Freewriting (also known as “stream of consciousness” writing) is a great way for a person to get her writing “juices” flowing. But what if she's stuck and can’t even think of anything to write about? She wants to write, but she wants something inspiring. She and other writers need not look any further. Here is a list of prompts to get any writer started. There are several categories and then lists of prompts. Most writers should be able to find at least one or two that make them want to start writing.
Writers can also start collecting their own lists. Whenever they come across a word or phrase and think, “That would be fun to write about sometime,” they should jot it down and add it to their list. The more choices to write about, the better.
One-Word/“Idea” Prompts
Sometimes the simplest and easiest topics to write about are short words or phrases. Single words give writers the widest area of creativity, and they can take those ideas wherever they'd like.
If a writer decides to come up with his own prompts, he should keep in mind that nouns and verbs are the best words to use. Nouns often bring word pictures to one’s mind, and verbs frequently make writers think of actions. Sometimes having a concrete image in mind can help one get started. Other words, such as adjectives, may initially spark some interest but sometimes don’t have enough substance to allow a freewriting session to last for ten minutes.
Here are some ideas:
- Bicycle
- Toil
- Protection
- Acting
- Yacht
- Health
- Ecstasy
- Freedom
- Patience
- Oceans
- Clandestine
- Insane
- Strength
- Teeming
- Bury
Quotes
Quotes often make a writer give more thought to her topic; she may find herself asking what the speaker meant or how she feels about it. There are many websites online (such as The Quote Garden) that have collected quotes if one would like to find more. Here are a couple of examples:
- “Determine that the thing can and and shall be done, and then we shall find the way.” Abraham Lincoln
- “It is not enough to be industrious; so are the ants.” Henry David Thoreau
- “Religions are different roads converging to the same point. What does it matter that we take different road, so long as we reach the same goal.” Mahatma Ghandi
Sayings
Sayings (perhaps more aptly this category should be called “idioms”) are fun, because writers frequently question why that saying ever came about and what it would mean literally. This category makes for some fun writing sessions.
- Cloud nine
- Silver spoon
- Put it off
- Spitting image
- Raining cats and dogs
Creative Prompts
For the writer with a budding novelist inside, these creative prompts can be inspiring. One can grab a work of fiction off the shelf and choose either the first line or any other line in the story or book. Then, without reading further, the writer can start writing the story the way her mind thinks it should go. Here are a couple of examples:
“My father was a St. Bernard, my mother was a collie, but I am a Presbyterian.” First line from Mark Twain’s A Dog’s Tale.
“She had delayed, because of the dew-wet grass, in order to put on her overshoes, and when she emerged from the house found her waiting husband absorbed in the wonder of a bursting almond-bud.” First line from Jack London’s “Brown Wolf.”
“What if” Prompts
Writers can have a lot of fun with speculative topics too, but sometimes they inspire such outlandish ideas that people will want to only write on these once in a while. Here are a few examples:
- If you woke up tomorrow as a cat, what is the first thing you would do?
- What kind of ice cream are you? Explain.
- If education, wealth, and talent (and sex) had nothing to do with it, what would be your occupation?
Techniques
For the writer who likes to practice freewriting with a friend, both of them can take turns coming up with prompts. That gives each of them a bit of a surprise element and helps exercise their “writing muscles” even more. It can be done either in person or by exchanging emails. Prompts can be collected in a document or notebook, or separate ones can be written on pieces of paper and then placed in a jar; then the writer can just take out one at random each time he begins a writing session.
Just Write!
The most important part of freewriting is to just write. If a writer finds herself writing more with a particular kind of prompt than with others, she should rely mostly on those kinds of prompts. Sometimes, though, she'll want to do one that’s totally different, just to challenge herself. The more freewriting one does, the easier one will find writing to be.
Related article: Techniques to Improve Writing
Cynthia Jones-Shoeman - Cynthia (“Cindy”) Jones-Shoeman earned her MA in English from Colorado State University in 2007; her thesis was "Toni ...
