Creativity Coaching | Prompts, Contact, Writing, Fiction

Writing Prompts

Classified: Find a classified advertisement (looking for love, looking for the perfect Volkswagen, looking to sell a collection of wigs... it doesn't matter), and begin to write a scene in which your protagonist finds a person who promises to fulfill the character's desire but doesn't quite deliver.
Artsy: Go to a (virtual) museum or gallery, pick a piece of artwork, and write for twenty minutes straight. See what happens. (This is called ekphrastic writing.)
Animals: Write a day-in-the-life story from the perspective of your dog or cat or lizard.
Copycat: Open your favorite book to a random page and pick a sentence. Write it down and then keep going, see where it takes you. At the end, delete the original sentence (no one wants to get sued).
Revenge writing: If there's a person in your life you can't stand, write a story with this person as your protagonist.
Build a character: Just start listing physical characteristics (height, weight, sad eyes, brown hair) then list other details (professional golfer, loyal, drinks a bit too much). Keep going until you have a comprehensive list. Finally, change the gender of this character you've created. Write!
Experiential: Attend an (online) event you wouldn't ordinarily attend, such as a drag basketball game or a Cirque du Soleil performance. Take note of what happens in the game/performance, and use this as the backdrop as you write about a criminal who went to the same performance to hideout.
Childhood home: This one's simple: describe your childhood home in as much detail as possible. Pick one of the spaces in your home that meant something to you and write about why.
Opposites: Write about someone who is the polar opposite of you in every way. What is a day in the life of this person like?
Pre-Insta Famous: Write a short story set in the 1980s based on someone who is an Instagram star today. Write about how this person's life would be different with no social media outlet.
Emotional: Use what you've got. We all have emotions, and when all else fails, I recommend tapping them from new material. Check in with your most dominant emotion today. What is it? What is the story behind it? What is the story behind that story?

Meditations to help you break blocks:

Silencing the inner critic: 8 minutes | https://insighttimer.com/jen_knox/guided-meditations/silence-the-inner-critic-a-fun-visualization

Connect to inner wisdom: 9 minutes | https://insighttimer.com/jen_knox/guided-meditations/connect-to-inner-wisdom-meditation-and-affirmations

Peace & Perspective with Writing: 15 minutes | https://insighttimer.com/jen_knox/guided-meditations/cultivate-peace-with-meditative-writing

Podcasts about writing to keep you on track:

https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ncw-podcast/

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Writing Prompts​

Artsy: Go to a (virtual) museum or gallery, pick a piece of artwork, and write for twenty minutes straight. See what happens. (This is called ekphrastic writing.)

Animals: Write a day-in-the-life story from the perspective of your dog or cat or lizard.

Copycat: Open your favorite book to a random page and pick a sentence. Write it down and then keep going, see where it takes you. At the end, delete the original sentence (no one wants to get sued).

Revenge writing: If there's a person in your life you can't stand, write a story with this person as your protagonist.

Build a character: Just start listing physical characteristics (height, weight, sad eyes, brown hair) then list other details (professional golfer, loyal, drinks a bit too much). Keep going until you have a comprehensive list. Finally, change the gender of this character you've created. Write!

Experiential: Attend an (online) event you wouldn't ordinarily attend, such as a drag basketball game or a Cirque du Soleil performance. Take note of what happens in the game/performance, and use this as the backdrop as you write about a criminal who went to the same performance to hideout.

Childhood home: This one's simple: describe your childhood home in as much detail as possible. Pick one of the spaces in your home that meant something to you and write about why.

Opposites: Write about someone who is the polar opposite of you in every way. What is a day in the life of this person like?

Pre-Insta Famous: Write a short story set in the 1980s based on someone who is an Instagram star today. Write about how this person's life would be different with no social media outlet.

Emotional: Use what you've got. We all have emotions, and when all else fails, I recommend tapping them from new material. Check in with your most dominant emotion today. What is it? What is the story behind it? What is the story behind that story?

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Writing Prompts