Creating Your Own Writing Prompts

At the risk of being like the magician who reveals her tricks, I'm going to pull back the curtain and teach you how to create your own writing prompts. It's not as hard as you might think. All you need is an observant eye and a bit of imagination.

Writing prompts provide the writer with a way to jump start a writing session. Sort of like stretching before an aerobics session. Also, when you get stuck for ideas, writing prompts can help prime the pump so to speak. When you hit an impasse writing something different can give your mind the break it needs to work its way around that block. Besides all that, THEY ARE FUN!!!!!!!!!

I wish I could give you a step-by-step method for writing the perfect writing prompt. I can't, but I can give you some principles that will help you develop your own file of exercises so you never have to say, “I don't know what to write about” ever again.

Warning: Don't overthink your writing prompt. There is no right or wrong way to do this. A good writing prompt is anything that gets you to writing. You aren't in high school English class. No one will grade you on your writing prompt. If it isn't fun, do something else.

Randomness

You can build writing prompts around random events. A simple one is to keep a bag of objects next o your desk. Pull one out and start writing a story about it. My bag is full of weird and unusual objects I've picked up over the years in second hand stores. I pretend that I'm an archaeologist, and I found this in a dig. I begin to daydream thinking about what someone in that time and place might have done with it.

Another fun exercise is to make up a bunch of cards with characters on them like “Vampire, school teacher, little girl, soldier, starship captain, etc.”  Pull out two characters at random and begin writing a story about them. It doesn't have to be good or even make much sense. To make this more interesting create another set of cards with settings on them. So you might have a psychiatrist and a space vampire  on a talk show.

What are some ways you can use random events to create writing prompts?  Why not share a few in the comments.

Real Life Observation

Story ideas are all around you. You just have to look for them. One day, I was on my way to an appointment in San Francisco's Civic Center District. As I approached Grove and Van Ness on the corner I saw a pair of sensible, but new, ladies shoes. They sat just like they had been set on a shoe store shelf. A couple of hours later, I returned. Only one shoe remained. There is a story behind that. I don't know what it is, but someday, I'm going to write it.

Keep your eyes open and you will see writing prompts all around you. That elderly couple sitting in the booth next to you at the restaurant holding hands. What is their story? The child escorted onto the plane alone with a name tag like a piece of luggage. Where is she going? An abandoned house once sheltered a family. What happened?

News stories are another source of writing prompts.  A ten-year-old piano prodigy is playing at the local concert hall. What is life like for someone like that? What will it be like 20 years from now?

Sometimes just an interesting character appears. I recently met an old guy in a pet and feed store when I was getting some pet food. He had a shock of white hair and a scraggly white beard. His face was like leather. While finding the pet food, he talked about being in Viet Nam and about his farm and the time when he was raising peacocks. He grumbled good-naturedly about his arthritis, but hefted a 25 pound sack of Friskies into my trunk with ease. Now, let's say I take that guy and put him into a scene in my work in progress. What would he say, do, contribute to the story?

Is there something you have seen or some interesting character you've met recently, that in retrospect might make a good story starter? If so, post a note in the comments and share it with us.

What if...

If you don't already speculate about alternative realities, now is a good time to start. What ifs are wonderful things. For instance, if someone hadn't said, “What if we combine a computer with a video screen we would be spitting out reams of paper online.

For the writer, what ifs create stories. For a good writing prompt, you can go crazy with your what ifs. For instance, What if cats ruled the world?  What if writing had never been invented? What if all the computers stopped working? What if...

If you find yourself stuck on your work-in-progress, what ifs can help break the log jam. What if the doorbell rang? What if the main character won the lottery? What if one of the characters died? What if a tornado ripped through town? You might never use it in your story, but the what ifs can get you writing and maybe reveal more about your characters and your story.

Well, I'm pretty sure you can come up with a lot of what ifs.  Why not post a few in the comments?

Mix and Match

Sometimes to stimulate your creativity you need to mix things up. Bring together unlikely combinations. For instance, vampires are scary creatures of the night who are evil through and through and live dark, mysterious lives. What if you have a teenage vampire, going to high school? Okay, that one is taken, but the idea is that you take two things that don't seem to match and put them together.

Sometimes genre blending is a good way to start. Instead of chick lit, why not chick lit/science fiction. Young innocent girl from an agricultural planet flies off to a commerce planet where she gets a high powered job hanging out with the movers and shakers of the galaxy. Or how about a horror western. Dracula in Tombstone maybe.

What are some ideas you might mix and match to make a writing prompt?  If you have any ideas post them in the comments.

Point of View

Try playing around with point of view. Take a “typical” story and change the POV. For instance, monster stories are usually told from the point of view of the monster hunter. Why not tell it from the point of view of the monster? Other variations could include telling a love story from the point of view of the waiter in the restaurant where the couple meets for dinner, writing an action adventure tale from the point of view of the taxi driver of the cab commandeered by the hero, telling a sword and sorcery story from the point of view of the horse ridden by the hero.

Just a note, sometimes, if you find yourself stuck with a piece of writing, switching point of view can help. For instance, what is the villain's take on what happened in that last scene?

Can you think of a writing prompt in which a shift in point of view can get you thinking differently? Why not post one in the comments?

Role Playing

As children we pretended to be other people. As writers, we do the same in a different way.  Even when writing certain types of nonfiction, you have to imagine your way into someone you are profiling. The only difference is that you have to stick to what is known.

Here are some great ways to role play:
Write a blog  or diary in the persona of your character.

Write a series of letters or emails from your character to a friend

Interview your character.

What other ways can you “get into the head” of your character?

Are there other ways you can think of to create your own writing prompts? Post your ideas below.

This is adapted from Creative Calisthenics: The Ultimate Workout for the Writers Imagination. Email me to receive a free e-copy of the book (A Five Dollar Value) as well as an anthology of Carolyn Masters Mysteries calledLunar Calendar including one story never before published introducing a pintsized genius and a robotic cat, an exclusive excerpt from Dark Side of the Moon, and a $20 pre-launch discount on premium upgrades to courses offered on the new EducationWantsToBeFree.com website. For complete details of this special offer good through November 30, email me atwebservant2003@gmail.com and put “Free Book” in the subject line. 

What a Character: The Creative Calisthenic Way to Build Great Characters

Be sure to read through to the end for a special offer from Education Wants to be Free.





A story stripped of everything else is simply some people doing something somewhere. But notice the construction of that sentence. The people come first. Without well developed characters acting in character, your writing will be stilted and lack realism. 


Here are a few exercises to help you develop great characters:


Background Check

Read to the end to find out how to get your copy

If you find yourself wondering what your character might do next, then you may need to get to know your character better. Try this exercise. Pretend that your character is under investigation by the police as a "person of interest." The detective turns to his sidekick and says, "Run a background check on ___" What would they find? 


What's their credit like?
What are some of their past jobs?
What's their education?
Were they ever arrested? For what?
Where did they live before the start of the story?
Do they have relatives? Who are they? Where do they live?
What organizations do they belong to?
How many times have they been married? 
Do they have children? Grandchildren?
What are their hobbies?
What awards have they won? 
Where do they work? 
Where did they work in the past?


You get the idea. Even if none of this goes into the story itself, it helps you understand that character. That understanding will make it easier to know how that character will respond when he or she gets into some sticky situation.


Home Beautiful


Everybody has to live somewhere. Whether it is a mansion on Nob Hill or a cardboard box in the Tenderloin, it's home to somebody. Where does your character live? Here are three ideas for bringing your characters home to the readers.


Create a Floor Plan.  What direction does you character turn when leaving the kitchen for the living room? Is her bedroom at the rear of the house? Is his study so close to the kitchen he can smell the roast cooking in the oven? A simple way to keep track is to draw a simple floor plan of the house. You can base it on a real floor plan or create your own. If you want to get fancy about it, you can buy computer programs that will help you lay out your rooms complete with furniture. 


Decorating style.  Describe your character's decorating style. Is it ultra-modern, colonial or country cozy. Maybe it's eclectic. Maybe it's just a jumble of stuff s/he likes. How does your character feel about the décor? Is the husband happy with his wife's choices for his study? Is the wife happy about her decision to let her husband decorate the den? How does the parent feel about the posters of pop stars adorning the walls of their teenage daughter's room?


Real Estate Brochure.  Pretend that your main characters are selling their home. Write up a brochure. Cut pictures out of magazines to illustrate the rooms. What are the big selling points for the home? Large backyard? Pool? Close to schools? 


Find the Emotion Inside You


You have probably heard of method acting where the actor finds in himself or herself the emotions the character is feeling and uses that to create a depiction of that character. Well, that's a good way to understand the emotions of your characters as well. 


 It starts with a sense memory of an event. Let's say your character is being chased by bad guys. S/he is running for his or her life. Take a piece of paper and write down a detailed description of some time when you were terribly scared of something. Be specific. What were your feelings? Did you heart pound? Did you perspire? What did the perspiration feel like? Smell like? Taste like? What about your breathing. Since your character is running, remember a time when you were running (whether you were running from someone or not) what was that like? Pain in the balls of the foot, blisters, limping, perspiration burning the eyes? 


Once you have those memories clearly in mind, write the scene, drawing on those experiences. 


Help Wanted: Great Characters


Here's something that happens to a lot of fiction writers. We come up with a great premise and a bit of a plot, but then we realize that plots and premises are fine, but it's people who make the story go forward. Even when we have a good idea of what the main characters might be like, we have the supporting cast and a whole host of "bit parts." To help get a good idea of what these characters are like write a help wanted announcement.  Here's one for my work in progress which takes place in an underground settlement on the moon which looks a lot like a small town. 


Wanted: proprietor of a general store on the moon. Must be conversant with the odds and ends of daily life. From everyday china to hammers, nails, screwdrivers, screws and umbrellas. Your job is to keep people supplied with what they need. You should also be able to deliver a little folksy wisdom. If people underestimate you or consider you eccentric all the better. Some side work as a spy may be included in your duties. 


A follow up to this exercise would be to write out a series of interview questions for different "applicants" for the job. What would they list as their qualifications, prior jobs, hobbies, skills, etc. It can be a different and enjoyable way to create a backstory. 


Award Dinner 


I came up with this one while talking to one of the other speech instructors at the college. One of the assignments she gives her students is to prepare a presentation speech for an awards banquet. I thought, "What a great idea for developing a fiction character?" 
One of your characters is receiving an award. What award is it? Who presents it to him/her? What does the presenter say about the recipient? How does your character feel about the award? What does he or she say when accepting the award?


Now, try your hand at one or more of these. Share your results. Also share ways you get to know your characters.


This is adapted from Creative Calisthenics: The Ultimate Workout for the Writers Imagination. Email me to receive a free e-copy of the book (A Five Dollar Value) as well as an anthology of Carolyn Masters Mysteries called Lunar Calendar including one story never before published introducing a pintsized genius and a robotic cat, an exclusive excerpt from Dark Side of the Moon, and a $20 pre-launch discount on premium upgrades to courses offered on the new EducationWantsToBeFree.com website. For complete details of this special offer good through November 30, email me at webservant2003@gmail.com and put “Free Book” in the subject line.