All writers have that moment when they crave inspiration. They may be experiencing writer's block and have no idea what to do. Or perhaps they are having trouble coming up with ideas and need something to turn to. Maybe they just wish to challenge themselves. Well, there is a solution to help writers with these troubles, and they are called writing prompts. Writing prompts are sentences or paragraphs that present an idea or describe a situation. For example, one I came across says “A group of people get trapped in an elevator. One of them is not human. This becomes more obvious as time passes” and another presents the prompt of “Write a story in exactly 50 words.” These kinds of prompts can be very useful to writers, and here’s why:

Exercises/Challenges

Writing prompts allow for an opportunity in exercising and challenging your writing skills. Stepping out of your comfort zone or trying new perspectives can help you in not only improving your work but also in understanding your strengths and weaknesses as a writer. You could find that one genre suits you better than other, or one point of view is more appealing and comfortable than another. A good challenge is healthy once in a while, and writing prompts sure are a way to exercise your creativity.

Inspiration

It’s amazing what one single thought can do. One thought can lead you to endless possibilities. You may find that while working on a simple writing prompt, an idea stems from the situation you are writing about. Suddenly, the work you created becomes the foundation for a new story idea. Maybe you find yourself writing in the point of view of an interesting character, or come up with a solution to an issue that can be explored in greater detail. There’s no limit to what your imagination can do, and writing prompts can help you consider thoughts that never crossed your mind before. Finding inspiration for stories can be difficult at times, but writing prompts are great places to start.

Escape from Writer’s Block

All writers loathe that blank feeling. No matter how much you want to write, your mind either comes up blank or too scrambled to focus on one definitive thought. When you can’t think of what to write or how to write, you should simply take a break. Once most of your frustration has subsided, you can try punching through that Writer’s Block barrier by choosing a prompt to work on. As you read through them, one may peak your interest and aid you in jump-starting your creativity.

To conclude, writing prompts can be a source of inspiration and challenge for writers who use them. Not only do they allow you to build from an idea that never crossed your mind until then, but may also create ideas for future works and possibly help rid of tedious writer’s block. If you are a writer craving some mental exercise and or new ideas, I strongly recommend you use writing prompts to get you started. You never know where they might take you.

For great writing prompts, visit the websites: "Writer's Digest - Creative Writing Prompts," "ThinkWritten - 365 Creative Writing Prompts," and "Reddit - Writing Prompts."