Everyone needs a little help every now and then including writers. That's where our trusty friends, writing prompts, come in handy!!
We already talked about what a writing prompt is here, now lets look at the top 5 reasons you may consider using a writing prompt.
Whether you are creating a short story or novel, doing a writing assignment for class, or even flash fiction on your blog, writing prompts or story starters are proven to be very beneficial to help jump-start your imagination.
Reason #1
Our number one enemy: Writer's Block!
I notice that when I'm not reading a lot or I slack up on watching TV shows and movies, my creativity level is lower. A lot of writers get ideas from other books, stories, shows, movies and even the news articles. But sometimes you just get so busy just writing, you slack on entertaining yourself. Using writing prompts can help you overcome this temporary, yet frustrating, issue of writer's block especially if you need something in a hurry. A simple Google search, and viola, you have a great idea to work from!
Reason #2
Reeve up your writing engine!
A writing prompt could be used for some writers like a cup of coffee. Some people, even non-writers, just can't function without that cup of Joe in the mornings. A creative writing prompt can help get your engine running and get you into the writing mode for the day.
Reason #3
Inspire creativity!
A creative writing prompt in a genre that you don't normally write in is a great way to test out your skills. If you enjoy reading mystery/thrillers but don't know exactly how to start your story; search for a writing prompt in that genre to get your creative juices flowing. I for one enjoy those type of stories and shows, so when I was creating my eBook, 50 Mystery/Thriller Story Starters, I was able to pull inspiration from things I read or heard in the past.
Reason #4
Getting in the habit of writing!
According to experts it takes anyone 21 days of doing a certain task to actually make it a habit. So if you want to get in the habit of writing, which you should want to if you are intending to make a career out of this (ha!) then try picking out 21 writing prompts or story starters to write from for 5-10 minutes a day! If you want something even more challenging try writing a 500 words or less story from a simple word or a title, daily for 21 days. I found a title generator online that could help you with this challenge: http://mdbenoit.com/rtg.htm
Reason #5
Last but not least...Practice makes Perfect!
Well, no one is perfect but practicing does make you better! The more you practice writing the better you become, the faster you become, and more comfortable you become with writing in general.
I'm just beginning my professional writing career as a fiction author, although I've been writing poetry for many years, and I am going to start using writing prompts here on my blog to hone my skills at writing fiction stories. I like the idea of Flash Fiction so I will be incorporating that into my blog every month. So you will get a chance to see how I use writing prompts and hopefully it will inspire you as well!
Check out these story starters to get you started:
50 Drama Story Starters (free download)
50 Romance Story Starters (free download)
50 Mystery/Thriller Story Starters (free download)
100 Story Starters (available at Amazon)
Happy Writing!
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