Funny Writing Prompts & Story Ideas
Comedy comes from characters who take absurd situations completely seriously. These funny writing prompts give you the absurd situation; your job is to play it straight.
- Setting type…
16 funny writing prompts to start with
Every one can go straight into the AI story generator: tap "Write it" to see one way the story could go, then write your own version.
- Write about a wizard who is allergic to magic and accidentally RSVPs yes to their own funeral.Write it
- Write about a ghost too polite to haunt anyone who tries to return a cursed sweater without a receipt.Write it
- Write about a supervillain on parental leave who swaps phones with a spy at the dentist.Write it
- Write about a dog convinced it is the family accountant who tries to keep a secret from a family of psychics.Write it
- Write about a knight whose horse is smarter than him who is mistaken for a famous chef at a royal banquet.Write it
- Write about a vampire who can't stand the sight of blood and must win a village pie contest to stop an alien invasion.Write it
- Write about a pirate who gets seasick and gets stuck in an elevator with their nemesis and a mariachi band.Write it
- Write about a fairy godmother on her first day who has to babysit the Grim Reaper's kid for a weekend.Write it
- Write about a robot learning sarcasm who wins a lifetime supply of something nobody needs.Write it
- Write about a grandmother who joins a heist crew and becomes the reluctant leader of a pigeon uprising.Write it
What-if ideas
- What if cats ran the post office?Write it
- What if every lie you told made your hair grow an inch?Write it
- What if dragons had to file tax returns?Write it
- What if your inner monologue was played aloud on public transport?Write it
- What if superheroes needed planning permission?Write it
- What if ghosts had a union?Write it
Tips for funny writers
- Commit to the premise
- The funniest characters don't know they're in a comedy. Let them try sincerely to solve a ridiculous problem.
- Escalate
- Each attempt to fix things should make them worse, the engine behind farces from Shakespeare to Fawlty Towers.
- Use specifics
- A "mariachi band" is funnier than "some musicians". Concrete details carry jokes.
More prompts by genre
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Questions writers ask
How do you write a funny story?
Put a character with a strong goal into an absurd situation, have them take it seriously, and make every solution create a bigger problem. Timing and specific details do the rest.
Are these funny prompts good for kids?
Yes. They are family-friendly, though some jokes land better with older children. See the writing prompts for kids page for prompts written especially for younger writers.
Why aren't my jokes landing on the page?
Often the setup is too long or the punchline is explained. Cut the sentence after the funny line, and let the reader do the last step.