The Viral Secret Blog
Create a tale about a teen who starts a blog under a pseudonym to vent about life's frustrations and dreams. The blog goes viral, leading to unexpected fame and issues of privacy and trust. How does the protagonist balance their normal life with their secret online persona?
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.
- 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.
- Raise the stakes until the hero's identity is on the line.
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 Ancestral Scavenger HuntEvery year, your school hosts a legendary scavenger hunt with clues leading all over town. This year, you and your team discover that each clue not…
- The Letter in the Old BookWrite a story where the main character discovers an old, handwritten letter in a secondhand book. The letter reveals a secret that connects the…
- Their Last Summer TogetherDescribe a summer that changes everything for two teens from different social circles who form an unlikely friendship. Explore themes of loyalty…
- The Middle Child's Talent ShowImagine you are the middle child in a family of geniuses. Struggling to find your own special talent, you decide to enter the school’s talent show.…
Fifteen minutes in? Keep going.
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