Home

Writing Exercises

Creative writing exercise

Vanishing Trio

Get three random items and write a story where two disappear.

Use Vanishing Trio in Spark to explore fresh story prompts and good story ideas – a creative writing exercise that keeps your practice alive.

Open in Spark See all exercises

What this exercise is built for

Vanishing Trio

You will receive three random items. Build a story around them, then make two of them disappear in a way that raises tension and curiosity.

How it works

You will receive three random items at the start.
Include all three naturally in your story.
At some point, make exactly two items disappear.
Click each item chip to mark it as disappeared.
Keep writing until time is up.

Explore more exercises

All exercises

Browse 30+ writing exercises and story prompts – from quick paragraph starters to deep narrative writing drills.

Character Interview

Develop characters through a series of interview questions.

Character Monologues

Write monologues from different character perspectives.

First Line Continuation

Start from a given opening line to remove blank-page friction.

Flash Fiction

Write complete stories in a very short format.

Genre Roulette

Write in randomly assigned genres to expand your range.

Headline Reaction

React to a notable headline through one character point of view.

I Remember

Start each sentence with 'I remember' to unlock memories.

No "E" Challenge

Write without using the letter E. A constraint-based exercise.

One-Sided Dialogue

Write one speaker's lines while the missing replies stay implied.

POV Swap

Write the same scene from three different character perspectives.

Prompt Frenzy

Incorporate writing prompts as they appear during your session.

Silly Persuasion

Write a presidential speech defending an absurd policy.

Social Media Story

Narrate a story through social media posts with character limits.

Stakes Escalator

Accept pressure cues that keep raising the cost inside a scene.

Story Dice

Roll dice and weave elements into your story.

Three-Beat Scene

Build a compact scene through setup, escalation, and payoff.

World History Timeline

Map key historical events that shaped a fictional story world.

Alphabet Challenge

Start each sentence with the last letter of the previous.

Alphabet Ladder

Start each sentence with the next letter in the alphabet.

Backstory Timeline

Create a timeline of your character's life and highlight shaping events.

Basic Practice

Simple writing practice without constraints or challenges.

Blind Mode

Write without seeing your text. Trust your instincts.

Character Portrait

Build a detailed physical portrait using rolling appearance trait prompts.

Compression to Expansion

Draft, compress, then expand a passage with sharper choices.

Hemingway Mode

Write without the ability to delete. Embrace your first thoughts.

Interval Training

Write in focused intervals with timed breaks.

Loved Ones

Write about one person or pet with occasional nudges to go deeper.

Morning Pages

Stream-of-consciousness writing with helpful nudges to maintain flow.

Passage Rewrites

Rewrite passages with clearer language while keeping the meaning.

Quest Mode

Defeat monsters by meeting writing goals.

Sensory Wheel

Rotate through the five senses to make each scene more concrete.

Tighten Up

Remove unnecessary words and improve sentence flow.

Timed Sprint

Race against the clock to write as many words as possible.

Word Arcade

Hit easy, medium, and hard target words to score points and chain combos.

Word Avalanche

Reach increasing word count targets as they get progressively harder.

<% chestUiLabels.upgradeModal.saleBadge %> · <% chestUiLabels.upgradeModal.saleDiscountLabel %>

<% chestUpgradeTitle %>

<% chestUpgradeSubtitle %>

<% chestUiLabels.upgradeModal.saleModalNote %>

<% chestUpgradeError %>

<% chestUpgradeSecurityText %>

<% chestUiLabels.upgradeModal.legalPrefix %> Terms of Service <% chestUiLabels.upgradeModal.legalAnd %> Privacy Policy.

<% chestCheckoutRedirectingText %>

<% chestCheckoutSecurityText %>

<% authLabels.savePromptTitle || 'Save this idea?' %>

<% authLabels.savePromptDescription || 'Create a free Story Shack account to save this idea, keep your favorites in Chest, and sync them across devices.' %>

<% authLabels.title %>

<% authPromptContext === 'save' ? authLabels.subtitleSave : authPromptContext === 'upgrade' ? authLabels.subtitleUpgrade : authLabels.subtitleDefault %>

<% authLabels.divider %>

<% authLabels.emailLabel %>

<% authLabels.emailDescription %>

<% authLabels.emailHelp %>

<% authLabels.legalPrefix %> <% authLabels.termsLabel %> <% authLabels.legalAnd %> <% authLabels.privacyLabel %>.

<% authLabels.premiumActive %>

<% authError %>

<% authMessage %>

<% authLabels.magicLinkTitle %>

<% authLabels.magicLinkSent %>