It is terrible to stare at a blank screen even when you know you have it in you to write creative stories. Writer’s block catches you unawares and even though you are chock-full of all kinds of ideas, you still find yourself unable to put them into words. To break this Gordian knot, you can use creative prompts to help you get back into action. The trick is to keep it simple and then elaborate once you get going. Below are five such creative writing prompts to help you.
1. First romance
This always makes a good topic for a story. A romance can be romantic, but it can also be a host of other things. It can be confusing, abusive, obsessive, beautiful, inspiring. You can take any angle you like on the romance and begin to write about it. It is possible that you might stray away from the original romance idea once you start, but that’s the very idea behind it. Make something as mundane as romance exciting in your own way.
2. Most embarrassing moment
Think of the most embarrassing moment in your life and put it down on paper. Then change a few things about it and you are off on a new journey in writing. You could make this moment central to the plot or merely use it to begin a piece of writing. You can also use the idea to insert some humor or pathos in a work you are already working on. Just writing one scene can take you to very different places and this is a good place to start.
3. Random three elements
If you are short of ideas, then think of the last three books you have read or movies you have seen and take one element you liked out of each book or movie. Use the three elements and write a story around them. If they happened to be three different genres, it’s even better. It could be quite fun trying to combine three different elements into a coherent and believable story without actually copying from any of the sources. This method has immense possibilities since the last three stories you have seen / read would be different every time.
4. Nature
Nature can be a powerful tool for breaking the deadlock of a writer’s block. There is so much variety in nature that you have many different settings to choose from for your story. Is it a dark and stormy night? There is your setting for a tragedy. Is it cold and foggy? Enjoy the beginning of a mystery. You can vary the time of the day to get different atmospheres for your setting. Colorful sunset, blooming flowers, gentle rain, hot sun, everything can be used. Once you establish the setting, other ideas will come quickly to embed themselves into your setting, and you are off on another creative journey.
5. Food
A meal is a wonderful way for your story to develop life in a very natural way. If you are stuck in the middle of a story, have the protagonist invite their friends / enemies over for a meal and describe the meal in detail. Food can be very inspiring to some people and many major life-changing decisions by individuals, companies and governments are made over meals. Use this reality of life in your story. Start by describing the various food items on offer, the texture of the food, the smell of your favorite dish. Is someone late? Is someone helping the protagonist cook? Did someone throw a food item across the room? Did someone grab the knife? There are endless possibilities to explore.
Image credit: Julie Jordan Scott on flickr and reproduced under Creative Commons 2.0
Kavitha is a freelance content writer and French translator, and has been working in this field since 2008. She has degrees in computer applications and international business and has a background in business and international trade. She enjoys learning languages and is currently learning Japanese. Her interests vary from books and writing to travelling and history.