9 Creative Writing Prompts
There are many ways writers find inspiration for writing a story. Here are nine more.
An Inspiration Kit for Your Writing
Here’s a list I’ve compiled with some fun ways (hopefully) to get writing when you’re stuck or need a warm-up.
Something Someone Said
Make notes of snippets of conversations you overhear. This is hard during the pandemic as so many of you aren’t able to get out much. I find radio shows are good, podcasts, or reality tv. Write down the things people say that stick in your head. Write from there. See what happens.
An Old Photograph
Does someone you know have an old family album? One of those old ones with actual physical photos stuck in. Choose a picture of someone from your family you never knew.
Write about them.
Someone Else’s Grocery List
Your parent or flatmate or partner leaves their shopping list out on the counter.
There’s a story there amongst all those seemingly disparate items.
A Smell
It could be a good smell or a bad smell. Smell conjures up powerful memories for all of us much more than all of our other senses.
It’s as if the memory of that smell has buried itself into our bodies.
A Map
Find a map of somewhere you’ve never been before. It could be a walking tour city map or a more general country map detailing populations or geographical interests.
What do those unfamiliar names and places generate for you?
An Illustration From an Old Book
Is there a book you loved as a child? Either a picture book from when you learned to read or one with a cover you’ve never forgotten. Do you still have it?
Write from the point of view of someone or something that is dominant in the image.
A Piece of Clothing
Clothing can be very evocative of a particular time in your life or a special event. Or it could be an outfit your mother/father wore. Who is the person in the clothing you’re thinking about?
Write about them.
Someone’s Pet
Did you have a pet as a child? Or maybe you weren’t allowed one. Or maybe your best friend had a dog/cat/guinea pig/snake/tortoise you loved. Or maybe you were able to take home the class hamster for a week.
Write about the experience of connecting with an animal that isn’t human.
Look Out of the Window
We’re all a lot more stuck inside than we’re used to at the moment. Are you looking out of the windows more? Describe what you see. Did something happen that meant you couldn’t stop watching? Or is the scene outside stuck in a time warp, unchanging?
Write how that is for you.
