Welcome to my weekly writing tips. This mini workshop is intended to provide emerging writers with ways to get inspired and improve their writing. In the past, I’ve covered everything from point-of-view issues to motivation. As a historic note, way back when I first joined Steemit, I wrote an entire series of writing workshop posts. More recently, I was including a mini workshop in each weekly 50-word short story prompt post. And now it’s a stand-alone series. I’ll collect them for you below, in case you want to review the past workshop posts.
In this post we are going to talk about prompts, and how they can fuel the imagination.
Topic of the day: what prompted that?
If you write fiction, there is possibly nothing worse than a blank page or computer screen. Fortunately, there are tools for getting past that. Prompts are one such tool. A writing prompt can launch an amazing fiction-writing journey.
What is a prompt?
Typically, a prompt is a single word, a phrase or an image. For example, if you were supplied the image above as a prompt, what story would you imagine? Why is that little girl walking alone through a forest?
But a prompt can be anything of your choosing. An aroma, for example.
Think about the smell of gas. There’s a reason for it: to warn occupants of a home or building that there’s a leak, and they should evacuate, as any little spark could set off an explosion. Maybe that helps you write an opening line.
Rodney smelled gas. It was time to get out.
Or the smell of popcorn. Almost no matter who you are, you will find this to be a powerful aroma that instantly takes your mind somewhere. For example:
- A movie you went to long ago with your emotionally distant dad, that made you feel special.
- Your first date in high school, when you needed to be chaperoned by your date’s mom, and it was horribly awkward.
- The time you spilled the whole bucket of popcorn at the Disney movie when you were four, and your step-mom wouldn’t buy more.
Prompts are powerful. They can immediately take you out of “I don’t know what to write” into the depth of a moment, a memory, a scene, or an interplay between people — in other words, something that feels like “story.”
Once you have that, you have something to work with.
Working with prompts
A prompt is like a springboard. You jump off and start swimming. Typically you want to incorporate the prompt word in your writing, but in my humble opinion that is not strictly necessary.
There are lots of opportunities to write from prompts on Steemit. For example, each week I supply a one-word prompt for a 50-word short story. Just follow the #fiftywords tag to find them. Last week, for example, the prompt was “child.” For me, because it’s the holidays, this prompt made me think of a small boy struggling with whether to believe in Santa Claus, and I wrote, “Through child’s eyes.” Some amazing stories came out of that prompt, and I’m so impressed with the writers who participate in the 50-word short story contest!
Several writing groups on Steemit launch contests and challenges from prompts. Follow @thewritersblock, @themarkymark and @mariannewest, for example, and check the #contests tag regularly.
But the fact is, you don’t need someone else to supply a prompt. You can come up with your own. Here’s one method. Write down any three words, preferably at least some of which are sensory in some way. (Something you can feel, taste or smell.) Example:
cookie, dust, forever
Now, start writing. Add a character and a situation. Maybe a child is sitting on the corner of a dusty street eating a cookie. Now think a bit like a reporter. Why is he there? How did he get the cookie? What kind of conflict may be going on in his life? Has he lost someone? Was he recently adopted into a home with two other children who haven’t accepted him? Is his grandmother’s health failing, and she has always made the most delicious cookies in the world? How might you explore and resolve the conflict in the story?
Once you get writing, you may find that the story lets you know what it needs to be about. It’s very exciting when that happens. Listen to it, and let the writing flow.
That’s it for this week’s workshop! What follows are past workshop posts in case you want more.
The writing workshop collection
I’ve developed quite a few resources for writers during my time on Steemit. Don’t be overwhelmed. Just browse the collection and see if you find a topic that seems particularly meaningful to you.
New mini workshop series
Short posts on specific writing topics:
- Mini writing workshop: Who said that? (Tips for writing dialog)
Mini workshops in 50-word prompt posts
Brief workshops, typically 3-5 paragraphs, at the top of prompt posts:
- Mini writing workshop on “tense”
- Mini writing workshop on the editing process (with a walkthrough example)
- Mini writing workshop on taking time to write
- Mini writing workshop on the power of editing
- Mini writing workshop on critique
- Mini writing workshop on fixing punctuation errors
- Mini writing workshop on mainstream publishing (with a resource for 50-word story authors)
- Mini writing workshop on voice and language (as compared to the importance of plot)
- Mini writing workshop about becoming a great writer
- Mini writing workshop on contests and challenges
- Mini writing workshop on what makes a story a story
- Mini writing workshop on demystifying story writing
- Mini writing workshop on 50-word short story writing process
- Mini writing workshop on the steps for writing 50-word stories
- Mini writing workshop on micro-fiction and writing succinctly
- Mini writing workshop on the “why” of writing
- Mini writing workshop on the challenge of micro-fiction
In-depth workshop posts
A series of workshop posts that tackle writing topics in more detail:
- Writing workshop volume 1: The beginning
- Writing workshop volume 2: Exploring voice in writing
- Writing workshop volume 3: Say what you want to say
- Writing workshop volume 4: Serial fiction projects on Steemit
- Writing workshop volume 5: Getting organized and actually writing
- Writing workshop volume 6: Tips for writing anywhere, anytime
- Writing workshop volume 7: Should you write historical fiction?
- Writing workshop volume 8: Prompts, contests and challenges – oh my!
- Writing workshop volume 9: Pushing through insecurity and writing anyway
- Writing workshop volume 10: Perspective and POV in fiction writing
- Writing workshop volume 11: Second person point of view in fiction
- Writing workshop volume 12: How to write your character’s background
- Writing workshop volume 13: What to do with all these voices in my head?
- Writing workshop volume 14: Write your story from a logline
- Writing workshop volume 15: Three tips for improving your fiction
- Writing workshop volume 16: How to accept criticism on your fiction writing
Thank you, as always, for reading, following, upvoting, connecting, HODL’ing, resteeming, laughing, sharing, and being you.
