creative writing high schools

Teach Creative Writing In High School With 10 Fun Activities

Creative writing is a meaningful aspect of literature that mandates you to utilize your expertise, ingenuity, and story to depict a critical message, emotion, or plot. It defies the traditional bounds of other forms of writing and is completely subjective to our preferences and experiences. In creative writing, it’s all about imaginativeness!

Using creative imagination and originality to convey feelings and concepts in a unique way is at the heart of creative writing. Simply stated, it’s about infusing your own ‘flair’ into your writing, moving beyond academic or other technical kinds of literature. 

In this post, we will explore the various activities which would be advantageous for a high schooler who wishes to indulge in creative writing!

What Happens When Creative Writing Is Put To Use?

Creative writing is any form of writing that deviates from traditional professional, investigative journalism, educational, or technological forms of literature. It is typically distinguished by emphasizing narrative craft, character development, literary tropes, or various poetic traditions.

Here are the few ways how high schoolers can benefit from creative writing –

1. Imagination

When you write creatively, you expand your imagination by creating new environments, scenarios, and characters. This way, you are also boosting and stretching your imagination, as well as “thinking out of the box.” This allows you to concentrate your energy on many other things and improve your ability to find fresh ideas and alternatives to problems you’re having. Whether you’re a researcher or a businessman, creative writing will increase your imagination and help you think more creatively, and push the boundaries.

2. Empathy and Communications skills

When you create characters, you’ll be constructing emotions, personalities, behaviors, and world views that are distinct from your own. Writers must conceive personalities, emotions, places, and walks of life outside of their own lives while creating universes with fictional characters and settings.

This can give children a good dose of empathy and understanding for those who aren’t like them, who don’t live where they do or go through the same things they do daily. Writers are better equipped to communicate when they have a greater understanding of other points of view. They can come up with creative ways to explain and debate subjects from multiple perspectives. This ability is crucial in both professional and personal situations. 

3. Clarification of Thoughts 

Creating structures in creative writing allows you to organize your impressions and emotions into a logical procedure. You may express both your thoughts and your sentiments through creative writing. For example, if you’re a marketing executive, you could create a short tale in which your clientele reads your promotional emails. You can guess what they’re up to, where they’re seated, what’s around them, and so on.

This enables you to focus on the language and strategies you employ. Alternatively, if you’re a technical writer writing on a new desktop platform, you could create a creative scenario in which a user encounters a problem. 

4. Broadens Vocabulary and gets a better understanding of reading and writing

You’ll learn a larger vocabulary and a better understanding of the mechanics of reading and writing as you begin to practice writing exercises regularly. Even if you’re writing a budget report, you’ll know when rigid grammar standards work and when they don’t, and you’ll know what will make your writing flow better for your readers. Exploring different ways of expressing yourself when writing creatively allows you to extend your vocabulary.

You’ll notice a change in your use and range of language as you improve your writing over time, which will be useful in any professional route and social scenario. You’ll be able to bend and break the rules when you need to, to utilize your voice and make what you’re writing engaging without coming off as an amateur, dull, or inauthentic once you’ve grasped the fundamentals of writing professionally and creatively.

5. Building Self-Belief 

When you write creatively, you’re actively involved in an activity that allows you to fully develop your voice and point of view without being constrained. You have a better chance to investigate and express your feelings about various issues, opinions, ideas, and characters. And you’ll feel more at ease and secure stating your thoughts and perspectives in other things you write as a result of this.

Writers who don’t write creatively may be concerned about appearing authoritative or trustworthy. They accidentally lose their voice and sound like drones spouting statistics by omitting to include their perspective on the topics they’re writing about. As a result, they miss out on using their distinct voice and presenting themselves as an expert with real-world expertise.

Creative Writing Activities That Will Strengthen Your Writing Skills  

Short spurts of spontaneous writing make up creative writing activities. These writing exercises push a writer to tackle a familiar topic in a new way, ranging from one line to a lengthy tale. Short, spontaneous projects are common in creative writing programs, but any writer should make them a regular practice to extend their abilities and learn new tactics to approach a series of stories.

These activities must be performed for ten minutes at a time, several times a week – by creative writers. They’re designed to help you improve your writing abilities, generate fresh story ideas, and become a better writer.

1. Free Writing

Writing is the first and foremost activity that is going to give your creative writing a boost. Start with a blank page and let your stream of thoughts and emotions flow. Then simply begin writing. Don’t pause to think or alter what you’re expressing. This is known as “free writing.” This writing activity is referred to as “morning pages” by Julia Cameron, the author of ‘The Artist’s Way.’ She recommends that authors do this every day when they first wake up. Stream of consciousness writing can provide some intriguing concepts.

Allow your intellect to take the lead as your fingers type. Or write a letter to your younger self.  Consider a topic you’d like to discuss, such as a noteworthy event, and write it down. Give guidance or convey a message that you wish you had heard as a youngster or a young adult.

2. Modify a Storyline – Read

Most of us like to read. However, just reading won’t really help augment your creative writing skills. While reading bestows insight into the deeper meanings of numerous things, you need a more concrete approach to better your aptitude. To do this, you can modify any storyline. Take an episode from a chapter, if you’re feeling brave—from one of your favorite books and recreate it. Write it from the perspective of a different character. Swap out the main character in this exercise to examine how the story may be conveyed differently.

Take Percy Jackson’s thrilling conclusion, for instance, and rework it with Annabeth as the primary character. Another way to approach this creative activity is to keep the primary character but switch viewpoints. Rewrite a scene in the third person if the writer has told a story in the first person. 

3. Add Creative Writing Prompts or Create Flash Fiction

Use writing prompts, often known as narrative starters, to produce writing ideas. A writing prompt is a sentence or short excerpt that a writer uses to start composing a story on the spot. You can look up writing prompts online, pick a sentence out of a magazine at random, or use a brilliant line from a well-known work as the start of your short scene.

Another thing you can do to accentuate your writing is to create flash fiction. Sit down at your desktop or pick up a pen and paper and write a 500-word story on the spur of the moment. This isn’t the same as just writing whatever comes to mind. With no fixed guidelines, free writing generates a stream of consciousness. All of the basic components of a story arc, such as plot, conflict, and character development, are required in flash fiction, albeit in a shortened form.

4. Create a Fictitious Advertisement

Pick a random word from a nearby book or newspaper and create a fictitious commercial for it. Write one ad in a formal, abbreviated newspaper classified format to require you to pay special attention to your word choice to sell the item. Then write one for an online marketplace that allows for longer, more casual text, such as Craigslist. Describe the item and persuade the reader to purchase it in each one.

5. Engage in Conversations 

Engaging in conversations with your friends/family – or simply communicating can help brush up your writing skills. Talk to your loved ones about their hobbies, career, views on societal issues – any suitable topic for that matter. This helps implement others’ points of view and expands your mental ability. Another useful thing that you can do is – make another person’s tale and create it by implementing your own thoughts. Then talk about it in an impeccable manner. Also, talk in complete sentences. This goes to show your Linguistic intelligence proficiency – and helps augment your creative writing skills.

6. Create Your Own Website/Blog

Start your search for blogging. There are a million writing suggestions out there, but they all boil down to the same thing: write. Blogging is excellent writing practice because it gives you a place to write regularly.

To keep your fingers and mind nimble, write a post every day. Like most bloggers, you’ll want to restrict your subject—perhaps you’ll focus on parenting or start a how-to site where you can tell stories from your point of view.

7. Participate in Debates/Extempores  

Participating in debates, extempores – anchoring for your school function, giving a speech, all of these activities help boost your creative spirit. These group events make you understand what other people are envisioning, which in turn helps you generate new ideas, approaches, and methods. Not only do they improve your articulation and research skills, but they also develop critical thinking and emotional control abilities. All of these promote a better creative writing aptitude.

8. Start a YouTube Channel or Podcast 

Starting a YouTube channel or podcast will definitely level up your creative game. YouTube is a never-ending platform, covering myriads of topics. Choose a particular niche for your channel.

Then do your topic research, create content, manage SEO, approach brands, talk to clients and influencers – do all the good stuff. Communicating with other influencers and creating content will take your creative writing skills to another level. Starting a podcast will have a similar impact. 

9. Love them? Say it with your words!

We have many festivals, occasions, birthdays, parties, anniversaries and whatnot! You can employ these special days and boost your creative writing skills. You can make a token of love for them – writing about your feelings. You can also make gift cards, birthday cards, dinner menus, and so on. So let’s say, it’s your mother’s birthday, you can write her a token of love, elucidating your feelings and letting her know what all she’s done for you and that you’re grateful. Do this for all your near and dear ones. This not only spreads positivity and love but helps you develop your creative aptitude.

10. The What-if Game

The What-If game is an incredible way to upgrade your creative abilities. You can play this game with your friends, cousins, relatives, or solo. Here, you need to find links to many interesting hypothetical questions. For instance, what if the sun doesn’t rise for a week? What if there’s no oxygen for one minute? Play it with your peeps, or ask these questions to yourself. It can be anything random but concrete. If you don’t know the answers to the questions, look them up on Google. This way, you’re training your mind to learn new concepts all the while enhancing your visualization process. 

We can conclude that creative writing encourages students to think creatively, use their imaginations, imply alternatives, expand their thinking processes, and improve their problem-solving skills. It also allows the child to express themselves and grow their voice. Besides, it enhances reasoning abilities. The principle behind the creative writing concept is that everyone can gain the qualities that are needed to become a successful writer or, rather become good at writing. Creative writing is all about using language in new and innovative ways.

Sananda Bhattacharya, Chief Editor of TheHighSchooler, is dedicated to enhancing operations and growth. With degrees in Literature and Asian Studies from Presidency University, Kolkata, she leverages her educational and innovative background to shape TheHighSchooler into a pivotal resource hub. Providing valuable insights, practical activities, and guidance on school life, graduation, scholarships, and more, Sananda’s leadership enriches the journey of high school students.

Explore a plethora of invaluable resources and insights tailored for high schoolers at TheHighSchooler, under the guidance of Sananda Bhattacharya’s expertise. You can follow her on Linkedin

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100 Creative Writing Prompts for High School Students

Creative writing is an essential skill for high school students, as it fosters imagination, enhances writing proficiency, and encourages critical thinking.

Below are 100 creative writing prompts designed specifically for high school students, covering a range of themes and topics to spark your creativity and help you develop your unique voice.

What are Creative Writing Prompts?

They serve as a starting point for writing, helping writers to overcome writer’s block, generate new ideas, and explore different genres and styles.

Examples of Creative Writing Prompts:

How to use creative writing prompts.

Using creative writing prompts effectively involves a few simple steps to get the most out of them:

Tips for Using Prompts:

Benefits of creative writing prompts:.

We have split these into topics to make them more digestible.

Creative Writing Prompts: Personal Reflections

Creative writing prompts: social issues, creative writing prompts: fantasy and science fiction, creative writing prompts: relationships and emotions, creative writing prompts: career and future, creative writing prompts: historical and alternative history, creative writing prompts: science and technology, creative writing prompts: mystery and thriller, creative writing prompts: emotional and personal growth, creative writing prompts: diverse cultures and perspectives.

Creative writing prompts are a fantastic way to ignite your imagination and develop your writing skills.

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Teaching Creative Writing: Tips for Your High School Class

When I was first told that I’d be teaching creative writing, I panicked. While I had always enjoyed writing myself, I had no idea how to show others how to do it creatively. After all, all of my professional development had focused on argumentative writing and improving test scores. 

Eventually, though, I came to love my creative writing class, and I think you will too. In this post, I hope to help you with shaping your own creative writing class. 

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products that I personally use and love, or think my readers will find useful.

The Importance of Teaching Creative Writing

Before getting into the nitty-gritty of how to teach creative writing, let’s first remind ourselves why you should teach a creative writing class.  

How often do you see students freeze in your English class, wondering if what they’re writing is “right”? How often do your students beg you to look over their work to make sure that they’re doing it “right”? 

We English teachers know that there’s no such thing as “right” when it comes to writing. But our students really struggle with the idea of there being no one correct answer. Creative writing is one solution to this problem.

By encouraging our students to explore, express themselves, and play with language, we show them how fun and exploratory writing can be. I know there have been many times in my life when writing clarified my own ideas and beliefs for me; creative writing provides this opportunity for our high school students. 

Plus, creative writing is just downright fun! And in this modern era of standardized testing, high-stakes grading, and just increased anxiety overall, isn’t more fun just what our students and us need? 

Creative writing is playful, imaginative, but also rigorous. It’s a great balance to our standard literature or composition curriculum. 

Whether you’re choosing to teach creative writing or you’re being voluntold to do so, you’re probably ready to start planning. Make it as easy as possible on yourself: grab my done-for-you Creative Writing Class here !

Otherwise, preparing for an elective creative writing class isn’t much different than preparing for any other English class .

Set your goals and choose the standards you’ll cover. Plan lessons accordingly. Then, be sure to have a way to assess student progress. 

Teaching Creative Writing Tip #1: Get Clear on Your Goals

First, what do you want to achieve with your creative writing class? In some school, Creative Writing is purely a fun elective. The goal is create a class that students enjoy with a side of learning. 

For other schools or district cultures, however, Creative Writing might be an intensely academic course. As a child, I went to an arts middle school. Creative writing was my major and it was taken very seriously. 

The amount of rigor you wish to include in your class will impact how you structure everything . So take some time to think about that . You may want to get some feedback from your administrator or other colleagues who have taught the course. 

Some schools also sequence creative writing classes, so be sure you know where in the sequence your particular elective falls. I’ve also seen schools divide creative writing classes by genre: a poetry course and a short story course. 

Know what your administrator expects and then think about what you as an instructor want to accomplish with your students.  

Teaching Creative Writing Tip #2: List Out Your Essential Skills

Regardless of your class’s level of rigor, there are some skills that every creative writing course should cover. 

First, you need to cover the writing process. Throughout the course, students should practice brainstorming, outlining, writing, and editing their drafts. In nearly every Poem Writing Activity that I use in my class, students follow the same process. They examine a model text, brainstorm ideas, outline or fill out a graphic organizer, put together a final draft, and then share with a peer for feedback. 

That last step–sharing and critiquing work–is an essential skill that can’t be overstated. Students are often reluctant to share their work, but it’s through that peer feedback that they often grow the most. Find short, casual, and informal ways to build in feedback throughout the class in order to normalize it for students. 

Literary terms are another, in my opinion, must-cover topic for teaching a creative writing class. You want your students to know how to talk about their writing and others’ like an actual author. How deep into vocabulary you want to go is up to you, but by the end of the course, students should sound like writers honing their craft. 

Lastly, you should cover some basic writing skills, preferably skills that will help students in their academic writing, too. I like to cover broad topics like writing for tone or including dialogue. Lessons like these will be ones that students can use in other writing assignments, as well. 

Of course, if you’re teaching a creative writing class to students who plan on becoming creative writing majors in college, you could focus on more narrow skills. For me, most of my students are upperclassmen looking for an “easy A”. I try my best to engage them in activities and teach them skills that are widely applicable. 

Teaching Creative Writing Tip #3: Make Sure Your Materials are Age-Appropriate

Once you know what you’re teaching, you can begin to cultivate the actual lessons you’ll present. If you pick up a book on teaching creative writing or do a quick Google search, you’ll see tons of creative writing resources out there for young children . You’ll see far less for teens. 

Really, the content and general ideas around creative writing don’t change much from elementary to high school. But the presentation of ideas should .

Every high school teacher knows that teens do not like to feel babied or talked down to; make sure your lessons and activities approach “old” ideas with an added level of rigor or maturity.

Take for example the haiku poem. I think most students are introduced to haikus at some point during their elementary years. We know that haiku is a pretty simple poem structure. 

However, in my Haiku Poem Writing Lesson , I add an extra layer of rigor. First, students analyze a poem in which each stanza is its own haiku. Students are asked not only to count syllables but to notice how the author uses punctuation to clarify ideas. They also analyze mood throughout the work.  

By incorporating a mentor text and having students examine an author’s choices, the simple lesson of writing a haiku becomes more relevant and rigorous. 

Teaching Creative Writing Tip #4: Tell Students What They Should Not Write About

You’ll often be surprised by just how vulnerable your students are willing to be with you in their writing. But there are some experiences that we teachers don’t need to know about, or are required to act on. 

The first day of a creative writing course should always include a lecture on what it means to be a mandated reporter. Remind students that if they write about suicidal thoughts, abuse at home, or anything else that might suggest they’re in danger that you are required by law to report it. 

Depending on how strict your district, school, or your own teaching preferences, you may also want to cover your own stance on swearing, violence, or sexual encounters in student writing. One idea is to implement a “PG-13” only rule in your classroom.

Whatever your boundaries are for student work, make it clear on the first day and repeat it regularly.

Engage your students in more creative writing!

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Teaching Creative Writing Tip #5: Give Students Lots of Choice

Creative writing should be creative . Yes, you want to give students parameters for their assignments and clear expectations. But you want them to feel a sense of freedom, also.  

I took a class once where the story starters we were given went on for several pages . By the time we students were able to start writing, characters had already been developed. The plot lines had already been well-established. We felt written into a corner, and we all struggled with wrapping up the loose ends that had already been created. 

I’ve done an Author Study Project with my class in which students were able to choose a poet or short story author to study and emulate. My kids loved looking through the work of Edgar Allan Poe, Elizabeth Acevedo, Neil Gaiman, and Jason Reynolds for inspiration. They each gravitated towards a writer that resonated with them before getting to work. 

Another example is my Fairy Tale Retelling Project. In this classic assignment, students must rewrite a fairy tale from the perspective of the villain. Students immediately choose their favorite tales, giving them flexibility and choice.

I recommend determining the form and the skills that must be demonstrated for the students . Then, let students choose the topic for their assignment. 

Teaching Creative Writing Tip #6: Use Hands-On Activities

If you’re teaching a class full of students who are excited to write constantly, you can probably get away writing all class period. Many of us, however, are teaching a very different class. Your students may have just chosen an elective randomly. They might not even have known what creative writing was!

(True story–one of my creative writing students thought the class would be about making graffiti. I guess that is writing creatively!)

For students who have no long-term writing aspirations, you need to make your lessons and activities a little more engaging. 

When possible, I try to make writing “hands-on.” Adding some tactile activity to a standard lesson breaks up class, engages students, and makes the lesson more memorable.

For example, when I teach students the old adage “Show. Don’t Tell” , I could just give them a scene to write. Instead, I print simple sentences onto strips of paper and have students randomly select one from a hat. (Then they turn this simple sentence into a whole “telling” scene.)

Simply handing students a strip of paper that they can touch and feel makes the lesson more exciting. It creates more buy-in with students. 

Another one of my favorite hands-on activities is a Figurative Language Scavenger Hunt. I hang up posters of mentor poems around the room, each full of different figurative language techniques. 

Then, students must get up and explore the posters around the room in an attempt to find an example of 10 different figurative language techniques.

We could do the same lesson on a worksheet, but having students up and moving increases engagement, collaboration, and gives everyone a break from constantly sitting. 

Teaching Creative Writing Tip #7: Incorporate Mentor Texts

One way to make sure that your creative writing class is rigorous–and valuable–enough for high school students is to use mentor texts . 

Mentor texts are essential for older students because it shows them what’s possible . Many of my students will rush through an assignment just to be done with it. If you ask them what they could do to improve their writing, they say that they think it’s fine. 

But when they’re shown mentor texts or exemplar products produced by their peers, suddenly students see a myriad of ways in which they could improve their own work. They’re quick to make edits. 

I try to always include a mentor text and several examples whenever I introduce students to new ideas or teach a new lesson. You can pull mentor texts from classic writers. However, I also recommend including writing from more modern poets and writers as well. 

Teaching Creative Writing truly is a special job. Your students trust you with writing that many adults in their lives will never see. You’ll be able to watch students grow and bloom in a totally new way.

That doesn’t mean that teaching creative writing is without challenges or difficulties, however. If you want an easy place to start, or just want to save yourself a ton of planning time, I highly recommend checking out my Complete Creative Writing Class . 

Inside this bundle, you’ll receive daily warm-ups, weekly lessons, two projects, several activities, a lesson calendar, and more! It’s truly everything you need for an engaging 9-week elective course!

50 Creative Writing Prompts for Secondary ELA: Teaching Creative Writing in Middle and High School

Creative writing prompts are a great way to get students’ imaginations flowing and to help them develop their writing skills. Having fun and engaging prompts is a key element in teaching creative writing. These prompts can take many forms, from simple prompts that ask students to describe a character or setting, to more complex prompts that challenge students to explore a particular theme or idea.

You can use these prompts in your classroom in a number of ways. They can be used for micro writing assignments; this would be perfect for a bell ringer. They can also be used for collaborative writing, or even for a complete writing assignment.

Many of these creative writing prompts will work perfectly with my Narrative Writing Unit , which is tailored to students in grades 7-10!

Here are 50 creative writing prompts for secondary ELA:

• Write a short story about a character who discovers a hidden room in their house.
• Write a poem about the changing of the seasons.
• Write a journal entry from the perspective of a tree.
• Write a story about a character who travels to a faraway land.
• Write a poem about a particular emotion (e.g. love, anger, fear)
• Write a diary entry from the perspective of a character who is stuck in a time loop.
• Write a story about a character who discovers a secret about their family.
• Write a poem about the beauty of nature.
• Write a story about a character who has a magical ability.

• Write a story about a character who is forced to confront their greatest fear.
• Write a poem about friendship.
• Write a story about a character who finds a mysterious object.
• Write a diary entry from the perspective of a character who is lost in a forest.
• Write a story about a character who has to make a difficult decision.
• Write a poem about the ocean.
• Write a story about a character who discovers a hidden talent.
• Write a diary entry from the perspective of a character who is living in a post-apocalyptic world.
• Write a story about a character who is transported to another dimension.
• Write a poem about the power of words.
• Write a story about a character who has to solve a mystery.
• Write a diary entry from the perspective of a character who is stuck in a dream.
• Write a story about a character who has to confront their inner demons.
• Write a poem about the passage of time.
• Write a story about a character who has to make a difficult choice between two paths.
• Write a diary entry from the perspective of a character who is living in a future society.
• Write a story about a character who has to overcome a great obstacle.
• Write a poem about your favorite season.
• Write a story about a character who must choose between two paths.
• Write a poem about a significant moment in your life.
• Write a story about a character who is dealing with a major change.
• Write a poem about your hometown.
• Write a story about a character who is trying to overcome a fear.

• Write a poem about your favorite memory.
• Write a story about a character who is trying to solve a mystery.
• Write a poem about your favorite person.
• Write a poem about a dream you had.
• Write a story about a character who has to face their worst nightmare.
• Write a poem about your favorite time of day.
• Write a story about a character who has to make a choice between two people they love.
• Write a poem about your favorite hobby.
• Write a story about a character who discovers a secret about themselves.
• Write a poem about your favorite food.
• Write a story about a character who must save someone they care about.
• Write a story about a character who must travel to a new and unfamiliar place.
• Write a story about a character who must confront their past.

Looking for Resources for Teaching Creative Writing?

Check out my Narrative Writing Unit ! This unit includes everything you need to teach creative writing in your classroom. With materials for both a personal and a fictional narrative, this ELA instructional unit helps you guide your students through the entire writing process!

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Home › Study Tips › Creative Writing Resources For Secondary School Students

Creative Writing Prompts For High School Students – 12 Categories

• Published January 3, 2023

Are you a high school student struggling to find inspiration for your creative writing assignments? Do you feel like you’re stuck in a rut and can’t seem to come up with new and exciting ideas? If so, you’re not alone. 

Many students struggle with coming up with ideas for creative writing, especially when they feel pressure to produce something original and engaging. 

But the good news is that there are ways to break through the block and find inspiration for your writing. 

For instance, by attending our award-winning creative writing summer programme , you’ll learn how to conquer the fear of the blank page. How? By learning proven formulas for creating brilliant stories. 

Another way to have that creative spark is to use creative writing prompts. 

This article will provide creative high school students like yourself with a list of creative writing prompts. So you’ll get the inspiration you need to get into the flow and start writing!

What are Writing Prompts?

Writing prompts are ideas that help writers overcome writer’s block and get started with their writing. They can come in various forms, including a

• Or series of questions. 

Creative writing prompts get your creative juices flowing. When you encounter a writing prompt, it encourages you to start writing!

What types of writing, you ask? It can be anything from fiction writing to essay writing. Creative writing prompts are even used to get you started with freewriting in your daily journal.

So you see, many writers find writing prompts a quick and easy way to begin a new writing project. Or to overcome writer’s block when they are stuck.

How Do You Use Writing Prompts?

There are many different ways to use writing prompts. Here are a few ideas:

Use writing prompts to start a new writing project. 

Are you having trouble coming up with ideas for a new writing project? Try using a writing prompt to get started. You can use a writing prompt as the starting point for a 

• Short story
• Essay, or any other type of writing.

Use writing prompts to overcome writer’s block. 

Stuck on a particular piece of writing and can’t seem to move forward? Use writing prompts to brainstorm on how to proceed!

Use writing prompts to practice your writing skills. 

As the old adage says, practice makes perfect! You can use writing prompts to practice different writing techniques or styles. Or try out different writing genres!

Use writing prompts to challenge yourself. 

You can use writing prompts to push yourself out of your comfort zone and try writing about things you might not usually write about.

Say your comfort zone is writing fantasy stories. And you want to try something new. Why not use scary writing prompts as a starting point?

To use a writing prompt, choose a prompt that interests you and start writing. There are no hard and fast rules about how to use writing prompts – the important thing is to just start writing and see where the prompt takes you!

Creative Writing Prompts High School Students will Love

Write a story about a character who:

• discovers a mysterious, abandoned house in the woods  
• suddenly gains the power of time travel
• has to confront their greatest fear
• is given the opportunity to live in a different time period
• discovers a secret underground society
• is given a magical object that can grant wishes.

Or, check out the other prompts too:

• Write a poem about a summer day you will never forget.
• Imagine that you are stranded on a deserted island. Write a story about your experience.
• Write a letter to your future self ten years from now.
• Imagine that you are a detective trying to solve a mysterious crime. Write a story about your investigation.

Creative High School Poetry Writing Prompts

Write a poem about a/an:

• summer romance you will never forget
• memorable experience you had with a friend
• place that holds special meaning for you
• moment of clarity or realisation that you had
• person who has had a significant impact on your life
• object that holds special meaning for you
• dream that you had and can’t seem to forget
• time when you felt completely lost
• time when you felt completely free
• moment of beauty that you witnessed

Writing Prompts with an Element of Suspense

• is being stalked by an unknown assailant
• wakes up with no memory of the past 24 hours
• receives a series of mysterious, threatening letters
• discovers a hidden room in their house filled with grotesque objects
• is trapped in a strange, unfamiliar place
• is being pursued by a dangerous, unknown entity
• is being watched by an unknown pair of eyes
• is being followed by a shadowy figure
• hears strange noises in the middle of the night
• finds a mysterious, unmarked package on their doorstep

Writing Prompts for Stories That Start with Dialogue

Start your story with a conversation between two characters who are:

• meeting for the first time
• meeting each other for the first time in ten years after graduation
• trying to solve a problem
• discussing a secret
• trying to keep a secret from someone else
• discussing their future plans
• trying to make amends after a misunderstanding
• reminiscing about the past
• trying to persuade each other of something

Writing Prompts That Ask “What if?”

What if you:

• woke up one morning with the ability to fly? How would you use this ability?
• could time travel? Where would you go and why?
• woke up one day to find that everyone in the world had switched bodies? How would you cope with this?
• could read minds? How would you use this ability?
• suddenly had access to unlimited wealth? How would you use this wealth?
• could talk to animals? How would this change your life?
• were the only person on Earth who knew how to speak a certain language? How would you use this knowledge?
• could turn invisible at will? How would you use this power?
• developed the ability to communicate with the spirits of the dead? How would this change your life?
• could teleport anywhere in the world instantly? How would you use this ability?

Funny Writing Prompts for High School

• wakes up to find that they’ve turned into a giant chicken
• has a magic lamp that grants them absurd wishes
• becomes the world’s worst superhero
• accidentally becomes the president of the United States
• is chased by a giant hamster
• discovers that their reflection is actually an alternate dimension
• becomes a world-famous rapper after a misunderstanding at a karaoke bar
• becomes the world’s worst detective
• is constantly followed by a cloud of bees
• becomes the world’s worst secret agent

Do you have a brother or sister in middle school? Our middle school writing prompts are a great way for them to get into the flow of creative writing effectively.

Journal Prompts for High School Creative Writing

• Write about a time when:
• you felt particularly proud of yourself
• you had to confront your greatest fear
• you had a moment of clarity or realisation
• you felt that life was wonderful
• Write about a place that holds special meaning for you.
• Write about a person who has significantly impacted your life.
• Write about a moment of beauty that you witnessed.
• Write about a dream you had and can’t forget.
• Write about a memorable experience you had with a friend.

Non-Fiction Writing Prompts

Write an essay about a/an:

• significant event in your life and how it has impacted you
• person who has inspired you and why
• current issue that is important to you and why
• time when you had to overcome a challenge and how you did it
• place that you have visited and why it was meaningful to you
• hobby or activity that you are passionate about and why
• book, movie, or TV show that has had a significant impact on you and why
• social issue that you feel strongly about and what you are doing to make a difference
• goal that you have set for yourself and how you plan to achieve it
• person who has made a positive impact on your community and how they did it

Adventurous Short Story Prompts

Write a story about a character who goes on a:

• solo hike in the wilderness and becomes lost
• treasure hunt and faces unexpected challenges along the way
• safari and encounters a rare and dangerous animal
• white water rafting trip and gets stranded in the wilderness
• mountain climbing expedition and faces unexpected challenges
• scuba diving trip and discovers a hidden underwater world
• hot air balloon ride and gets carried away by the wind
• skydiving trip and has to make an emergency landing
• parasailing trip and gets caught in a storm
• snowboarding trip and gets caught in an avalanche

Science Fiction Short Story Prompts

• Write a story about a character who is:
•  given a device that can predict the future
•  the only survivor of an alien invasion
• recruited by a secret organization to fight against an alien threat
• the only one who can communicate with newly-discovered alien species
• the only one who can stop a group of rebels from taking over the world
• the only one who can save the world from an asteroid heading towards Earth
• the only human on a distant planet
• Write a story about a character who travels through time and encounters their future self.
• Write a story about a character discovering a portal to an alternate dimension.
• Write a story about a character who is given a device that allows them to control time.

Scary Short Story Prompts

• Write a story about a character who is 
• being stalked by a demon
• trapped in a haunted house
• haunted by the ghost of a loved one
• terrorized by a clown
• Write a story about a character who
• discovers a cursed object and starts having strange, terrifying experiences
• starts seeing strange, supernatural creatures in their dreams
• hears a lady cry every night, but no one is there
• notices a strange doll appear in their house, not knowing where it came from
• listens to neighbours report they’ve been seeing a toddler running around the house, but your character lives alone

Fantasy Short Story Prompts

• Write a story about a character who 
• discovers that they are a witch or wizard with magical powers
• finds out they are the chosen one, destined to save the world from an ancient evil
• realises they are a fairy or other mythical creature
• is given a magical object that can grant wishes
• discovers a magic book with secrets to the universe
• receives a magical potion that transforms them into a different creature
• accidentally stumbles into a world where everything is the opposite of what they know
• gains a legendary staff that gives them the power to control the elements
• enters a magical, mythical land ruled by an evil king
• discovers that they are the reincarnation of a mythical hero

Need more Creative Writing prompts? Check out this article entitled “ 308 Creative Writing Prompts To Unlock Your Writing Skills .”

How Else Can I Improve My Creative Writing Skills?

1. read widely.

Reading improves your writing skills by exposing you to different 

• And Techniques you can incorporate into your own writing.

Did you know reading widens your vocabulary? It does! And vocabulary is an essential aspect of effective writing. The more words you know, the more effectively you can communicate your ideas.

Also, reading helps improve your comprehension and critical thinking skills. Both of these are valuable for analysing and synthesising information. So you’ll learn how to present ideas clearly in your writing.

2. Write Regularly…and Don’t Stop!

Think of writing as a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes! Writing regularly makes you feel more comfortable and confident. 

What’s more, it helps you develop your own voice and style. Once you hone the aspects that make you unique , you’ll stand out more! 

Writing regularly also gives you a better sense of what works and what doesn’t. And you’ll be able to refine your writing accordingly. 

The more you write, the better you will become at it. So maximise our creative writing prompts and make time to write every day. Even if it’s just for a few minutes!

3. Experiment with Different Writing Styles

Do you know that experimenting with different writing styles and techniques expands your writing skills? Why? Because doing so makes you a versatile writer. Able to adapt your style to different situations and audiences. 

For example, writing poems even when you’re not used to poetry-writing forces you to think . To imagine and create! As a result? You get out of your comfort zone and explore. And you’re better able to reimagine your craft. 

What are the common writing styles?

• Descriptive – often uses similes and metaphors to help the reader experience the writing (e.g. songs, poems)
• Narrative – flashbacks and foreshadowing are common elements of a narrative style with a clear, fleshed-out plot (e.g. novels)
• Or Persuasive writing – convinces the reader to believe what the writer believes (e.g. essays, sales copy)

4. Join a Writing Community!

What better way to keep you motivated than by joining a writing community? A writing community provides support and encouragement. Being surrounded by like-minded folks passionate about writing can be a great source of inspiration!

Plus, you’ll be exposed to different writing styles and techniques. Which can help you expand your horizon and help you become a more versatile writer.

Joining a writing community can also be a great way to get feedback on your writing. Helping you identify areas for improvement. 

Finally, do you know a writing community can be a great source of information and resources? Members often share valuable writing tips and strategies.

5. Enrol In A Creative Writing Course

What is one of the most effective methods in fast-tracking you to massive improvement in your writing skills? Taking a creative writing course!

Why does taking a creative writing course help you improve your writing skills? Because you’ll learn from experienced writers. While having the opportunity to practice writing under the watchful eye of expert tutors. 

Creative writing prompts are useful for high school students looking for inspiration for new and original ideas. You can overcome writer’s block by tapping into your creativity in a new and exciting way.

These prompts will challenge and inspire you. So give them a try and see what amazing stories and ideas you can come up with!

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100 Creative Writing Prompts for Middle & High School – 2024

April 15, 2024

Some high school students dream of writing for a living, perhaps pursuing an English major in college, or even attending a creative writing MFA program later on. For other students, creative writing can be useful for school assignments, in English and other subjects, and also for preparing their Common App essays . In a less goal-oriented sense, daily freewriting in a journal can be a healthy life practice for many high schoolers. Not sure where to start? Continue reading for 100 creative writing prompts for middle school and high school students. These middle/high school writing prompts offer inspiration for getting started with writing in a number of genres and styles.

Click here to view the 35 Best Colleges for Creative Writing .

What are Creative Writing Prompts?

Similar to how an academic essay prompt provides a jumping-off point for forming and organizing an argument, creative writing prompts are points of initiation for writing a story, poem, or creative essay. Prompts can be useful for writers of all ages, helping many to get past writer’s block and just start (often one of the most difficult parts of a writing process).

Writing prompts come in a variety of forms. Sometimes they are phrases used to begin sentences. Other times they are questions, more like academic essay prompts Writing prompts can also involve objects such as photographs, or activities such as walking. Below, you will find high school writing prompts that use memories, objects, senses (smell/taste/touch), abstract ideas , and even songs as jumping-off points for creative writing. These prompts can be used to write in a variety of forms, from short stories to creative essays, to poems.

How to use Creative Writing Prompts

Before we get started with the list, are a few tips when using creative writing prompts:

Experiment with different formats : Prose is great, but there’s no need to limit yourself to full sentences, at least at first. A piece of creative writing can begin with a poem, or a dialogue, or even a list. You can always bring it back to prose later if needed.

Interpret the prompt broadly : The point of a creative writing prompt is not to answer it “correctly” or “precisely.” You might begin with the prompt, but then your ideas could take you in a completely different direction. The words in the prompt also don’t need to open your poem or essay, but could appear somewhere in the middle.

Switch up/pile up the prompts : Try using two or three prompts and combine them, or weave between them. Perhaps choose a main prompt, and a different “sub-prompt.” For example, your main prompt might be “write about being in transit from one place to another,” and within that prompt, you might use the prompt to “describe a physical sensation,” and/or one the dialogue prompts.  This could be a fun way to find complexity as you write.

Creative Writing Prompts for Middle School & High School Students (Continued)

Write first, edit later : While you’re first getting started with a prompt, leave the typos and bad grammar. Obsessing over details can take away from your flow of thoughts. You will inevitably make many fixes when you go back through to edit.

Write consistently : It often becomes easier to write when it’s a practice , rather than a once-in-a-while kind of activity. For some, it’s useful to write daily. Others find time to write every few days, or every weekend. Sometimes, a word-count goal can help (100 words a day, 2,000 words a month, etc.). If you set a goal, make sure it’s realistic. Start small and build from there, rather than starting with an unachievable goal and quickly giving up.

100 Creative Writing Prompts for Middle School & High School Teens

Here are some prompts for getting started with your creative writing. These are organized by method, rather than genre, so they can inspire writing in a variety of forms. Pick and choose the ones that work best for you, and enjoy!

Prompts using memories

• Begin each sentence or group of sentences with the phrase, “I remember…”
• Describe a family ritual.
• Choose an event in your life, and write about it from the perspective of someone else who was there.
• Pick a pathway you take on a regular basis (to school, or to a friend’s house). Describe five landmarks that you remember from this pathway.
• Write about your house or apartment using a memory from each room.
• Write an imaginary history of the previous people who lived in your house or apartment.
• Write about an ancestor based on stories you’ve heard from relatives.
• What’s your earliest memory?
• Who was your first friend?
• Write a letter to someone you haven’t seen since childhood.
• Write about yourself now from the perspective of yourself twenty, or eighty, years from now.
• Write about the best month of the year.
• Write about the worst day of the year.
• Rant about something that has always annoyed you.
• Write about the hottest or coldest day you can remember.
• Visualize a fleeting moment in your life and as though it’s a photograph, and time yourself 5 minutes to write every detail you can remember about the scene.
• Draw out a timeline of your life so far. Then choose three years to write about, as though you were writing for a history book.
• Write about a historical event in the first person, as though you remember it.
• Write about a memory of being in transit from one place to another.

Objects and photographs as creative writing prompts

• Describe the first object you see in the room. What importance does it have in your life? What memories do you have with this object? What might it symbolize?
• Pick up an object, and spend some time holding it/examining it. Write about how it looks, feels, and smells. Write about the material that it’s made from.
• Choose a favorite family photograph. What could someone know just by looking at the photograph? What’s secretly happening in the photograph?
• Choose a photograph and tell the story of this photograph from the perspective of someone or something in it.
• Write about a color by describing three objects that are that color.
• Tell the story of a piece of trash.
• Tell the story of a pair of shoes.
• Tell the story of your oldest piece of clothing.

Senses and observations as creative writing prompts

• Describe a sound you hear in the room or outside. Choose the first sound you notice. What are its qualities? It’s rhythms? What other sounds does it remind you of?
• Describe a physical sensation you feel right now, in as much detail as possible.
• Listen to a conversation and write down a phrase that you hear someone say. Start a free-write with this phrase.
• Write about a food by describing its qualities, but don’t say what it is.
• Describe a flavor (salty, sweet, bitter, etc.) to someone who has never tasted it before.
• Narrate your day through tastes you tasted.
• Narrate your day through sounds you heard.
• Narrate your day through physical sensations you felt.
• Describe in detail the physical process of doing an action you consider simple or mundane, like walking or lying down or chopping vegetables.
• Write about the sensation of doing an action you consider physically demanding or tiring, like running or lifting heavy boxes.
• Describe something that gives you goosebumps.
• Write a story that involves drinking a cold glass of water on a hot day.
• Write a story that involves entering a warm house from a cold snowy day.
• Describe someone’s facial features in as much detail as possible.

Songs, books, and other art

• Choose a song quote, write it down, and free-write from there.
• Choose a song, and write a story in which that song is playing in the car.
• Choose a song, and write to the rhythm of that song.
• Choose a character from a book, and describe an event in your life from the perspective of that character.
• Go to a library and write down 10 book titles that catch your eye. Free-write for 5 minutes beginning with each one.
• Go to a library and open to random book pages, and write down 5 sentences that catch your attention. Use those sentences as prompts and free-write for 5-minutes with each.
• Choose a piece of abstract artwork. Jot down 10 words that come to mind from the painting or drawing, and free-write for 2 minutes based on each word.
• Find a picture of a dramatic Renaissance painting online. Tell a story about what’s going on in the painting that has nothing to do with what the artist intended.
• Write about your day in five acts, like a Shakespearean play. If your day were a play, what would be the introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution?
• Narrate a complicated book or film plot using only short sentences.
• Read a short poem. Then write a poem that could be a “sister” or “cousin” of that poem.

Abstract ideas as creative writing prompts

• Write about an experience that demonstrates an abstract idea, such as “love” or “home” or “freedom” or “loss” without ever using the word itself.
• Write a list of ways to say “hello” without actually saying “hello.”
• Write a list of ways to say “I love you” without actually saying “I love you.”
• Do you believe in ghosts? Describe a ghost.
• Invent a mode of time travel.
• Glass half-full/half-empty: Write about an event or situation with a positive outlook. Then write about it with a miserable outlook.
• Free-write beginning with “my religion is…” (what comes next can have as much or as little to do with organized religion as you’d like).
• Free-write beginning with “my gender is…” (what comes next can have as much or as little to do with common ideas of gender as you’d like).
• Write about a person or character that is “good” and one that is “evil.” Then write about the “evil” in the good character and the “good” in the evil character.
• Write like you’re telling a secret.
• Describe a moment of beauty you witnessed. What makes something beautiful?

Prompts for playing with narrative and character

• Begin writing with the phrase, “It all started when…”
• Tell a story from the middle of the most dramatic part.
• Write a story that begins with the ending.
• Begin a story but give it 5 possible endings.
• Write a list of ways to dramatically quit a terrible job.
• Write about a character breaking a social rule or ritual (i.e., walking backwards, sitting on the floor of a restaurant, wearing a ballgown to the grocery store). What are the ramifications?
• You are sent to the principal’s office. Justify your bad behavior.
• Re-write a well-known fairytale but set it in your school.
• Write your own version of the TV show trope where someone gets stuck in an elevator with a stranger, or a secret love interest, or a nemesis.
• Imagine a day where you said everything you were thinking, and write about it.
• Write about a scenario in which you have too much of a good thing.
• Write about a scenario in which money can buy happiness.
• Invent a bank or museum heist.
• Invent a superhero, including an origin story.
• Write using the form of the scientific method (question, hypothesis, test, analyze data conclusion).
• Write using the form of a recipe.

Middle School & High School Creative writing prompts for playing with fact vs. fiction

• Write something you know for sure is true, and then, “but maybe it isn’t.” Then explain why that thing may not be true.
• Write a statement and contradict that statement. Then do it again.
• Draft an email with an outlandish excuse as to why you didn’t do your homework or why you need an extension.
• Write about your morning routine, and make it sound extravagant/luxurious (even if it isn’t).
• You’ve just won an award for doing a very mundane and simple task. Write your acceptance speech.
• Write about a non-athletic event as though it were a sports game.
• Write about the most complicated way to complete a simple task.
• Write a brief history of your life, and exaggerate everything.
• Write about your day, but lie about some things.
• Tell the story of your birth.
• Choose a historical event and write an alternative outcome.
• Write about a day in the life of a famous person in history.
• Read an instructional manual, and change three instructions to include some kind of magical or otherwise impossible element.

Prompts for starting with dialogue

• Write a texting conversation between two friends who haven’t spoken in years.
• Write a texting conversation between two friends who speak every day and know each other better than anyone.
• Watch two people on the street having a conversation, and imagine the conversation they’re having. Write it down.
• Write an overheard conversation behind a closed door that you shouldn’t be listening to.
• Write a conversation between two characters arguing about contradicting memories of what happened.
• You have a difficult decision to make. Write a conversation about it with yourself.
• Write a conversation with a total lack of communication.
• Write a job interview gone badly.

Final Thoughts – Creative Writing Prompts for Middle School & High School 

Hopefully you have found several of these creative writing prompts helpful. Remember that when writing creatively, especially on your own, you can mix, match, and change prompts. For more on writing for high school students, check out the following articles:

• College Application Essay Topics to Avoid
• 160 Good Argumentative Essay Topics
• 150 Good Persuasive Speech Topics
• Good Transition Words for Essays
• High School Success

Sarah Mininsohn

With a BA from Wesleyan University and an MFA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Sarah is a writer, educator, and artist. She served as a graduate instructor at the University of Illinois, a tutor at St Peter’s School in Philadelphia, and an academic writing tutor and thesis mentor at Wesleyan’s Writing Workshop.

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15 Creative Writing Programs for High School Students

By Eric Eng

With many creative writing programs available for high school students, choosing the right one can impact a student’s writing journey. These programs, from summer workshops at prestigious universities to online mentorships, offer immersive experiences in various genres, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and dramatic writing. They are designed to improve writing abilities and inspire a deep love for storytelling and literature.

Through intensive workshops, one-on-one mentorships, and collaborative projects, students are guided by accomplished writers and educators committed to nurturing young talent. Whether set against the backdrop of a university campus, delivered through the digital realm, or nestled within the creative havens of art schools, each program offers a unique pathway for young writers to explore their potential and push the boundaries of their creativity.

1. Shared Worlds at Wofford College

• Location : Spartanburg, SC
• Cost : $2,600
• Eligibility : Rising 8th-12th grade students
• Important Dates : July 14th to 27th, 2024; Rolling application deadline.

Shared Worlds at Wofford College is a distinctive entry among creative writing programs for high school students, uniquely blending speculative fiction genres like science fiction, fantasy, and steampunk into an immersive two-week residential workshop.

Set in the picturesque campus of Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Shared Worlds encourages students from rising 8th through 12th grades to dive deep into the realms of their imagination, creating entire worlds and narratives under the guidance of renowned authors and instructors in the field of speculative fiction.

Running from July 14th to 27th, 2024 , with a rolling application deadline to accommodate interested young writers, the program is priced at $2,600, offering a comprehensive package that includes tuition, accommodation, meals, and an array of writing resources.

2. Bard College at Simon’s Rock Young Writers Workshop

• Location : Great Barrington, MA
• Cost : $3,500
• Eligibility : Not specified
• Important Dates : July 7th to 27th, 2024; Rolling application deadline.

The Bard College at Simon’s Rock Young Writers Workshop stands as a distinguished example among creative writing programs for high school students, offering a unique blend of academic rigor and creative freedom.

Set against Bard College’s intellectually stimulating environment in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, this workshop runs from July 7th to 27th, 2024. It is tailored for students with a passion for writing and a desire to deepen their craft. With a cost of $3,500 , the program adopts a methodology distinct from conventional writing workshops.

Inspired by the college’s Language and Thinking Workshop, it emphasizes informal, playful, and expressive writing exercises supported by a peer response system to refine and polish students’ works. Participants are immersed in a collegiate atmosphere, residing on campus and engaging in a daily schedule that fosters creativity and community.

3. Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshops

• Location : Gambier, OH (Residential and Online)
• Cost : $2,575 (Residential), $995 (Online)
• Important Dates : Residential (Session 1: June 23rd to July 6th, 2024; Session 2: July 14th to 27th, 2024), Online (June 16th to 21st, 2024); Residential application deadline: March 1st, 2024, Online application deadline: April 15th, 2024.

The Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshops are a cornerstone among creative writing programs for high school students, offering both residential and online formats to accommodate a wide array of participants.

Located in the scenic town of Gambier, Ohio, at Kenyon College, these workshops provide an enriching environment that mirrors the collegiate literary community. The residential sessions, scheduled for two separate sessions from June 23rd to July 6th and July 14th to 27th, 2024, and an online session from June 16th to 21st, 2024, attract students nationwide who are eager to explore their creative talents.

With $2,575 for the residential program and $995 for the online workshop , participants are immersed in a vibrant atmosphere that champions the written word across multiple genres. This program distinguishes itself by fostering a supportive community where young writers are encouraged to discover new strengths, challenge their abilities, and engage with peers who share a deep passion for storytelling.

4. Yale Young Writers’ Workshop

• Location : Online
• Cost : $950
• Eligibility : Ages 16-18, rising high school juniors or seniors
• Important Dates : Application deadline: April 1, 2024.

The Yale Young Writers’ Workshop is a prominent fixture in the landscape of creative writing programs for high school students. It offers a robust platform for young writers aged 16 to 18 to hone their craft in an immersive online environment.

This workshop has a curriculum encompassing fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, ensuring a comprehensive exploration of literary forms and techniques. Participants are capped at twelve per genre, a policy that guarantees personalized attention and maximizes each student’s opportunity for growth and feedback.

The program’s structure is thoughtfully designed, featuring daily craft talks from visiting writers, intensive afternoon workshops, and special sessions, including open mics, faculty, and visiting author readings, further enriching the participants’ experience.

The Yale Young Writers’ Workshop facilitates the development of significant writing skills and fosters a supportive community where aspiring writers can experiment, play, and evolve. With a cost of $950 , the program is accessible to a wide range of students, making it a key player in nurturing the next generation of literary talent.

5. Emerging Writers Institute by Education Unlimited

• Location : UC Berkeley, UCLA , and Online
• Cost : Varies (specific costs not provided)
• Eligibility : Grades 10-12
• Important Dates : Sessions range from June 10, 2024, to July 2024 (specific end dates not provided)​​.

The Emerging Writers Institute by Education Unlimited is a key player among creative writing programs for high school students, designed to cater to young writers in grades 10 through 12 who seek to develop their narrative and poetic abilities.

Offered in both in-person and online formats, the program takes place at prestigious locations such as UC Berkeley and UCLA . It provides a virtual option to accommodate students from anywhere. This flexibility ensures that more students can participate in a rigorous academic environment focused on enhancing their writing skills.

The program’s structure is meticulously crafted, featuring daily blocks dedicated to reading like a writer, exploring various genres, and developing a capstone piece that embodies the student’s growth and learning throughout the course.

With options to focus on short stories, poetry, or nonfiction, participants are encouraged to delve deep into their chosen genre, guided by experienced instructors who provide personalized feedback and foster a supportive workshop environment.

6. Juniper Institute for Young Writers at UMass Amherst

• Location : Amherst, MA (Residential and Online)
• Cost : Not specified
• Eligibility : Motivated high-school age students
• Important Dates : Residential program dates not specified; Online: August 5–9, 2024; Application deadline: March 7​.

The Juniper Institute for Young Writers at UMass Amherst distinguishes itself within the realm of creative writing programs for high school students through its dynamic and immersive approach to writing.

Set against the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s vibrant academic backdrop, this program offers residential and online opportunities, allowing students from various backgrounds to engage deeply with creative writing practices.

Participants are invited to explore their narrative and poetic talents through experimentation, creativity, and wild invention, guided by a dedicated team of instructors who are both accomplished writers and passionate educators.

The program runs in the summer and is designed to foster a supportive and collaborative environment where young writers can freely express themselves, receive constructive feedback, and develop their unique voices.

7. KWH Summer Workshop at University of Pennsylvania

• Location : Philadelphia, PA
• Cost : $2,750
• Important Dates : Not specified.

The KWH Summer Workshop at the University of Pennsylvania shines as a significant offering within the sphere of creative writing programs for high school students, providing an enriching environment for young writers to explore and develop their craft.

Hosted by the esteemed Kelly Writers House, this workshop is tailored to engage participants in personal essay writing while introducing them to various other literary forms through guest lectures and craft sessions.

The program’s structure fosters an intimate setting that promotes intensive learning and personal growth, as students are encouraged to critique one another’s work as part of the revision process.

Beyond the workshops, the program broadens the educational experience by incorporating practical sessions in digital recording and collaboration with Penn’s Institute of Contemporary Art, thereby offering a holistic approach to creative expression.

Priced at $2,750 , the workshop aims to cultivate writing skills and instill confidence in young writers by immersing them in a community of peers and mentors who share a passion for storytelling.

8. Creative Writing Academy at Georgetown University

• Location : Washington, D.C.

The Creative Writing Academy at Georgetown University is a standout among creative writing programs for high school students, offering an unparalleled opportunity to delve into the world of literary creation and narrative construction.

Situated in the heart of Washington, D.C., the program leverages the city’s rich cultural scene to inspire and inform its curriculum. Students engage in an intensive exploration of literary history, technique, and the transformative power of narrative, learning how to develop their ideas into polished pieces.

The program emphasizes using great literature and art as sources of inspiration, encouraging students to draw upon diverse voices and styles to inform their writing. This approach fosters a dynamic learning environment where students refine their writing skills and expand their understanding of what it means to contribute to the literary world.

The Creative Writing Academy at Georgetown University not only equips young writers with the tools necessary for literary success but also offers a glimpse into the professional writing world, all within a supportive community of peers and mentors dedicated to fostering literary talent.

9. Smith College Precollege Programs Creative Writing Workshop

• Location : Northampton, MA
• Important Dates : Assessed on a rolling basis, applicants can submit their materials until May 2024.

The Smith College Precollege Programs Creative Writing Workshop represents a unique and innovative offering within the realm of creative writing programs for high school students, distinguished by its imaginative approach and commitment to fostering a vibrant community of young writers.

Set against Smith College’s prestigious campus backdrop, this workshop invites participants to immerse themselves in creative exploration and literary experimentation. Dubbed a “word coven,” the program emphasizes the magic and power of language, encouraging students to conjure their narratives through various exercises and collaborative projects.

From generating a plethora of story beginnings to engaging with visual, aural, and textual art, students are guided to discover and refine their writing processes. The workshop’s curriculum is designed to push the boundaries of traditional storytelling, urging participants to experiment with hybridized writing forms and to develop their rituals and practices that celebrate the art of writing.

This program equips students with the technical skills needed to craft compelling stories and poems and instills a deep appreciation for the creative process and the communal aspects of writing. By participating in the Smith College Precollege Programs Creative Writing Workshop, students join a supportive network of peers and mentors, all while developing their unique voice and vision as writers​.

10. NYU SPS High School Academy Creative Writing Program

• Location : New York, NY
• Eligibility : Completed grades 9, 10, or 11
• Important Dates : Sessions run from July 15 to August 9, 2024; International student deadline: March 15, 2024; Residential U.S. student deadline: May 17, 2024; Commuter U.S. student deadline: June 7, 2024​.

The NYU SPS High School Academy Creative Writing Program is a distinguished initiative among creative writing programs for high school students, designed to immerse participants in the intricacies of crafting narratives, building worlds, and developing authentic characters and dialogue.

Hosted by the prestigious New York University School of Professional Studies, this program offers an intensive week-long workshop that caters to students who have completed grades 9, 10, or 11 . It stands out for its commitment to refining students’ writing skills and providing them with a portfolio of peer-critiqued short stories, showcasing the practical application of the techniques learned during the workshop.

Sessions are scheduled across multiple weeks in July and August, allowing for flexibility in attendance. The program takes place in a dynamic and supportive environment where students from around the globe come together to share their passion for writing and creativity.

This setting fosters a rich exchange of ideas and simulates a real-world literary community, offering students a glimpse into the professional writing world. By the end of the program, participants walk away with enhanced writing abilities, a deeper understanding of narrative construction, and valuable feedback from their peers, all of which are essential tools for any aspiring writer.

11. Interlochen Arts Camp Creative Writing Program

• Location : Interlochen, MI
• Cost : $6,765
• Eligibility : High School (Grades 9-12)
• Important Dates : Session 1: June 23 to July 13, 2024; Session 2: July 14 to August 4, 2024; Application status: Accepting applications.

The Interlochen Arts Camp Creative Writing Program is a preeminent summer enrichment experience among creative writing programs for high school students, offering an unparalleled opportunity to delve into the literary arts within the inspiring environment of the Interlochen Center for the Arts.

This prestigious program, nestled in the scenic beauty of Northern Michigan, provides high school students in grades 9-12 with a three-week intensive that spans from late June to early August across two sessions.

With a tuition fee of $6,765 , participants are immersed in a curriculum that covers fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and playwriting, ensuring a comprehensive exploration of the literary world. Workshops focus on the fundamentals of narrative craft, encouraging students to experiment with voice, structure, character development, and dialogue while introducing them to contemporary techniques and genres.

By engaging in rigorous writing practices, receiving constructive feedback, and participating in a vibrant literary community, students leave the program with a deeper understanding of their craft, a portfolio of their work, and lasting connections with peers and mentors. The Interlochen Arts Camp Creative Writing Program is the leading choice for young writers seeking to challenge themselves and grow in a supportive, creatively charged atmosphere.

12. Iowa Young Writers’ Studio

• Location : Iowa City, IA
• Cost : Typically varies; scholarships may be available.
• Eligibility : High school students.
• Important Dates :  They stopped accepting application materials on February 4, 2024.

The Iowa Young Writers’ Studio stands as a formidable presence among creative writing programs for high school students, drawing upon the storied literary heritage of the University of Iowa, renowned for its Writers’ Workshop, the first creative writing degree program in the United States.

This program offers a two-week, immersive experience in Iowa City, a UNESCO City of Literature, where students from across the nation gather to study under the guidance of accomplished writers and educators.

The curriculum spans various genres, including fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction, allowing students to delve deeply into their chosen field or explore new ones. Workshops emphasize the development of personal voice and style, while craft seminars examine the nuances of literary technique and theory. This nurturing environment encourages experimentation and growth, allowing students to produce work that reflects their evolving understanding of the craft.

Beyond the workshops and seminars, the program fosters community among participants, creating a network of young writers who support and inspire each other. The Iowa Young Writers’ Studio not only equips students with the skills necessary for artistic expression but also instills a profound appreciation for the literary arts, making it a pivotal experience for those looking to pursue writing professionally and personally.

13. Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship Program

• Cost : Free or low-cost; the program is known for being accessible.
• Eligibility : High school students globally.
• Important Dates : The application period is from March 1 to April 1, 2024.

The Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship Program is a highly acclaimed fixture among creative writing programs for high school students, leveraging the prestige and literary understanding of The Adroit Journal to offer a unique, immersive experience.

This free online program pairs talented young writers from around the globe with established poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers, facilitating a one-on-one mentorship that spans several weeks during the summer.

The focus is on fostering creative growth, refining technique, and exploring new dimensions of voice and style under the guidance of mentors who are accomplished in their fields and deeply committed to nurturing the next generation of literary talent.

Participants can engage in an intensive curriculum designed to challenge their assumptions about writing and push the boundaries of their creativity. Students are encouraged to develop a sophisticated understanding of literary craft through assignments, feedback, and discussions and produce work that reflects their perspectives and experiences.

14. Creative Writing: Poetry, Fiction and Nonfiction at Stanford University Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes

• Location : The program is conducted by Stanford University, offering a rich academic environment for students to immerse themselves in creative writing.
• Cost : While the specific cost for this course was not listed in the provided sources, Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes generally have varying tuition rates based on the program and length.
• Eligibility : The course is designed for students currently in grades 8-11 at the time of application, catering to a wide range of young writers seeking to refine their craft in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction.
• Important Dates : The course is offered in two sessions, with Session One running from June 17, 2024, to June 28, 2024, and Session Two from July 8, 2024, to July 19, 2024.

The Creative Writing: Poetry, Fiction, and Nonfiction course at Stanford University Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes is a prime example of the enriching experiences of creative writing programs for high school students.

This course sets itself apart by providing a deep dive into the craft of writing across three major genres. It offers students from grades 8 through 11 a unique opportunity to explore and refine their writing skills in an intellectually stimulating environment.

Located at the prestigious Stanford University, the program runs in two sessions during the summer, allowing participants to engage with the published works of well-known authors and craft their pieces under the guidance of experienced instructors.

Students are encouraged to develop their imaginative, critical, and technical skills through reading, writing, and workshop discussions, fostering a supportive writing community that values creative exploration and personal expression.

The course’s structure, emphasizing the workshop model, ensures that each student receives personalized feedback and learns to critique peers’ work constructively, thereby cultivating a nuanced understanding of the writing process and the diverse forms it can take​.

15. Tisch School of the Arts Summer High School Program in Dramatic Writing

• Cost : Varies; scholarship opportunities may be available.
• Eligibility : High school sophomores and juniors.
• Important Dates : The summer 2024 application is closed.

The Tisch School of the Arts Summer High School Program in Dramatic Writing is an exceptional opportunity within the realm of creative writing programs for high school students, aiming to immerse them in the world of playwriting, screenwriting, and television writing.

Hosted by one of the most prestigious art schools in the country, this program offers high school sophomores and juniors a rigorous and engaging curriculum designed to unleash their creative potential and refine their writing skills.

Students can work closely with experienced instructors and professionals in the field, gaining insights into the craft of dramatic storytelling and the intricacies of character development, dialogue, and plot structure.

This intensive, hands-on program focuses on the technical aspects of writing. It encourages students to explore their voices and perspectives, challenging them to create original, compelling stories that resonate with audiences.

As we conclude this exploration of 15 creative writing programs for high school students, it’s evident that each offers a unique set of opportunities designed to ignite passion, foster talent, and open doors to endless possibilities in the literary world.

These programs equip students with the technical skills needed for storytelling and imbue them with the confidence to share their stories with the world. Beyond the craft of writing, students gain invaluable life experiences, friendships, and mentorships that extend far beyond the classroom or screen.

The journey through any of these programs can be transformative, laying the foundation for future endeavors in writing, education, and beyond. For high school students passionate about writing, the path to discovering their voice and honing their craft is rich with opportunities.

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The best writing prompts for high school

Ah, high school. The birthplace of future geniuses, the setting of a million Young Adult books — and the cutting ground of many a brilliant young author. Writing in the classroom is often the best outlet of creativity for kids, and what better way to get your students excited about it than through creative writing prompts for high school students?

Whether you use journal prompts or story ideas to kickstart your high school student’s imagination, writing prompts are sure to help broaden their thinking, sharpen their writing skills, record their thoughts, and get them to engage with the world around them.

If you're looking to cut to the chase, here's a top ten list of writing prompts for high school students:

• In the form of diary/ journal entries, write about someone who's just experienced a big "first."
• Just then, your phone rings. It's your friend and they have some interesting news...
• Write a short story where the protagonist has a doppelgänger.
• Write a story about a misunderstanding.
• Write a story about a strange family tradition, with at least two characters from the family narrating in the course of the story.
• Write a story about someone who would be described, above all else, as: kind.
• Write a story that centers on an Instagram post.
• Write a story that spans a month during which everything changes.
• Write about a group of people determined to win an award for making the biggest cookie ever.
• Write about someone going to extreme lengths to return an overdue library book.

If you have a high school student who’s interested in becoming an author, check out our free resources on the topic:

Develop a Writing Routine (free course) — Any high schooler who’s serious about becoming a published author should know that writing a book doesn’t just take talent. 90% of the process is sitting in front of a blank piece of paper, and having the drive and commitment to put words to paper. That’s why we created this free course, which shows people of any age how to develop a writing routine that works for you. It’s never too early to start the process today!

Want to encourage your high school students to start writing? Check out Reedsy’s weekly short story contest , for the chance of winning $250! You can also check out our list of writing contests or our directory of literary magazines for more opportunities to submit your story.

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Creative Writing Opportunities for High School Students

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If you’re a high school student interested in creative writing, you may or may not have a number of broad extracurricular options to pursue during the school year, depending on your school. You might be a part of your school’s literary magazine, or participate in creative writing workshops. Maybe you are lucky enough to attend a school with dedicated creative writing classes or poetry electives.

But what if your school doesn’t seem to offer much for students who want to pursue creative writing? Or what if you don’t even know where to begin looking? How can you keep your momentum headed towards your goal or otherwise use your time productively if you passionate about creative writing?

There are many activities available to high school students who enjoy creative writing. Some might be available through your school, but many are out there waiting for you to pursue them independently.

In this post, we’ll outline how you can take the initiative to pursue multiple creative writing opportunities both in and out of school. Keep reading to learn more about what opportunities are out there for high school-aged creative writers.

Why Pursue Creative Writing?

There are many reasons to pursue extracurriculars in general. They can serve to strengthen your academic profile, they allow you to pursue interests not otherwise available through traditional classwork, and they can provide valuable, real-world experience.

Creative writing is an extracurricular that is closely tied with your academic coursework in English and Language Arts and in fact is probably a partial requirement of at least some of your English classes. Pursuing it further exemplifies your commitment to the craft and gives you some insight into writing as a possible career path.

It might be easy to think of creative writing as nothing more than a hobby, but in reality many careers exist in which strong writing skills are coveted. By pursuing creative writing, you become well equipped for a career as not only an author or poet, but also in many other fields. We’ll discuss these more in depth at the end of this post.

Opportunities to Pursue Creative Writing

Literary magazine:.

This is the most obvious and most common way to study and produce creative writing in a formal setting at school. Many schools already have a literary magazine established and likely have regular meetings and a faculty adviser equipped to lend insight and advice.

You can usually join your school’s literary magazine at the beginning of a new school year, though you may also be able to join mid-year in some circumstances. Contact the editor or faculty advisor if you want to become involved. Over time you may even be able to take on a leadership role yourself. To learn more about the importance of this, check out CollegeVine’s Your Resume, Revamped: Securing Leadership Positions and Perfecting Your Extracurricular Profile . 

Another way to be involved with the literary magazine, even if you aren’t a part of its team, is to become a regular contributor. This isn’t always easy; some schools have highly competitive literary magazines or only produce one printed edition per year. If this is the case at your school, don’t get discouraged. Submit your best work, learn from feedback, and keep trying.

If your school does not have a literary magazine, you might consider starting one. Begin by talking to other students who have expressed interest in creative writing. Once you have a strong group of interested students, approach a member of your school’s faculty who would make a good adviser.

Your faculty adviser should be someone who has worked closely with you in the past and has some level of expertise in creative writing. Be clear what sort of commitment you are asking for from this person. You may need him or her to be present at every meeting, or you might simply need his or her signature and sporadic stamp of approval. Also remember that you will have some associated costs so having a faculty adviser who can help with fundraising could be important.

Literary magazines provide students interested in creative writing with some general insights into a formal writing publication, a glimpse at the process for submitting work and receiving feedback, and the opportunity to have their writing published for all to see.

Creative Writing Club:

If your school does not have a literary magazine or you are interested in pursuing creative writing in a less formal setting, a creative writing club might be a good bet for you.

These clubs generally operate as regular writing workshops during which students respond to prompts or practice free-writing, and then share their work and offer feedback to others. It is often similar to the submissions approval process at a literary magazine without the stress of possible rejection.

In addition, a creative writing club does not generally produce a publication, though some might print a collection of work at the end of the school year. Again, this differs from the traditional literary magazine because work is selected by the author rather than submitted for acceptance or rejection.

If your school does not have a creative writing club, it is easy to start one. Because there is no associated publication as in the case of a literary magazine, the process is generally less formal. You could meet before or after school and sometimes you don’t even need a faculty adviser; you just need a teacher who’s willing to share classroom space outside of school hours.

Alternatively, you could form a writing club that is completely independent of your school by meeting at the library or a friend’s house. Simply gather creative writing exercises from books or online searches and then gather on a regular basis to respond to them, share work, and offer constructive criticism.

A creative writing club can also be an important accountability tool for students who are working on independent creative writing projects. If you’re writing a longer piece or even a novel, or working on a collection of poetry, meeting regularly with like-minded writers can help to keep you on track and provide outside feedback that might otherwise be unavailable.

Creative Writing Tutor:

If creative writing is your passion and you want to share it with others, you might consider becoming a creative writing tutor for younger students.

Contact a local elementary school and ask if you might be able to volunteer. If so, arrive prepared to lead a small writer’s workshop. Bring any handouts you might need and practice your oral presentation ahead of time. If you need some inspiration for activities, check out the Creative Writing for Children page at PBS parents or the Story Starters page at Scholastic . These kid-friendly writing prompts are sure to inspire even the youngest authors.

If you can’t find a volunteer position at an elementary school, you could try reaching out to other local organizations. Girl or boy scout troops, community centers, or the local library are all possibilities.

Leading a creative writing group for younger students is a great way to hone your own thinking about creative writing, to practice your teaching and leadership skills, and to give back to your community.

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Writing Contests:

If you’re looking for more direction for your writing, and the idea of fame and fortune intrigues you, you should consider entering some writing contests. There are many to choose from, and most offer either cash prizes or scholarship money. Some are also quite prestigious.

For a list of some of the most respected writing contests open to high schoolers, check out The CollegeVine Ultimate Guide to High School Writing Contests .

Summer Programs:

As is now the case for most extracurriculars, there are many strong summer programs to choose from if you’d like to pursue creative writing during your school break. These programs can be competitive to get into and you will usually be required to submit a writing portfolio as a part of your application.

Programs such as these also strengthen your college application and reinforce your commitment to writing. A few of the strongest are:

• Interlochen
• Kenyon Review Young Writer’s Workshop
• California State Summer School for the Arts (Primarily for California residents, but a small number of non-residents are accepted each year.)

Many of these programs have scholarships available, so if finances are a concern, be sure to research a few options before ruling anything out.

In addition, many colleges offer summer programs in creative writing as well. These are usually similar in format to any of the aforementioned summer programs, with the added bonus of allowing you to build connections at colleges or universities that you might wish to attend. 

See if any schools on your list of potential colleges or universities offer summer programs and look into attending those. Otherwise, consider one of the following, which are known for their high quality instruction:

• Duke Young Writer’s Camp
• Carleton College Summer Writing Program
• Stanford Summer Institutes
• Lewis and Clark Fir Acres Workshop
• University of Iowa Young Writer’s Studio

Start a Blog

If you find that you are writing often but have nowhere to showcase your work or have trouble holding yourself accountable for producing work on a regular basis, starting your own blog might be a good fit. A blog is a great way to share your writing on a public platform, it can act as an informal portfolio of your work, and it helps to hold you accountable to a larger audience.

Many blogs are easily set up and hosted for free on websites such as WordPress , Blogger , LiveJournal , or Weebly . Share a link to your blog on your social media accounts or send out a group email to let friends and family know about it. As is the case any time you add to your online presence, be sure to discuss your plans with a parent or guardian ahead of time. 

Get Published Elsewhere

A blog isn’t the only platform for publishing your work. Many magazines and periodicals accept submissions from high school students. A long list of publications reviewing high school submissions can be found in the NewPages Young Authors’ Guide . 

You can also check with local publications like newspapers, smaller regional magazines, or even blogs you follow that might accept a guest post.

There are a myriad of ways to get your work to a bigger audience, and if that’s something you’re interested in doing, don’t be shy about asking or even sending unsolicited submissions. All it takes is one person to take a chance on you before you can call yourself a published author.

Career Aspirations for the Creative Writer

It’s easy to think of creative writing as the entry point to becoming a novelist or poet. You might even think that these are your only long-term career options should you choose to pursue creative writing seriously.

This is definitely not the case. Many, many career paths incorporate writing, and while you may not be writing fictional works the entire time, that does not mean that you won’t be incorporating your background in creative writing. All strong writing benefits from creativity.

Writers are especially valued in the fields of:

• Advertising
• American Literature
• Digital Media
• Educational and Instructional Technology
• Media Studies
• Public Relations
• Radio and Television
• Sports Communications
• Technical and Business Writing
• Webpage and Multimedia Design    

Remember, pursuing creative writing doesn’t necessarily mean you have to write a novel or publish a collection of poetry. Writers have valuable skills that can be applied broadly depending on their others skills and interests.

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“…up until around a week ago I had never found much joy doing research for an essay and inputting information from a source into my writing. That is until I wrote my first essay in my college writing class… it was the first time I had a feeling of joy and wasn’t just ‘getting it over with'" (College English student reflection essay)

Books for Renewing Purpose and Vision for Writing

Books to Help You Empower Writers

Books to Think About the Big Picture: Philosophy for Learning, for Life

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Teaching Creative Writing with High School Students

Teaching creative writing will stretch you as a person and as a teacher. If you’re looking for h ow to teach a creative writing class, I hope my refection process benefits you. 

This past semester, I was tasked with teaching creative writing for the first time. Before I dive into the second semester, I want to reflect on my experiences. This sort of class is one that I will never teach the same way twice because my writers will always have different needs. Still, I need to process what approaches worked and did not work.

If these ideas help another teacher, great! Below is what I learned from teaching creative writing with high school students. As I consider h ow to teach creative writing, I realize that much of the process includes diverse learning tools and encouragement from me to students. 

Also! I have a freebie in this post that you can hand students tomorrow! Sign up for Language Arts Classroom’s library to receive the handout and other freebies:

Now, here are my ideas for h ow to teach creative writing with high school students. 

Encourage peer collaboration and feedback.

High school students don’t always value interaction, brainstorming, and creating with peers. Such collaboration is important in any class; in creative writing, it is vital. When I began collaboration with students, I didn’t always see the results I wanted. As I continue to t each creative writing, I realized the importance of providing a model. 

Even though I work with older students, I still need to model the collaborative process. I often did this by writing a sample, verbalizing what I liked and disliked, and asking for student approval. Plus, I never let questionable feedback offend me; I would instead articulate what the student said about my work.

The next time that I teach creative writing, I need to be more intentional with designing feedback. Sure, older students understand that collaboration is important and that kindness moves their messages forward. Still, I should provide exact examples for them to model their feedback.

Creative writing improves with feedback.

Because imaginations dominate the writing, it is easy for students to lose track of transitions and explanations. The story might be interesting, but a fresh reader might be confused. Part of the fun of creative writing includes breaking grammar rules. But! The subtraction of rules can’t include adding confusion. Creative writing assignments for high school must include discussions of structure, organization, and clarity. 

Remind students that at the end of a book, the author thanks a list of people who provided feedback and encouragement. The list of readers is long . Professional writers gladly accept feedback. Train students to think of feedback as part of the process. Show students what authors think of their process.

Students might understand that they should provide feedback, but they should also understand that receiving feedback is important too.

Use images to spur creativity.

Creative writing assignments for high school should include images! Pictures are a perfect scaffolding tool for teaching creative writing. 

This brainstorming technique worked multiple times when students found a wall. Grab some pictures from the Internet and compile them into a presentation like I did for this character activity . You can also head outside or ask students to contribute pictures. I have many Pinterest boards that inspire my own writing. Encourage students to develop a process that inspires them as writers.

Now that you have pictures, try brainstorming. What colors, depths, and shadows do students see in these images? How can those descriptions better their writing?

Another opportunity for images is to head outside with your writers. You might focus students by providing certain images for them to analyze.

Review dialogue rules.

Dialogue confused my students, and I’m not sure I have a solid reason as to why. I’m guessing that the rules differ from citations in formal writing, and that is their typical writing assignment. I had my students bookmark this page . We reviewed and practiced dialogue frequently.

Practicing punctuation, reviewing grammar rules, and breaking grammar rules can be great addition to teach creative writing.

Implement literary devices.

All those literary devices students find in literature? Now it is their turn to implement them! Some, like similes and direct characterization, come naturally. Students automatically include many literary devices. Don’t be afraid to read literature as you teach creative writing. Inspiration and examples help young writers, especially concerning literary devices.

Trickier literary devices? My class and I really worked with indirect characterization, conflicts , and setting . Students had too much telling and not enough showing. I’ve found that using pictures is a great scaffolding technique as I teach creative writing. Pictures inspire students to see angles they normally wouldn’t by simply imagining their story. Pictures provide a step for students as they implement literary devices in their creative writing activities.

As I teach creative writing, I realize the importance of pulling examples from literature. Students read creative writing! Emphasize that point with them. 

Develop characters.

Whatever your creative writing activities for high school students, you should include character development. Students really bloom when they craft characters. Sometimes students need prompting, so I created a brainstorming list for students, and you may download it for free .

Why did I do this? Creating and developing characters is hard! Students know interesting characters; in fact, I spent time brainstorming memorable ones with students. Then, we discussed why those characters stayed in their memories.

From our discussions, students realized that these characters have multiple levels. They have quirks and unlikable traits. No human is perfect; a realistic character isn’t either. We gave our characters mild obsessions (chewing nails), memorable habits (eating cheesy waffles for breakfast), and a unique style (red jean jacket). To do this, I asked characters to brainstorm more information for their character than they would ever include in their story. Creative writing assignments for high school can be analytical: Older students have years of viewing and reading characters!

Why? Well, students then had an image of the character which flowed into the development. The ideas were easier to weave into the story when students had this background information. Finally, students had a unique character they invested in before they began writing a story.

Teaching creative writing was rewarding in many ways. Students expressed their concerns and fears, joys and triumphs. When I took over this class, I wondered what the outcome would be. This was my first experience teaching creative writing, and I was nervous. Now as I prepare for the new semester, I’m excited to see what students develop and what I can create to help them.

You are welcome to download the characterization brainstorming sheet for free! Sign-up for Language Art Classroom’s library to download it and other freebies.

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Are you looking for more ideas for h ow to use pictures and other engaging materials for creative writers?

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4 Engaging Writing Tasks for High School Students

Short, authentic writing tasks can encourage high school students to compose richer long pieces.

It’s quite likely that many of your students dislike writing. After all, they’re often expected to compose lengthy pieces that typically require lots of brainstorming, researching, planning, outlining, drafting, revising, and editing—and that can be exhausting. My class of high school boys had the same attitude, and their short, underdeveloped, and passionless pieces were most telling. I had to overhaul my approach.

During my quest for an alternative practice, I quickly learned that by building students’ knowledge about the topic on which they are expected to compose, and by initially assigning them shorter and more authentic writing tasks, we can successfully motivate them to write longer, richer, and more compelling multiparagraph pieces. Yes, baby steps—from a creep to a stable walk—can work wonders.

Incorporate Knowledge-Building Activities

Judith Hochman and Natalie Wexler said it best in  The Writing Revolution: A Guide to Advancing Thinking Through Writing in All Subjects and Grades : “Writing and content knowledge are intimately related. You can’t write well about something you don’t know well. The more students know about a topic before they begin to write, the better they will be able to write about it.”

Documentaries, podcasts, TED Talks, and other authentic and engaging audiovisuals can facilitate this knowledge building. Field trips, as well as interviews with relevant community-based experts, can also offer students significant fodder for their writing.

Moreover, when students have interesting discoveries to share, they’ll be excited about the writing tasks, and their compositions are likely to be longer, more detailed, more affecting, and more compelling. Because they have a rich knowledge bank, they’re less likely to get stuck and frustrated as they write. Knowledge stimulates ideas.

But information gathering is not all. It’s also important to show students how to use the newly learned content. We don’t want them to plagiarize information or inadvertently silence their own voices by over-quoting others. Their research should enhance what they write, not substitute for their initial thoughts or suppress their creativity.

What can you do then?

Go beyond lessons in citation format. Model, through write-aloud, how to make decisions about the content included in written work, how to paraphrase and summarize from the original source, and how to ensure that the added content actually strengthens what you already have.

Offer Authentically Rooted Writing Assignments

Finally, make sure that the writing assignments are authentic—with realistic, real-world communicative goals and true-to-life audiences (not just the classroom teacher). Here are some suggestions that you can implement in your teaching practice:

Travel blogs:  Take students on virtual field trips. Nearpod , Google Earth, and YouTube are excellent for this. Following this activity, have students write a blog post to describe the place they visited. If your students have visited resorts or attraction sites locally, they could write about that experience, recommend activities for prospective visitors, and simultaneously persuade them to visit when it is safe to do so.

Their insights might even persuade others to travel to this site. Students could use pictures to supplement their writing. They could also convert their written piece into a mini-video production for a real or imagined YouTube channel that promotes exotic getaways. Their composition would become the audio narration, and, with some background reggae, R & B, or any other culturally popular music, their piece would be beautifully transformed into a riveting marketing pitch.

Movie reviews:  Due to the pandemic, we know that many of our students may be watching far more movies than ever before. Therefore, let’s repurpose this social activity and use what they love or do for pleasure to help them refine a key academic skill. Have students write a review of their most recently watched or favorite film.

Prompt them to provide a summary of the movie, share their impressions of major characters and the plot’s unfolding, and examine the techniques used to create suspense and mounting tension. Later, when they’re writing their own narratives or putting on drama productions, they can adopt and adapt some of these techniques.

Song or music video reviews: Some students enjoy listening to music, so a song or music video review could also motivate them and facilitate interest-based differentiation. State where the review may be published—a local tabloid, a social media page, etc. Have students keep that in mind as they write so that their finished pieces are authentic and fitting for the context and audience intended.

Social media:  Based on your content area, you could have students make discipline-specific posts and write related captions. For instance, if you are looking at rocks in geography or soil types in science, have students photograph different types and post related descriptive or explanatory captions. They’ll be learning and teaching concurrently.

Provide Mentor Texts

These activities are exciting, but before you scuttle off to assign them, find or create models of the kinds of writing that you want your students to produce. Discuss the sample by prompting students to keenly attend to the content and the writer’s craft (style and techniques) throughout the piece.

Finally, make arrangements to have your students publish their pieces—through a safe online space or through an in-school magazine or newsletter—for authenticity at its finest.

Great Summer Creative Writing Programs for High School Students

Immersive Summer Programs for Budding Writers

Summer is a terrific time for aspiring writers to focus on creative writing . Immersive programs give high schoolers the opportunity to develop writing skills, meet like-minded students, and gain an impressive line on their activities resumé. This list of excellent summer creative writing programs for high school students may offer just what the budding writers in your family need to make the most of their talents.

Emerson College Creative Writers Workshop

Emerson’s Creative Writers Workshop is a five-week program for rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors geared at developing their writing skills in a variety of media, including fiction, poetry, screenwriting, graphic novels, and magazine writing. Participants attend college-level writing classes exploring these genres in which they write and present their own work, create a final portfolio of their writing, contribute to the workshop’s anthology, and present a reading for family and friends. On-campus housing is available for the duration of the workshop.

Alfred University Creative Writing Camp

This summer writing program introduces rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors to many different genres, including poetry, short fiction, creative non-fiction, and drama. Students read and discuss the work of established authors and participate in writing-intensive exercises and workshop sessions led by Alfred University faculty members. Campers stay in university housing and enjoy a variety of recreational activities outside of classes and workshops such as movie nights, games, and social gatherings. The program runs annually for five days at the end of June.

Sarah Lawrence College Summer Writers Workshop for High School Students

This program is a one-week, non-residential summer workshop for rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors that explores the process of creative writing in a non-competitive, non-judgmental environment. Participants have the opportunity to attend small writing and theater workshops led by faculty and guest writers and theater artists, as well as attend and participate in readings. Classes are limited to 15 students with three faculty leaders per workshop to provide individual attention for each student.

Sewanee Young Writers Conference

This two-week residential program offered by The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, provides dedicated rising high school sophomore, junior, and senior creative writers an opportunity to develop and polish their writing skills. The conference includes workshops in playwriting, fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction led by celebrated professional writers as well as visiting writers whose works students analyze and discuss. Participants select one writing genre and spend their two weeks attending a small workshop dedicated to that genre, with opportunities for one-on-one contact with workshop leaders. Students also participate in lectures, readings, and discussions.

Emerging Writers Institute Creative Writing Camp

Allen Grove

Education Unlimited offers the Emerging Writers Institute creative writing camp each summer at Yale University , Stanford University , and UC Berkeley . This two-week residential program for rising 10th-12th graders includes daily workshops, evaluations, peer editing groups, and creative presentations designed to encourage students to challenge themselves as writers and hone their expressive writing process.

Each student chooses to major in the writing of either short stories, poetry, playwriting, or nonfiction. The bulk of their critical reading and writing exercises and workshopping is devoted to their selected major. Students may also attend afternoon workshops on nontraditional genres such as speechwriting, graphic novels, and advertising copy, as well as guest presentations by local authors and publishers.

Iowa Young Writers' Studio

The University of Iowa offers this two-week summer creative writing program for rising juniors, seniors, and college freshmen. Students choose one of three core courses in poetry, fiction, or creative writing (a more general course sampling from poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction). Within their course, they participate in seminar classes in which they read and analyze literary selections and workshops to create, share, and discuss their own writing. Also offered are large group writing exercises, inspirational outdoor writing excursions, and nightly readings by prominent published writers. Many of the program's teachers and counselors are graduates of the university's Iowa Writers' Workshop, one of the most prestigious creative writing graduate programs in the country.

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Creative Writing Major at Arts Academy

One of America’s Best High Schools for Creative Writing

As you write to discover, understand, or grow, Interlochen Arts Academy will provide you with the guidance and resources you need to develop your unique voice. At Interlochen, you'll deepen your craft and prepare for your future as a writer and active participant in the literary scene. Develop your composition skill at Interlochen Arts Academy, grow beyond what other high schools provide, and become an accomplished creator of the literary arts.

What You'll Learn

As a creative writing major, you will receive hands-on and workshop-style instruction that will put you leaps and bounds beyond the typical high school writer at other high schools in terms of technique, versatility, and vocational know-how.

Our faculty of writer-educators will provide personalized mentorship within an intensive but nurturing workshop environment. You will learn to listen, read, and critique like writers. Interlochen's reputation as one of the best schools for creative writing stems in part from the strong mentorship provided by our writing faculty. These career professionals will help you create a strong portfolio to apply to top undergraduate literary studies programs or to adapt your learning to a broad range of pursuits.

The Next Step on Your Journey as a Creative Writer

As a student at our boarding school for creative writing , you will enjoy an academic experience far and above the offerings of general curriculum high schools. Interlochen Arts Academy provides you with focused creative writing studies and an individualized, hand-on learning experience.

• Craft an exciting body of work in diverse literary genres—including poetry, fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, and forms you invent
• Develop an in-depth understanding of craft terminology and cutting-edge stylistic techniques
• Engage in professionalization opportunities—such as preparing portfolios for national high school creative writing contests and literary publications, interviewing visiting writers about their career paths, and attending workshops
• Prepare a portfolio for professional and educational submissions
• Collaborate in interdisciplinary contexts with artists from other majors on campus

The Creative Writing division offers a curriculum designed to help young writers cultivate their talents, develop their imaginations, learn to read like writers, and broaden their command of the writer’s craft at all levels.

Discover the Interlochen Arts Academy difference for high school arts education. Enroll in one of our nation’s best schools for creative writing today!

How to Apply

Core Curriculum

Portfolio Requirements

Related Interlochen Online Courses

• Introduction to Creative Writing        
• Creative Writing Techniques: Fabulist Fiction     

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Meet the Faculty

Our faculty includes novelists, poets, playwrights, screenwriters, and a New York Times bestselling author. Their work has appeared in such venues as Agni , Tin House , The Rumpus , New South , Denver Quarterly , and Best New Poets . They travel widely to give readings and lead masterclasses, but they always return to Interlochen to help nurture the next generation of creative trailblazers.

All Faculty

Karyna McGlynn, Ph.D.

Director of Creative Writing

Julia Cannon

Writer in Residence, Interlochen Arts Academy

Brittany Cavallaro, Ph.D.

Instructor of Creative Writing

Emmett Knowlton

Visiting Instructor of Creative Writing

Mika Perrine

AM Ringwalt

Lesley Alicia Tye

Instructor of Creative Writing and Film & New Media

Creative Writing Scholarship Opportunity

Win a full-tuition scholarship to Interlochen Arts Academy with the Virginia B. Ball Creative Writing Competition.

Program Highlights

Student Publications  

You'll have the opportunity to gain hands-on editorial experience by working on The Red Wheelbarrow , our in-house publication, and The Interlochen Review , our international, online literary journal, which is constructed and curated during the semester-long elective Literary Publications. Through this course, creative writing students strengthen their skills in visual design, converse with professional editors, and learn to use vital industry software.

Awards & Honors

Our students regularly receive regional and national recognition from contests like the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, YoungARTS, Bennington Young Writers Awards, Michigan State University’s Samet and Benvenuto contests, the Adroit Prizes for Poetry and Prose, and Princeton University’s Leonard L. Milberg ’53 High School Poetry Prize. Student work has recently appeared in such publications as Black Warrior Review, Quarterly West, Brevity, and The Texas Review , and we have to-date mentored twenty Presidential Scholars in the Arts.

Get to know Sabine

"At Interlochen, you are surrounded by a wealth of resources and people who are equally excited to be there as you are." — Sabine, Creative Writing

Interlochen was a dream of mine for much of my childhood, and, after four years at the Academy, I love it even more than I thought possible. With an Interlochen education comes the ability to mix artistic and academic learning, a community that fosters close friendships, and a constant array of opportunities, among other things.

Poppy Rose '20, Arts Academy (Creative Writing)

Guest Artists

• Tess Fontaine
• Garth Greenwell
• Tyehimba Jess
• Ilya Kaminsky
• Douglas Kearney
• Carmen Maria Machado
• Rebecca Makkai
• Adrian Matejka
• Jenny Offill
• Carl Phillips
• Elissa Washuta

Take a Tour of The Writing House

Creative writing courses take place in The Writing House, a facility in a Northwoods aesthetic designed to support the needs and development of young writers. The building offers both large communal spaces in the Great Room as well as more private learning spaces in the form of alcoves, reading rooms, one conference room, a big porch, and faculty offices.

The Writing House

College Matriculation

• Bard College
• Barnard College
• Bennington College
• Brown University
• Columbia University
• Davidson College
• Emerson College
• Harvard University
• Kenyon College
• Knox College
• Middlebury College
• Mount Holyoke College
• Oberlin College and Conservatory
• Princeton University
• Reed College
• Smith College
• University of Cambridge
• University of Southern California

Learn how alumnae Megan Baxter  (IAC 02, IAA 02-04) and Brittany Cavallaro  (IAA 02-04) started their writing careers after Interlochen—and why they came back as faculty. 

Creative Writing , Academy Student

Red Wheelbarrow Reading

Wednesday, October 23, 2024 - 7:30 p.m. ET

The Writing House FREE, no tickets required

Thursday, February 13, 2025 - 7:30 p.m. ET

Reading , Academy Faculty , Guest Artist

Sunrise Nights an Evening with Brittany Cavallaro and Jeff Zentner

Friday, February 14, 2025 - 7:30 p.m. ET

The Alluvion All Tickets $28

Dive deeper into Interlochen Arts Academy with a free digital viewbook

In our free informational booklet, you'll learn more about: 

• Each of our seven arts areas 
• Renowned faculty 
• College-preparatory academics 
• Student resources 
• How to apply and financial aid information 

See what you can experience at Interlochen.

Come to a high school where young creatives thrive—and see how your unique journey unfolds. Plan your visit, request more information, or apply to Interlochen Arts Academy today.

The Winter cohort application deadline is November 24, 2024.  

Click here to apply.

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10 Best Creative Writing Programs for High School Students

Creative writing has a wide range of applications and benefits. It not only helps you structure and write in different ways but also makes you a better reader and communicator!

In this post, we have compiled a list of great creative writing programs for high school students. We’ve also thrown in some journalism programs for good measure!

10 Great Creative Writing Programs

1. iowa young writers’ studio – residential program.

Location: Online and in-person versions available

Fee/stipend: $575 for the online version, $2,500 for the in-person version

Financial assistance: Several full tuition and partial tuition grants are available.

Application deadline: February 5, 2023

Program dates: Session 1 from June 11, 2023, to June 24, 2023, Session 2 from July 9, 2023, to July 22, 2023

Eligibility: 10th, 11th and 12th graders are eligible to apply

The Iowa Young Writers’ Studio is one of the most prestigious writing programs in the country, with an estimated acceptance rate between 15-20%. You get to choose one course from poetry, fiction, creative writing, playwriting, or TV writing. The course structure contains a mix of seminars and workshops. The mentors are graduates of the University of Iowa, which holds the most prestigious creative writing program in the country (strange but true)! This is a great program if you’re looking for an immersive experience in a single style of writing.

2. Princeton’s Summer Journalism Program

Location: Online and in-person versions available throughout the year culminating in a 10-day residential program at the end of July

Fee/stipend: Free

Financial assistance: NA

Application deadline: February 27, 2023

Program dates: Year-long

Eligibility: Students must be in the 11th grade, have a minimum GPA of 3.5, and must qualify for one of these socioeconomic conditions .

You will get a taste of life as a journalist in this year-long course. You will participate in a range of activities, including attending online workshops and lectures with renowned journalists from all over the country.

Apart from the usual workshops and lectures, you will have access to a number of exciting opportunities such as visiting newsrooms, making a documentary, and working on the Princeton Summer Journal which is published at the end of the program. Fair warning - this is a highly selective program including a three-round application process and a final cohort of up to 40 students .

3. NYU Tisch’s Future Dramatic Writers Workshop

Location: Commuter program at NYU's New York City campus

Application deadline: Closed for 2023

Program dates: February 4, 2023 - May 13, 2023

Program Selectivity: Highly selective

Eligibility: Open to 9th, 10th and 11th graders

If accepted to this program, you get the opportunity to study and practice writing for theatre, film, and television. The program takes place every Saturday for 14 weeks , where you will be spending 8 hours in lectures and workshops. It culminates in a yearly showcase where students can present what they’ve worked on. It is an intensive course equivalent to Tisch’s undergraduate curriculum . This has an in-person component, so it may be easiest if you are in New York City.

4. Telluride Association Summer Seminars

Location: Cornell University, University of Maryland, and University of Michigan

Program dates: June 25, 2023 – August 5, 2023

Eligibility: 10th and 11th graders

Primarily rooted in humanities and social studies, TASS looks at systems of power and oppression. While its main agenda is to exercise students’ critical thinking skills , reading and writing essays is a crucial part of the curriculum. You will find the opportunity to hone your writing skills in fields such as history, politics, culture, and more . This is a highly selective program with an estimated acceptance rate of 3-5% . While this may not fit the bill for traditional ‘creative writing’, the way in which it weaves a connection between critical thinking and impeccable writing is likely to enhance your creative writing projects.

5. Yale Young Writers’ Workshop

Location: Online

Fee/stipend: $900

Application deadline: April 3, 2023

Program dates: July 9, 2023 – July 14, 2023

Eligibility: Open to 10th, 11th and 12th graders

Yale Young Writers’ Workshop will give you an in-depth look at one of the following genres — fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or graphic storytelling. With only 12 students per workshop, the highly selective, one-week program ensures each person gets an immersive experience in developing the craft of writing, experimenting with their work, and finding their own voice .

6. Asian American Journalists Association’s JCAMP

Location: On campus at American University, Washington D.C.

Application deadline: March 17, 2023

Program dates: July 15, 2023 – July 21, 2023

Known for its multicultural diversity and unique hands-on training, this renowned program aims to prepare you for a career in journalism. Not only will you get workshops with veteran industry leaders and go on field trips, but you’ll also have the chance to produce news packages for the program’s news site ! You will also have some published work to your credit. This is a highly selective program with about 30 students chosen from hundreds of applicants.

7. Kenyon Review Young Writer’s Summer Residential Workshop

Location: On campus at Kenyon College

Fee/stipend: $2,575

Financial assistance: Need-based financial aid is available.

Application deadline: March 1, 2023

Program dates: Session 1 from June 25, 2023, to July 8, 2023, Session 2 from July 16, 2023, to July 29, 2023

Eligibility: Open to 16–18-year-old students

This program offers a combination of individual conferences with your instructor and peer-led group discussion and exercises. The coursework is ungraded and focuses on students recognizing and working on their writing skills. You will also have the opportunity to sign up for a genre session where one genre or element of writing will be explored in-depth . This is highly selective with 12-14 students per workshop.

8. Bard College at Simon’s Rock Young Writers Workshop

Location: On campus

Fee/stipend: $3,500

Financial assistance: Moderate

Application deadline: None. Applicants are reviewed until the program is full, usually in mid-April or May

Program dates: July 9, 2023 – July 29, 2023

Eligibility: Open to students from grades 9-11

Instead of focusing only on the writing style, this three-week workshop focuses on enhancing language and thinking skills that are key for effective writing. The program consists of three 90-minute sessions every day with each having a different area of research. You will engage in writing activities and reading discussions within small groups of 12, so every student gets individual attention. Writings are shared by the workshop leaders as well as peers. While building a portfolio, you will be encouraged to focus on the process and finding your voice rather than the end product. This program is a good fit if you’re looking for informal coursework with a heavy emphasis on critical thinking.

9. Sarah Lawrence Writer’s Week – A Creative Writing and Performance Art Workshop

Location: Commuter program

Fee/stipend: $1,125

Financial assistance: Limited scholarships available to Yonkers Public School students

Application deadline: Registrations open in February.

Program dates: Virtual program from July 10, 2023 – July 14, 2023, On campus program from August 7, 2023 – August 11, 2023

Eligibility: Students must be 14 years of age or older

Writing (workshops and collaborative discussions) and theatre (workshops on improvisation, solo performance, character comedy, and the like) come together in this program with students learning components of each as well as their relation to each other. While this is a highly selective program, once in, you’ll find yourself in an interactive and supportive environment in a class of 18 students.

10. The Adroit Journal’s Summer Mentorship Program

Fee/stipend: $450

Financial assistance: Available

Application deadline: March 12, 2023

Program dates: June 19, 2023 – July 31, 2023

Eligibility: Open to students from the 9th to 12th grades

Hosted by a literary and art non-profit organization, this program pairs budding writers with established ones , making this a highly individualized program. While peer activities are also offered, you will get personalized support and guidance from your mentor. You can choose from poetry, fiction and non-fiction/memoir writing. However, the program’s acceptance rate has been approximately 8-9% in the past so keep in mind that it is highly selective.

If you’re interested in going beyond creative writing and want to explore research in fields you’re interested in (e.g., research in literature!) , consider applying to the Lumiere Research Scholar Program , a selective online high school program for students that I founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 2100 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here.

Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.

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This summer, immerse yourself in the craft of creative writing with fellow young authors in a pre-college environment. Learn from an industry expert as you transform your ideas and stories into compelling writing. Develop the techniques that are fundamental to all types of fiction writing—literary fiction, dystopian fantasies, fairy tales, and mysteries—and refine your skills in story structure, character development, description, and dialogue. Students will also experience lectures, interact with noted authors, and receive information on how to turn your passion into a career. Gain exposure to workshopping your writing with constructive feedback, ultimately walking away with a variety of short creative pieces ranging from poems, stories, and scenes, to collage texts and flash fiction.

• High school students who have completed grades 9, 10, or 11
• High school students interested in strengthening creative writing skills

You'll Walk Away With

• Refinement of your creative writing, including narrative arc, world-building, authentic dialogue, and character development
• A portfolio of peer-critiqued short stories
• An NYU transcript showing grade(s) earned upon completion of the course (Please note: No college credit or certificate of completion is granted for this course.)

Information Table

Students from around the world attend NYU summer programs, but only a college prep program like High School Academy provides the opportunity to explore both traditional and emerging career paths.

Projects and short assignments provide take-aways that prepare you for college classroom work, while demonstrating your newly acquired skills.

Career Edge Schedule

Start Date: June 24, 2024 End Date: June 28, 2024

Start Date: July 8, 2024 End Date: July 12, 2024

Start Date: July 15, 2024 End Date: July 19, 2024

Start Date: July 22, 2024 End Date: July 26, 2024

Start Date: July 29, 2024 End Date: August 2, 2024

Start Date: August 5, 2024 End Date: August 9, 2024

International Student Deadline: March 15, 2024 Residential U.S Student Deadline: May 17, 2024 Commuter U.S Student Deadline: June 7, 2024

Application Requirements and Fees

To apply you must have successfully completed grades 9,10, or 11. You must submit the online application, a 250-500 word essay, and an official high school transcript. Essay Topic: Please describe why you would like to take your selected course(s). Please include any previous courses you've taken in this subject or previous experiences with this subject. Give more detail as to why you would like to take this course over the summer. Your response should be 250-500 words total. If selecting multiple courses, please contain all responses to a single essay.

Fees for Summer 2024

Application Fee: $50 (non-refundable) Tuition: $2,579 per course Housing & Dining Fees (add on): $618 per week Please note: No financial aid, scholarships, or discounts are available for Career Edge

For International Students

Resources and visa information for international students interested in studying abroad in NYC

Program Contact

212-998-7006 - [email protected]

Admitted Students

Resources for students who have been admitted to the program

Celebrating 150 years of Harvard Summer School. Learn about our history.

Harvard Secondary School Program Alumna Wins Writing Award

Sawyer Bowen-Flynn was inspired by the course "Beginning Screenwriting."

Lian Parsons

Student Voices

When Sawyer Bowen-Flynn attended Harvard’s Secondary School Program in summer 2023, she took “Beginning Screenwriting,” taught by Susan Steinberg. During the course, Bowen-Flynn wrote a screenplay and decided to submit it to the 2024 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, where it earned a gold medal.

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards recognizes the exceptional artistic and literary achievements of high school students. It is open to students across the United States and includes 28 submission categories.

Bowen-Flynn’s screenplay submission was about a young girl who stopped speaking in the wake of her mother’s death.

“I wrote it in an attempt to shed light on the confusion surrounding grief and mourning at such a young age,” she said.

SSP was integral to Bowen-Flynn deciding to pursue her passion for screenwriting and encouraged her creative exploration.

“I have always loved both writing and theater, but I had never before considered combining those two interests in this way,” she said. “Screenwriting was completely new to me, and I immediately fell in love with it. Since last summer, it has become my go-to structure for my creative writing, and it has helped to renew my love of writing as an art.”

Bowen-Flynn lives in Boston and her experience as a commuter SSP student was unique in comparison to her on-campus peers. Despite commuting to campus from her home and her day job, she still gained value from her fellow classmates.

“I was initially worried that I wouldn’t have the opportunity to get to know other students outside of the classroom,” she said. “I quickly found, however, that my classmates were incredibly kind and welcoming, and I remain in touch with several of them!”

Her connections to her classmates and instructor remain strong, as well as their support of her creative pursuits. Bowen-Flynn says she still values the feedback she received and applies it to her current work.

“A community of different perspectives and voices all contributing to a discussion can do wonders for broadening one’s mind,” she says. “I found my instructor to be one of the most helpful and supportive teachers I have ever had, and I still reach out to her for assistance, guidance, or just to catch up.”

Learn more about college programs for high school students

About the Author

Lian Parsons is a Boston-based writer and journalist. She is currently a digital content producer at Harvard’s Division of Continuing Education. Her bylines can be found at the Harvard Gazette, Boston Art Review, Radcliffe Magazine, Experience Magazine, and iPondr.

Harvard Summer School Student Wins Harvard Crimson Global Case Competition

About 800 teams participated in the 2023 competition.

Harvard Division of Continuing Education

The Division of Continuing Education (DCE) at Harvard University is dedicated to bringing rigorous academics and innovative teaching capabilities to those seeking to improve their lives through education. We make Harvard education accessible to lifelong learners from high school to retirement.