Need something to prompt your muse? Feeling a little uninspired? Try one of these writing prompts.

1. What if there were no energy worries at all. Someone discovers a cheap, safe source of energy. What happens?
2. A runaway teen returns to her home to confront her ________ about __________.
3. Think of one piece of technology that most people use daily and then imagine what the world would be like if it had never been invented.
4. A woman meets the man she’s always dreamed of and refuses to marry him.
5. Three men walk into a bar.
6. A teacher gets a 3 a.m. phone call from a student he taught several years ago and hasn’t heard from since.
7. Take a character from history you like and transplant him/her to the modern world.
8. A woman permits her child to be molested for years. Why?
9. It’s 9:44 p.m. and _________ doesn’t know where ___________ is.
10. What’s one item you still have from your childhood? Why did you keep it?
11. In order to stop world poverty and hunger, a mad scientist decides to kill three fourths of the world’s population.
12. A young man goes off to college and finds that he doesn’t fit in, although he was popular in high school.
13. A __________ year old learns she’s pregnant.
14. You have to barricade yourself in your home with several of your neighbors for a week or more.
15. An abused wife returns to her dying ex-husband to confront him.

Image Courtesy of Kiwanja

It’s been a while since we did any writing prompts, so I thought it would be fun to do a few.

1. What was the best summer vacation you ever had?
2. What did you like best about summer break?
3. What did you miss most, or least, about school?
4. When did you see the ocean for the first time?

Here are a couple story starters as well.

1. Janice pulled her ragged flannel shirt tighter around her middle despite the oppressive heat. The bus wasn’t crowded, and she found a seat near the middle. It smelled of sweat and perfume and reminded her of her mother.
2. When Frank opened the door to his apartment, he sensed something was wrong. He flipped on the too-bright lights. Everything seemed in order, even the change he had left on the table was untouched. The refrigerator hummed softly, and he watched as his cat padded across the linoleum.

While we’re at it, let’s get outside and do some writing. No need to stay couped us, is there?

Shadow of a Writing Hand

Originally uploaded by lowjumpingfrog

Sometimes I need a little boost in the creativity department, and I thought this would be a fun post that didn’t involve tricking anyone.

Here are a few opening lines to play around with.

1. Terasa had to stifle a laugh as Ted undressed.
2. Jason pushed the tray of fries across the counter and winced as he asked, “Did you want fries with that?”
3. Dr. Oberman passed out the exam, “There are questions on this that even I don’t know the answer to.” Continue reading →

Since I’ve been sick, I’ve been struggling to pull myself back onto schedule. My creativity feels like it’s at an all-time low. It’s amazing how much physically feeling rotten has affected my writing.

So, here are a few tips I’ve come up with to help.

• Don’t be too hard on yourself. After all, when you’re sick, you’re supposed to take it easy, right? This one is hard for me; I want to push myself to get right back into things as soon as possible.
• Take better care of yourself physically. That means sleeping enough, eating right, etc.
• If you’re feeling up to it, get outside. Even if you just sit on the porch for a while, being outdoors can be a big help.
• Take yourself out. Go to dinner, the mall, a bookstore, anywhere you enjoy. Grab a coffee and watch the people. Take a notebook with you and jot down any ideas that come to mind.
• Ask for help. Whether it’s housework or your writing, ask for the help you need so you don’t feel overwhelmed.
• Tackle easier tasks first, if possible. I’ve been spending more time writing than editing, for example.
• Do something creative. This doesn’t have to be writing-related. You can knit, paint, draw, cook, whatever you enjoy. Once you start feeling creative again, it will carry over into your writing.
• Dig into your journal, notes, etc. This is a great time to pull out ideas you’ve been fermenting for a while. Since you’ve already been mulling it over, it will be easier to jump in and get started.
• Take some time to relax and read. Grab a novel, some blogs, a magazine, whatever. The relaxation is as likely to help as the material itself.
• Do something you haven’t done in a while (or ever). Again, this doesn’t have to be writing-related to be helpful.
• Take a nap. The rest will help, but that isn’t the main point. Put a notebook by your bed and tell yourself that you’ll remember, and write down, your dreams. With practice, you’ll find that you do it more and more regularly. I’ve written a couple stories loosely based on dreams I’ve had.
• Watch some television. Think about the basic plot line of the show you’re watching and how it could be changed. What would happen if the characters were moved to another place, time, etc? What if you changed their genders or their ages?
• Check the news. There are usually lots of interesting stories out there, if you avoid the mainstream media. Try news sites that cater to a specific niche, or use Google News to search for news with specific keywords.

If you’re struggling to find that creative spark, then I hope these tips help you. They’ve helped me over the last week!

…when you don’t know what to write about.

We’ve all had those times when we’re feeling particularly uninspired. When I’m under stress, my creativity seems to dry up. Whether it’s fiction or blogging or something else, it’s tough to find that inspiration again.

Here are some tips you might find useful — I do.

Blogging 

1. Look back through your older posts. Expand on an idea you had earlier.
2. Explain how to do something.
3. Explain how not to do something.
4. Write a list of quick tips.
5. Look through your most popular posts and put up a list of them.
6. Write another post along the same subject as one of your most popular posts.
7. Read some other bloggers for inspiration.
8. Write a response to another blogger’s post in your own blog.
9. Address some reader question.
10. Write a post for new readers. I know I sometimes forget that my readers aren’t all long-timers. Give a quick intro to your blog, best posts, subscribing to RSS, etc.
11. Post a list of your favorite blogs to read.
12. Point out some good posts on other sites. Other bloggers will appreciate the links (and maybe reciprocate).
13. Talk about your traffic numbers and how things are going.
14. Go through your pictures directory and post something. Everyone likes pictures!
15. Get personal. Even if your blog is usually strictly on topic, write a quick note about what’s going on in your life.
16. Tell something funny that’s happened to you lately.
17. Talk about a blogging mistake you’ve made and what you learned from it.
18. Complain about something (or someone). Go on, you know it’ll make you feel better.
19. Tell your readers about your typical day.
20. Document an overheard conversation.

Fiction

1. Take a minor character and write a short story about him or her.
2. Use a person you know as a starting point for a character.
3. Borrow the first sentence or paragraph from your favorite novel. Continue on to write it as you want and ditch the borrowed material when you’re finished.
4. Take a story you like and summarize the plot in one sentence. (Ex. Romeo and Juliet becomes, Boy meets girl, families disapprove, lovers die.) Now, change an aspect of the plot and use it as a start for a story.
5. Stuck with your novel? Get in your character’s head for a day. What does his/her typical day look like? Where does he go, what does he eat, who are his friends?
6. Create a character whose personality doesn’t match her situation. For example, maybe a shy girl who dresses provocatively and parties a lot. Or an aggressive business man who’s afraid to ask out a woman he likes.
7. Check out the news, particularly the science pages, and write some ‘what-ifs’. What if I could get a robot to do my housework (be still my heart!)? What if cloned meat has some horrific side effect?
8. History buff? Try some more ‘what-ifs’. What if women didn’t have the right to vote? What if we had never fought in Vietnam? What if Neaderthals had survived in their own society alongside ours?
9. Write something different than you normally do. Write in a different genre, for a different group, etc.
10. Stuck in your novel? Brainstorm some endings, the more off-beat the better. Sometimes your ideas will turn the novel in just the direction it needs to go.

What creativity tricks do you use when you’re stuck? It happens to us all, so share!