Creative Writing

The smallest thing can spark an idea for a story. A creative writing prompt can really be anything; it can be something as small as a picture or a single word. Some people gather their ideas from dreams or other sources or art. Anything that gives you the feeling that a great story could evolve can be used as a prompt. A prompt is almost like a preview for a movie: it gives you an idea of what is to come and makes you want to watch the movie. A creative prompt can be anything that makes you want to sit down and write.

The need for finding aids to creative writing often starts from having writer's block. If coming up with your own prompts has become impossible, don't worry. There are literally millions of prompts out there. You just need to find the correct ones for you. Take the Internet, for instance. Do a search for creative writing prompts. You will find pages and pages of story starters right at your fingertips.

You have many possibilities available while searching for prompts. From starters of one or two words to a brief synopsis of an idea, they are available to you. Some sites offer regular prompts. They will even email them to you. There are many books available with nothing but lists of prompts just waiting to be turned into great stories from your mind.

There are a lot of writers who feel that using lists of existing prompts by someone else is cheating. They feel that all prompts used must be their own. But truth be told, there is not a creative writing prompt that has not been written about. It is the creation that comes after the prompt that makes the writing your own. The prompt is not what your creative writing is all about, but a jumping-off point line for your imagination. It is merely what opens the gate to your imagination, to your passion, and to your thoughts.

Sitting at your computer and staring at the blank page will most likely give you a headache before a great idea. Go outside, close your eyes, and clear your mind. Listen to the sounds around you. What do you hear? Children's laughter, neighbors chatting, or even the birds chirping. Let those sounds drift away and your mind float. Slowly letting things come back into your mind, your last trip to the beach, your kids at the playground, your spouse cooking dinner -- any of these can be an idea jogger that gets the creative writing flowing. These thoughts alone could spark a hundred ideas just waiting to be words on your canvas. It also may help to keep a notebook with you at all times. That way whenever you have a great idea you can jot it down before it escapes you.
Many writers only use creative aids for writing from external sources. They are given to them by editors and publishers telling the writer what they want them to write about. Some writers work better this way, being given the idea and running with it. Others prefer using their own. Creative writing prompts not only help spark ideas, they also help spark your memory for you to write about your own past experiences and adventures. You can use them for writings on your website or blog.

Whether you use outside sources for your inspiration or use your own it does not affect the integrity of the words that complete the idea. The story behind the prompt is the vision of your creative abilities, not the prompt itself.