ChatGPT Screenplay Writing Prompts

Wanna Get Those Creative Juices Flowing? Try These Screenplay Writing Prompts

As writers, we all hit blocks sometimes where the ideas just won’t come. You stare at the blank page (or screen), waiting for a bolt of inspiration to strike, but nothing happens. That’s when it can be massively helpful to turn to creative writing prompts or story prompts to kick your creativity into high gear.

Maybe you’re working on a screenplay about a young girl who discovers something incredible. Or you need some fresh story prompts for a script about high school friends caught up in something sinister. Whether it’s a quirky romcom or a dark psychological thriller about a serial killer, writing prompts can provide just the conceptual spark you need.

Here are some writing prompts for screenwriters to stoke your creative juices and get you scribbling:

A Young Girl Discovers…

• • A time machine for a high school student

• • Her parents are super-powered aliens

• • Character wakes and discovers she can astral project

• • The short story of a cute boy at school that is a 300-year-old vampire

• • My best friend has a book that tells the future

A haunting image like a young girl making an eerie discovery can be the perfect launching point for a great story. Figure out the who, what, where, and why for a unique spin.

A Serial Killer Targets…

• • Members of a secret society

• • Social media influencers

• • A small town

• • High school students

• • The only survivor of a plane crash

Killer creativity right there! These creepy prompts with an unhinged murderer at the center offer endless possibilities for a taut, suspenseful thriller screenplay or short film. What’s their motive? How can they be stopped? The setup breeds high-octane drama.

Out-There Concepts to Chew On

• • A young woman wakes up as her past self

• • A dead body is discovered outside a haunted hospital

• • World War III begins over a misunderstanding

• • A child discovers monsters living among us

• • The main character discovers that every person on Earth develops psychic abilities

With prompts this wild, you can let your imagination run free. Take a crazy “what if?” scenario and figure out how the world and its characters would respond. Reality meets the fantastical can be a recipe for an awesome, mind-bending story.

Jump-Start Your Character-Driven Plots

• • A police officer inherits an ageing superhero’s secrets

• • A young boy living in the mountains befriends a mythical creature

• • A small town sheriff teams up with a surly big-city cop to solve a murder mystery

• • A young woman finds herself the only person left on a deserted island

• • A family inherits their reclusive aunt’s crumbling mansion — and her secrets

Strong characters are the lifeblood of a great screenplay. These prompts give you intriguing character foundations to build upon. Establish personalities and relationships to heighten the drama and conflict. Let sparks fly!

Dialogue Prompts to Get the Convo Cooking

• • “Nice try, Bucko, but you’re never getting off this rollercoaster.”

• • “Wait, this isn’t Earth…is it?”

• • “Just tell me one thing: were you ever gonna pay me back?”

• • “That’s it. I’m setting up an OnlyFans. What’s the worst that could happen?”

• • “What sort of idiot buries $10 million under a cornfield?”

Good dialogue can make or break a screenplay. Use these prompts to dive into your characters’ voices and really define them. A compelling line of dialogue can spark a whole scene, or even provide the central hook an entire story hinges on.

Title Riffs to Spark Imagination

• • The Hauntologists

• • Shadowboxing

• • Incident at Cephalopod Creek

• • Beyond the Outer Reaches

• • Demon Seed

Title prompts may seem random, but they’re a goldmine for concept-building. Just one cool or evocative title phrase can trigger the germ of an awesome idea, ready to bloom into a fully-fledged story. Put on your thinking cap and explore where these titles could go!

Time To Get Creative

Hopefully, these screenwriting prompts have provided some killer inspiration to get those creative juices flowing! Feel free to mix, match, and build on any ideas that speak to you. The more you experiment and push yourself, the greater the chances of hitting on a true gem of a story. Prompts can be used for screenplays, poetry and even short stories, it is time to get creative. 

And remember, ChatGPT prompts are just a jumping-off point. Over time, you’ll develop your own tricks and hack