What readers expect
- A teen protagonist
- An immediate, close voice
- Identity and independence
- Big feelings, taken seriously
A tip before you start
Write from inside a teen's head, not from an adult looking back. That immediacy is what separates YA from an adult book with a young hero.
More Coming-of-Age prompts
- The Freshman Year Challenge ListTell the story of three friends who, on the eve of high school graduation, decide to complete a list of challenges they made in freshman year. Each…
- The Graduation Road TripWrite about a group of friends who embark on a road trip after graduation. Along the way, they encounter challenges that test their friendship and…
- The Scholarship and the SecretWrite a story about a teenager who wins a scholarship to an elite boarding school. They must navigate new social circles, rigorous academic…
- Secrets in the HomelandDuring the summer before their senior year, a teen decides to learn more about their cultural heritage and embarks on a journey back to their parents’…
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