creative writing prompts

Creative writing prompts about animals.

Today’s post includes a selection of prompts from 1200 Creative Writing Prompts. Enjoy!

Animals have played a significant role in literature throughout history.

They appear in poems and stories, and plenty of nonfiction works have been written about animals and humans’ experiences with animals.

From E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web to Jane Goodall’s (aff links) books on primatology, authors and readers alike have delighted in writing and reading about animals.

And it’s no wonder. We humans have forged strong bonds with animals. Our pets are like family members. In fact, Americans spend billions a year on their animal companions. Billions more are donated to wildlife preservation, animal welfare advocacy, and conservation efforts.

Naturally, animals fit comfortably into the stories we tell. Today’s creative writing prompts pay homage to our animal friends by inspiring a writing session that features animals.

Creative Writing Prompts About Animals




Below, you’ll find a series of creative writing prompts. Choose one, and turn it into a short story, a poem, a play, or an essay. Write anything you want, and if you can’t decide what to write, then do a freewrite.

  • Children are delighted when a mama cat gives birth to a litter of five orange tabbies and one little gray runt.
  • Write a piece using the following image: a camel walking across the desert.
  • A young man on his first hunting trip has a deer in his sight and suddenly remembers the day his dad took him to see Bambi.
  • Write a piece using the following image: sea life dying in waters that have been poisoned with toxins or littered with dangerous waste.
  • Sunlight dances on the surface of the water. Waves roll gently against the shore. Seagulls soar above, dipping and diving through the sky.
  • A school of dolphins is too trusting and approaches a boat whose crew is intent on capturing the dolphins and bringing them to a theme park for a swim-with-the-dolphins attraction.
  • A bird and squirrel live together in the same tree (like The Odd Couple).
  • Write about hunting.
  • Two children, a brother and sister, respectively capture a butterfly and a moth, then proceed to argue over which insect is superior.
  • Write a piece using the following image: a bird’s nest full of eggs.

Creative Writing Prompts

If you use any of these creative writing prompts to spark a writing session, come back and tell us how they worked for you. What did you write? Did you learn anything new? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment. And keep writing.

For more inspiring prompts, pick up a copy of 1200 Creative Writing Prompts, available at your favorite online bookstore.

Creative Writing Prompts

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