The Birthday Diary
After receiving an anonymous diary in the mail on their sixteenth birthday, a teenager becomes obsessed with finding out who sent it and why. Each entry inspires them to undertake tasks that are outside of their comfort zone, learning more about who they are and the sender's connection to their past.
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.
- Make the adults well-meaning but wrong.
- Use the way your hero texts to show who they are.
- Write in close first person, as if it's happening right now.
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 Friendship and Relationship prompts
- The Cave's Storm ProphecyIn a small coastal town, a group of teenagers discovers a hidden cave with ancient murals that predict the future. Write about how they deal with the…
- The Blogger Behind the SecretsIn a bustling high school filled with cliques and rivalries, an anonymous blogger starts posting secrets about the popular crowd. As tensions rise, a…
- A Friend's Defining MomentA teen with the ability to glimpse people's most defining moments in life with a simple touch, struggles with the burden and blessing of their gift.…
- The Library Book HuntA high school student discovers a handwritten letter tucked inside a library book. The letter details a scavenger hunt across their town leading to an…
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