Writing Prompts: The Way to Beat Writer’s Block

If you feel like you can’t continue writing – academic or creative – and nothing feels right about the work you are trying to complete, then you are probably facing writing block. Some students, writers, journalists, bloggers, and content creators can’t even start writing another piece because they have no ideas or words to express themselves. In order to beat writer’s block, you can try writing prompts as a useful and effective technique that boosts creativity and allows you to cope with the fear of a blank page.

How Do Writing Prompts Work?

Sometimes you just put too much effort into thinking about the topic or phrasing. Prompts allow you to write without much thinking, thus letting the creative juices flow without any obstacles. As you are working on your prompt, you can suddenly get a great idea or start feeling much more enthusiastic about the process of writing itself. 

It is also great to use writing prompts as a way to cope with procrastination. Whenever you don’t feel like writing an essay because it takes effort, time, and research, writing a prompt can get you in the right mood. Even if you don’t have much spare time, you can try free writing for 10-15 minutes and it still will help a lot. Free writing is just like prompt writing but has no particular topic, thus can be as irrelevant and illogical as you want. Write anything that comes to your mind and be sure to express yourself through writing and transform the mess in your head into the mess on paper.

Writing Prompts Ideas 

So, if you would love to implement writing prompts into your routine in order to improve your creativity or writing skills and cope with writer’s block, you will definitely love the following list of writing prompts ideas that we have for you. This is just a short list but it will surely help you a lot if you feel like prompts are a good exercise for you. Here they are:

Writing Prompts About Yourself to Reflect On

1. My typical day starts with…
2. My secrets are…
3. I once was told…
4. I used to be afraid of…
5. My biggest issue with other people is…
6. I hate when I…
7. I find it hard to…
8. My last year was…
9. I’m proud of my…
10. I dream of…
11. A meaningful gift I’ve given or received

First Lines to Start Your Prompt

1. She stood out from the crowd because…
2. As soon as she walked in, she felt the tension…
3. He had an hour to get home. If he didn’t make it,…
4. Half the names on the list had already been crossed off.
5. As the prison gate closed behind him, he saw someone waiting for him…
6. He realized the child had seen him and he couldn’t let him get away…
7. More and more people were refusing to obey the laws of the land…
8. He opened the door to find her standing there, crying.
9. It was the trip of a lifetime, yet…
10. The fire was getting closer…
11. Things that are hard to believe…

Writing Prompts With a Plot Twist

1. A detective shoots an innocent person in front of you.
2. You’re about to meet your partner’s rich parents. 
3. How would you go about faking your own death? 
4. One morning, you wake up unable to recognize your surroundings or the people you are living with.
5. You wake in the night and turn on the light but it’s not working. 
6. A friend from college contacts you and two others for a reunion.
7. It had never entered his head that his son was not his own blood
8. A man entered the hall of a hotel. He was wearing strange clothes
9. A cat with purple eyes was watching me one time
10. A book wasn’t there where I put it the last time
11. A lade was too upset to talk, but she silently gave me a necklace
12. Your spouse has left you but forgotten to take his/her credit card.
13. You’re a high-ranking politician and your teenage daughter has joined a revolutionary group. 
14. Your friend asks you to put the lottery on for him/her, then wins a million.
15. You’ve bought an old chest of drawers and discovered a piece of paper stuck inside. 
16. You’re an accountant and you’ve decided you want to be an actor.
17. You’ve been ordered to kill someone you’ve fallen in love with. 
18. It’s the night before your wedding and you finally admit to yourself that you don’t love the person you are able to marry. 

So, here are a few ideas for your writing prompts – we hope you find them useful. Good luck with your writing!