Four Writing Prompts for Those of Us with Writer's Block

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Mar 14, 2001

The following are some general writing prompts that I hope will help you get some ideas for fiction. If you think you might have something good after trying some of these feel free to share it with us on the discussion board. I am sure we all will be glad to comment on what you have.

* Imagine you are sitting in a semi-crowded cafe. There are two women and one man sitting at a table within earshot. They are having a very interesting conversation and you are taking notes in a journal. First, describe each of the conversationalists individually. How do they look? What is their attitude/personality? What does their voice sound like? What are they wearing? What are their names? Then, describe their conversation. Is it about relationships, pets, work, shopping, or politics? Who dominates the conversation? What do they contribute to the topic? Does anyone get angry, or laugh?

Remember to think of your character sketches as you write the conversation. Think of the words as coming from each character's mouth. How would they say it?

A story can be drawn from this by taking anything interesting that you write and expanding on it. For instance, if the women are asking the man what he wants from a relationship with a woman, you can take what the man says about relationships that work and those that don't and create a relationship for him. Or, you could use the conversation as a set up for one or both of the women attempting to please their companion based on his advice. These can make very serious or humorous fiction. There are other possiblities depending on how your dialogue goes.

Also, if you don't want to make all of this situation up, you can go out to a real cafe or restaurant with a journal and listen in on the conversations of real people. You can base characters for stories from the people you see and hear speak. This can be even more interesting than making the situation up.

* Take time to really think about an elderly person you know whether they be a relative or friend. Make a list of their personality traits. What are their pet peeves? What do they enjoy more than anything else? What do they like to eat? How do they walk/talk? How do they believe about certain topics: religion or politics?

After completing this list, think of them when they were younger. Think of the traits they exhibit now. How did they develop them?