5 Writing prompts to jumpstart your creative flow when writing

At some point on your writing journey, the words might just cease to flow. You are bereft of inspiration, and there appears to be a ‘jam’ in the mind. This happens to even the best of us and sometimes writers need a push to get our creative juices flowing again.

The purpose of a writing prompt is to encourage the student’s interest in a topic and encourage them to write about it thoughtfully and creatively. An effective prompt introduces the writing topic and provides clear instructions on how to write the topic.

A popular writing coach, Martha Frankel, once created a training called, “Write As If No One Is Looking Over Your Shoulder.” The title of her class, by itself, is an excellent writing prompt. So often we censor our writing and imagine others might read and criticise. The thought of this is enough to restrict our writing flow. It is freeing to just write and let censoring and editing come later.

The following are writing prompts you should consider that can help get you back on a writing spree.

1. Write two pages of your story and incorporate all five senses.

When you add sensory elements to your descriptions, it helps show the story to the reader, rather than just telling the story. Incorporating the five senses can make a dull passage come alive. Readers want to be involved in scenes. They want to get into the story and engage their imaginations. Senses make a story more plausible and relatable. A story without a blend of sense elements would seem flat.

2. Write two pages that begin with the phrase, Nobody knows this about me.

Nothing gets to the heart of emotions like a confession. All the characters, even in fiction manuscripts, have things to confess. And people like to read about confessions. This route elicits content naturally.

3. Write a typical day

Not every aspect of your story needs to be sensational. Sometimes, being real does the trick. Readers want to draw their conclusions about characters through action, not necessarily through the author’s descriptions.

4. Write in dialogue

When you include dialogue in a story, the scenes are more immediate and interesting to the reader.

5. Write your last chapter

Where is your story going? Every story needs an ending. Knowing the ending causes you to focus on the paths you need to cover to attain the resolution of your story.

Sometimes prompts are needed to begin the entire story. Some other times, you can adapt them to fit the part of the story you are working on. Using them can strengthen your writing and help to advance your story and combat writer’s block.

How have you used writing prompts to advance your manuscript and writing techniques? What prompt can you use today to strengthen your story?