The stories you love have already been told — but never by you. Classic literature isn’t just history; it’s a treasure chest of characters, conflicts, and worlds waiting to be reborn in your own words.
Every dog-eared page of Dickens, every passionate soliloquy from Shakespeare, every mysterious mansion from Gothic romance holds the DNA of a thousand untold stories.
Today, you’re not just a reader — you’re an archeologist of imagination, ready to unearth narrative gold from the masters who came before.
Why Classic Literature is Your Creative Goldmine
The classics have survived centuries for a reason: they tap into conflicts that never get old. Love, betrayal, ambition, revenge — these themes are as relevant in a modern coffee shop as they were in a Victorian drawing room. Plus, these works offer richly developed characters, powerful symbolism, and best of all, they’re in the public domain — meaning you can borrow, twist, and reimagine freely without legal worries.
20 Prompts to Spark Your Next Story
1. Source: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (1813)
The Spark: A dance becomes the turning point in a relationship neither character wanted.
Prompt: Write a short story where two strangers meet in a setting designed for celebration — but they both have hidden agendas.
2. Source: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925)
The Spark: Green lights symbolize unreachable dreams that drive people to destruction.
Prompt: Your character obsesses over a single object they can see but never touch. What happens when they finally reach it?
3. Source: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (1597)
The Spark: Two lovers from feuding families must choose between loyalty and love.
Prompt: Write about star-crossed lovers whose families aren’t feuding over honor — but over something completely mundane.
4. Source: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (1847)
The Spark: A governess discovers her employer’s dark secret locked away in the attic.
Prompt: Your protagonist takes a live-in job and discovers their employer is hiding someone (or something) upstairs.
5. Source: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1890)
The Spark: A portrait ages while its subject remains forever young and beautiful.
Prompt: Write about a character who trades something precious to avoid an inevitable change.
6. Source: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818)
The Spark: A creator becomes horrified by their own creation.
Prompt: Your character builds, writes, or creates something that takes on a life of its own — and wants revenge.
7. Source: Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (1838)
The Spark: An innocent orphan navigates a world of pickpockets and criminals.
Prompt: Write about someone pure-hearted who must survive in a morally corrupt environment.
8. Source: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (1886)
The Spark: One person contains both saint and sinner.
Prompt: Your character discovers they become a completely different person under specific circumstances.
9. Source: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (1847)
The Spark: Obsessive love spans generations and destroys multiple families.
Prompt: Write a story where one character’s revenge plot affects the children of their enemies.
10. Source: The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe (1845)
The Spark: A single word repeated becomes increasingly ominous.
Prompt: Your character keeps hearing the same phrase everywhere they go — and it’s driving them mad.
Remember: You’re the director of this creative chaos. Feel free to transplant a Shakespearean betrayal into a space station, or drop a Dickensian orphan into a cyberpunk city. The best stories happen when you smash expectations and blend the timeless with the unexpected. Mix genres, flip endings, or combine multiple prompts into one wild narrative adventure.
11. Source: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1850)
The Spark: A public symbol forces someone to carry their shame for all to see.
Prompt: Write about a character forced to wear, carry, or display evidence of their biggest mistake.
12. Source: Macbeth by William Shakespeare (1606)
The Spark: Ambition and prophecy lead to a bloody rise and fall.
Prompt: Your character receives a prediction about their future that they’re determined to make come true — at any cost.
13. Source: The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (1898)
The Spark: A governess sees ghosts, but no one believes her.
Prompt: Write about someone who witnesses something supernatural, but every piece of “evidence” has a logical explanation.
14. Source: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865)
The Spark: Falling down a rabbit hole leads to a world where nothing makes sense.
Prompt: Your character follows something ordinary (a dog, a food truck, a song) and ends up somewhere impossible.
15. Source: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (1844)
The Spark: A wrongly imprisoned man spends years planning elaborate revenge.
Prompt: Write about someone who discovers they were betrayed by their closest friends — and now they have the power to destroy them.
16. Source: Dracula by Bram Stoker (1897)
The Spark: An ancient evil adapts to the modern world.
Prompt: A creature from folklore or mythology tries to blend into contemporary society.
17. Source: The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (1915)
The Spark: A man wakes up transformed into something monstrous.
Prompt: Your character undergoes a dramatic physical change, but their family’s reaction is the real horror.
18. Source: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (1843)
The Spark: Three supernatural visitors force someone to confront their past, present, and future.
Prompt: Write about a character who gets an unwelcome glimpse of what their life could become.
19. Source: The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe (1843)
The Spark: Guilt manifests as an inescapable sound that drives the narrator to confess.
Prompt: Your character commits a seemingly perfect crime, but one small detail threatens to expose everything.
20. Source: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (1859)
The Mystery Box: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…” But Dickens never finished describing your world.
Prompt: Complete Dickens’ famous opening with your own contradictions, then write a story that embodies that paradox.
Your Turn to Make Literary Magic
The classics gave us the roots. Now it’s your turn to grow the branches.
These masters of storytelling have handed you the keys to human nature itself — use them to unlock stories only you can tell. Whether you’re drawn to Gothic horror, romantic comedy, or science fiction revenge plots, there’s a prompt here waiting for your unique voice.
Which prompt called to you first? Drop a comment below and let us know which classic inspired your next story, or better yet — share a snippet of what you write! Tag us on social media with #ClassicPrompts so we can celebrate your creative archaeology.
The best stories are still waiting to be written. What are you waiting for?