Bryn Donovan [Donovan - 5,000 Writing Prompts

Table of Contents

50 Ways to Begin a Story

150 Fantasy Prompts

150 Science Fiction Prompts

150 Horror Prompts

150 Mystery Prompts

150 Romance Prompts

150 Young Adult Prompts

150 Historical Fiction Prompts

150 General Fiction Prompts

50 Plots From the Bible

50 Plots From European Fairy Tales and Mythology

50 Plots From Shakespeare and Other Elizabethan Literature

50 Plot Prompts from Regency and Victorian Novels

50 Plots From Classic Cinema

37 Prompts Based on Personality Typing

13 Prompts Based on Psychological Disorders

Animal Instincts: 50 Prompts

Action Is Character: 50 Action Prompts

True Colors: 50 More Action Prompts

This, and Also That: 50 Prompts for Complex Characters

Clothes Maketh the Man (and Woman): 50 Sartorial Prompts

100 Prompts Based on Real People

100 Prompts Based on Occupations

Shame: 50 Reasons Why Your Character Feels Guilty

Cringe: 25 Writing Prompts to Embarrass Your Character

Grrr: 25 Writing Prompts to Annoy or Anger Your Character

Sigh: 25 Writing Prompts to Make Your Character Feel Lonely

If Only: 50 Writing Prompts Based on Character Regrets

25 Natural Enemies Prompts

50 Big Realizations for Your Characters

50 Indoor Setting Prompts

50 Outdoor Setting Prompts

100 Historical Setting Prompts

50 Prompts on Cars, Planes, Trains, Boats, and More

200 General Dialogue Prompts

50 Topics for Arguments

50 Things Someone Can Ask

50 Things Someone Can Explain

100 Title Prompts

200 Image Prompts

50 Prompts Based on Sounds

50 Prompts Based on Smells

50 Prompts Based on Touch and Physical Sensations

25 Christmas Prompts

150 Unusual and Beautiful Words as Prompts

50 Writing Prompts Inspired by Tarot

25 Prompts to Melt Peoples Hearts

50 Meet Cute Ideas

50 Cute Date Ideas

50 Fight Scene Ideas

50 Desperate Measures

50 Happy Ever After Prompts

100 General Autobiographical Prompts

50 Prompts About Childhood

50 Prompts About Your Identity and Personality

50 Prompts About Your Beliefs and Values

50 Prompts About Family

50 Prompts About Friendships and Relationships

50 Prompts About Health and Appearance

50 Prompts About Home

50 Prompts About Your Town and Your Country

50 Prompts About School and/or Work

50 Prompts About Music, Movies, Books, TV, and the Internet

500 Blog Post Ideas

5,000 WRITING PROMPTS :

A Master List of Creative Exercises, Plot Ideas, and More

Copyright 2019 Stacey Donovan

First edition, March 2019

Print: 978-0-9967152-5-6

eBook: 978-0-9967152-6-3

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in print or electronic form without prior permission of the author.

This book is dedicated to Gill Donovan, my husband, soul mate, and best friend.

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to 5,000 Writing Prompts!

This book is for all kinds of writers and storytellersnovelists, short story writers, essayists, poets, screenwriters, playwrights, memoirists, bloggers, improv actors, fans of role-playing games, and moreas well as for teachers and anyone else who wants inspiration. Although Ive broadly classified the prompts as Fiction Prompts, Poetry Exercises, and Autobiographical and Blogging Prompts, they can all be used in many different ways.

Why I Wrote This Book

Im a publishing professional and an author who also blogs about writing and teaches creative workshops. Because of this, I talk to a lot of writers and aspiring authors.

People often say things like:

I want to write, but I dont know where to start.

I havent written in a long time. How can I get back into that creative mindset again?

I have a fictional world and characters I love, but I dont have a plot.

I want to start a blog, but what if I cant think of enough things to write about?

In all of these cases, people need a little extra spark of inspiration. I felt like I was in a unique position to help because Im an inveterate list maker. I have journals and notebooks filled with creative idea starters, from master plots and essay subjects to character quirks and fascinating words. I have a particular obsession with identifying and compiling the smaller elements that can go into a script, short story, blog, personal essay, play, or novel. Ill never be able to use them all in my lifetime, so why keep them to myself?

I also wanted to write this book because I believe creative possibilities are limitless. When it doesnt seem that way to us, its often because weve gotten bogged down with the demands, details, and sorrows of everyday life, and its given us tunnel vision. I hope because this book has a lot of writing prompts, it reminds people of all the possible stories inside themway, way more than five thousand!

Are Writing Prompts Cheating?

I thought Id address this right up front, because some people worry about it! Using one of my writing prompts for a story, poem, or other original work absolutely isnt cheating, even if you get it published. We writers take inspiration from everywhere: magazine articles, the stories our friends and family tell us, observations of our neighbors or strangers, and yes, other books, TV shows, and movies. Its the way we treat that little spark of inspiration and what we do with it that makes it original and makes it ours.

I hope this book supports other peoples success. If you purchased the book, checked it out of the library, or received a gift copy purchased by someone else, then if it inspires you to write a novel that makes you a million dollars, you dont owe me a dollar of those royalties. If your novel wins the Pulitzer, Id love a shout-out in your acceptance speechbut you probably wont do that, and thats okay. I understand. Ill still be proud of you!

If you still dont feel comfortable using a specific prompt, just take a minute to ask yourself: How can I make this different? Then put your own spin on it.

Youre likely to come up with new ideas of your own just from perusing the pages of this book. Youre a creative person, after all, and thats just how creative brains work.

How To Use This Book

How To Beat Writers Block: The Two-Week Program

If youve suffered from writers block for weeks, months, or even decades, try this.

Every day at roughly the same time, close your eyes, flip through this book, and point to something on a page. Whatever prompt youre touching, write about it for fifteen minutes.

Fifteen minutes! Thats it! You can do almost anything for only fifteen minutes.

I dont care if you think its a stupid prompt. Dont look for another one. Youre stuck with it. If its very different from anything you would ever imagine yourself writing, thats good . And if its a prompt that makes you think, I know nothing about this subject, I dont care. You might know more about it than you realize at first, and anyway, the point is to get your imagination going.

Write a description, a short scene, a conversation, a paragraphwhatever comes into your head is fine. For those fifteen minutes, write fast. Dont judge what youre writing. It doesnt have to be high quality. It just has to be writing. Get it out there.

Do this once a day for two weeks.

Now, while youre doing it, two weeks may seem like a long time. Its really not. How many weeks have you spent not writing at all?

You may not enjoy this process. Change is often uncomfortable, and it takes effort. Then again, you may have fun with it. You wont be under any pressure to create a finished, brilliant storyand that pressure may have been shutting you down in the first place.