Everyone has days where the ideas just do not come as quickly as others. Having a variety of writing prompts around, can help tremendously. Why should I use a writing prompt?

Writing prompts help you get the writing process started. They help you think of an idea, when perhaps one won’t come.

How do you use a writing prompt? Simple. You use the sentence to get started.

“The last time I saw…..”

“The first chance I get…”

“Tomorrow doesn’t seem…”

“The memory of….”

“When I looked back…”

“Try as I did, I just couldn’t…”

“I thought I saw…”

“I thought I knew…”

“It may not be much, but it’s…”

“He touched the tiny stone in his pocket, and it reminded him….”

“She set the envelop on the table and…”

“Looking behind her, she realized…”

“That was the stupidest…”

“I wish it…”

“I knew her when…”

“I called him, but…”

“Three children walked aimlessly…”

“The officer looked around…”

“My teacher always said…”

“Ah, it could have been worse…”

“It was a very successful move…”

“During my next vacation, I’m going to…”

“I need to do a better job…”

“Someday, I will…”

“She always loved…”

“He prepared himself for…”

“Turning the key in the door…”

“She turned out the light…”

“In the distance, he could hear barking…”

“As he fastened the handcuff’s securely behind her back, she…”

“I never knew I could…”

“She hid in fear, as….”

“The ground was covered in…”

“As he closed the door behind him, he…”

“He thought it couldn’t be done, but…”

“The cigarette burned in the ashtray, as…”

“The detective filled out the paperwork with….”

“Downstairs, she heard the door close, and…”

“The computer screen was lit, when she entered the door, indicating…”

If I could disguise myself, I would….

Reasons to not get married are …. Be sure and elaborate (this could be a fun chick lit novel prompt, or even a mystery!)

I found a CD full of ….. (think outside the box - not just music, but data, pictures, files, etc.)

Use the following words in a short story, essay or couple of paragraphs: chocolate chip cookie, pail of water, blue, toilet, ocean, hyper, picket fence, tote bag, frog, caviar, and delicious. (I love doing these!)

You just dialed the phone to place a call (you can be at work, school, home, etc.). You dialed the number correctly and you have the correct place you were calling - but the person is not there, doesn’t exist, someone else answers, someone answers and says nothing, etc. Elaborate and tell a story. (Be creative. Don’t just say “sorry you have the wrong number.”)

I was set up on a blind date from hell. (or online date) Tell what happened.

It was a mystery why she __________. Even though it looked suspicious, _____________________. But looks can be deceiving and it wasn’t as innocent as it seemed. What was really happening was….

Across the room I saw him/her/it, he/she/it turned towards me and….

Stranger things have happened than the day that…….

You’re alone in a forest. Describe what you see. (Think outside the box…what type of forest, is what you see real? Are you sick, dehydrated, exhausted? Why are you there?)

Story Setup: (I love these too and there are lots more coming in the next few weeks) Man is shopping with wife for infant items. Man runs into old girlfriend that left him because he was not interested in being married ever, and had no desire for children. Tell about the reaction, the situation, and how he got where he is.

After returning home (you decide where you were), you come into the house and immediately see an item (you decide what) that was not there when you left. (you decide if it was an item moved or an item that “magically” appeared) Tell the story of how it got there, or tell the story about how you figure out how it got there.

It’s the middle of the night and you are sound asleep. You wake up to an awful loud _______ sound (you decide what kind: screeching, groaning, thudding, crashing, knocking, etc.) coming from somewhere in the house. While possibly a bit disoriented, describe how you locate the sound, are you scared, worried, annoyed? When you finally locate the source of the sound, what is it? What happens?

…more coming VERY soon and these will eventually be broken up since not all are actual “writing prompts”!