PromptOrix

Writers who use ChatGPT well do not use it to replace their voice. They use it to get unstuck, speed up the painful parts, and stress-test ideas before investing hours in the wrong direction.

The difference between writers who get value from AI and those who do not is almost entirely about how they prompt it. Generic instruction gives generic output. Specific prompts that match the actual challenge you are facing produce output worth using.

This guide covers 60+ prompts across blog writing, fiction, scripts, content creation, editing, and overcoming blocks — organized so you can jump straight to the problem you are trying to solve right now.

Blog Writing Prompts

Prompt 1: SEO-optimised article outline

Create a detailed outline for a 2,000-word blog post targeting the keyword "[keyword]."
Target reader: [describe]. Their problem: [describe].
Structure: compelling H1, H2 sections with H3 sub-points,
one counterintuitive or contrarian angle,
an FAQ section with 5 PAA-style questions,
and a strong conclusion with a call to action.
Flag which section has the strongest featured snippet opportunity.

Prompt 2: Hook introduction

Write three different opening paragraphs for a blog post about [topic].
Version 1: Opens with a surprising statistic or counterintuitive fact.
Version 2: Opens with a specific vivid scenario the reader has experienced.
Version 3: Opens with a direct, confident statement that challenges conventional wisdom.
Each should be under 80 words and create immediate curiosity.
Target reader: [describe].

Prompt 3: Section expansion

Here is a thin section of my article: [paste section].
Expand it to 300 words by adding:
- One concrete real-world example
- One specific data point or statistic (flag if you are estimating)
- One nuanced point that intermediate readers would appreciate but beginners often miss
Keep the tone consistent with: [describe your voice].

Prompt 4: Conclusion with CTA

Write a conclusion for a blog post about [topic].
The conclusion should:
- Summarize the 3 most important takeaways in 2 sentences
- Reframe the article's core insight in a new way
- End with a specific, action-oriented CTA (not "let us know in the comments")
- Be under 150 words. Do not start with "In conclusion."

Prompt 5: FAQ section for SEO

Generate a 6-question FAQ section for a blog post about [topic].
Each question should mirror a real People Also Ask query.
Each answer: 40-60 words, starts by directly addressing the question,
is optimized for featured snippet selection.
Primary keyword to include naturally: [keyword].

Fiction and Storytelling Prompts

Prompt 6: Scene from a brief

Write a 400-word scene based on this brief:
Setting: [describe]
Characters: [describe briefly]
What needs to happen: [the plot beat this scene must achieve]
Tone: [e.g., tense, melancholy, darkly funny]
Avoid: [anything you do not want — e.g., exposition dumps, purple prose, adverbs]
End the scene on [a specific note — e.g., unresolved tension, a revelation, a quiet moment].

Prompt 7: Character backstory

Develop a backstory for this character: [describe current character].
Include:
- One formative event from childhood that explains a core belief they hold
- One relationship that shaped how they treat people
- One thing they want that they would never admit
- One secret that would change how others see them
- One contradiction in their personality that makes them feel real
Do not make them tragic unless it genuinely serves the story.

Prompt 8: Dialogue between two characters

Write a dialogue scene between [Character A] and [Character B].
What they are talking about on the surface: [surface topic].
What the scene is actually about underneath: [the real tension or subtext].
Character A wants: [goal in this scene].
Character B wants: [their goal, which conflicts].
Neither character should directly say what they really want.
Use subtext. Keep it under 300 words.

Prompt 9: Plot hole check

Here is my story plot so far: [paste plot summary].
Identify:
1. Any logical inconsistencies or plot holes
2. Character motivations that feel unmotivated or inconsistent
3. Moments where the reader would likely lose suspension of disbelief
4. The single weakest link in the cause-and-effect chain
Suggest a fix for each issue you find.

Prompt 10: Opening line generator

Write 10 opening lines for a [genre] novel.
The story is about: [one sentence premise].
Tone: [describe].
Each line should create immediate curiosity, establish voice,
and make a reader want to read the next sentence.
No weather openings. No character waking up. No dictionary definitions.

Script and Screenplay Prompts

Prompt 11: Scene breakdown

Write a screenplay scene in standard format.
Location: [INT/EXT + setting + time]
Characters present: [list]
What must happen in this scene: [plot requirement]
Subtext: [what is really going on]
Tone: [describe]
Length: approximately [X pages, where 1 page = roughly 1 minute of screen time].

Prompt 12: YouTube video script

Write a YouTube video script about [topic] for a channel in the [niche] space.
Target audience: [describe]. Tone: [describe].
Structure:
- Hook (first 15 seconds must stop the viewer scrolling away)
- Brief intro (under 30 seconds, no long channel intros)
- Main content in [X] clear sections
- One pattern interrupt or unexpected moment to maintain attention
- Outro with a specific CTA
Total length: [X minutes of speaking at roughly 150 words per minute].

Prompt 13: Podcast episode outline

Create a detailed episode outline for a podcast about [topic].
Format: [solo / interview / co-hosted].
Target listener: [describe].
Episode goal: [what the listener should know or feel by the end].
Include: episode title options (3), hook question to open with,
5 talking points with sub-points and transition notes,
one story or anecdote moment, closing takeaway.
Approximate running time: [X minutes].

Persuasive and Copywriting Prompts

Prompt 14: PAS framework copy

Write copy for [product/service] using the PAS framework.
Problem: [describe the pain point in the customer's own language]
Agitate: [make the problem feel more pressing without being manipulative]
Solution: [present the product as the natural resolution]
Target: [describe customer]. Tone: [describe].
Length: under 200 words. No corporate jargon.

Prompt 15: Before and after reframe

Write a before/after narrative for [product/service].
Before: paint a specific picture of life with the problem
After: paint a specific picture of life with the problem solved
Bridge: one sentence explaining why [product/service] makes the transformation possible
Do not use abstract benefits. Use specific, concrete, sensory language.
Under 150 words total.

Editing and Rewriting Prompts

Prompt 16: Full copy edit

Edit this piece of writing for: [paste writing]
1. Passive voice — identify every instance and rewrite in active voice
2. Adverbs — flag every adverb and suggest whether to cut it or replace it with a stronger verb
3. Filler phrases — remove "in order to," "it is important to note," "needless to say" and similar
4. Sentence variety — flag any three consecutive sentences of similar length
5. Vague words — flag "things," "stuff," "very," "really," "quite" and suggest replacements
Present as: original → revised, one item at a time.

Prompt 17: Tighten without losing meaning

Rewrite this paragraph so it is exactly 30% shorter without losing any meaning.
Do not cut any facts, examples, or key arguments.
Only remove redundancy, filler, and over-explanation.
Show the original word count and new word count.
Paragraph: [paste]

Prompt 18: Tone adjustment

Rewrite this piece in [target tone — e.g., warmer and more conversational /
more authoritative / less formal / more urgent].
Keep all the facts and structure identical.
Only change word choice, sentence rhythm, and register.
Show 3 specific changes you made and why.
Original: [paste]

Prompt 19: “Does this land?” check

Read this piece as my target reader: [describe reader in detail].
Tell me:
1. What do you clearly understand after reading this?
2. What is confusing or unclear?
3. What do you feel at the end — and is that the intended emotional response?
4. What single change would most improve this for this specific reader?
Piece: [paste]

Overcoming Writer’s Block Prompts

Prompt 20: Unstick a scene

I am stuck on this scene: [describe the scene and what needs to happen].
Give me 5 completely different ways this scene could play out.
They should vary in: tone, pacing, who drives the action,
and what the emotional outcome is.
Do not worry about which fits my story best — I just need options to react to.

Prompt 21: The wrong version first

Write the worst possible version of [what I am trying to write].
Make it clichéd, melodramatic, and full of every mistake I am trying to avoid.
I am going to use it to clarify exactly what I do not want,
which will help me figure out what I do want.

Prompt 22: The core question

I am writing [describe the piece].
Ask me 5 questions that, if I could answer them clearly,
would unlock everything I need to write this well.
These should be the questions I have been avoiding
or have not thought to ask yet.

Non-Fiction and Essay Prompts

Prompt 23: Personal essay structure

I want to write a personal essay about [topic/experience].
The core insight I want the reader to leave with: [describe].
Help me find the structure. Suggest:
- The scene or moment that should open the essay
- The narrative arc from that opening to the insight
- Where the universal theme connects my personal experience to the reader's life
- How to end in a way that earns the insight rather than stating it.

Prompt 24: Argument strength test

Here is the central argument of my essay: [paste argument].
Steelman the strongest possible counterargument.
Then identify the weakest point in my argument as it currently stands.
Finally, suggest how I could strengthen my argument to address both.

Writing Voice and Style Prompts

Prompt 25: Develop your voice

Here are three pieces I have written: [paste samples].
Analyse my writing voice and identify:
1. My natural sentence rhythm and length patterns
2. The vocabulary range I tend toward
3. How I handle transitions between ideas
4. What makes my voice distinctive compared to generic writing
5. The single biggest inconsistency in my voice that I should address.

Prompt 26: Write in a style without copying

Write [what I need to write] in a style inspired by [author/writer].
Do not reproduce their sentences. Instead capture:
their sentence length patterns, their relationship to the reader,
how they handle abstraction vs concrete detail,
and their characteristic use of [their signature technique].
Topic: [describe]. Approximate length: [X words].

Mistakes Writers Make with AI

Accepting the first draft

AI writing is a draft engine, not a publishing tool. The value is in the speed of iteration — generate, evaluate, refine the prompt, generate again. Writers who submit the first output are not saving time because they are accepting output that still needs significant work. Use AI for the first 70% and bring your own judgement, voice, and specificity to the final 30%.

Not giving it your actual voice

If you want AI output to sound like you, give it samples of your writing. Paste three paragraphs of your best work and ask it to match that register. Without a voice anchor, it defaults to the statistical centre of everything it has seen — which is nobody’s voice specifically.

Using it for the wrong parts of the process

AI is fastest at structure, drafting, and variation. It is weakest at original insight, emotional truth, and anything that requires lived experience. Use it where speed helps — outlines, first drafts, rewrites — and do the thinking yourself before you start prompting. The prompts above for writer’s block and argument structure are most useful when you have already spent time sitting with the problem.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which AI model is best for creative writing?

Claude (Anthropic) generally produces the most nuanced, human-sounding long-form prose and is particularly strong on character voice and subtext in fiction. ChatGPT (GPT-4) is excellent for structured non-fiction, outlines, and high-volume drafting. For final voice editing, there is no substitute for the author themselves — AI sets the stage, you perform on it.

Will using AI for writing make me a worse writer?

Only if you stop making craft decisions. If you use AI to draft and then actively edit, restructure, and infuse genuine perspective, you are still developing as a writer. The risk is passive acceptance — taking AI output as finished work without engaging your own critical judgement. Use it as a thinking partner, not a ghostwriter.

Related Prompt Resources

The underlying techniques that make these writing prompts work — few-shot examples, role prompting, chain-of-thought — are covered in our prompt engineering techniques guide. For prompts that go beyond writing into marketing, SEO, coding, and business, the complete ChatGPT prompt library covers every major use case. And if you are writing for SEO specifically, our SEO prompts for ChatGPT guide covers keywords, briefs, meta tags, and more.

More writing and creative AI prompts at Promptorix.