The Mansion Before Graduation
Imagine 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 to explore it, only to find personal items that mysteriously relate to each of their lives. How do these discoveries change their perspectives on their hometown and each other?
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 YA Drama prompts
- 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…
- Roommates After the FalloutCreate a tale where two best friends, separated by a misunderstood argument, coincidentally end up being roommates in college. Detail their journey of…
- Messages from TomorrowWrite about a teen who starts receiving anonymous text messages that predict small, inconsequential events. Initially dismissing them, the teen's…
- The Hidden Basement PaintingIn a world where art is forbidden, a rebellious teenager finds an old, hidden painting in their basement. Enthralled by the idea of freedom it…
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