The Talent Show Transformation
Create a tale set in a high school where the students are descendants of mythical creatures, hiding in plain sight. The main character, unaware of their own heritage, accidentally unleashes their powers during a school talent show, revealing their true identity.
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 Teen and YA prompts
- The Academy of MythbornAfter receiving a mysterious scholarship to an elite academy, a teen finds out that all the students are descendants of mythical creatures and must…
- The Erased SiblingIn a futuristic society where memories can be digitally stored and deleted, a teenager accidentally uncovers hidden memories of a sibling they never…
- The Village Treasure HuntYour character and their friends decide to spend their summer vacation volunteering in a remote village. Amidst their work, they stumble upon a legend…
- Postcards Before SixteenEvery year, on their birthday, a teen receives a postcard from an unknown place around the world with a cryptic message. On their sixteenth birthday…
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