I enjoy writing prompts even if I don’t end up writing a whole story. Just reading a prompt and observing the places my mind goes is exciting. A picture or phrase can conjure up a multitude of worlds.
Use these to try something new in your writing process – a new genre perhaps or a different point of view. A prompt can be a word, a phrase, a title, or an image. They can be used as a regular way to create or as a tool to knock you out of a slump.
If you end up using one, please let me know.
I’d love to hear about what came up for you!
Write the biography of a typewriter.
What worlds has it built? Has it sparked a revolution?
Written out a love letter? A Dear John letter?
Consider it through time.
A postcard arrives unsigned but containing a message you desperately needed.
What does it say? What is the emotion it conjures in you?
The Meeting
The Announcement At Family Dinner
Your friend is unexpectedly fired.
As you help them clear out their desk, you find something unsettling in one of the drawers.
An unexpected guest arrives at your home and describes this scene.
Who is the guest and what is this scene?
Using sensory details from the five senses (sight, touch, taste, hearing, and smell) is great, but did you know there are other senses too?
Try this prompt using as many of the traditional 5 senses and if you can, try adding vestibular and proprioception senses. Our vestibular sense gives us information on our balance and spatial orientation. Proprioception ives us info on where our body parts are in relation to each other. (This is how you can touch your nose with your eyes closed.)
jennifer fernandez, phd 