There are four days left in NaNoWriMo 2017. To be on track to win (and get to that 50,000 word goal), Wrimos should be at about 45,000 words written today. That last five or ten thousand words are so tough. So, I thought I post some prompts to help you keep trucking and cross that finish line and win NaNo.

My advice, based on my NaNoWriMo experience last year, is to use the word sprint tool on NaNo’s website or use the timer on your phone or computer as a word sprint too. It forces you to focus for a short amount of time and allows you space to just hammer out as many words as possible. Doing this with a random writing prompt can be very helpful for exploring character and plot and just getting words on the page.

Take one of these prompts, set your timer for 15 minutes, and go, go go!

Writing prompt 1:

Make two of your characters argue.


Writing prompt 2:

Have a character get lost…very lost.


Writing prompt 3:

Allow a character to be make a bad choice based on a previous hurt.


Writing prompt 4:

“It’s my turn!”


Writing prompt 5:

The weather changes. For the worse.


Writing prompt 6:

Have your characters attend a cultural/holiday celebration.


Writing prompt 7:



Writing prompt 8:

Someone has to clean up a mess.


Writing prompt 9:

“You’re not who I thought you were.”


Writing prompt 10:

Wind. Lots and lots of wind.


trishajennreads' black glasses

Did any of those strike your fancy? I’d love to read a scene or two! Feel free to post or link in the comments. 🙂

If you’re looking for more writing prompts, I occasionally post a Wednesday Writing Prompt post, you can see the archive of them here.

Happy writing!


writing prompts for NaNoWriMo

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