Does anyone know where to find good writing prompts?
December 18, 2007 11:06 AM Subscribe
Does anyone know where to find good writing prompts?
The ones I've found in Google are either boring or intended for children. I'm an aspiring writer and it'd be a big help to have prompts to get me motivated.
The ones I've found in Google are either boring or intended for children. I'm an aspiring writer and it'd be a big help to have prompts to get me motivated.
I've used a few, but none of them thoroughly enough to see how well they hold up over time. In no particular order:
- C.M. Mayo's daily five minute writing exercises
- Writing Fix prompt generator
- Thirteen Writing Prompts from McSweeney's--tongue in cheek, but fun nonetheless
- Creative writing prompts--more quantity than quality but hey, you're the writer.
Also, unless the prompts you've been looking at are very limiting or for people just learning to put sentences together, I think a prompt could be suitable for a writer of any level. Looking for "more interesting prompts" or prompts meant for adults seems like just another form of...not writing (or certainly would be for me).
posted by cocoagirl at 11:25 AM on December 18, 2007
- C.M. Mayo's daily five minute writing exercises
- Writing Fix prompt generator
- Thirteen Writing Prompts from McSweeney's--tongue in cheek, but fun nonetheless
- Creative writing prompts--more quantity than quality but hey, you're the writer.
Also, unless the prompts you've been looking at are very limiting or for people just learning to put sentences together, I think a prompt could be suitable for a writer of any level. Looking for "more interesting prompts" or prompts meant for adults seems like just another form of...not writing (or certainly would be for me).
posted by cocoagirl at 11:25 AM on December 18, 2007
If you're a poet, Deborah Ager posts them pretty regularly in her blog.
posted by RossWhite at 11:37 AM on December 18, 2007
posted by RossWhite at 11:37 AM on December 18, 2007
When I was applying to colleges I had lots of fun making up fake (and preposterous) stories to answer the essay prompt when I should have been writing my real essays. So maybe take a look at some college applications?
I eventually wrote true essays.
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 11:37 AM on December 18, 2007
I eventually wrote true essays.
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 11:37 AM on December 18, 2007
Response by poster: Previously and related previously.
I searched. I really did.
I want to die.
posted by hypervenom at 11:46 AM on December 18, 2007
I searched. I really did.
I want to die.
posted by hypervenom at 11:46 AM on December 18, 2007
Self-link: Three words, five minutes
I did this manually for so long, I made a page to do it for me. Enjoy.
posted by Plutor at 11:50 AM on December 18, 2007
I did this manually for so long, I made a page to do it for me. Enjoy.
posted by Plutor at 11:50 AM on December 18, 2007
The Pocket Muse helped me a bunch when I was writing in college, before I sold out to the man and lost all my creativity.
posted by sjuhawk31 at 11:56 AM on December 18, 2007
posted by sjuhawk31 at 11:56 AM on December 18, 2007
I'd be flattered/honored if this was of use to you.
posted by jbickers at 12:35 PM on December 18, 2007
posted by jbickers at 12:35 PM on December 18, 2007
This thread is closed to new comments.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
It really depends on what you're writing. Any prompt can work for any genre or format, but, say, a creepy old daguerreotype would be great for mystery and horror, a thought experiment about methane-based life more suited towards science fiction, and "try to describe that feeling of embarrassment when you've wandered the wrong way down the road, but don't know whether to stop and turn around or just nonchalantly walk around the block" would be good for a humorous essay or poem.
posted by JeremiahBritt at 11:24 AM on December 18, 2007 [1 favorite]