What are 'Writing Prompts'

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We have all heard of writing prompts for essays and exams, but what about writing prompts for writers? Believe it or not they are often used in the world of story tellers and are frequently relied on to get writers' creative juices flowing.



Writing prompts can range from a single word to a few paragraphs to a picture. And they can be about anything. Sometimes it can be hard to continue writing when you're unsure of what should happen next. Looking over a few writing prompts, or writing your own, is a great way to be productive while deciding what to do next. Just one word/picture can have the power to strike a writer's imagination and send their story to a world no one has ever been to before.

There are two different forms writing prompts can take. The first form allows you to "finish the story prompt." For example, rain had not fallen for weeks and all the crops has dried up. The second form gives you a challenge prompt. For example, write a story where there is no such thing as sickness. Dr. Seuss wrote "Green Eggs and Ham" on a bet that he couldn't write a book with fifty or fewer distinct words. He won the bet and it became one of his most popular books.


Why should you write writing prompts? Because it really gets your creative juices flowing and your imagination cap on. Not to mention it's something different you could try this weekend. You can go anywhere in the universe, at any time in history, and decide how everything is going to work. Is it challenging? Absolutely. Is it fun? You better believe it. Does it help you as a writer? Definitely. Does this sound like something you'd like to do this weekend? I hope so. If you were to keep at it and write habitually you'd soon have your creative muscles strengthened majorly.

There are also writer groups out there with members who are eager to critique each other's work. Most groups offer you good, honest feedback to help you get better at writing, which comes in handy as your writing career flourishes.

You can use writing prompts, write your own, or do both. How do you write writing prompts? By becoming observant. Notice the billboard above the expressway, the nextdoor neighbour's annoying cat, the headline in the magazine, etc. There is no end of things to write about. Just take a pen and paper and let your imagination take flight.



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