Creative Writing Prompts for Short Stories and Novels #2

Most writers have occasional blocks in their creativity where they just can't think of things to write about. The characters and images just won't come to the front of your mind where you can use them to create new things. You can stare at a piece of paper or a computer screen for hours, or even days, and nothing comes.

If you're on a deadline, a block can mean death to your project.

A writer's prompt is a snippet of information that is meant to help you overcome your block and return you to your creative flow. It can offer you a part of a story on which to build, or it can just offer you a way to get your mind working again so that you can continue the project that you already have in the works. A prompt will usually suggest a scene that you can complete or a phrase that you can follow.

You take it from here....

As promised, here are a number of writing prompts. See what you can do with them:

1. You are a teenaged space alien who has just lost the love of her life. You are planning to commit suicide by slamming your space shuttle into a black hole. Write about the thoughts that are going through your head as you careen at warp speed toward your destiny.
2. You want to become a Moe Howard impersonator. You are looking for two other people that will join you in reliving the Three Stooges on stage.Describe the interview process.
3. You are a salvage diver. While underwater looking for pieces of a sunken ship, you meet your first mermaid. Describe the encounter.
4. You have just bought a new home out in the country. You have plotted a space in your back yard in which you intend to plant your first garden. As you turn over the soil to prepare it for planting, you find what looks like a Spanish dubloon and the bones of a human finger. Take the story from there.
5. You have developed a degenerative eye disease that slowly is removing your ability to see color. You were not color blind from birth, so you will have to get used to the changes. Write about the process.
6. You are working in a factory with a bunch of gossipy old biddies. You have just found a new lover and made love to him/her for the very first time. You are dying to talk about it, but you are equally afraid because you know how hateful these women can be. Write a story that clearly shows their characters, and then write about your decision whether to join in or to keep your secret to yourself.
7. You have just been kicked out of your home. It is the middle of winter. Write about how you survive.
8. Your best friend has stolen your boyfriend/girlfriend from you, and now they are getting married. They see nothing wrong with inviting you to the wedding. Write about how you feel about this and how you are going to react. Do you avoid it? Do you go and try to outshine the couple? Or do you go and plot a nasty revenge?
9. It is the 1800's and you are a true fan of Edgar Allan Poe. You want to meet him. Describe how you go about it and how the meeting effects your life.
10. Describe what it's like to be paranoid.
11. You are a child who has just been forced by your parents to move to a new country. You have been enrolled in a school where you do not yet speak the language. Describe the experience of trying to communicate with the other children.
12. Write a mystery in which the main clues are a cat's eye marble, a one dollar bill (American) and a fragrance that is wafting through the air.
13. Your main character is a wizard. Write out the descriptions of three of his favorite spells and then write a story in which he uses them.
14. Your character is a soldier just returning from a tour of duty overseas. He bought a house before he left and paid one of his friends to look after it. This is the first time in over a year that he will see it, but he returned home to find the place disheveled and the door wide open. He has not been able to contact his friend. What happened?
15. Look into a mirror. Look deep into your own eyes and create a story about yourself that you wish was really a part of your history,

If using a writer's prompt doesn't work for you here are a few things that you can do:

1. Brainstorm. Take out your pen or boot up your computer and try to write your own scenarios. If they don't help you this time, you can always use them later.
2. Walk away. Sometimes, you just need to take a step back for a few minutes. So, take a break. Go to the bathroom. Get a cup of coffee. Just don't let your break stretch until you are out of writing time.
3. Write whatever comes to mind. Sometimes writer's block is a function of self judgement. Sometimes we can't write because whatever we've written so far today is not good enough in our own eyes. The best thing to do in this situation if to write badly as much as we can, and then put it aside to work on later. Few things written are good enough the first time around. It pays to remember that.

I hope this information will help you, so write on!