full disclosure, this was my most-viewed post on my previous blog, so i'm rescuing it from that doomed account and bringing it here. i plan on writing more prompts in the days to come, but please feel free to revisit - or visit, for the first time - these original prompts from over two years ago!
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one of the biggest complaints I and my writer friends have about writing is how to start. for some people, sitting down and just letting the words flow is a good way to jog the creative energy. for others of us, it takes a little bit more of a push.
i often find myself running to twitter for support. what are good ideas for stories? please? anyone? i'll use popular hashtags like #amwriting to garner support - sometimes it comes, sometimes it doesn't. you can rely on the help of friends/well-meaning acquaintances (maybe don't pursue the idea about the ghost who really really likes guns - or do, up to you), but if you're like me, in the end you turn to writing prompts.
finding a good prompt is hard. i'll scroll through hundreds of prompts from a dozen sources before eventually finding something that speaks to me. the problem i see with most is that they're just too long. one time, i saw a prompt that was six paragraphs! how is the writer supposed to inject any personal creativity into a prompt that essentially already tells the story?
this is why i'm compiling a list of writing prompts. all are my original creation, though i suspect some to share similarities with other prompts out there. if you find any good ones online, please comment them below - we can start a compilation of the best writing prompts the internet has to offer. so, without further ado, here are fifty of ~my original prompts~
quick note: organized by pretty much arbitrary categories, don't attack me i'm trying
one word prompts
-include these words in your story/poem, or write stories/poems about these words
1. alcove
2. nostalgia
3. depletion/depleted
4. religious
5. bowtie
6. childcare
7. pristine
8. nap
9. euphoria
10. medicine
sentence prompts
-use these sentences in your story/poem - edit as much or as little as you want
11. aromatherapy, he explained, was our next option.
12. i only drank when i wanted to forget about myself.
13. history class is going to be the death of me.
14. she frantically tossed the weed out the window just as the cop's lights flipped on behind us.
15. strange - there is a pair of sunglasses inside the chest.
16. mom nudged me awake just as the preacher closed his bible.
17. i like to think there are stories in these rocks, tales from people who lived long before me.
18. he was the type of person to make friends with the Bogeyman.
19. so it became routine: Iidrove her to her job at "nude girls!", and she bought me ramen.
20. i bought a label maker, so hopefully i'll stop forgetting where i live.
location prompts
-set a story/poem here, or discuss the location.
21. yellowstone national p
22. a childhood bedroom
23. hollywood
24. stonehenge
25. an apothecary
26. a city pool
27. savannah, georgia
28. research base in antarctica
29. huge company [definitely not amazon lol what] warehouse
30. trailer park
straightforward prompts
-i just straight up tell you what to do
31. write from the perspective of a broken umbrella.
32. aliens are invading! give them a gift card.
33. someone sent you a music box. who sent it, and why?
34. write about a parallel universe where fish fly and birds swim.
35. unfamiliar pictures of yourself keep showing up in your house. good or bad?
36. tell me about the worst nightmare you ever had.
37. coffee is found to cause cancer, and is banned worldwide. what happens?
38. write about teenagers going on a road trip.
39. somebody's digging up the local graveyard. but who? and where are the bodies?
40. a swan runs for mayor. tell me about the election.
object prompts
-write about these objects, or use them as metaphors for something else
41. coffee cup
42. picture frame
43. big stack of counterfeit money
44. yellow envelope
45. glass of salt water
46. expired plane ticket
47. for sale baby shoes never worn
...just kidding
47. electric car
48. weed eater
49. cardboard cutout
50. california redwood tree
there you have it! feel free to use, reuse, and edit these prompts as much as you want. if you end up using one, please let me know through comments, tweets, or other online message - i'd love to hear how/if they helped!
Photo by Laura Tancredi from Pexels.
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