Writer’s block is one of the most frustrating and common irritants of any writer. It happens to us all, regardless of the writing discipline we work in. Personally, I’ve been struggling with it since the beginning of the year. So in an effort to try and see it off in time for this year’s NaNoWriMo, today I’m sharing some writing prompts to break through writer’s block.
I can’t believe it’ll soon be a year since I started actually writing my novel. For those of you who don’t know, last November I finally took up the challenge of writing a book in 30 days, and somehow, I managed to actually complete it.
Sounds good, right? Well, yes, except ever since I finished it, my book has sat, unloved and unedited since the end of November 2018. I had planned to do the big redraft in July, but life well and truly got in the way. As it tends to do.
Anyway, with some luck, these writing prompts will help to fire up my creativity again and all being well I’ll be in a good position to actually rewrite the story this November. That’s the idea, anyway!
So without further ado, let’s jump into my latest set of writing prompts to break through writer’s block. If you haven’t read my last post all about writing prompts, you can find that here.
The window
One of the windows in your house suddenly starts to show a giant crack through the middle of it. There’s no reason for this to have happened, and when you go to look through it. What happens next?
The cure
You’re a scientist who has been working on finding the cure for a mystery disease that’s been plaguing the world since a global catastrophe set it loose. Alone in the lab one night, you suddenly realise you’ve cracked it. But the cure has a deadly cost, and suddenly, you don’t know what to do with it…
The hotel
You win an all-expenses-paid trip to a luxury resort. However, when you get to the hotel, all is not as it seems. As you enter the revolving doors, the scene that greets you on the other side is not what you expected at all…
The tattoo
You’ve been saving up for ages to go and get a tattoo. It’s the first time you’ve ever had one. The day arrives at last and off you go to get a new tattoo, but as it’s being inked onto your skin, you begin to feel something strange about it. What’s the design of the tattoo and what is it doing to you?
The newfound ability
You suddenly discover that you have the power to steal things without anyone noticing. What do you take? What are the personal consequences of your newfound skills as a thief?
The stalker
You’re a celebrity (for a reason you can invent), and you begin receiving disturbing letters in the post. Then come the strange messages in your social media inboxes….and then it all gets too real. How do you combat the stalker?
The changeling
You wake from a dream to discover that you’re no longer in your own body but in that of your pet cat. You’re starving, so you head straight down the stairs and out of the catflap into the darkness of the world outdoors.
The screaming
Every time you’re alone in the house, you hear a screaming noise that you can never find. Does it begin to drive you mad, or can you track it down and find out where it’s coming from? What if it’s coming from your mind?
The escape plan
You’re trapped in a controlling relationship and need to escape. Your oppressor has locked you in a seemingly inescapable room, but you’ve noticed a possible way out. How do you get free? What happens if you do make it out?
The new world
You’re put in charge of a mission to discover a new world. It’s located through a portal that appeared after a recent earthquake, and to discover what lies on the other side, you have to step through the portal with a team of scientists and soldiers.
What are your ideas?
So there you go, a few quick writing prompts to help break through writer’s block. Sometimes all it takes is a spark of an idea to get a deeper writing pattern coming through, so hopefully, you can find one of those here.
I’d love to hear your suggestions for more creative writing prompts! Leave yours below in the comments if you’ve got any interesting ideas.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you check out my creative writing prompts board on Pinterest for lots more ideas and inspiration.
