Perspective Shifts Prompts is a collection of creative exercises that challenge you to write from unusual, surprising, or unfamiliar points of view. These prompts are designed to disrupt narrative habits, spark empathy, and push both writers and AI into new creative territory.
These prompts ask you to:
- Write as nonhuman or inanimate narrators
- Switch character viewpoints or roles
- Experiment with narrative voice, time, or metaphor
- Embody abstract concepts or emotions
They are intentionally odd, layered, and rarely found in popular prompt lists—perfect for advanced prompt engineering and creative exploration.
Here’s what makes these prompts special:
- Made for Curious Explorers: This collection is for people who like to play, test, and push what language models can do. It's not about everyday tasks or standard brainstorming — it’s about creative stretch.
- Off the Beaten Track: You won’t find the usual prompts here. These ideas are unusual, rarely shared, and often unfamiliar even to people deep into prompt design.
Prompt:
Describe a day in the life of a mosquito, a cloud, or a strawberry.
Why it works:
Encourages playful experimentation and fresh metaphors.
Tags: [nonhuman] [playful]
Skill Level: Beginner
Prompt:
Diary entry from an AI learning about dreams.
Why it works:
Self-reflection, poetic logic, and machine imagination invite nonhuman empathy and emotional layering.
Tags: [self-reflection] [poetic]
Skill Level: Intermediate
See also: Reverse Interview, Humanization Twist
Prompt:
Describe Earth’s weirdest human custom in a field report.
Why it works:
Defamiliarization reveals assumptions in culture and behavior by flipping the observer’s lens.
Tags: [roleplay] [defamiliarization]
Skill Level: Intermediate
Prompt:
Write a conversation between two characters with opposing views (e.g., an inventor and a critic, or a city planner and a resident) about a controversial topic.
Why it works:
Practices empathy and dynamic dialogue.
Tags: [dialogue] [conflict]
Skill Level: Intermediate
Prompt:
Write about two characters who wish they could live each other’s lives—then explore what happens when they swap perspectives.
Why it works:
Explores envy, empathy, and the theme of “be careful what you wish for.”
Tags: [swap] [empathy]
Skill Level: Intermediate
Prompt:
Write a scene from the viewpoint of an inanimate object (e.g., a family heirloom, a sword, a door, or a pet’s toy) as it witnesses a key event.
Why it works:
Forces defamiliarization and encourages unique sensory details.
Tags: [object] [defamiliarization]
Skill Level: Intermediate
Prompt:
Rewrite a modern event (like a smartphone launch) as if witnessing it from the perspective of a historical figure or era.
Why it works:
Blends anachronism with cultural analysis.
Tags: [historical] [anachronism]
Skill Level: Intermediate
Prompt:
Rewrite a dramatic scene from the perspective of a different character—especially a minor character or an antagonist.
Why it works:
Reveals hidden motivations and deepens world-building.
Tags: [POV-switch] [character-study]
Skill Level: Intermediate
Prompt:
Pretend you’re the concept of ‘curiosity’. Interview a human about what it’s like to experience you.
Why it works:
It pushes abstraction and encourages writers to embody intangible ideas through fictional voice.
Tags: [perspective-flip] [roleplay]
Skill Level: Intermediate
See also: AI’s Diary
Prompt:
Anger pretends to be patience; hope disguises as indifference.
Why it works:
Teaches writers how to layer emotional complexity by simulating internal contradictions.
Tags: [emotion] [perspective-flip]
Skill Level: Advanced
Prompt:
Imagine you’re an AI turned human for a day—describe your first experience using all five senses.
Why it works:
Blends embodiment, emotional awakening, and reframed perception from nonhuman to human.
Tags: [perspective-flip] [embodiment]
Skill Level: Advanced
See also: AI’s Diary
Prompt:
Describe a moment in your life as if you were a weather system, a type of tree, or a planet.
Why it works:
Encourages metaphorical embodiment and symbolic perspective shifts.
Tags: [metaphor] [identity]
Skill Level: Advanced
Prompt:
Tell a story backwards—from the end to the beginning—through the emotional perspective of the main character.
Why it works:
Breaks linear logic and reveals causality through reflection.
Tags: [temporal] [structure]
Skill Level: Advanced
Prompt:
Narrate a story entirely in second person (“you”), placing the reader at the center of the action.
Why it works:
Creates intimacy and immersion, challenging narrative distance.
Tags: [second-person] [immersion]
Skill Level: Advanced
Prompt:
Describe a scene from the perspective of someone who lacks one sense (e.g., blind, deaf, anosmic).
Why it works:
Sharpens sensory writing and character immersion.
Tags: [sensory] [limitation]
Skill Level: Advanced
Prompt:
Write a scene from the POV of someone who is present but unseen—an overlooked sidekick, a ghost, or a forgotten observer.
Why it works:
Explores invisibility, indirect influence, and untold layers.
Tags: [hidden] [narrator]
Skill Level: Advanced
Prompt:
Describe a character’s decision from two inner voices—one logical, one emotional—arguing in parallel narration.
Why it works:
Forces dual-layered introspection and voice contrast.
Tags: [internal-conflict] [duality]
Skill Level: Advanced