Writing Prompts
On occasion, I find that I’ve hit a wall in writing a work-in-progress. Those times can be entirely frustrating (and infuriating, to boot). Finding and using writing prompts to help guide me back to where I want to be is one of the ways I get around this. Below are some of the ways that using prompts to solve various writing problems has proven beneficial to me. What are you talking about, you crazy person, what is a Prompt? I’ve placed myself in several, vastly different, writing communities across the internet. From those communities, I’ve found a handful of places where the members do Writing Challenges and Duels based off of a prompt. However, I’ve also written private prompts for self-use. Of course, on the websites the Prompt-starter typically offers prizes like reviews and pretty graphics for the winners. A prompt is a topic to start writing off of. A prompt can be as specific or relaxed as you ‘d like. For example, a prompt could simply be: Write a story of any length, any genre, for any audience that incorporates a plot twist.
In this prompt, there are little limitations to what you could write, so long as the variable of the plot twist is included.
On the other hand, a prompt could be extremely complex, like: Write a story between 500 and 6,000 words, incorporates either the Sci-Fi or Epic Fantasy genre, and is intended for Young Adult audiences. Include in your story two (2) of the five (5) elements listed: a love-triangle, time-travel, cooking, a war, or a mysterious blue light. Please include a Coming-of-Age theme in your piece.
This prompt requires incorporating a lot more elements, but it already gives you some strict guidelines on what should be happening in your story.
Prompts, of course, can come in any form, including a Graphics prompt — where it’s the story writer’s job to construct a story from the images in a picture. How do I use them to assist my own writing? Other than for practice and fun, I’ve used prompts to help me out in my work-in-progress problems. Character Conundrum: Though I’m always one to plot out my characters, because knowing them inside and out is helpful (to me) when using them with my plots, there are plenty of occasions they are not doing what I want. I try to look for, or come up with, prompts that aren’t character specific. So, if I take that second prompt, I can then write a short story using my misbehaving character. This allows me to displace my character, and taking them out of their natural element as a raw outline always helps me solve my problems. I throw that character into a 3,000 word, YA Sci-Fi piece about cooking during a war, while incorporating Coming-of-Age, then I can begin to see my character in a new light. It could have been that a character was becoming buried beneath my plot, or maybe they were even just underdeveloped. Seeing them somewhere else while following the rules of their personality is incredibly helpful. Plot Problems So, I’ve created this wonderfully fantastic world, placed all of my characters in it, and I’ve designed my plot to go from point A to point Z. Suddenly, I find myself at point G and have no idea how to move forward to get to the next point that will lead me to that end point. Sometimes, it’s a bit of writer’s block. Sometimes, it’s because I need to step back from my story for a moment. When this happens, I try to grab any prompt. I find that writing a short story (usually under 10K words) from a prompt that I find interesting, helps me rejuvenate those creative juices and gives a much-needed break from the typical. Other times, it’s because I can’t see the bigger picture. In this instance, I’ll look for prompts that allow me to take away my world and characters, but still follow my basic plot principals. This one is particularly fun, especially if you begin writing characters who aren’t like your characters in your WIP. Then, you’ll be able to compare motivations and actions of the characters and how it interacts with and/or alters the plot or character, and you can move forward from there. On other occasions, it’s because I’ve lost inspiration for what I’m writing. In this instance, I would find a plot-lead prompt that allows me to use both my world and my characters. This way, I’ve created an alternate universe that allows me to see my characters interacting in my world, but under a different premise. At this point, I’d be able to rekindle my love for my world and my characters, as this generally helps re-inspire me. Smaller Scale Sometimes I have one specific issue in my story — perhaps only one conflict that’s not quite right. Following the same ideas as above, I could use a prompt to either bring new characters into this one conflict, bring a new reason or resolution to the conflict, or add a new element to the conflict. The introductions of new elements, I have found exceptionally helpful. Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone I’ve found that using prompts can be helpful in writing growth in general. Find prompts about certain areas that you’re having problems with. For example, if you find yourself falling a little flat in the Details department, find or construct a prompt that is detail-oriented. Or if you’re having difficulties writing in the genre Romance, but would like to get better at it (even if it’s to use lightly within another genre), then find or construct a prompt that is Romance-oriented. Final Thoughts These kinds of writing exercises might not work for everyone, but they certainly help me. It’s important to recognize that, as writers, we never stop growing. There will always be areas that we can get better at, and new tips and tricks to learn. Keep Growing, and Happy Writing!