Grades 7–12
Memoir, NarrativeSparksThis exercise from poet, novelist, and educator Mariama Lockington asks students to revisit powerful memories through writing. The prompts were first introduced by Mariama as part of 826NYC’s quaranTEEN voices program, which connects teens and professional authors around the country. Learn more about quaranTEEN voices here.
From Mariama:
Writing personal narrative or memoir can be a powerful way to excavate truth and build connection. It requires, however, that you face the page with courage and vulnerability, that you be willing to dig back through your memories—good and bad—and share your heart and life story with others. When most people think of a memoir or personal narrative, they often think of a book that’s written in prose, but personal narratives can take many forms: poems, graphic novels, or traditional prose. A wise teacher of mine once said: Let your story take whatever form it needs. Keeping this in mind, use the following prompts to create a personal narrative of your own—in whatever form is most inspiring to you.
Prompt 1:
Identify an object that brings you joy. For example, maybe it is a bike, favorite book or special blanket, etc. Now, think of a memory you have that includes this object and write/draw a snapshot of this memory, using as many details as you can.
Prompt 2:
Painting a picture of the environment and landscape can be a really powerful way to start to tell a story about yourself. For example, in the graphic novel Hey, Kiddo, the memoir begins with a journey to a cemetery to visit a family grave. What places in your life hold significance?
Think about a time you embarked on some kind of journey: a road trip, a walk in the park, a train ride to a part of the city you’d never been to, a sleepover at a friends house, a visit to a museum, etc. Start your narrative by describing the physical landscape and identifying markers you remember, and then think about what sounds, smells, and feelings this journey brings up for you.
by 826 National
By combining two classic games, students will learn how storytelling and art can build community or help them break through writer’s block.
by author Lisa Ko
This writing prompt from author Lisa Ko invites students to explore the impact of social movements by envisioning and writing from an ideal future.
by Isaac Fitzgerald
In this Spark, students will mine their home and their habits for story and personal essay ideas.
by the Team at 826CHI, with inspiration from Ryan Harty, 826michigan
In this activity, students practice analyzing a character’s internal motivations and fears and develop their own original characters.
by 826 National
Engage young writers of any age at home with this collection of 826 Digital writing prompts and activities.
by Mariama J. Lockington and Peter Calhoun Hall, 826NYC
In this Spark, students will write haikus from two different perspectives, one of a hero and one of an engineer, to design a secret lair for a superhero.
by Maria Villarreal, 826CHI
In this activity, students draw upon inspiration from existing text and the world around them to launch stories of their own.
by Molly Sprayregen, 826CHI
Students consider the influence that labels hold and write portrait poems to empower themselves to describe their identities how they want to be seen, and with pride.
by Phil Stamper, author
With this pair of prompts, students look to the past and future for writing inspiration.
by Kelly Jensen, writer and editor
Make space for creativity in nonfiction! Students will play with traditional nonfiction formats with these two writing prompts from Kelly Jensen, writer and editor.
by Cristeta Boarini, 826 MSP
Author bios offer students another opportunity to express themselves through writing and to feel like a real author. This Spark walks students through the process of writing one.
by Daniel José Older, author of Flood City
This Spark introduces students to the fantastical world of Flood City and prompts them to write a journal entry from the perspective of a Flood City resident.
by Kendra Lappin, 826 Valencia
In this activity, students will learn how to use elaboration as a revision strategy.
by Amanda Gorman, Inaugural Youth Poet Laureate of the U.S. and 2021 Inaugural Poet
Students recall “last times” in their lives and revisit the depth of their experience through writing.
by Spike Jonze, award-winning screenwriter and producer
A pair of prompts that invites students to consider how time, location, and dialogue can be used to construct a scene and build meaning.
by Summer Medina, 826NYC
The “meet cute” is a tried-and-true way of introducing two characters destined for love or friendship. In this Spark, students will learn about the meet cute and then write their own.
by, Laura Lisabeth, Ph.D., 826NYC
Students will interview each other in order to create an interesting written portrait. This is a great exercise in journalistic writing and the ability to work together with classmates.
by Anna Griffin, 826 National
Students plot significant memories on a timeline in this reflective writing activity.
by author of the Annabelle Unleashed series Leslie Margolis
Leslie Margolis invites students to consider their own personhood and what determines or defines it with two short prompts.
by Leah Tribbett, 826 Digital Educator Leader
In this lesson, students tackle the art of writing authentic dialogue that reveals information about the characters, plot, and conflict.
by Dave Eggers, 826 Valencia & 826 National
Through a series of short drawing activities, students will explore the ways observable details can have a major impact on their writing.
by Rebecca Stead
Using a place with personal meaning, students will learn a strategy for getting over the hurdle of beginning the writing process.
by Julius Panoriñgan, 826LA
Students will use their knowledge of popular music to learn basic computer programming concepts.
by Shani Foster, 826LA
Students create five rules for living in their ideal universe—each one more ridiculous than the last!
by 826 National, in partnership with Academy of American Poets
In this Spark, designed for the "Dear Poet" project, students will learn more about voice: what it is exactly, and how to name the elements of it.
Inspired by Angela Iton and Precediha Dangerfield, 826 Valencia
In this Spark, students will play a game of Bingo to improve their poems!
by 826 National
Students consider perspectives of activists speaking up against racism and police brutality following the death of George Floyd and use imagery to capture protest scenes in writing.
by The New York Public Library
At a time of rising book bans, The New York Public Library invites all teens to reflect on the essential freedom to read.
by Lindsay Thompson, 826 Digital Educator Leader
Encourage students to confront abstract, messy topics in their writing with philosophical journal prompts.
by 826 National, inspired by student authors of 826 New Orleans
Usually, an ode is written in celebration, but this Spark asks students to write an anti-ode—a poem about something they can’t stand!
by 826 National, in partnership with Academy of American Poets
What words do we carry with us? This Spark introduces students to the Poem in Your Pocket Day celebration and invites them to create a pocket-sized poetry zine.
by author Tiphanie Yanique
In this Spark, students will explore two taboo emotions, desire and fear, by mapping where these feelings dwell in their bodies and using tactile language to describe their impact.
by Princess McDowell, the 826 Dallas Project
Whether students write to process, to remember, to imagine, or to heal, this collection of prompts asks students to recognize how their world has changed in response to COVID-19.
by Louise McClune, 826 Valencia
In this activity, students work as budding archeologists and creatively reimagine ways for archaeologists and historians to use artifacts to tell stories.
by Shavonde Chase, 826 Digital Educator Leader
In this writing prompt, students are asked to reflect on the choices they make when deciding whether or not to help someone.
by author and activist P. Carl
Author and activist P. Carl asks students to write dialogue that captures two distinct and opposing voices, crafting a scene of action and discord.
by Jillian Wasick, 826 Valencia
To jumpstart their own poems, students take inspiration from the poetry of the others.
by 826 National
Imagine you’re free to write about anything: no rules, no limits, only possibilities. "Infinite Words" invites students to share their writing for a chance to become a published author!
by 826 National
The Character-O-Matic is a writing tool that helps students to create new characters. In this lesson, students will use it to create a character profile that reflects their own identies.
by Debra Mitchell, 826CHI
Students pose questions to the magic 8 ball in this activity centered on character motivation.
by 826 National, in partnership with Academy of American Poets
In this Spark, designed for the "Dear Poet" project, students explore the many ways you can connect to a poem and the poet who penned it.
by Jason Reynolds, The New York Times Best-Selling Author & National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature
Students will write a personal narrative where they describe themselves as a place. Not a specific place, but all the things a "place" consists of.
by Julianna Lee Marino, 826NYC
In this Spark, students put on their detective hats and sleuth out places to add more details into their writing.
by Aarti Monteiro, 826NYC
This activity explores the way emotions change how we perceive settings. Students work in groups to create descriptions of apartments based on an emotion they draw from a hat.
by Rebecca Darugar, 826NYC
Students create an identity chart and write about parts of their identity most salient to them.
by 826 National
Candy hearts are a Valentine’s Day staple, with their funny—even punny—sayings about love. In this Spark, students will lean into the world of youth slang to write some “sweet” sayings of their own.
by Meredith Goldberg-Morse, 826LA
In this activity, students write about a cause they are passionate about and imagine how they can create change in the world.
by Christopher Ankney, Tom Bianchi, & Amy Wilson, 826michigan
In this fun, interactive game, students will build an understanding of the concept of synonyms. A strong grasp on how to use synonyms will improve students’ overall writing skills.
by Maria Villareal, 826CHI
This activity prompts students to write words unspoken, in letters undelivered.
by David Ehrenhaft
Daniel Ehrenhaft asks students to consider perspective in a piece of their writing with this reflective spark.
by G.D. Falksen
Students draw inspiration from a real or fictional location and use this sense of place to develop an in-setting document.
by Julia Sweeney, 826 Valencia
In this Spark, students will revise a piece of writing for sentence fluency.
by 826 National
Students discuss the 2021 inaugural poem by Amanda Gorman and write their own poems in response to "The Hill We Climb."
by Mindy Misener, 826michigan
This activity encourages young writers to identify the rules in their own poems and to then experience the joy of either smashing the rules outright or finding a graceful way to reimagine them.
by 826 National
These 10 prompts ask students to browse the 826 Digital Student Writing Gallery for writing inspiration.
by Shani Foster, 826LA
What stories would your hoodie tell? In this fun and versatile writing prompt, students write from the perspective of a favorite piece of clothing.
by Ola Faleti, 826CHI
Students draw inspiration from powerful change-makers to write celebratory, haiku poetry.
by Jessica Goodman
This Spark uses students’ favorite things to support their persuasive writing practice.
by 826 National
This Spark provides students with the opportunity to get to know their classmates by sharing personal stories about a specific topic.
by 826 National
IT’S ALIVE! In this Spark, students will play a version of the classic Exquisite Corpse activity to create new monster characters.
by Asia Calcagno, 826CHI
Writing can be a powerful tool when working through feelings of grief, sadness, or anger. This Spark creates an intentional opportunity for youth to write and speak about what is on their minds.
by author Daniel Handler, a.k.a. Lemony Snicket
Students will anthropomorphize an inanimate object to produce interview questions and answers.
by 826 National
This Spark engages students in journaling as a practice that builds writing stamina, helps sort through ideas, and makes space for processing big feelings.
by the Team at 826CHI
Students learn to incorporate setting as a key element of a story, starting with inspiration from collages.
by Jessica Thompson, 826 Dallas Project, and the Dallas Free Press
This Spark uses a popular improv game to show students the value of their ideas and the importance of keeping an open mind while writing.
by Amani Nephew and Danny Kim, 826NYC
Writers have the power to evoke all kinds of emotions in their pieces. In this Spark, students will learn how to wield that power and develop the mood of a story.
by Maria Villarreal, 826CHI
In this activity, students illustrate a favorite word and explore what makes words meaningful through illustration, research, and discussion.
by Shani Foster, 826LA
What if the room rained with glitter every time you got excited? In this Spark, students imagine a world where their feelings are expressed as visible, out-of-this-world weather.
Inspired by Kendra Lappin, 826 Valencia
In this Spark, students will play a game of bingo to improve their narrative writing.
by Katie Manning and Brandon Brown, 826LA
Students enter a Writing Laboratory, no lab coats required, and use methods of observation to embark on their writing process.
by Laura Lisabeth, Ph.D., 826NYC
In this activity, students explore Instagram as a form of public rhetoric and practice using hashtags as a way to engage with larger communities.
by Cristeta Boarini, 826 MSP
This activity prompts students to use words related to community and identity to reframe ancestral stories of resistance, growth, and survival.
by the Team at 826CHI
In this activity, students create original monsters in archetypal protagonist and antagonistic roles by focusing on internal and external characteristics.
by Dave Eggers, 826 Valencia & 826 National
Students will collectively create a running list of golden details—details and descriptions that are singular, completely original, and make one's subject unforgettable.
by Ada Limón
This poetry prompt from Ada Limón invites students to consider a personal connection to an animal.
by the Programs Team at 826 Boston
Writers have the power to make choices about the words and structures they use in their writing. In this Spark, students will learn how to wield that power with purpose.
by Rachel Eliza Griffiths
This poetry prompt from Rachel Eliza Griffiths asks students to consider the ordinary in their lives—then write a poem that celebrates those ordinary objects and figures.
by Maria Villareal, 826CHI
An effective writing prompt about a significant threshold.
by Jessica Thompson, 826 Dallas Project, and the Dallas Free Press
In this Spark, students will learn more about conducting interviews and practice by interviewing a classmate.
by 826 National
With a little folding and loads of creativity, students make their own zines that feature abstract recipes.
by Maria Villareal, 826CHI
In this activity, students begin with the most essential details from various memories, helping them hone in on specifics without getting caught up in writer's block.
by Aarti Monteiro, 826NYC
Students identify the power of imagery in poetry, then practice putting this power to use in a poem about their neighborhood.
by Klariza Alvaran, 826CHI
This spark activity is designed to get your students on their feet while reinforcing the need for strong dialogue in narratives.
by Catherine Calabro and Rachel Feder, 826michigan
A fun, free-writing task which challenges students to take cheesy pop lyrics and make them into their own original poems.
by 826 National
This activity reinforces the role of dialogue in a story, with students creating realistic conversation in A-Z fashion.
by the Programs Team at 826 Boston
How is a scene different from a summary? In this Spark, students will explore the answer to that question and put both techniques into practice.
by Louise McCune, 826 Valencia
Students play a spin-off version of Balderdash in this activity, working as budding archeologists who must use the power of observation to solve a few artifact mysteries.
by Aracelis Girmay in collaboration with Aarti Monteiro & Nico Garbaccio, 826NYC
What lives inside a word? Find out how to trace connections between two dissimilar words with this playful Spark from award-winning poet Aracelis Girmay.
by Karen Russell, novelist and short story writer
A hauntingly good pair of prompts! Students will reconsider the purpose of ghosts by either describing a haunted setting or writing from the perspective of a misunderstood ghost.
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