If you stare at a blank page, you won't be able to begin writing.Sometimes you need help getting over the first hump, as a blank page can be scary.Writing prompt can get you started and give you inspiration.There are a few ground rules that you should be aware of.
Step 1: Writing prompts are a good place to start.
A writing prompt can take many forms.It can be a scene from a day in the life of a person.The prompt could be something like "You open your closet door to find your clothes aren't there anymore"There are horse-drawn carriages and people walking in London.What will happen next?It could be an old postcard, where you write about a picture.It could be a quote from Yogi Berra, such as "Half the lies they tell about me aren't true."
Step 2: You don't need to follow the prompt exactly.
A writing prompt is a good place to start, but you don't have to follow it exactly.Let your ideas take you where you want to go.Do not feel restricted to only that genre if the writing prompt is suggested for a certain genre.An idea for a great romance plot might come from a science fiction prompt.To get you writing, but still allow you to develop your own ideas, is the whole point of writing prompts.
Step 3: Whatever comes to mind, write it down.
Right now, you just want to come up with something.At this stage, some of what you write will be terrible, but that's okay.If you just let your mind wander, you should be able to come up with some really great ideas.Don't think about what you should be writing, just write.There is a part of your brain that wants to be edited.
Step 4: You don't need to be perfect in your first few drafts.
In a first draft, you don't need to be perfect.Each sentence doesn't need to fit perfectly with the next one if the spelling is free of typos.You will never write anything if you expect your writing to be perfect before you put it on the page.You will be plagued by writer's block.The first draft is not the time to be thinking about editing.
Step 5: You should organize and develop your writing.
Think about how you can develop the ideas you generated once you've spent time generating them.Maybe you want to use a short passage to tell a larger story.Maybe you came up with an idea for a poem.Maybe you have a complete story that needs revision.You like circle ideas.If you really like a paragraph, but it doesn't fit in to what else is going on in your writing, keep it in a word document for later.Maybe you can use it somewhere else.
Step 6: Make your writing better.
Take the time to revise after you feel like you have a story.Look for spelling errors.Think about how you write your sentences.Do you think it sounds weird or out of place?You will probably want to change the parts.Don't forget to have someone else read your work.They can give you feedback and help you make better decisions.The point of the writing prompt is to get started, but to be a good writer you also need the drive to keep going and the patience to revise once you have a draft story or poem.
Step 7: Prompts can be used in a group.
Writing with a group of people can help you go places you wouldn't think of on your own.Someone in the group will have a different point of view than you.You can grow as a writer by bouncing ideas off each other.In a group, start a story with everyone throwing out ideas and one person writing.If you want to write on a chalkboard, you can have someone read the writing prompt and then write your own.Everyone else should come up with ideas for the person writing.Everyone can come up with their own ideas once you're done with the brainstorming.Another method is to have one person start writing from a prompt and then have each person read and contribute to the next section, all done without speaking.
Step 8: If the prompt isn't working for you, try a new one.
Not every prompt is perfect for you.One kind of prompt is not better than another in a general sense, but it may be better for you.Try using a different one if you've given it a good amount of time.A particular prompt might not be the right one.
Step 9: Only one part of a prompt is used.
Virginia Woolf's quote "What is the meaning of life?" can be used as a starting point.The great revelation had never come because of a simple question that close in on one with years.Maybe the great revelation never came.There were no miracles, no illuminations, and no matches in the dark.The starting place could be what the little daily miracle is.The purpose is to use it as inspiration to begin writing.When using a writing prompt, start writing as soon as you notice something that interests you.
Step 10: Multiple stories can be created from the same prompt.
If you try attacking the prompt in a different way each time, you can use the same prompt over and over again.Try to think about each of your senses in a different way, or use a narrative voice you wouldn't normally consider.Maybe you've never been to war, but you want to imagine it in a different way.The prompt might be "Your country has just entered World War III".How are you involved?It's possible to write about being a soldier, but also about a spouse at home, the president sending people to war, or a person on the other side.Write from a different perspective each time.You may be able to develop the pieces into a series, as they will likely share the same characteristics.