10 Writing Prompts to Beat Writer’s Block
- 10 minutes ago
- 6 min read
From debuts to bestsellers, most writers have been there—staring at a blank page, mind foggy, and you just cannot find the right words. That’s what writer’s block can do to the best of us. Sometimes, all it takes is a little spark to get words flowing like a river all over again.
Table of content
Here are ten writing prompts that can serve as a compass in this mind fog.
The Confession Never Made
Imagine you loved someone with your whole being for years back in the day, but never really had the courage to say it out loud. Now you are in a new city, living a new life, and you bump into them, maybe in a grocery shop or while commuting. Those unexpressed feelings take over the best of you. Now the universe has given you this second chance to seize this deep-rooted love. String theory in love at its finest. What do you do now? Would you try and give this love a life?
The Underground City
As bizarre as it seems to think, there is a bustling city underneath the ground in your hometown that no one was ever aware of except you. By happenstance, you fell upon a tunnel that led you there. You thought you had a concussion when instead you found yourself among these new creatures with cutting-edge habitats; just like the ones you have read in your favourite childhood comic. Now you have a choice to go back or live your childhood dream. All eyes are on you—what would you do?
The Midnight Library
Amidst the university chaos you stumbled onto this empty room, and to your surprise, it was barren and deserted. It was strange considering your university is newly furnished and in its prime. But you were too tired to think at that moment; you just needed a place to sit and breathe. You went on with your life until one night when you needed a quiet place to study for your finals. To your surprise you find that the forgotten room is like those gothic libraries the Europeans had. What would you look for there?
The Time Stopper
Imagine a world where the clock actually stopped ticking. A land where time stood still for everyone except your protagonist, who once casually wished to have all the time in the world. Now that they actually have that, what will they do?
The Never Ending Arc
You wake up and go on with your normal regular life, classes, hangouts, internships in between breaks, etc. It is just like a regular day except it was not. You come home tired and already dread that you will have to go through all of it again the next day. You call it a day—only to wake up and realise you are stuck in this never-ending loop of the exact same day repeating. How would you escape?
The Bizarre Homecoming
You, with your bags all packed, come back to your home for the summer, but nothing is the way it was when you first left. The streets and the buildings all seem foreign to you. You are happy about the development of your hometown, but an inexplicable nostalgia and grief gets the best of you. You get so close to a place that it becomes an indistinguishable part of you. How would you live there?
The Gut-Wrenching Goodbye
You are standing at the edge of your teenage years with your luggage and a future to secure; you have to move countries away for college to chase that dream. It is exciting, sure the freedom is a privilege, but the ache of leaving everything that made you behind runs deep. How would you make the transition?
A Love That Runs Deeper than Blood
Your lead has been reincarnated multiple times just to meet their one true love in every lifetime. Sometimes as a friend, a foe, or a stranger passing by. And sometimes as a friend hovering in their orbit. How many more reincarnations?
The Cursed Being
A woman in the prime of her youth has witnessed all her best mates tie the knot, from her sisters to her best friend. She is loved for sure but she has always felt this void in her life, to have someone to return home to. The void runs deep enough to make her feel she has been cursed; she is on her knees looking at the vast sky hoping someone would change the prophecy. How will she break the spell?
Memory Rent
AI has taken over our realm in more ways than we can imagine. Now you can rent someone else’s life for a change as if it was on Airbnb. Your protagonist, tired of their own life, rents someone else’s life. But here is the catch: strolling down memory lane they begin to fall for someone they never actually met. Will they go back to their real life?
Writer’s block is just one small break along your venture of bringing something majestic to life. So, do not let it take a toll on you when in truth, we all have been there. Prompts like these will take you to doors you did not know existed. And the key is to keep going even when you feel stuck. A strong plot is one that allows you to do both.
As you continue to build your skills, putting together a plot will feel less of a struggle and more a craft you have mastered.
Writer’s Block Isn’t the End of the Story
Sometimes, writer’s block is just being unable to see the door. A random question, a memory, a character that haunts your every waking moment, or a “what if” is usually enough to get you unstuck. You don’t need to know where the road leads—only that it is interesting enough to warrant further exploration.
If you’re stuck on a story but have no idea how to proceed, WhatsApp Us and tell us what you are working on. Sometimes, all you need is an outside eye to help you see where your story is hiding.
Key Points
- Don’t try to think of a brilliant idea. Just write down what’s in your head.
- Expand on that with a “what if.” What if that idea was taken further? What if something else happened?
- Let your curiosity lead the way. It might not be the best place to start, but you will always know where to go next.
- Sometimes characters will decide for you what the story is about. Let them.
- Writer’s block rarely means you have no ideas. It usually means you need to look at the same idea from another angle.
- Keep writing. Something is better than nothing even if it turns out not as perfect as you intended at first.
FAQs
What do I do if I have no ideas?
Grab a pen and paper and ask yourself a “what if” question. “What if I woke up one morning and discovered I could fly?” All you need is one idea to get started. It doesn’t have to be a full-blown narrative with fully formed characters and settings, just a thought, memory, random observation, or question.
Can writing prompts really help?
They do. A writing prompt usually gives you a jumping-off point—something to think about and expand on. However, if you can’t think of anything to expand on, it might simply give you an idea for a character, conflict, or setting to explore.
I started a story using a writing prompt, but I have no idea how to finish it. What should I do?
That’s fine; just keep writing. A first draft should always be an exercise in exploration. Discover the story as you go—it will make the next steps much clearer.
Do you want to explore some ideas for a story, but you’re not sure where to start?
Sometimes, we get so caught up in one idea that we overlook the others.
If you have an idea but are having trouble developing it, WhatsApp us, and let’s explore it together.
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