365 days of writing prompts

10 writing prompts to guide the bonds that will shape your story.

Welcome to day 15! We’re entering week 3 of writing prompts. Congratulations on making it this far! You’ve built your story’s structure and rhythm; now it’s time to focus on its emotional core: relationships.

Stories come alive through connection: friendships, rivalries, loves, and family ties that reveal who your characters truly are. Every bond adds depth, drives conflict, and shapes growth. Whether your characters meet in harmony or clash with sparks, relationships are where your story’s heart beats loudest.

K.M. Weiland has an insightful article on this topic. You can read that here.

Today’s ten prompts will help you explore the many ways characters connect, collide, and change each other.

1. The First Impression
   Write the moment two important characters meet for the first time. What assumptions do they make about each other?
2. The Shared Goal
   Create a scene where two characters must work together. They are aiming for something they both want. But, they want it for very different reasons.
3. The Point of Tension
   Write a conversation where one character holds something back. What happens beneath the words?
4. The Unexpected Ally
   Pair two characters who don’t get along. What happens when they’re forced to depend on each other?
5. The Breaking Point
   Show a relationship at its most strained, when trust is tested or broken.
6. The Quiet Moment
   Write a simple, tender interaction. This should reveal how much one character cares, even if they never say it aloud.
7. The Mirror
   Describe how one character reflects another character’s strength or flaw. What truth do they help each other see?
8. The Sacrifice
   Write a scene where one character gives something up for another: time, safety, pride, or love.
9. The Shift
   Show how a relationship changes over time, from friendship to rivalry, love to loss, or misunderstanding to understanding.
10. The Last Goodbye
    Write a farewell between two characters who have shaped each other’s journey. Let it carry both grief and gratitude.

Relationships are the heartbeat of your story, the place where emotion becomes real. Today, write the moments of connection and conflict. These moments remind readers why stories matter. Stories matter because they mirror our need to be seen, understood, and loved.