Creative writing prompts for the socially conscious.
Today’s post includes a selection of prompts from 1200 Creative Writing Prompts. Enjoy!
Civilization. Society. Culture.
We live in a complex world fraught with struggles.
Most of us are so busy worrying about our own personal problems that we have little time to think about problems that plague our communities, countries, and the planet.
Yet many of us want to be good citizens and stewards. We want to do our part to make the world a little better, or perhaps a lot better.
These are values of social consciousness that we can express through our writing.
Creative Writing Prompts
Social consciousness simply means that we are aware of the problems that exist in society. The creative writing prompts below will inspire you to think about those problems critically.
Feel free to do a little research on any of these prompts before you start writing. Choose whichever prompts strike you as most interesting, and feel free to change the prompt to suit your interests and concerns. If a prompt asks you to write a short story but you’d rather just freewrite about the topic in your journal, then do that instead. Good luck!
- In a country that rants and raves about freedom, the government decides that its people should not be allowed to drink liquor. Write a story set during Prohibition in the United States.
- Use all of the following words in a poem: humanity, hunger, equality, power, greed, redemption, freedom.
- Write a few paragraphs describing censorship. Include examples of how, when, and where censorship might occur. Is it ever okay to censor a book? Who has the right to censor a book? Is it ever okay for the government to censor its citizens? Is criticism the same as censorship? Can criticism be misconstrued for censorship? What is the difference between rules prohibiting certain speech inside a private residence or business as opposed to the laws of a state that prohibits certain speech?
- Choose a cause that you feel is worthy and write an article persuading others to join that cause.
- What are your thoughts and feelings on violence? Is it ever justified? When is self-defense warranted–when a person feels threatened or when they are physically struck first?
- Write a poem about civil service.
- If you could change one thing in the world, what would you change and why?
- Think of a major worldwide problem: for example, hunger, climate change, or political corruption. Write an article outlining a solution (or steps toward a solution).
- Write a poem about disenfranchised or marginalized people.
- You get to cure one disease. Which disease do you choose and why? Do you choose the disease that affects the most people or the one that has affected you or your loved ones?
Did you find these creative writing prompts interesting or inspiring? How often do you use prompts for ideas and inspiration? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment, and keep writing!
