What Can I Write When I’m bored?

What should you write when you’re not sure what to do? You don’t want to work on any of your big projects but you don’t want to not write. So, where to start? You’re bored and want to hone your craft but the next step isn’t entirely clear and, maybe if you’re honest with yourself, you’re feeling a little creatively lazy. You don’t feel like writing a gazillion words tonight (yes, that is definitely a real number).

Well, I get it, dear writer! And, I promise, I’m not judging you. I have found myself in a similar position more often than I’d like to admit. So, I’ve collected a few tips and lists to get your creative juices flowing. I implore you, read on!

1. Little writing side quests

For when you want to write something just for the fun of it, without worrying about whether it’s good.

• Write a letter to your future self about the very specific details of your current life.
• Describe your ideal cottage, including what’s in the cupboards, what grows outside, and who visits.
• Write a page from the journal of a village witch who has had a very inconvenient Tuesday.
• Invent a holiday that your fictional kingdom celebrates. What are its traditions?
• Write a list of things you would collect if you were a goblin.
• Describe your dream life as though it were a location in a fantasy novel.
• Write a dramatic review of the last ordinary thing that mildly inconvenienced you.
• Invent a little shop that sells things nobody actually needs but everyone secretly wants.
• Write a conversation between two people who have completely different ideas of what makes a good life.
• Document an ordinary day as if you were the protagonist of a fantasy novel.

2. Short stories you can write in one sitting

You don’t need to start a novel. Give yourself a character, a problem, and a little room to play.

• The Unclaimed Letter: A postal worker discovers a letter that has been arriving at the same abandoned house every year for fifty years.
• The Witch’s Day Off: A village witch tries to spend one peaceful day doing absolutely no magic. Unfortunately, the village has other plans.
• The Last Bookshop: A woman discovers that the bookshop she inherited only stocks books that its customers need, rather than books they want.
• The Dragon’s Hoard: A dragon has collected thousands of objects, but its favorite treasure is a completely ordinary item that nobody else understands.
• The Borrowed Memory: A young woman buys a beautiful old locket and begins remembering someone else’s happiest moments.
• The Village Matchmaker: A matchmaker in a small fantasy village is excellent at finding everyone else’s soulmate and completely hopeless at recognizing her own feelings.
• The Ghost’s Complaint: A ghost submits a formal complaint to the afterlife because the new owners of its house have renovated the kitchen.
• The Girl Who Stayed: In a world where everyone receives a magical calling at eighteen, one girl receives nothing. Years later, she discovers why.

3. Poetry prompts for when you don’t feel like writing prose

Try writing just 8–16 lines. No need to produce a polished poem.

• Write about repairing something that you thought was beyond saving.
• Describe the feeling of autumn without mentioning a single color or weather condition.
• Write a love poem about an ordinary task or item.
• Write about a childhood memory as if it were a place you could physically revisit.
• Describe faith as a tiny light that someone keeps tending.
• Write an ode to something mundane: your favorite mug, a grocery store, a blanket, or the first sip of coffee.
• Write about the strange grief of outgrowing a version of yourself that you once loved.
• Write a poem in which each stanza begins with “I used to think…”
• Write about a home you haven’t found yet.
• Write a poem that reads like a prayer or song.

4. The 10-minute writing game

Just set a timer and go! Whatever comes to mind! Write it down. It could read like a story or a journal entry but don’t stop!

5. Get a Random Image or Song and Run with it!

Go to pinterest and the FIRST image you get that isn’t text based is what you need to write a story on! Alternatively, put your playlist on shuffle and write inspired by the first song that comes up!

Hopefully that’s all enough to get you started for now! Let me know what you make below in the comments or feel free to leave your tips for what you write when you’re bored if you’re willing to share! 😉