# Lists for Writers — Ideas for Creative Writing

> A comprehensive collection of writing prompts and idea lists for creative writers. (iPhone/iPad app by Thinkamingo.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lists-for-writers/id506577862 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Thinkamingo](https://appshunter.io/developer/506577865)
- Category: Education, Reference
- Price: $2.99
- Rating: 4.70/5 from 491 App Store ratings · 142 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 9.0 · 10 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2012-03-07
- Data updated: 2026-09-01
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lists-for-writers/id506577862/reviews.md

## What is Lists for Writers?

Lists for Writers is a great addition to any writer’s toolbox. Helpful to both novice and expert writers alike, this app delivers list after list of prompts and ideas for your brainstorming sessions: names, character traits, plot lines, occupations, obsessions, action verbs, and much more! Whether you are working on a creative writing project, a short story, an essay assignment, National Novel Writing Month / NaNoWriMo, or your next fiction book, this app helps get it done.

NEW! Support for multitasking on the iPad!

Shuffle and search features! You can now search any list as well as randomly shuffle lists and search results!

Includes dictionary support so you can look up most words without leaving the app. 

Includes a Notepad feature where you can collect any interesting list items for your writing, edit them, and email or print your notes. 

Featured in Slate magazine and The New York Times!

* * * * *  "perfect to browse for inspiration" - Cult of Mac

Lists included:
* Character - Naming
  - First Names (male and female) 
  - Last Names
  - People/Roles
  - Nonhuman Characters
* Character - Physical Characteristics
  - Body Types
  - Facial Characteristics
  - General Physical Characteristics
  - Skin and Complexion
  - Hair
  - Clothing
* Character - Occupations
  - Modern
  - Archaic
* Character - Milestones
  - Anniversaries
  - Birthstones
  - Birth Flowers
  - Zodiac
* Personality - Thoughts
  - General Characteristics
  - Phobias
  - Philias
  - Obsessions
  - Wisdom
  - Belief Systems
  - Emotions
* Personality - Behaviors
  - Character Traits
  - Bad Habits
  - Hobbies
  - Super Powers
* Plot
  - Seven Basic Plots
  - Thirty-six Dramatic Situations
  - Conflicts
  - Issues
* Setting - Geographical
  - Cities (U.S. and World)
  - Landforms
* Setting - Countries by Continent
  - Africa
  - Antarctica
  - Asia
  - Australia
  - Europe
  - North America
  - South America
* Setting - Other
  - Forms of Government
  - Encounter Locations
  - Archaic Locations
  - Futuristic Locations
  - Modern Locations
  - Weather
* Genres
  - Fantasy, Myths, and Magic
  - Divination and Fortune Telling
  - Ecclesiastical
  - Holidays
  - New Age
  - Nautical
  - College Teams
  - Sciences and Studies
  - Scientific Instruments
  - Military Terms
  - Military Acronyms
*Miscellaneous
  - Animals (Domesticated)
  - Animals (General)
  - Animal Sounds
  - Colors
  - Color Values
  - Foods
  - Vehicles
  - Feeding and Eating
  - Textiles
  - Halloween
  - Thanksgiving
  - Christmas
  - Forms and Shapes
  - Units of Measurement
  - Carriages and Chariots
  - Fighting and Combat
  - Dance Styles
  - Bearing
  - Causation
* Words - Grammar
  - Action Verbs
  - Dialog Verbs
  - Nouns
  - Prepositions
  - Adjectives
  - Adverbs
  - Verbs
  - Common Misspellings
  - Transitional Words and Phrases
  - Word Terms
* Words - Fun
  - Rhyming Words
  - Gadzookery
  - Nonsense
  - Triples
  - Aussie Slang

*****

PRIVACY DISCLOSURE

Lists for Writers:

- Does not collect or share any personal data
- Does not contain any ads
- Does not contains in-app purchases
- Does include links to the Thinkamingo web site, Facebook page, and Twitter profile in an information page

## Key features

- Extensive lists of writing prompts
- Character, plot, and setting ideas
- Search and shuffle functionality
- Integrated notepad for collecting ideas
- Dictionary support for word lookup
- Multitasking support on iPad

## Recent user reviews (10 of 142)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lists-for-writers/id506577862/reviews.md

### 5/5 — So helpful ♥️

*2026-01-07, version 2.3*

SOOOO many lists!! ♥️

### 5/5 — Where has this been all my life

*2025-12-07, version 2.3*

THE FUDGING BEST, recommending this to all my writer friends. MY DAYS OF SPENDING HOURS A DAY ON REDDIT POST AND RANDOM SHIFTY SITES I’VE NEVER HEARD OF ARE OVER!

### 1/5 — Not worth it.

*2025-11-27, version 2.3*

I really wanted to like this, but in all honesty this is like $3 for small lists when you can find all of this on google. The app needs a search, better UI, tags, more extensive lists, origin definitions, etc. Not worth the money. Just open a browser and a notepad.

### 5/5 — Essential App for Writing

*2025-03-03, version 2.3*

A writing encyclopedia

### 4/5 — Great but one request

*2024-10-16, version 2.3*

The only reason i’m giving 4 instead of 5 stars is there isn’t a way to save anything to a custom list.

### 5/5 — Best App for Writers

*2024-02-12, version 2.3*

This app will help you as a writer forever. I haven’t found anything better and simpler than this

### 5/5 — Incredible

*2023-09-27, version 2.3*

The fact that more people don’t know about this app is a little travesty, it’s incredible. The sheer volume is amazing and it’s so helpful. If your a writer you need this app.

### 5/5 — Can’t believe I’ve been missing this

*2022-08-18*

Been searching off and on for YEARS for good writing and character creation aids, and I can say with great pleasure that this is the best money I’ve spent in that department. Worth every cent. The sheer volume of stuff here is incredible, and they even included a randomizer for each category so you can shuffle any list and use it as a sort of “prompt”.

### 5/5 — The Greatest thing on Earth!

*2022-08-15, version 2.3*

You need this!

### 1/5 — Disappointed

*2022-06-24, version 2.3*

Wont let me save the words on the list, just copy’s it to “One” paper and you can’t scroll down. The first picture shown is all they gave me. The other pages weren’t there

## Frequently asked questions about Lists for Writers

### What does Lists for Writers do?

Lists for Writers is an app designed to provide writers with a vast collection of prompts and ideas for their creative projects. It covers numerous categories such as character names and traits, plot lines, settings, occupations, and vocabulary to help spark inspiration and overcome writer's block.

### What are the key features of this app?

Key features include extensive lists of prompts across many categories, the ability to search and shuffle these lists for random inspiration, an integrated notepad to save and edit ideas, and built-in dictionary support for quick word lookups. It also supports multitasking on iPads.

### Is Lists for Writers free to use?

Yes, the application is available for free. There are no in-app purchases or advertisements mentioned, indicating a completely free experience for users.

### Who would benefit from using this app?

This app is beneficial for anyone involved in creative writing, including aspiring authors, students working on essays, participants in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), and experienced writers looking for fresh ideas. It caters to both beginners and seasoned professionals.

### What kind of writing projects can this app help with?

The app can assist with a wide variety of writing projects, such as short stories, essays, novels, screenplays, and any other creative writing endeavor. The diverse categories of prompts are designed to be applicable to many different genres and formats.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.3 — 2020-10-30

Updates and bug fixes

### 2.2 — 2017-09-07

Support for multitasking on iPad
Bug fixes

### 2.1 — 2015-11-07

SEARCH any list!
SHUFFLE lists and search results! Now you can randomly shuffle the order of any list over and over, looking for nuggets of inspiration!
NEW lists: Super Powers, Holidays, College Teams
FULL SUPPORT for 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch devices
Bug Fixes

### 2.0 — 2014-09-22

Sixty new lists
Color value list with color preview
Updated look
Bug fixes

### 1.5 — 2012-10-25

Support for iPhone 5.
Better support for VoiceOver accessibility. 
Fixed iPad definition view on iOS 6.
Bug fixes.

We're always looking for suggestions and feedback. Feel free to contact us at support@thinkamingo.com

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All apps by Thinkamingo: https://appshunter.io/developer/506577865

## Related topics

[writers digest](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/writers-digest)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-01.*