These NYC writing prompts will help students think more deeply and creatively about their New York City experience. Encourage your students to journal their expectations before the trip departs, to write down their observations as it happens, and to process all that they experienced after they return home.
NYC Writing Prompts: Before the Trip
- New York City can flood the senses. What do you think the city will sound like? Smell like? Feel like?
- If you could be on the set of one movie or TV show filmed in New York City, which show would it be and why?
- If you could play any character in a movie or TV show filmed in New York City, which character would you be and why?
- What are you looking forward to most about your trip to New York City?
- What do you hope to get out of your New York City experience?
NYC Writing Prompts: During the Trip
- What does New York City sound like? Smell like? Look like? Feel like?
- What did you notice first about the city? Why is that?
- How do you feel when you are in the city? Excited? Overwhelmed? Alive? Nervous?
- How many languages do you hear spoken while in New York City?
- What adjectives would you use to describe the city?
- What ordinary moments are part of a New Yorker’s day? How are they the same or different from someone living in your hometown?
NYC Writing Prompts: After the Trip
- What memorable experiences did you have in New York City?
- How has your experience in New York City changed your perspective on the world?
- Could you picture yourself living in New York City? Why or why not?
- What career would you pursue if you lived in New York City?
- What advice would you give to someone visiting New York City for the first time?
- If you had a column in the New York Times, what would you write about?
