Writing Prompts to Get You Over a Slump

A cemetary in Daufuskie Island, S.C. 

While you may be one of those writers who has ideas flowing out of her ears, chances are you’ve also had your fair share of writer’s block. Or maybe you’re like me and have a tough time prioritizing your work in a way that gives you time to work on creative writing. When you do get a spare moment, you’re so determined not to let that precious writing time slip away that you don’t know where to start.

When this happens, why not try working with a few writing prompts to get the ideas flowing? You never know what you’ll come up with—and you may even turn one of these free writing sessions into a piece that you can sell or publish, or develop the start of a new manuscript! Here are a few ideas to get you started. (In the spirit of it being the month of October, some of these may be a little on the creepy side.)

• You go on a camping trip with your family and spend the night under the stars. When you wake up the next morning, you find that you are the only one left at the campsite, and there’s no evidence that anyone else was ever there. What do you do?

• You get a text message on your phone that reads: “I see your bedroom light is still on. Does that mean you’re still up?”

• Tell the story of your very first heartbreak.

• You are lost in a graveyard, and can’t seem to find your way out.

• A dream journal sits on your nightstand. One morning you open it to find an entry written in a handwriting you don’t recognize. It reads, “I’ll see you again in your dreams . . . soon.”

• Describe your idea of a perfect day.

• Summoned to jury duty,  you walk into the room of potential jurors and find they are all clowns.

• You have globophobia—the fear of balloons.

• Standing with him in the rain, she realized she loved him.

• My favorite movie is [fill in the blank], because . . .

Now it’s time to get even more creative! Using one of these prompts, write an introductory paragraph in these comment section. I can’t wait to see what you come up with.

Jeanette Charlet Photography

Renee Roberson is a freelance writer and editor who dabbles in many different forms of writing, and who probably began reading Stephen King way too early. Visit her website at FinishedPages.com.