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10 Creative Writing Research Project Ideas for High School Students

4 minute read

Are you someone who uses a journal to write as a way to escape reality? Or maybe you love reading and writing poems? Either way, if your creative outlet revolves around using your imagination to bring thoughts alive on paper, keep reading this post! As a creative writer you can put your skills to test by creating website content, becoming a magazine columnist, travel writer, or novelist!

A research project is a great way for you to explore and find your niche before declaring a major someday.  Here’s a list of 10 virtual research project ideas to get you started. 

If you any of these pique your interest, sign up to get matched with a mentor and get started on your project!

Create a research project tailored to your interests and your schedule

Polygence pairs you with an expert mentor in your area of passion. Together, you work to create a high quality research project that is uniquely your own. We also offer options to explore multiple topics, or to showcase your final product!

1) Literature and Pandemics

Write a play script revolving around previous pandemics! You’ve lived through COVID-19 and can interview others who have been through pandemics that you haven’t. This is a great way to inform others about different tragedies that have occurred. 

Idea by mentor Will 

2) Creative Writing: A Big Idea

Come up with a question that could have multiple different meanings depending on who you ask. For example, what does it mean to be a good friend? Once you come up with your question, obtain three different perspectives of the question and respond within three different outlets. You could write a poem about your perspective, a short story about your friends perspective, and a blog post about a family member's perspective!

Idea by mentor Isabelle 

3) 10 minute writing from the soul: what will it reveal?

It’s time to “free” write! Think back to a special memory and write about every little detail. If not a special memory, it can be something as simple as your morning experience on the train. Think about your surroundings at that moment, the colors people around you were wearing, what you were feeling, write it all down!  Write without thinking and let the creativity of your brain flow. Once done, draw and paint your story. 

Idea by mentor Anna 

4) Creative Writing

Learn the basics of poetry and creative nonfiction writing! For this project you can start by reading and exploring the different styles of these two types of writing. The goal is for you to become inspired by one of the pieces that you read so you can create something of your own. This project is about self exploration and enjoying what words have to offer.    

Idea by mentor Wisteria 

5) Poetry Chapbook

Focus on all things poetry! Start by studying the different types of poetry to better understand the ins and outs of each style. Once your skills are well enough developed, create a chapbook of your poetry.  

Idea by mentor Lawrence 

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6) Fiction Writing

Exaggerate your truth by writing a fiction story! Learn more about fiction writing as a whole in order to develop your writing skills even further. Focus on finding your voice and your preferred writing style by reading and learning through the work of different authors.  From there, write your own story to create something beautiful. 

Idea by mentor Christopher 

7) Stories! Essays! & Poems! Oh My!

Are you someone who has sticky notes all around your house with random ideas or thoughts that spontaneously come to mind? Or maybe the “notes” section in your phone is more like a random jumble of words.  It’s time to put all of your ideas together to create a story! Choose your favorite writing style, grab all of your brainstorming notes, and let your imagination flow. 

Idea by mentor Catalina 

8) Creative Writing: Blending Genre, Exploring Form

Remix different writing forms to make them your own! Learn about the different styles of poetry and then think outside the box by inventing something original and unique. Move away from doing something traditional and see what your mind can do on its own with no boundaries. 

Idea by mentor Kira

9) Family Recipe Zine

If you are someone who is passionate about your culture and the food that you grew up eating, create something to express that passion! For this project write your own, printable, cookbook. Include your own family photos, family recipes, and stories filled with memories to go along. 

Idea by mentor Sarah

10) Short Stories

Read through an array of different fictional short stories within your genre of choice. Studying different stories will assist you with developing your own writing style. Write your own short story to see what you can come up with! 

Idea by mentor Vahid

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