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11 plus (11+) creative writing topics, last updated: october 6, 2023, 6 key 11 plus (11+) creative writing topics.
The following are common topics 11+ applicants may be presented within their creative writing exam, how to tackle them, and examples of books about these topics to prepare with.
Stories about adventures or activities
You may be asked to write a story about an adventure or activity with a prompt similar to the following:
Write about…
- winning a race or award
- a hobby you enjoy
- going on an adventure
Books about an adventure or activity:
Some books that you may find helpful as inspiration for writing a story on this topic are:
- Treasure Island , Robert Stevenson, Examberry Children’s Classic Reading Workbook edition
- Breakfast Club Adventures , Marcus Rashford
- Running on the Roof of the World , Jess Butterworth
- Famous Five Adventure Series , Enid Blyton
- Tanglewreck , Jeanette Winterson
- Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland , Lewis Carroll
- The Odyssey , Homer, Usborne Young Reading edition
- The Wonder team and the Forgotten Footballers , Leah Williamson
- Harry Potter series, J.K.Rowling
- The BFG , Roald Dahl
- Focus on the feeling of discovery – think about what new things your character is learning or experiencing through the adventure or activity.
Stories about animals
You may be asked to write a story about an animal/animals with a prompt similar to the following:
- your favourite animal
- a zoo/sea/jungle animal/creature
Books about animals:
- The Wind in the Willows , Kenneth Grahame, Examberry Children’s Classic Reading Workbook Edition
- The Tale of Despereaux , Kate DiCamillo
- Animal Farm , George Orwell
- Mrs Frisby and the Rats of Nimh , Robert C.O.Brien
- The Butterfly Lion , Michael Morpurgo
- Charlotte’s Web , E.B.White
- Beautiful Joe’s Paradise , Margaret Marshall Saunders
- The Lost Whale , Hannah Gold
- The Last Firefox , Lee Newberry
- Black Beauty , Anna Sewell
- Use anthropomorphisation – give the animals human traits to make them more empathetic (more relatable) to the reader.
Stories about emotions
You may be asked to write a story about an emotion with a prompt similar to the following:
- a time when you felt afraid/happy/jealous/sad/angry
- how you overcame a fear/challenge
- joy/disgust/hope
Books about emotions:
- A Boy Called Hope , Lara Williamson
- A Pocketful of Stars , Aisha Bushby
- Wonder , R.J.Palacio
- Ella on the Outside , Cath Howe
- The Goldfish Boy , Lisa Thompson
- The Boy Who Lied , Kim Slater
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time , Mark Haddon
- Can You See Me? , Libby Scott
- The Book Thief , Marcus Zusak
- See You in the Cosmos , Jack Cheng
- Relate the emotions to the five senses – e.g. what colour does hope look like, what does sadness smell like?
Stories about an environment
You may be asked to write a story about an environment with a prompt similar to the following:
- the sea, the forest, a garden
- a house, a castle
- a bridge, a door, a greenhouse
Books about an environment:
- The Secret Garden , Frances Hodgson Burnett
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , C.S.Lewis
- Nim’s Island , Wendy Orr
- Isadora Moon Under the Sea , Harriet Muncaster
- The Magical Faraway Tree , Enid Blyton
- Wildsmith: Into the Dark Forest , Liz Flanagan
- Our Castle by the Sea , Lucy Strange
- Tom’s Midnight Garden , Philippa Pearce
- Coraline , Neil Gaiman
- Howl’s Moving Castle , Dianna Wynne Jones
- Use personification to give the environment a sense of power – e.g. “ It was a heavy burden for the sea, carrying all those ships on her blue surface, but she did it proudly, for it was her responsibility to care for them.”
Stories about people
You may be asked to write a story about a person or a group of people with a prompt similar to the following:
- a role model
- a family member/friend
- an original character (e.g. wizard, doctor, teacher)
Books about people:
- A Christmas Carol , Charles Dickens, Examberry Children’s Classic Reading Workbook edition
- Anne of Green Gables , Lucy Maud Montgomery
- Heidi , Johanna Spyri
- Sherlock Holmes series, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- Percy Jackson series, Rick Riordan
- Agent Zaiba Investigates , Annabelle Sami
- Lightning Girl , Alesha Dixon
- Tales from beyond the rainbow , Peter Jordi Wood
- Little People, Big Dreams series, Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara
- Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
- Use adjectives – i.e. descriptive words, to describe characters’ appearance and emotions.
Stories about travel
You may be asked to write a story about travelling somewhere with a prompt similar to the following:
- travelling to another country
- travelling to another world
- travelling to the countryside, seaside or city
Books about travel:
- The Girl of Ink and Stars , Kiran Millwood Hargrave
- The Boy Who Biked the World series, Alastair Humphreys
- Around the world in Eighty Days , Jane Bingham
- Gulliver’s Travels , Jonathan Swift
- The London Eye Mystery , Siobhan Dowd
- Journey to the Centre of the Earth , Jules Verne, Usborne Young Reading edition
- The Wizard of Oz , L.Frank Baum
- No Ballet Shoes in Syria , Catherine Bruton
- The Children of Castle Rock , Natasha Farrant
- The Phantom Tollbooth , Norton Jester
- Use verbs and adverbs – use verbs to add a sense of movement in the story and adverbs to describe the experience of travelling.
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Creative Writing Prompts
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Here's how our contest works: every Friday, we send out a newsletter containing five creative writing prompts. Each week, the story ideas center around a different theme. Authors then have one week — until the following Friday — to submit a short story based on one of our prompts. A winner is picked each week to win $250 and is highlighted on our Reedsy Prompts page.
Interested in participating in our short story contest? Sign up here for more information! Or you can check out our full Terms of Use and our FAQ page .
Why we love creative writing prompts
If you've ever sat in front of a computer or notebook and felt the urge to start creating worlds, characters, and storylines — all the while finding yourself unable to do so — then you've met the author's age-old foe: writer's block. There's nothing more frustrating than finding the time but not the words to be creative. Enter our directory! If you're ready to kick writer's block to the curb and finally get started on your short story or novel, these unique story ideas might just be your ticket.
This list of 1800+ creative writing prompts has been created by the Reedsy team to help you develop a rock-solid writing routine. As all aspiring authors know, this is the #1 challenge — and solution! — for reaching your literary goals. Feel free to filter through different genres, which include...
Dramatic — If you want to make people laugh and cry within the same story, this might be your genre.
Funny — Whether satire or slapstick, this is an opportunity to write with your funny bone.
Romance — One of the most popular commercial genres out there. Check out these story ideas out if you love writing about love.
Fantasy — The beauty of this genre is that the possibilities are as endless as your imagination.
Dystopian – Explore the shadowy side of human nature and contemporary technology in dark speculative fiction.
Mystery — From whodunnits to cozy mysteries, it's time to bring out your inner detective.
Thriller and Suspense — There's nothing like a page-turner that elicits a gasp of surprise at the end.
High School — Encourage teens to let their imaginations run free.
Want to submit your own story ideas to help inspire fellow writers? Send them to us here.
After you find the perfect story idea
Finding inspiration is just one piece of the puzzle. Next, you need to refine your craft skills — and then display them to the world. We've worked hard to create resources that help you do just that! Check them out:
- How to Write a Short Story That Gets Published — a free, ten-day course by Laura Mae Isaacman, a full-time editor who runs a book editing company in Brooklyn.
- Best Literary Magazines of 2023 — a directory of 100+ reputable magazines that accept unsolicited submissions.
- Writing Contests in 2023 — the finest contests of 2021 for fiction and non-fiction authors of short stories, poetry, essays, and more.
Beyond creative writing prompts: how to build a writing routine
While writing prompts are a great tactic to spark your creative sessions, a writer generally needs a couple more tools in their toolbelt when it comes to developing a rock-solid writing routine . To that end, here are a few more additional tips for incorporating your craft into your everyday life.
- NNWT. Or, as book coach Kevin Johns calls it , “Non-Negotiable Writing Time.” This time should be scheduled into your routine, whether that’s once a day or once a week. Treat it as a serious commitment, and don’t schedule anything else during your NNWT unless it’s absolutely necessary.
- Set word count goals. And make them realistic! Don’t start out with lofty goals you’re unlikely to achieve. Give some thought to how many words you think you can write a week, and start there. If you find you’re hitting your weekly or daily goals easily, keep upping the stakes as your craft time becomes more ingrained in your routine.
- Talk to friends and family about the project you’re working on. Doing so means that those close to you are likely to check in about the status of your piece — which in turn keeps you more accountable.
Arm yourself against writer’s block. Writer’s block will inevitably come, no matter how much story ideas initially inspire you. So it’s best to be prepared with tips and tricks you can use to keep yourself on track before the block hits. You can find 20 solid tips here — including how to establish a relationship with your inner critic and apps that can help you defeat procrastination or lack of motivation.
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