Writing Prompt
Let the Spinny Thing create random prompts for you - for writing, artwork, fanfiction, poetry, roleplay, or whatever you need! Use the form below to select the options you're willing to be prompted for, then your prompt will be generated randomly for you from the options and settings available. You can select from the wide range of keywords and categories provided, and/or enter your own.
You will be given a link to your prompt (so you can return to it, put it on a blog/journal, or give the prompt to someone else), and also a link you can use to return to your customised options, so you can make further changes or generate more prompts.
Universe, fandom or title
If this prompt is for writing/artwork/etc set in a specific universe or fandom, which one(s)? If not, what title (or working title) do you have for it? This will serve as the heading for your prompt.
Characters
Please enter a list of the characters the Spinny Thing should choose from, and the total number of characters you want your prompt to involve. Your prompt will produce the number specified, chosen randomly from the list you enter.
- If you even want the number of characters involved to be random, enter "r" (no quotes) in the number box.
- If your piece isn't going to include any characters at all (or no specific characters, at least), enter "0" in the number box.
- If you want to be prompted for characters but don't have any specific ones in mind, try entering a list of random names - just the first names that occur to you!
One in each box; 30 character limit per box
Genre
One or more genres will be chosen for your prompt, from the options below. If there are any genres you want to exclude from the choice, just uncheck the box beside them to remove them from the selection process. You can also add your own possible genre options using the boxes below, and the final selection will be drawn randomly from all of the available options, including the ones you entered.
- If you want to combine multiple genres, use the number box to specify how many. Enter "r" for a random number, but be warned that your prompt could get very complicated!
- If you don't want a genre chosen, select only "No specific genre".
Select/deselect all (requires javascript) | |
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No specific genre | |
Drama | Angst |
Romance | Hurt/comfort |
Sci-fi | Parody |
Fantasy | Humour |
Horror | Poetry |
You can enter your own genres here, if desired:
One in each box; 30 character limit per box
Type
If you want to allow the prompt to include specific types of relationship between the characters, select them as appropriate below. This is probably mainly of relevance only to fanfiction, so if it's not relevant for you or you're in any doubt, just leave it at the default (i.e. only "General (no pairings)" selected).
Select/deselect all (requires javascript) |
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General (no pairings) |
Friendship |
Het |
Slash |
Threesome |
Moresome |
Length
If this prompt is for writing, select what lengths of writing you are willing to be prompted for. If you don't mind, or if this is not relevant, just leave it at the default (i.e. only "Any length" selected).
Select/deselect all (requires javascript) |
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Any length |
Six words |
50 words |
Drabble (100 words) |
Double drabble (200 words) |
Flash prose (up to c. 1,500 words) |
Short (up to c. 3,000 words) |
Medium (3,000 - 10,000 words) |
Long (10,000 - 25,000 words) |
Novella (25,000 - 50,000 words) |
Novel (50,000+ words) |
Age rating
You can select which age ratings you are willing to be prompted for.
Select/deselect all (requires javascript) |
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Suitable for all ages |
Not for young children |
Teen and above |
Mature content |
Adults only |
Warnings
If your writing/artwork/etc is intended for internet publication, some sites require that warnings be entered for some content. Select from the options below (and/or add your own) and specify how many warnings should be included in your prompt ("r" for a random number). If this is not relevant for you, just leave this section set to the default; i.e. only "none" selected.
Total number of warnings to selectSelect/deselect all (requires javascript) | |
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None | |
Character death | Explicit sex |
Violence | BDSM/fetish |
Physical illness | Mental illness |
Physical abuse | Psychological abuse |
You can enter your own warnings here, if desired:
One in each box; 30 character limit per box
Keywords
A large number of keywords are below, sorted into categories, and you can also add your own to these lists. How you decide to use the keywords chosen for your prompt is obviously entirely up to you - e.g., you could use them loosely, just as inspiration, or you could set yourself the challenge of including these exact words (or at least the concepts) in your piece.
If you don't want to spend too much time on designing your prompt, you can just stick with the defaults - leave everything as it is, skip this section entirely and hit 'Go!' at the bottom of the page!
Alternatively, there are two ways you can use this section:
Either:
i) Leave the "ignore categories" box unchecked. The Spinny Thing will ignore the "total number of keywords" box, and will allow you to specify how many keywords should be chosen from each category ("0" for none, or "r" for a random number - could be large!). You can select/deselect the keywords available in each category, and you can also add your own. This method will give you a much more detailed prompt!
Or:
ii) Check the "ignore categories" box and enter a number into the "total number of keywords" box ("0" for none, or "r" for a random number - could be very large!). All the selected keywords from all categories will be mixed together into a single list, and your prompt will include the total number of keywords you've asked for, chosen randomly from this list (the individual "number" boxes within each category will be ignored). If you want to add your own keywords to the list, you can enter them into any of the boxes provided under any category (since categories are ignored).
Category: Things
Number to choose from this category ("r" for a random number)Select/deselect all (requires javascript) | |||
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Table | Chair | Sofa | Bed |
Cushion | TV | Computer | Books |
Magazine | CD | DVD | Clock |
Piano | Guitar | Candle | Photograph |
Painting | Food | Drink | Water |
Bottle | Plant | Trees | Flowers |
Chocolate | Statue | Coffin | Dirt |
Wind | Clouds | Storm | Rain |
Light | Darkness | Wood | Stone |
Paper | Plastic | Metal | Glass |
Clothes | Collar | Coat | Trousers |
Socks | Gun | Knife | Rope |
Rocks | Pipes |
You can enter your own thing keywords here, if desired:
One in each box; 30 character limit per box
Category: Emotions
Number to choose from this category ("r" for a random number)Select/deselect all (requires javascript) | |||
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Pleasure | Joy | Serenity | Love |
Strength | Motivation | Courage | Contemplation |
Confusion | Surprise | Shock | Regret |
Fear | Sorrow | Rage | Grief |
Pique | Stress | Horror | Disgust |
Terror | Revulsion | Anger | Hate |
Cowardice |
You can enter your own emotion keywords here, if desired:
One in each box; 30 character limit per box
Category: Animals
Number to choose from this category ("r" for a random number)Select/deselect all (requires javascript) | |||
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Pet | Cat | Dog | Horse |
Mouse | Bird | Fish | Ferret |
Goat | Sheep | Vole | Moose |
Deer | Giraffe | Llama | Camel |
Dolphin | Lion | Tiger | Snake |
Zebra | Alligator | Dinosaur | Griffin |
Unicorn |
You can enter your own animal keywords here, if desired:
One in each box; 30 character limit per box
Category: People
Number to choose from this category ("r" for a random number)Select/deselect all (requires javascript) | |||
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Father | Mother | Brother | Sister |
Stepfather | Stepmother | Partner | Husband |
Wife | Spouse | Family | Friend |
BFF | Boyfriend | Girlfriend | Enemy |
Nemesis | Teacher | Boss | Doctor |
Cop | Politician | Spy | Hero |
Villain | Burglar | Assassin | Killer |
Vampire | Werewolf |
You can enter your own people keywords here, if desired:
One in each box; 30 character limit per box
Category: Actions
Number to choose from this category ("r" for a random number)Select/deselect all (requires javascript) | |||
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Helping | Comforting | Saving | Lying |
Stealing | Crying | Dying | Killing |
Murder | Shooting | Fighting | Screaming |
Moaning | Hurting | Suffering | Howling |
Shivering | Vomiting | Penance | Working |
Resting | Singing | Sex | Sneaking |
Speaking | Silence | Hurrying | Dreaming |
Meditating | Hunting | Driving | Flying |
Growling | Staring | Humming | Blowing |
Thinking | Grunting | Hiding | Running |
Walking | Staying | Leaving | Waiting |
Paying | Believing | Digging | Sharing |
Eating | Drinking |
You can enter your own actions keywords here, if desired:
One in each box; 30 character limit per box
Category: Places
Number to choose from this category ("r" for a random number)Select/deselect all (requires javascript) | |||
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Home | Cottage | Mansion | House |
Bedroom | Bathroom | Garden | Field |
Office | Abroad | Sea | Land |
Air | Space | Inside | Outside |
Car | Plane | Train | Street |
Road | Desert | Forest | Bar |
Lost |
You can enter your own places keywords here, if desired:
One in each box; 30 character limit per box
Category: Concepts
Number to choose from this category ("r" for a random number)Select/deselect all (requires javascript) | |||
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Belief | Atheism | Religion | Mysticism |
Spirituality | Soul | Depression | Hope |
Comfort | Pain | Skepticism | Cruelty |
Compassion | Fortitude | History | Near-miss |
Distance | Birth | Death | Bereavement |
Birthday | War | Peace | Beginning |
Ending | Understanding | Bigotry | Tolerance |
Cold | Heat | Different | Same |
Change | Naming | Mind | Energy |
Holiday | Loss | Closeness | Adversity |
Harm | Apocalypse | Technology | Conquering |
Control |
You can enter your own concepts keywords here, if desired:
One in each box; 30 character limit per box
That's it!
When the options above are all tailored to your needs, click the "Go!" button below and the Spinny Thing will generate your prompt!