Write More, Grow More

Isolation Prompts (3/?)

Write about a character who finds an odd-looking egg in the forest. When they take it home, they never could have predicted what was inside it.
Write a story about how natural farming doesn't exist anymore. Due to climate change, all food has to be manufactured in bulk and distributed. There is no flavor and is the same every day. Your character, who has spent their entire life in this world, takes a trip to the mountains far away from their home. There, they discover real plants, and on them, berries.
Write about nature extremists taking over the government, stopping at nothing to ensure all man-made harm on the planet is eradicated. Your character ends up in their clutches, forced to do their bidding.
Write a story about how, due to climate change, wildfires have engulfed the large majority of living land. Your character is one of many attempting to board a ship set for a new in-ocean settlement. The problem? That settlement doesn't actually exist.
Write about how after a devastating illness that rocked only the wildlife population over 200 years ago, a scientist created a virus that strengthens animal's immune systems with the purpose of creating balance and stabilizing the wildlife population once again. The problem is that it worked too well and the wildlife has exceeded (and reduced) the world's population
Write a book about how after a devastating storm that encompassed the entire world, the population has thinned significantly and your character, who lost all of their family but their youngest sibling, has to go up against the new "government" with a group of allies as they attempt to gain control over the living population of the world – in the worst way.
Write about how over the course of a few hundred years, cases of depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses caused the death and destruction of generations. Then an airborne substance was created to balance all levels of each person so they're created 100% equal in every way. Turns out, your character is immune to the substance.
Write about how the third World War is done and over with for many years now. It was the downfall of the world's economic system. Now your main character must navigate a world where governments no longer exist, money is useless, and survival is the only objective. Oh, and they have a debilitating medical condition to look after, too
Write a story about how two thousand years after a massive wave of a fatal illness swept over the entire world, your character navigates a life of poverty and hardship, struggling to feed their very young twin siblings and alcoholic father. That is, until a new form of choosing a leader is proposed. Now they can finally compete to rule over their settlement.
Write about how books have nearly been abolished. Your country is separated into three main regions with a dangerous "neutral" zone in the center. With a rumor of a way out located in the midst of the neutral zone, your main character must venture through two other regions to get there.
Write a book about a character who is fortunate to have been born into a powerful family after the downfall of the world. They have everything they would ever hope to have...except for a clue as to what happens outside their very large, protective walls. Once they find out, they can't help but need to change it.
Write about a single tower that powers what's left of the country's population. When an outsider tampers with its mechanisms, the tower breaks down, leaving your main character and everyone else struggling to survive.
Write about how the birthrate has dropped significantly. So much so that children are now worth millions. Your main character, a very poor woman, just found out she's pregnant – and won't be able to hide it for long. Kidnapping and worse await her if anyone finds out that she can reproduce, and will soon have a child up for "grabs." In order to save herself – and her child – she must confess her pregnancy to the father, a very wealthy man in politics.
Write a story about a character who ventures away from the only town they've ever known, despite warnings and many attempts to make them stay. What they find is emptiness...for miles and miles and miles.
Write a story about a hidden temple is the only thing standing in the way of your character becoming the next ruler of a post-apocalyptic, off-the-grid society. When a newcomer ventures into their land, their chance of finding the temple becomes dangerous...maybe even impossible.
Write a book about how they really thought they were helping by creating a single drug with the power to eradicate diseases, illnesses, and even cancer. What they didn't anticipate was the massive super virus 100% resistant to the drug. Your main character seems to be the only one who can't catch it...that they know of.
Write about how society has collapsed over hundreds of years, not with war or a single event like they always thought would happen. Your main character discovers a voice message from 700 years prior detailing the downfall's construction. The 300 years it took to destroy society was completely planned. But why?
Since the manmade radioactive superstorm that destroyed most of life as they knew it, extreme measures have been taken to document every move of every person. Your main character scans a chip when they eat, sleep, travel, and even when they have sex. When offered a way out, your main character takes it without question...which might be their biggest mistake.
Write a story about how the government was taken over by the rich nearly 50 years ago. Your main character was lucky enough to be born into the wealthiest family. What they never thought of, though, was the fact that one day, the could be kidnapped and used as leverage.
Write about a character who, after witnessing horrors of rising crime and drug rates, ran away at the age of 12 to live on their own in a secluded wooded area. Now, after 10 years of solitude, people start filing into their neck of the woods covered in wounds, tattered clothing, and bruises.
Write about a super tsunami that's demolished the eastern portion of the United States. But contrary to what was expected, the water is actually creeping inland, not back out to sea. Your main character's home is a victim of the ocean.
Write a story about how electricity is scarce...and very expensive. Your main character walks home one night to discover a brand-new electric car sitting idle in behind a forest tree line. They follow its tire tracks to find a massive house lit up and blasting music. A stranger waves at them to come in.
Write a book about how at the height of your character's career – and life as a whole – an attack destroys their city, kills their spouse, and forces them into poverty...and maybe even war. With new laws, new standards, and new rulers in place, their life obtains a whole new purpose.
Write a story about how a little boy is running toward your main character, a look of absolute joy lighting up their face. Then they freeze, their joy turning to anger, rage. Your character cocks their head, confused, and then the truth hits them. He must be one of the Ruin Children, born from the people affected by the Great Tragedy.
Write about a trial being the only way your character can ever hope to rise above their current abysmal ranking. Your world's current society is one bred for advancement. Anyone who can't meet the standards is done for. Your character needs a near miracle to pass their trial.
Due to an error made by someone in the distant future when time traveling, the world's societal (and time) structure has collapsed. Each day may produce a completely different reality than the one before. Survival isn't guaranteed and strangers could have been your best friend – or more – only yesterday.
Your character's world is what happens when an experimental chemical compound intended to sustain plant life is pumped into the atmosphere. Now trees have overgrown, plants are squeezing into homes, and the Earth's oxygen levels are (if you can believe it) too high.
Tagged, chipped, and shuffled into line. That's your character's everyday reality. They're herded like cattle...to be used in the same way as cattle. Then a single guard takes pity on your character and offers them a way out.
Write a story about a main character who's read all about the warning signs of a solar flare and the flipping of the Earth's magnetic field. They've scoured through studies and research papers depicting what would happen. Since both occurred within the same year over a century ago, they're stuck to live in the aftermath.
Peace. The world is ruled by one person dedicated to keeping the peace. There's been no war or poverty or famine in centuries. Your main character is newly employed to be the ruler's personal assistant. When they discover how the world is kept at peace, their life changes forever.

Think about Uglies and The Selection. Even think about The Handmaid's Tale.

Don't just write one because its a trend, get creative, and be sure to print an everyday picture of the characters' lives.