Jail Writing Prompts

Write about the person you admire most and why.

Write about a place that is very memorable to you, good or bad and why. Describe it using the five senses, if possible.

What is the most valuable lesson you've learned so far in your life? How did or does it affect you? With whom would you share this lesson and why?

You went on a trip with some friends to a wooded area you are unfamiliar with. You wandered away from the group and got lost. How would you find your way back to your friends or civilization?

What frustrates you the most recently? Vent it out in your writing. If nothing angers you, what are you most passionate about?

There is no love without pain. Is this true? Include love of self as well as love for others. If you say there is pain, then how do you overcome it? Do you give up or do you stand strong and love anyway?

Think of someone who stood for freedom. Who did he/she save from bondage and why? What price did he/she pay for freedom's sake? Was it worth it?

Tell me about one of the most laughable things to happen in your life, whether it be a past mistake or failure or just a plain funny situation. What made it funny?

"‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the Earth.'" Matthew 5:5. Meek---1. Characterized by patience and long-suffering, 2. Deficient in spirit and courage, 3. Moderate, 4. (Suggested definition) attitude characterized by patience and long-suffering, storing up courage for when it counts, to help others or defend your faith. What do you think it means to be meek? Do you consider yourself meek? Why or why not? Is meekness a bad attribute? Why or why not?

"‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.'" Matthew 5:7. What is mercy? Tell me about a time when you were shown mercy and a time you showed mercy to someone else. Was mercy hard to accept or to show? Why or why not?

"'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God,'" Matthew 5:8. What does it mean to be pure in heart? Have you ever known anyone like that? What was he/she like?

Tell me about a dream or nightmare that you remember in detail. How did it affect you? Do you understand what it means?

Tell me about the person you admire most in your life. What is this person this person like? What does he/she do that makes him/her so important to you?

What goal/dream do you need to accomplish before you leave this Earth? Why do you need to accomplish it? What steps do you need to take to accomplish it? Who or what inspired you with this dream/goal? When do you believe you will accomplish it?

Think of a memorable character from a story (fiction or non-fiction) you heard or read. What made him/her so memorable? His/her flaws? Eccentricities? Good qualities? His/her situation?

Tell me about a time that you succeeded in something you felt was extraordinary. Why was it extraordinary? Were you rewarded for it? If so, how? Why did you pursue this goal in the first place? Has the reward or the lack thereof affected your decision-making? How?

Think of a moment when your faith was tested. Make me want to read it within the first two sentences, or stanzas. Shock me, amuse me.

Write a letter to someone to whom you have something important to say.

Using ideas of building a character or writing about how you would react, tell me what he/she/you would do if you found out you only had six months to live.

Show me what an ideal world would look, smell, feel, and taste like to you. If you like, you can use a character, or narrator, that either agrees or disagrees with you.

Imagine there is a writer who wants to write your biography and is interviewing you. What would he/she ask you and how would you answer? What do you want him/her to know? Where does the interview take place?

Imagine there is something you need to accomplish, but you keep running into problems that keep you from succeeding. How will you resolve the problems to accomplish your goal? Who do you need help from? How far would you go to accomplish this important goal?

Psalms 22:1-21. Think of a time when you felt like this? What happened? How did you overcome it or are you still striving to overcome it? Have you ever been this desperate to get out of certain situations in your life? Tell me about it.

Habakkuk 2:2b. What do you need people to remember about you? Why? What is the message about your life that you need people to remember once you are gone? Have you started to send this message? Why or why not?

Isaiah 53:7-9. How would you feel if you saw this in a dream or it happened to someone you knew? What kind of emotion do these words evoke? Does anything close to this happen today? Please explain. If this did happen, what would you think of the victim?

Psalms 119:65-80 Do you have a foundation? If yes, what is the foundation of your life? What have you found to be true regardless of your circumstances? If not, to whom or where have you gone to search for one? Explain. Tell me about someone you knew stood for something he/she believed in and did not budge. What was his/her foundation and did he/she speak with you about it? Did you consider this person strong or weak? Why?

Matthew 18:21-35 NASB. What are the drawbacks or consequences of forgiveness? Is it important to forgive someone who has done you wrong? Why? Tell me about one or more times in your life where you forgave or didn't forgive. How did it affect your life?

Roman 7:7-13. Does the written law give temptation to rebel against it? Why or why not? Is the written law to be done away with? Is it good or bad? Please explain why. Has the written law subtly or profoundly tempted you give in to the temptation or turn from it? Please explain.

Proverbs: 29:6-11 NIV. Has anger ever gotten the best of you? Explain. What methods have you used to calm yourself? Have these methods been successful or caused more problems? What is the best way to turn away anger? Has anger ever made you physically sick? Explain.

Psalm 51:1-17. Think of a time when a friend or someone you respected called you out on something you did wrong. How did it make you feel? How did you right the wrong? Did your actions better or worsen the situation? Please explain?

John 3:16-17 NASB. What is the most precious gift you have ever given to someone else? Why was it so precious to you? Did it require any sacrifice on your part? If so, what was it? Did the person appreciate the gift? Please, explain. How did giving the gift affect you and the one you gave it to? Does the person still have it?

Genesis 37:1-24. What dream for your life have you had that someone has told you it could never come to pass? Have you given up on this dream because of opposition or discouragement? Why or why not? If you proceed with fulfilling your dream, what do you need to do?

Imagine you just won $100,000,000. If money was not an issue, how would your life change, or would it? If it would change, what would you do differently? What dreams would you fulfill?

Create a super hero. What would his/her powers be? What does he/she stand for? Why does he/she act on a situation? Does it have to do with something in his/her past?

The Greeks have three words for love with different meanings: 1)Eros--erotic or romantic love, 2)Philadelphia--brotherly love, and 3)Agape--unconditional love. How do you define love? What is love?

1 Cor 13:4-8a. What does it mean when you say you love someone? What does love mean to you?

Joy and happiness are two different emotions. Happiness is based on circumstances. Joy is not based on circumstances, but keeping eternity in mind and remembering the good times of the past and hoping for those times to come in the middle of the storm. Write about those times that make you laugh or smile when you think on them.

Luke 5:1-7. This is an example of a type of simple story called a parable. After reading a short definition and short history (Wikipedia article) on parables, write a parable about a lesson in life you've learned that you want to teach others.

Numbers 16:25-34. What if you had power like this? How would it change your life? What would you do with it?

Job 3. Considering this writing from a man who lost nearly everything, what are you thankful for? Count your blessings.

Job 33:14-37. Have you ever had a friend who stood in the gap for you when you were in trouble? What qualities in this person stand out to you? Are you still in relationship with this person? Why or why not?

Ecclesiastes 2. What is the meaning of your life? What brings meaning to your life and what is meaningless? What have you worked for that you will pass on to the next generation?

Matthew 6:12 NIV. What is the significance of this in the Lord's prayer and in our lives? What happens when we hold forgiveness in our hearts? Does it help or hinder us in our emotional health? How?

One key to overcoming life's problems and succeeding is to find a mentor who is already in life where you desire to be. There may be more than one mentor depending on specific areas of your life. A mentor must be someone you can communicate with on a frequent basis. Who are your mentors and, if you don't have one, who would they be? How do or could they help you?

"Serenity Prayer" by Reinhold Niebuhr. Have you discovered these three things in your life? What are these things? How will you overcome them?

Bill Britt, a business owner and billionaire defines success in this way: how many people are better off because you lived? Who do you impact on a daily basis and what message are you sending them by your life? How can you improve other people's lives and who do you want to make a better life for? How successful, as defined above, do you want to be?

"Those who fail are unworthy of love and deserve to be punished." See page 83 in The Search for Significance by Robert McGee to see how damaging this lie can be. How has this false belief affected your life, if at all? If it doesn't affect your emotional health you are truly blessed or in complete denial. Share your thoughts on this false belief.

"I am what I am. I cannot change. I am hopeless." See page 101 of The Search for Significance by Robert McGee. Has this lie afftected your life? How can you overcome mistakes of the past to find success in this life?

Proverbs 18:20-21. Have you found this to be true in your life? What times in your life have you spoken good or bad things and what came from it?

Proverbs 20:3. When in your life have you known this to be true? What does quarrelling with one another solve? Does it cause more problems or make the current problem worse? Is this proverb a good warning? Why or why not?

Galatians 5:13-23. What is freedom to you? Tell me about a time(s) when you felt completely free to be yourself without restraint. How did it feel? Tell me about a time(s) when you felt you were in bondage to something or someone. How did it felt? Are you still in bondage or are you free? Why or why not?

Romans 7:14-15. Name at least two things you've always wanted to do, but have not done yet? Is there a line of work you enjoy, but have not dared to pursue? Why or why not? Name at least two things you have gotten yourself into that you did not want to do, but did anyway? What made you do those things?

1 Sam 9:8-10. Tell me about a person who has dreamed big dreams and pursued them. How has he/she impacted the world with his/her dreams? What is this person's dream? Finally, how has his/her dream impacted you?

Proverbs 15:1. What do you think this means? Tell me about a time when you or someone else were in the midst of a storm and stayed calm, answering it gently. How did that turn the situation around or did it make things worse? If you cannot think of such a time, then tell me about a time when you or someone else responded to a storm with anger.

Song of Songs 8:6-7. Tell me about your first love, whether it was a person, a hobby or a pet. Why was this your first love? How did it feel? Do you still love it or the person mentioned? Does this love still affect your life? How?

Genesis 12:1-4. Tell me about a time when you were called to be in charge of a situation. How did it feel? Were you uncomfortable? Did you accept the challenge? Why or why not? Do you feel you have what it takes to be a leader? If so, what kind of leader would you be? If not, why do you consider yourself a follower and who do you follow?

1 Thessalonians 5:15- 17. Tell me a funny story from your life, a situation in which you can look back on and laugh.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 NASB. What season are you in your life right now? Which seasons of your life do you reflect on? Which seasons of your life have taught you the most? What have they taught you?

Tell me different ways of coping with stress. What ways have you dealt with stress in the past? What ways have you seen others use to cope? Which ways are beneficial and which ways cause more problems? What is the best way to deal with stress and why?

Psalms 13. Tell me about a terrible time in your life in which there was a window of opportunity, a hope, that could get you out of it. What was this hope? Did you take the window of opportunity no matter how strange it seemed? Why or why not? Did it help you through the terrible time?

Matthew 12:38-39, Jonah 1-2. Tell me about a time when you were asked to do something that made no sense to you. Why didn't it make sense? Did you do what you were asked? If yes, did the reasoning behind doing what you were asked eventually make sense? Please explain. If no, did you still make sense of it. Please explain.

Isaiah 43:18-19. Tell me about a blessing(s) in your life that seemed to come out of nowhere, with no expectation that it could even happen. How did you feel in that moment? If you cannot think of a past blessing, what blessing do you desire that is beyond your control? Why is it beyond your control?

Job 42:1-6. What is the purpose of your life? What abilities have you been gifted with or have been told you were gifted with? Have you moved in those giftings to fulfill your purpose? Why or why not? Who inspired you with your purpose in life? Who do you go to for advice or help in this area of your life?

Galatians 5:22-23. Please define each of these fruits as they pertain to you. When have you seen these fruits in your life? When have you seen them in others? When have they been absent?

Matthew 13:13-17. Tell me about a story you heard or read that captured your heart and mind. Who wrote it or told the story? What made it so memorable to you? Why? Note: The story can be fiction or nonfiction, long or short.

1 Samuel 16:7. What qualities do you look for in a friend and/or someone you admire? Why? Do you consider what they look like or does that matter? Why or why not? What qualities do you detest in people? Why?

Mark 4:1-20. Think of an important lesson you’ve learned in your life. Write a parable to explain this lesson so that others might understand it better than if you went into great detail explaining real events. In other words, simplify the lesson into a simple story.

Isaiah 54:16-17. Tell me of the weapons, physical or otherwise, that have brought trouble upon you. Other than physical weapons, like guns and knives, destructive weapons also include, but are not limited to, the following: bad family situations, drug addiction, alcoholism, past hurts, guilt, shame, anger, hatred, envy, influences of others, poverty, illness, and injury (mental or physical). Since you are still alive, they have not completely prevailed. How can you continue to overcome them and destroy them completely out of your life? Where do you turn for help?

Proverbs 23:29-35. This wise king writes about alcoholism, but the same warning can be applied to any harmful addiction. What strife, complaints, and needless bruising is caused by addiction? Is this king correct in writing that it is like a poison that serves a purpose for a time, but leads ultimately to destruction? Why or why not? What has your personal experience taught you?

1 Corinthians 1:25-29. Tell me about a time when you thought you were wise about something and someone or something you thought was less intelligent than you taught you a lesson you haven’t forgotten. If you can’t think of a moment like this in your life, tell me about when you witnessed this happening to someone else. What was the lesson?


More to come as the Monroe County jail writer's group continues on Saturday mornings. I love to use the Bible, still the best-selling book of all time, as inspiration. Not a bad archive, huh?