Letters from a Secret Friend
Imagine a teen who starts receiving anonymous letters that contain advice to navigate difficult situations at school. As they try to uncover the sender, they learn that understanding others might be the key to understanding 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.
- 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 Drama prompts
- Beyond the Final WhistleThe lead character is a high school athlete who suffers a career-ending injury. Explore their journey of self-discovery through different forms of…
- Rival Musicians in HarmonyCraft a story about two rival teen musicians who must collaborate on a school project. Detail their initial conflicts, gradual respect for each…
- The Filmmaker's Class ProjectImagine a teenager who dreams of becoming a filmmaker. For their final school project, they decide to document the stories of their classmates, only…
- The Attic DiaryAfter 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…
Fifteen minutes in? Keep going.
Chapterly gives a draft somewhere to grow: chapters, daily word goals, and readers when you're ready.
Plans from $9.99 a month. Cancel any time. Your words are always yours.