Need help with getting in the writing mood? Try a writing prompt! There are a wide variety of writing prompts to choose from. Pick one that sounds interesting to you or one that peaks your interest! You can find writing prompts in a variety of places from Pinterest ( here are a few: https://www.pinterest.com/dashawallaceauthor/writing-prompts/) to just looking on google. There are even a few writing prompt generators (https://www.servicescape.com/writing-prompt-generator ) that you can use. You can even come up with stories for random pictures on google. Once you find the prompt you want to do just set a timer for however long you want it to be (5 min, 10 mins, and 15 mins are average you’re not writing a novel your just getting your creative juices running) Then just let yourself write.
Reminders
- Don’t worry about spelling or grammar mistakes. Its for brainstorming, not publishing.
- Try something new. This is something fun, and lets you do something that you don’t normally do, who knows maybe you will find out something new about yourself.
- Be as crazy as you want to. The point of this is to get your creativity moving. Why restrain yourself?
Writing prompts
Here are a few writing prompts to try.
- What the dog did (What did the dog do? Did he poop in the house? Or is he an alien from outerspace?)
- Start the story with someone having their height marked on the doorframe (Is this a funny experience from a child? Or is this seen from an adult’s perspective?)
- Try a picture prompt! What does this picture make you think of?
Examples
What the dog did:
“Bruno, what did you do?” Chelsea had come home from work and her dog hadn’t come running to her like he normally did. Instead, he whimpered in the corner. Something he only did when he did something naughty.
“Bruno. Come here.”
The chocolate lab came towards her, tail drooping. Kneeling down Chelsea looked to dog over to see if any evidence was left on him. Has she look him over nothing strange jumped out at her. Seeing that nothing was going to get solved there she headed further inside the Livingroom, here eyes roving over everything to see if anything was out of place. All of the couch cushions, tv remotes, and lamps were still in their places.
Moving forward she then entered the kitchen. All cupboards were shut and there were no dirty footprints on the floor. She looked back at the dog his dark tail not wagging, and head nearly to the floor in shame. The dog definatly did something, but as she went through the last rooms nothing was out of place or ruined, and so she finished going about her day. She ate her mac and cheese dinner, took her shower, and got dressed for bed. She let the dog out one last time before heading to her room.
Normally when she went to her room Bruno was the one leading the way, but still he let out a whine when he looked at her.
“What did you do, Bruno?”
Sighing she got to her bed and headed under covers. She turned to look at Bruno who was shuffling near her the foot of the bed.
“Last chance to come clean. No? Alright then. Goodnight then Bruno.”
Chelsea turned off her lamp and laid down. It was then when a foul smell hit her nose. She sprung out of bed and turned on the light. With the covers off and the lamp on it had revealed what Bruno had done.
Start the story with someone marking their hight on the doorframe:
He marked his height on the door frame. It was a ragged line from his trembling hands. This would be the last time he was in this house before it would be torn down. Jake marked the line with the date. 9/12/2020. Covid had so much damage that they could no loger afford the house. They were forced to sell it to Walmart to build their next supermart. As if they didn’t have enough of those. Who builds in the middle of an epidemic?
Jake capped the pen. Then set it on top of the door frame were it always sat. Let those bozos from the corperation take care of it. He looked down the frame with its many marks of both him and the rest of his family. He ran his finger over each mark remembering when he marked each one. Sally 3/2/2004 when she lost her tooth from her brothers hitting her in the face with a ball, and her proudly presenting it before him as a warriors badge. Jeff 5/18/2006 his fingers were dirt smudge when he marked that line after winning his first baseball tournament, Sally would always say it was because he practiced with her was why he was so good. William 9/22/2010 when he graduated from high school and left to go to college. He gave it one last pat had he wander through the house reminiscing about all that had happened there. THe living room where William had been born, far sooner than they had expected. The kitchen that he and his wife had danced in when they first bought the house. The bedroom where they used to lay on only a mattress because they couldn’t afford the full set. The bathroom where the pipes burst and he had tried to fix it because it was his job as the man of the house. The foyer when he heard the news that his wife had been sent to the hospital for a bad cold, and new news that she had passed a weak later due to covid. Jake cover his face with his hands. What was he going to do now? At least William was living on his own, but he still had to take care of sally and jeff still had another year od high shool. Where were they going to live? But it was too late now already he could hear the truck from the contractors ready to force him to leave. And beside he had to pick up his kids from his mothers place. It would have to do for now.
He took the steps out of the house and he lock the house for the last time. With shaky hand he passed it to the worker. Passing over his life to a man who was going to nock it down in a few minutes. Taking a deep breath he went to his kids to rebuild his life once more.
Picture:
What are some story prompts you came up with?
