The Attic Diary
After discovering an old diary in the attic of their new home, a teenager uncovers secrets about a past resident that mirror their own life in eerie ways. They decide to solve a mystery that's been lost to time, learning about history, their family, and themselves.
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.
- Use the way your hero texts to show who they are.
- Write in close first person, as if it's happening right now.
- Put a first in the story: a first job, kiss, loss or lie.
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 YA Drama prompts
- The Injured Record-BreakerA young athlete is set to break a long-standing school record, but an unexpected injury puts their future in jeopardy. Struggling with the possibility…
- The Best Friend's SecretWrite a story where the main character discovers that their best friend is keeping a significant, life-altering secret. As they struggle with whether…
- The Mansion Before GraduationImagine a scenario where a group of teens finds an abandoned mansion on the edge of their town right before their high school graduation. They decide…
- Teens Against Environmental InjusticeCraft a narrative around a group of teenagers who start a grassroots campaign to combat environmental injustice in their small town. As they face…
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