The Diary at the Campsite
Two teenagers camping in the deep woods stumble upon an old, abandoned campsite with items scattered everywhere, but no signs of the former campers. When they decide to investigate further, they find a riddled diary that leads them on a mysterious treasure hunt—the stakes get higher as they realize they are not the only ones searching.
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.
- 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.
- Give your hero a secret they're keeping from their best friend.
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 Mystery and Thriller prompts
- Messages in the MuseumWhile working a summer job at a local museum, a group of teenagers stumbles upon a series of hidden messages scrawled in ancient languages on some of…
- The School Fair FortuneAt the annual school fair, the fortune teller's tent is the main attraction. But when your character and their best friend get their fortunes told…
- The Missing Sibling's ClueImagine your character receives a mysterious letter that contains only a single clue to their missing sibling's whereabouts. As they follow the trail…
- Letters from the Boarding SchoolIn an elite boarding school, students start receiving anonymous letters that reveal their deepest secrets and fears. The protagonist, determined to…
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