Free Creative Writing
Prompts #16:
Thanksgiving


At the time of this post, we're still waiting on Halloween to come, but it's hard to avoid having Thanksgiving on the mind. A holiday that encourages gluttony and gets a family together (for better or worse ;)). This Thanksgiving is going to be big for me because I'm finally introducing the girlfriend to the extended family. I have to imagine that there are thousands of varied interesting story lines centering on this holiday. For that reason, these free creative writing prompts are about Thanksgiving: the ups and the downs, the food and the cooking, the tryptophane-induced sleeping and the football. Bon appetite! 


Free Creative Writing Prompts #16: Thanksgiving

1. The whole family is together and all the typical weird things that happen are in full-force this year. Detail a typical thanksgiving with your family, friends, and loved ones (and probably some hated ones in there too :) ).

2. Is there a Thanksgiving that you remember as the most wonderful (or the most crazy, messed-up) holiday of your life? Write it out in full-force and feel free to embellish as much as you'd like :).

3. Your typical family thanksgiving has fallen through and you decide to spend it with your best friends in the world. Put together a story in which your best friends come from all over the world to dine at your thanksgiving table. How does it work out?

4. You are cooking your first thanksgiving dinner all by yourself! You have lots of guests coming and a whole lot of stuffing to buy. Detail the week of Thanksgiving from Monday to Thursday and talk about if you pull it off or not. What are the dishes you make?!

5. Create a thanksgiving story in which everything goes wrong (a la the movie "Pieces of April"). From the dinner to the family awkwardness, this holiday goes spinning off the axels big time. How does it all go down? Be very descriptive.

6. You are visiting four thanksgivings in one weekend (a la "Four Christmases"). How do you eat all that food? Which one is the best? Who are these people you're visiting?

7. Describe the best thanksgiving leftover creation you've ever concocted. Make one up if you've never stooped to using Thanksgiving leftovers for a month after the holiday. Whether it be a sandwich with all the ingredients or a dessert mixture with 6 different pies, make it awesome and make it tasty.

8. What is your favorite part of this holiday? The family? The food? The passing out on the couch watching football? Talk about that a bit. If you hate this holiday, you can talk about that as well.

9. Create a completely alternative thanksgiving. No turkey. No stuffing. But still tasty and interesting. See what you can come up with when trying to stick to a particular theme.

10. Even if you've never done this before, detail a touch football game with all of the members of your family involved. Grandma should be in too. Keep in mind, you've just eaten a lot, so this game will be slow-paced and hilarious. 


I don't know about you, but writing those prompts made me hungry. I hope that these free creative writing prompts about thanksgiving can inspire you to write something great and perhaps cook something tasty. Remember this season that not everybody is getting the holiday feast they deserve, so please be charitable to local food organizations. Being stuffed is nice, but everybody in the community being satisfied is much better. Happy almost Thanksgiving! And writing! 


Bonus Prompt - You've been transported to the original thanksgiving! Pilgrims, Indians and all. Is it really as nice as we make it out to be? Did two people bring the same item? Talk about your experience in the past. 

Related Articles
Free Creative Writing Prompts from the Heart, Part 1
Free Creative Writing Prompts #2: Love
Creative Writing Exercises #2: Relaxation

Done with Thanksgiving Writing Prompts? Go back to Creative Writing Prompts.


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Written by Bryan Cohen

Bryan Cohen is the author of more than 30 books, many of which focus on creative writing and blasting through that pesky writer's block. His books have sold more than 20,000 copies. You can find him on and Facebook.
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