Writing Prompts

Even the best authors sometimes use prompts to help motivate them and get their creative juices flowing. A writing prompt is simply a topic around which you write. It can be a word or sentence, a paragraph or picture. It may even be an item. The purpose of a prompt is to inspire you to write and it gives your writing a focus. The interesting thing about writing prompts is that no matter how many people use the same prompt, the finished product is always unique.

You may have used writing prompts before in an English class or maybe you were a part of a writing community that used them. They can be pretty helpful, right? If you have been feeling as though you aren’t writing as much or maybe you have writer’s block or you just cannot seem to take your writing to the next level, a prompt can help push you. Below are a few writing prompts I have created as well as a short list of sites and places you can always find more.

Poetry Writing Prompts

• Write a poem about something the speaker sees in a window they are passing.
• Write a poem without capitalization or punctuation.
• Think about your favorite food, write a sonnet to it.

Creative Nonfiction Prompts

• Write about a time you lied to cover up a mistake.
• Recall a childhood friend, write about your favorite memory with them.
• Write a to-do list that covers everything you hope to accomplish in the next year or so.

Fiction Prompts

• A character goes into their backyard and finds a suitcase. Write a story about what’s inside.
• Write a story from the perspective of the stuffed animal that has been passed down through your family.
• You are stuck in a boring situation and you have to keep yourself awake, how do you do it?
• Look at the item to your right. Create a narrative that features that item.

Do any of these prompts interest you? Try them out and tell us about it below in the comments. And feel free to use #wocwritingcircle if you post on social media!

Sites to go to For More Prompts

There are hundreds if not dozens of sites out there that give amazing prompts. Since we obviously cannot list all of them, here are four that we suggest.

Reedsy. Reedsy Prompts has over 700 prompts for you to try tailored to every genre there is. They even have a newsletter specifically for their prompts so if you are looking for a steady stream of ideas, it’s a great thing to sign up for.

Poets & Writers. Poets & Writers is one of the most amazing sites a writer can sign up for. And while it has a magazine, you can access much of their content for free online. They also have a separate email list for prompts called The Time Is Now.

Writer’s Digest. Writer’s Digest is the perfect place for new info on the publishing industry, it also lists author events, agents and more. One other cool feature is their exhaustive number of writing prompts.

Think Written. Think Written is a fun and cute site that anyone can access for free. With 365 prompts, you can be writing about something new everyday! You can even download the prompts and cross them off the list as you go.

What sites do you swear by when it comes to writing prompts?

Written by Chyina Powell