Writing Prompts About Courage: Everyday Acts of Bravery

Courage. Immediately, we are thinking of scenes of heroes going into battle, firefighters rushing into burning homes. Indeed, courage seems much more basic than that: it is a virtue developed day in and day out by many. Now, let’s dive into some thought-provoking writing prompts to explore the deeper meaning of courage, challenging you to look at this virtue from new—or perhaps forgotten—angles.

Courage Writing Prompts

1. Describe an occasion when you stood up for someone else, even though you were terrified. 
2. Tell a story about the moment you faced one of your fears and surprised even yourself with your courage. 
3. You’re a fireman entering a burning building. What runs through your head? 
4. Remember a time you had to admit to someone that you were wrong. How did it feel? 
5. Tell a story about a historical figure who was very brave. What can we learn from them? 
6. Write a letter to your younger self, congratulating them on some act of bravery that they did not realize was. 
7. Explain about the bravest person you know. What makes them courageous in your eyes? 
8. Explore a time when being kind demanded more courage than being cruel. 
9. Describe the amount of courage it gives you to follow some kind of strange dream or career path. 
10. Tell the story of a person standing up for something unjust happening in their community. 
11. Tell about finding the courage one day to be honest when it would have been much easier to be dishonest. 
12. Explore the kind of courage which it takes to forgive a person who has hurt you so deeply. 
13. Describe how a parent would protect their child. 
14. Tell the story of the first day at a new school or job. What were some of the fears you overcame? 
15. Write about that one time when you needed help, yet felt vulnerable. 
16. Describe the kind of courage it takes to be yourself in a world that wants you to fit in. 
17. Write about finding the strength to start over after losing everything. 
18. Explore what it is to have the courage to protest peacefully for something you believe in.
19. Describe the moment when you chose to do right, though it was unpopular. 
20. Explore the courage in the pursuit of reconciliation after a long-standing conflict. 
21. Describe one of those moments when you had to make a life-altering decision. What gave you the courage? 
22. Tell the story of a person risking his life to save a stranger. 
23. Write about the courage of being vulnerable and opening one’s heart to love again. 
24. Describe the acts of courage of a whistleblower who exposed corruption. 
25. Write about finding courage in nature or through outdoor adventures. 
26. Tell about someone who summons up guts to continue following his passion in the face of family negativity. 
27. Write about one time you were on hand to deliver bad news. Where did you get the courage from? 
28. Write on gathering courage from friendship or support of communities. 
29. Explore a moment you had to trust your instincts in a dangerous situation.

As you go through these prompts, remember that braver than not being afraid is the act of going on in the presence of this very emotion. Go deeper into the labyrinthine human emotions, heavy decisions, and elevating gestures of bravery, sublime and ordinary. Your words will inspire readers to find that well within themselves, reminding all of us that courage comes in a hundred different guises and the ability to change the world lies within every act of courage, no matter how small.