Writing Prompts

I was talking with a friend of mine who told me about a writing prompt she had made. A character's treasured object is wearing out gradually, and he or she cannot replace it. When the object stops working, he or she will have to revert to his or her former way of living. Write about his or her emotions and actions when the object is on the verge of breaking down and his or her decisions after it becomes useless. Describe how he or she resists or accepts the loss of the object, making sure to include other characters' reactions to his or her behavior.

I thought it was a rather interesting prompt. It is specific enough to focus your thoughts on a scene or progression, but broad enough that the scene could be almost anything under the sun. After she told me this, she said that the idea for the prompt came from her iPod slowly dying and not being able to get a replacement for it.

After I finished chuckling at what a great idea it was, I was amazed at what a great idea it is. Take any story, regardless of how interesting it is, and break it down into the vaguest words possible. That's a writing prompt. Once you have a vague story, you can let your imagination fly and fill in the details.

The above prompts could just as easily have been the story of a person who had prosthetic legs that were wearing out, but couldn't afford to get new ones and had to go back to using a wheelchair. It could also be a fantasy world where a wizard protected his city with the power of a magical artifact that was running out of power, so he had to use his old staff to fight off any invaders.

If you aren't sure what to write and need a prompt to get started, try this out. If it works, you will never worry about trying to find something to write about ever again. It could also help you see how similar extremely different situations can be when you look at the core principles that comprise them.