The power of writing prompts

A playful way to get unstuck

You’ve been sitting at your desk all day and now you’re feeling a little stiff.

You might be tempted to pour yourself a beverage and just hit the couch. A better strategy? (We all know this, right?) A quick walk around the block, or a few quick stretches or jumping jacks on the living room floor renews our energy and chases away those tight shoulders. Movement is the antidote for lethargy. It doesn’t have to be complicated or intense—just something to redirect your body and mind.

Photo by Jonathan Borba: https://www.pexels.com

As a writer, do you ever feel that same sort of stiffness—but mentally? You hate to admit it, but you’re feeling a little stuck. Your creativity seizes up and just won’t flow.

Friend, I’ve got your back here.

Writers get blocked or stuck all the time. The secret to getting unstuck is easy: just write. Just as movement banishes our physical stiffness, just putting pen to paper can release our creativity.

But what to write? We stare at the blank page, flummoxed. We start, delete, start again. Ideas come like clouds and dissipate before we can type them up.

Maybe I’m the only one who struggles with this? I doubt it. But I had this idea: over the next few weeks, let’s play with prompts.

What is a writing prompt?

A writing prompt is a one or three sentence question or “set up” that introduces and focuses a writing topic. It’s an open-ended, intriguing question to launch a quick writing exercise. It motivates you because it asks you to write about a very specific topic. In my work as a writing coach, I find prompts and well-crafted questions help writers find freedom and productivity.

A writing prompt is not usually directly related to the book you’re writing. It’s an exercise to stretch your writing muscles. It can be as simple as “write about your favorite childhood toy” or “write about a time when you found yourself in the middle of mysterious situation.”

Google writing prompts and you’ll find a bunch.

In my search on the internet for writing prompts, I stumbled across some on Reedsy. Turns out they have a short story contest going. Respond to one of their prompts with a short story (1000-3000 words) and you could win $250. Talk about finding your motivation! I’m thinking of doing this, even though short story is outside my normal genre. Anyone want to join me? Details are here.

Want a free critique?

If a writing contest feels like too much, I’ve got an option for you:  Over the next couple of months, I’m going to posting writing prompts on the Powerful Story Facebook page. Hop over there (click here) to find the first prompt and follow the page to make sure you get notified of new ones. I’ll post at least three a week.

What if we used writing prompts to move our writing forward, but also to encourage one another?

Try writing up to 500 words in response to one of the prompts on the Facebook page. If you’d like some free feedback on what you write, just leave what you’ve written as a comment on the Facebook page. I’ll give a free confidential review of 500 words to the first three of you who respond. (Don’t worry, it will be encouraging and focus on your strengths) I’ll share the best responses here in our Substack community. (With the writer’s permission, of course.)

So, to review:

• Visit the Powerful Story Facebook page here.

• Write a 500 word response to any prompt that’s posted there.

• Drop it in the comments on Facebook or here on Substack.

• I’ll send you a private message with feedback.

• If you’re willing, we can share responses here on Substack so our community can read and encourage one another!

Let’s play with prompts and help one another get unstuck!

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