108 Romance Writing Prompts to Ignite Your Inner Writer

Recently updated on December 9th, 2023 at 09:55 am

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When you think of sad romance writing prompts, what do you imagine?

A fairytale?

Maybe a Disney movie or an old-school tearjerker.

But what if your idea of romance was a little sad?

What if it was something that made you feel multiple emotions at once? Something that made your heart shatter and hope for a different ending?

Well, we’ve got just the thing for sad romance writing prompts! 

The prompts range from lighthearted to heartbreaking, but they’re all unique and will give you inspiration for your next piece of fiction.

Let’s get into it!

PS, you can optimize your characters’ identity, sexual orientation, and gender according to what suits you best when you begin writing. 

These prompts are written to get different ideas and inspiration to craft your unique piece of writing!

Sad Romance Writing Prompts

Sad romance writing prompts are a great way to flow your creative juices. These sad romance story ideas can help you create a story that will touch the hearts of readers everywhere and make them cry tears of joy!

Sad romance prompts:

1. A young girl is sitting on the ground staring at a flower. She looks up and sees a boy with brown hair standing over her. He smiles and says, “Why are you crying?”

2. A young couple walks through a field of wildflowers. They stop to admire them, but then they hear footsteps behind them and turn around to find their dog running towards them, barking happily. The couple smiles at each other and runs after their pet, who leaps into their arms as they embrace. A picture from the past flashes in front of them. Who knew they’d make it till here after a long time?

3. A young woman sits in her office, typing away at her computer. She looks up from the screen to see an older man standing by the door with his cane held out for her to take. She does not respond at first, but she gets up and takes it from his hand. “I am your dad,” the old man claims.

4. Two young lovers sit in an empty park overlooking the water in a small town. They are holding hands and gazing into each other’s eyes as they listen to the sounds of nature around them.

5. A woman who loses her husband in a tragic accident finds love again with another person years later. 

6. A woman decides to take revenge on the bad guy who caused her pain by plotting his death, but they end up falling in love.

7. A couple has been together for 7 years. However, the worst thing happens; the female protagonist is diagnosed with Leukemia. The girl dies in her partner’s arms. 

Dark Romance Writing Prompts

Romance writing prompts are a great way to explore creativity and connect with your inner writer. These prompts can be the basis for your own story, or you can use them as inspiration for an idea that could become romance novel!

8. A man is sitting on a bench in the park contemplating a lot of things, watching the sunset. He has his eyes closed and is listening to birds chirping. The man is a mafia king. 

9. A woman is standing in front of a window and staring at the city lights outside. She’s lost in her thoughts, but it seems like she’s thinking about something important—something she’s trying to hide from herself. She is going to get herself in to a dangerous situation.

10. A man is standing in front of a mirror with an expression of pure disgust on his face. He looks like he just stepped out of a bad movie or television show and didn’t want to be there. He does not want to go to the business trip.

11. A real estate agent is lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling while her phone dings with notifications from social media apps like Instagram or Snapchat. “Just a waste of time,” she thought. Little did she know, she was waiting for the worst thing unknowingly. 

12. You’ve just been dumped, and you’re heartbroken. You feel like you’ve failed somehow, as though something about you makes people want to leave when they get bored of your company. The guy next door becomes your favourite distraction.

13. Your best friend is dating your ex-boyfriend’s roommate, and it’s just not working out how you expected.

14. You’re at a party with lots of attractive people, but you can’t help comparing yourself to them—and finding yourself wanting more than you can have. Last time this happened, it was long ago. 

Related : Memoir writing prompts

15. There’s no one you can talk to about this feeling of emptiness that has taken over your life since he broke up with you and moved to a foreign country.

16. You feel like something is missing in the world—something important—but you don’t know what it is yet!

17. You get kidnapped by a handsome man who claims to have been in love with you for the past 6 years. He wants to marry you, but you are already engaged. 

18. You are a female pilot who is pretending to love a man just to seek revenge. You have planned an airplane crash. You realize you love him and things take a different turn.

19. You start an extra-marital affair with your boss’s wife to seek work benefits on daily basis. 

20. A girl from a small town lives in extreme poverty. She joins a club as a pole dancer and fakes her identity in front of a man she’s deeply in love with.

21. A housekeeper’s daughter gets admitted to an ivy league university on a 120% scholarship. She’s allured by the elite and joins a mafia.

22. A man’s business rival kidnaps his daughter and marries her. They both end up falling in love with each other.

Romantic Fiction Writing Prompts

Here are some romance fiction writing prompts for you to use:

23. A couple is surprised when they are suddenly trapped in their home by a fire.

24. The main character has to choose between staying with their family and saving their best friend from burning to death or protecting themselves.

25. The main character wants to save the love of his/her life who doesn’t want to be saved, but they’re too late.

26. A young girl falls in love with an elderly man who is already married with children.

27. The main character’s life is disrupted when he meets someone new and falls in love with them. Only things go horribly wrong when they discover the other person isn’t what they seem.

28. Two people go on a blind date and fall head over heels for each other.

29. A man asks for a second chance after returning to his ex and seeks forgiveness. 

30. A couple stuck in an arranged marriage forms a beautiful bond. 

31. a mysterious stranger turns into her biggest obsession. 

32. A long road trip leads to a not-so-beautiful destination. 

33. An unrequited love story ends on a beautiful note. 

34. A girl finds her true love in a man she always hated with a passion.

35. A world war II hero returns home from war and finds his wife waiting for him. All the hardships he had to endure during the war flew away like a cloud. 

36. Tragedy strikes when a happily married couple decides to part ways. Both of them are holding away things from each other. 

37. A single mother finds love again in a family member. 

romance writing prompts

Unique Love Story Prompts

Romantic love is a universal theme in all cultures, and you mustn’t just use the same plot over and over again. If you’re having trouble coming up with an idea for a plot, try looking at some of the most popular stories and see how they are unique. 

Here are some ideas to help give your romance a unique twist:

38. A love story set in the future, after an alien invasion.

39. A love story set on a cruise ship or other large vessels, such as an airplane or submarine.

40. A war zone where many obstacles prevent couples from finding happiness together.

41. Your character is already married, and they must convince their spouse to marry them (or vice versa) before they can be together.

42. You have an old enemy who’s now willing to accept your love for him/her to save their relationship.

43. Your character moves into her/his lover’s house, but neither of them knows how to deal with the other’s family or friends.

44. A love story between a princess and a dragon.

45. A prince leaves his royal stature to marry an ordinary girl. 

46. A girl with magical powers uses unnatural abilities to make a man fall in love with her. 

47. A princess falls in love with a peasant. 

48. An Air Force pilot and his wife are on leave when they encounter the biggest revelation of their life. 

49. A girl travels to Paris to celebrate her 26th birthday. Little does she know what the trip holds in store for her. 

50. Two childhood enemies end up falling in love when they grow up.

Romance Story Ideas With a Twist

You can use a twist to add drama, suspense, and excitement to your story. The wrench can be good or bad, but it will catch readers’ attention and keep them reading.

It could also be a plot point or theme that’s important to the story at hand. 

Young adult story ideas with a twist can be something like: 

51. A romance story idea involves a group of people on vacation who don’t know they’re all connected by fate.

52. A young couple is expecting their first child. Prenatal scans depict that the baby will be born with down-syndrome. 

53. A romance story idea involves two people who are forced to work together but find out they have feelings for each other when they least expect it.

54. A couple who runs into each other yearly at their local coffee shop but never speaks or acknowledges each other. Until now!

55. A woman is the only witness to a crime. She then falls in love with the wrong guy.

56. A woman falls for a man who doesn’t like her. He has a twin brother, and they both hate each other. She uses these circumstances for her own advantage.

57. One of the main characters is an orphan who has to fend for herself and finds out that she’s wealthy because her grandfather left her millions of dollars before he died.

58. A highly influential customer sues a girl who owns a business. She hires a lawyer to save her drowning business. Little does she know, she will fall in love with him.

Falling in Love Writing Prompts

Falling in love is a beautiful thing. It’s a feeling you can’t describe and makes you feel like you’re on top of the world. 

It is the most beautiful thing to happen to you. It’s the most exciting, it’s the most terrifying, and it’s the most overwhelming feeling that you’ll ever experience.

So here are some prompts to help you write about falling in love:

59. A young girl falls in love with her brother’s best friend. She is excited about new beginnings and can’t wait to see what happens next. The possibilities are endless—she has no idea where her life will go after this moment!

60. A boy falls in love with a girl way above her reach. They have totally different lifestyles. He is terrified because he anticipates she will leave him at any moment. He doesn’t know a beautiful ending awaits him!

61. A 23-year-old girl finds falling in love for the first time overwhelming. There are so many things on her plate now that weren’t before. She has responsibilities and expectations from herself and her partner, which makes everything feel complicated. 

62. A girl and boy get into a relationship after getting cheated on by their exes. They feel like no matter how hard they try. Nothing will ever be perfect enough for anyone else because there are just too many things that need fixing before anything else can work out properly.

romance writing prompts

63. A normal-looking girl and a handsome man get into a committed relationship. They are Falling in love, falling apart, and all the things in between.

64. A girl falls in love with a playboy. She wants to be with them so bad it hurts, but she’s afraid to let go because they’ll be gone forever if you do.

65. You fall in love with your instructor. You want to hold them close with your hand on their chest and feel their heart beating next to yours, but if they see that you can’t control yourself when they touch you, what kind of person would they think you are?

66. Falling in love with your childhood best friend.

Fantasy Romance Writing Prompts

Sometimes we find our escape in unreal things. We like to get dissolved in a particular illusion. As too much reality gets intoxicating sometimes. 

Therefore, fantasy novel stories are highly in demand, and teenagers love to read such stuff. 

Here are your fantasy romance writing prompts under this magical genre:

67. A hero must overcome his own inner demons while he fights to protect the kingdom.

68. A girl must learn to trust her instincts and rely on herself if she wants to win the prince’s heart.

69. An alien planet takes over earth and makes it a space station. However, the Alien Ruler falls for a human.

70. A princess meets an unlikely love interest who helps her discover what she really wants from life.

71. A woman who can see the future and change it to save her life and the lives of others. She is a blessing for the human civilization.

72. A man who can transform into an animal, by will at the end of the night. Finds his love in a luna wolf. 

73. A man from Ancient Greece can speak with animals or hear their thoughts or knowledge through another medium (e.g., through magic). 

74. A woman who can read minds but has a sense of her own and doesn’t take what other people say at face value in an alternate universe. She is married to a man who doesn’t believe in supernatural stuff. 

75. A woman is cursed with eternal youth and beauty and swore to live forever in pain and suffering during the Civil War. If she ever dies, she will return to life as an old woman again after being killed by someone else’s blade during battle or something similar. However, if she dies under this curse, she cannot be resurrected unless someone else kills her again before she dies from old age first (i.e., a second kill).

76. A woman has drunk the elixir of life unknowingly. She loves her husband so dear that she wants to die before him. Unluckily, she is now eternal.

77. A vampire falls for a college student and gives her a vampire bite. The girl is not ready for the life that awaits ahead of her. 

78. A couple was cursed by a witch and turned into wolves. They created their empire in the jungle and planned to find the hidden treasure.

79. A girl develops a massive crush on a celebrity. She performs black magic and turns herself into a female golden retriever. She’s then adopted by the star somehow. She can only change back into a human once the love of her life marries her. 

80. A witch in the form of a crow curses two lovebirds. This leads to the demise of the husband. The wife is left alone. However, she lives with the reincarnated version of her husband in the form of a dog for the rest of her life. 

Comedy Romcom Prompts

There are numerous stories that suit Comedy Romcom prompts. Comedy Romcoms are sweet, funny, and a great source of entertainment. A good story from this genre can be a person’s best friend during difficult times. 

Here are sad romance writing prompts that perfectly fit the comedy romcom prompts:

81. Write a story about two people trying to be together but can’t quite get there because of external force (for example, an ex-boyfriend/girlfriend). The main character feels like they could work things out with their partner if only he/she would listen and see what they have in common.

82. A man who is not good at relations confesses to women simultaneously.

83. A woman pretends to be a man to get revenge on her ex-boyfriend.

84. A couple going through a breakup decide to try again by having an affair.

85. A man whose wife dies, so he decides to marry another woman to have kids.

Some stories fit the Comedy Romcom prompt ‘Unhappy endings’:

86. A guy gets his heart broken by an ex-girlfriend and decides to move on with his life, but then he finds out that she’s getting married again, and he has to go through the whole thing again.

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Manifesting writing methods

87. A girl falls in love with her best friend’s brother but doesn’t know how to tell him because she doesn’t want to ruin their friendship.

88. A girl is in love with a boy much older than her, but then the boy dies, and she realizes there will never be anything between them.

89. A guy and girl go on a date, and he tells her that he has a daughter the same age as her, but his ex-wife is trying to take her away from him. She tells him she’s planning on having a baby with her new partner, and then just as he confesses his true feelings about this, the waiter brings their food.

90. A guy meets a girl at the bar and ends up having sex. When he tries to stop it, she says she has already told her boss that they slept together—and he doesn’t want to lose his job.

91. A girl goes out with her friend who moves in with her boyfriend, but when she gets home, she finds out that he’s cheating on her with their mutual friend who lives in another city!

92. Friends with benefits end up falling in love, and both are on a journey to learn the art of commitment. 

93. A girl runs away from her home to marry a guy, only to be abandoned by him at the end. She finds a guy very similar to her, the kind who completes her sentences. Their friendship turns into love!

High School Romance Prompts

High school love stories are a popular choice for romance writers. They can be heartwarming, romantic, and even tragic. There are millions of high school sweethearts who met in the halls or classrooms and went on to marry each other.

Here are some high-school romance writing prompts:

94. There’s the high school crush that everyone has been through at some point in their lives: feeling like your crush is interested in you but not knowing how exactly how would he/she react if she finds out about your feelings (and vice versa).

95. High school romance prompts are meant to get you thinking about the different relationships that might be happening in your life. These prompts are intended to spark conversation and get you thinking about what kind of romances you’re having or how you want them to go.

96. You’re single, and a couple is making out in the backseat of their car. You don’t know them, but they seem so into each other. What do you do?

97. You just got back from a party with your friends, but there’s no one waiting for you at home. What do you do?

98. Your crush has been flirting with you all night, but he won’t talk to you until tomorrow when he can think straight again. What do you do?

99. The captain of the football team is in love with you. He asks you to prom, but he’s not asking because he’s offering to pay for it—he’s asking because he wants to be your prom date.

romance writing prompts

100. You’re at a party where everyone drinks, dances, and has fun. But when you see your crush across the room, he doesn’t even notice you are there. Instead, he’s talking to someone else. You feel like crying! You try to grab his attention. The stunt ends up being the biggest regret of your life.

101. Your crush has been flirting with you all year, but something makes him stop talking to you during lunch period one-day last week. When he sits down next to you at lunchtime on Monday, he apologizes for not speaking to you. He tells you that he thought it would be better if he didn’t talk to anyone else until after prom because he didn’t want anyone thinking that they had a chance with him or anything like that. Then he asks if there’s anything wrong with his feelings for another person and confesses that his feelings aren’t just about someone who isn’t even in school anymore. You are heartbroken. 

102. Two high school sweethearts embark on their journey to different universities. Many problems await them as they face communication gaps, insecurities, and culture shock.

103. A girl’s number neighbor turns out to be the most popular guy in her high school.

104. A prank call to the guy from senior year results in unprecedented series of falling madly in love with one another.

105. Childhood love birds unite in the same high school, and their love story continues from where they left it.

106. A couple dated from grade 7 and broke up in the final year of high school.

107. High school sweethearts have to part ways as one move to another city.

108. A girl falls in love for the first time with her writing class instructor. Only to learn the biggest and most important lesson of her life! 

We hope you enjoyed the romance writing prompts in this article. Let us know which is your favorite prompt in the comment section below.

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Parven founded Kids N Clicks after obtaining her MSc in Corporate Governance from the London School of Economics. She worked as a business studies and digital marketing lecturer. Internet Matters recognizes her profound knowledge of online safety, dubbing her an Internet safety expert. At Kids N Clicks, Parven keeps abreast of the newest apps. Drawing from her teaching background, she fervently promotes screen-free activities for students and encourages introspective thinking through journaling, games and writing prompts.

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