We wanted to try and help authors form a regular writing habit and also give them a place to proudly display their work. Here's how our contest works: every Friday, we send out a newsletter containing five creative writing prompts.
Each week, the story ideas center around a different theme. Authors then have one week — until the following Friday — to submit a short story based on one of our prompts. Interested in participating in our short story contest? Sign up here for more information! If you've ever sat in front of a computer or notebook and felt the urge to start creating worlds, characters, and storylines — all the while finding yourself unable to do so, then you've met the author's age-old foe: writer's block. There's nothing more frustrating than finding the time but not the words to be creative.
Enter our new directory! If you're ready to kick writer's block to the curb and finally get started on your short story or novel, these unique story ideas might just be your ticket. Which, as all aspiring authors know, is the 1 challenge — and solution! Feel free to filter through by the different genres, which includes Comedy — whether satire or slapstick, this is an opportunity to write with your funny bone. Dramatic — if you want to make people laugh and cry within the same story, this might be your genre.
Romance — one of the most popular commercial genres out there. Check out these story ideas out if you love writing about love. Fantasy — the beauty of this genre is that the possibilities are as endless as your imagination.
Mystery — from whodunnits to cozy mysteries, it's time to bring out your inner detective. Thriller — there's nothing like a page-turner that elicits a gasp of surprise at the end. Historical Fiction — your chance to transport readers to times gone by. For Kids — encourage children to let their imagination run free. Focus on the images that arise rather than associating words with them.
Imagine what their life is like. Where do they live? What do they do for a living? You could also contemplate what it would be like to be an insect. Think about what it would be like to live in a hive, what you might do all day, and how strong you would be. Join a writing group to find like-minded people. Discussing work with other writers is helpful because it can help you think of new subjects to explore.
You can also receive feedback for your previous work, so you can expand upon. Meet up at a local coffee shop or cafe and discuss your writing ideas. Exchange work for feedback. Learn about your favorite writers and their writing habits.
Some writers always write in the same location, while others have routines that they go through before they write each day. By researching the habits of some of your writing role models, you might be inspired to find a new approach that will work for you.
Kurt Vonnegut used to do sit-ups and push-ups in between his writing. Start writing a new story if you are stuck. Sometimes a fresh start is all you need to get the creative gears turning. Instead of writing your autobiography, for instance, you might write about an interesting man you met in the supermarket. If you are stuck on the ending to your murder mystery, try writing an inspiring account of your hero.
Experiment with different writing mediums. If you write in the same style all the time, you can get stuck in a rut, making your writing feel flat and uninspired. To counteract this, try writing something totally different than your normal style.
This will help stretch your creativity, which may help you come up with new inspiration for your regular work. If you have been working on a novel, for instance, try to write a poem instead.
Try writing a short story if you normally write long-form blogs. Writing Help Sample Freewrite. Support wikiHow and unlock all samples. Paragraph Elaboration Prompts. Writing an outline can help you flesh out the story.
Also, create character profiles for all of your characters. Sometimes thinking about them can help you figure out what they would do in the story, and thus, help move the story along.
Not Helpful 4 Helpful There's plenty of ways outside of nature in which to find inspiration. You could be inspired by the city lights, dim lights and a cold room, your friends or someone you love. Movies and TV can help, as can music, or just thinking back on a memory. Sometimes, a game can help inspire you to think of a world that could've been so much better than the game's story. Not Helpful 3 Helpful What if I have a story and have planned everything, but I just can't think of a good start?
Look at some of you favorite authors lead sentences and figure out how they did it. Don't copy them completely, though that's plagiarism. Challenge yourself to write 10 first sentences and see which one you find most interesting or which one makes you want to write more. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 7. Get out of human habitation and into nature. Look around you at this magnificent world. Let the creatures, plants, soils and rocks around you be a form of inspiration.
Lie on the ground and watch the clouds. Gaze at the stars and the universe. Let go of all expectations and assumptions and just let the ideas come to you. Not Helpful 9 Helpful What if I have a thought for an idea, how do I outline it into what's before the event and what's after?
You don't always have to start at the beginning of a story. Sometimes, you can write the middle or ending and inspiration for a beginning will strike you as you write. Not Helpful 1 Helpful 8. Try to choose an aspect of the topic that interest you. For example, if you have to write about space, you can write about the plan to relocate people to Mars rather than the solar system. Not Helpful 6 Helpful Try to choose a good topic.
Be open-minded and just pour your feelings into what you write. Express every way you feel and explain it all in your story. Fiction is usually the best topic for expressing your feelings.
Not Helpful 2 Helpful 7. Get out in nature and forget about writing. Breathe in the fresh air and just try to relax. Writing in a journal every day can also help jump-start your process. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 2. Think about the endings of some of your favorite books. What do they have in common? What makes a good ending? Also thank you for bringing us positivity and teaching us about gratitude. I always dreamed about and had a desire to earn 1 lakh a month….
I practice gratitude daily and always set at least three intentions. For some time now I have been practicing gratitude around a certain meeting that I need to go in my favor. I had a little wobble and thought that if the Universe could just give me a little sign that all was well, then…. For the past few months, I had been trying to take a professional certification exam.
However, this exam was really difficult and I did not have the self confidence to take the test, even though I had prepared well for it. I kept postponing the exam for many months because of my fear and anxiety…. All along I knew about The Secret and the law of attraction but I only started to apply it consciously after I broke up with my first boyfriend.
I was devastated and also wanted to get back with him. I remember I asked the Universe if we could get back together, and I got the…. So I started learning about The Secret nearly a year ago after I hit a dark place in my life due to a breakup.
My best friend took me for some food one night and told me about the greatest book ever written called The Secret. He knew that it hit me hard but I…. A year ago I had no idea what The Secret was. I was going through a tough time trying to get out of an unhealthy relationship.
I was also at risk of being made redundant at work along with other issues! I stopped going out,…. Hello everyone! This has a two-fold benefit. I once visited an art museum that had a photography section. It was filled with famous photos of famous people by famous photographers.
I lost complete track of time and was immersed in the photos. When I left the display, I felt almost dizzy. That day, I went home and wrote a couple thousand words in a way that seemed effortless. Seeing great art in other forms can provide artistic inspiration to create great writing yourself. Visit a gallery, go to an opera, listen to a Ted Talk, or watch a play.
Look at the world a different way and feel the passion and inspiration from the artists you just watched, and use it in your own writing. We want results. Drink coffee. Coffee has fueled the creative inspiration of writers for centuries. Go for a walk in nature. A walk in nature will distract you with its beauty enough to make room for the muse to sneak up on you. You also have your laptop in your lap. That sounds like an inspiring environment to me. There has long been a link between travel and writing.
Seeing new parts of the world is inspiring in and of itself, plus it will surely give you new material to write about as well. Or, heck, just go to your local coffee shop to switch things up. Read a wide range of material. If you write non-fiction, sprinkle some fiction into your reading and vice versa. Reading widely opens new doors in your brain and helps you make odd connections between ideas.
I just finished my second book. I pulled and wove in ideas from billionaires, dead Roman emperors, and Harvard psychologists. Write in a bookstore. Writing in an environment surrounded with words is inspiring. Go to your favorite section and browse the titles. I submit guest post pitches to various blogs before I feel ready to write them. Finding situations that force your hand can keep you from sitting on the fence.
A quick Google search can give you inspiration by spoon-feeding you endless ideas for your writing. The creative process could serve the purpose of getting your fingers moving, which is the most important step. To maximize your chances of spotting the muse, come up with a clever writing prompt. You can set prompts on your phone to randomly write whatever comes to mind at the exact time. Carry a pen and paper with you everywhere you go to capture ideas as they come.
It seems mechanical, but careful planning can inspire you to create more. Even something insignificant, like a random word that pops in your head, might spark your next grand, creative idea. Visualize yourself putting in the work it takes to become a great, creative writer. Visualizing the type of outcome you want is effective, but visualizing becoming the type of person capable of achieving those outcomes is even more powerful.
Take a few minutes every day and visualize yourself being in a state of flow and writing effortlessly. If you can see it, you can believe it. In a rut? Find a writing partner to keep you accountable. Writers helping writers, the Smart Blogger way!
Why not use those moments as inspiration for your writing? The moment will inspire you to write because the moment itself is inspiring. If it was a pivotal moment in your life, you can recall how you felt and what the atmosphere was like.
Find examples to eliminate your excuses. Stephen Hawking moves his cheek muscles to write. Boo hoo. Be grateful and use your gratitude as a well of inspiration to create. We share insights and tips and keep each other motivated. Write your obituary. This exercise provides a two-fold benefit. Listening to music boosts your effectiveness in many areas such as exercise.
Some writers have been known to play the same song on repeat while they write, saying it gives them a calming sense and the music fades to the background while they write.
Pick an inspiring song and let it inspire you to write. Have you ever looked at the same piece of writing at different times and had two different opinions? We accept negativity with alarming ease. Our mind can just as easily believe the good things we tell ourselves about ourselves. The next time you swing between both opinions of your writing, choose the one that inspires you.
In fact, you should do it every time you feel good about your writing to keep the inspiration going. Get your fingers moving. The act of typing itself can lead to a flow state and productive writing. Remember your why. Do you have interesting stories to share? Do you want to entertain people? Go back to the source of inspiration that made you want to write in the first place. Revisit it often.
Life throws curve balls at you. You can let negativity overwhelm you, or you can use your experiences to inspire yourself in a cathartic way through your words. Have you ever had a loved one go on an extended trip? Why not create instant inspiration by doing the same with something you wrote? Think about something that was once hard for you to do, but you now find easy.
Stare at it and imagine how it will feel to have a published book with your name on it in the future. The first time I held a copy of something I created, I was euphoric. I continue to chase that feeling each time I write. Many imagine successful writers as people locked up in cabins with typewriters, toiling away at their work in isolation until they resurface with their manuscripts.
Some of the best writers, like Hemingway, spent as much time living and adventuring as they did writing. If you want to make your writing more interesting, make your life more interesting. Enter a writing contest. Writing contests often pay for top prize winners.
The popular writing blog The Write Practice hosts writing contests multiple times per day. During its most recent contest, the blog partnered with Short Fiction Break , which displayed every single piece submitted to the contest. Rewrite a dissatisfying ending of a popular movie, short story, or book. If you have the gall to rewrite a popular story, you should be confident enough to create your own. Some people are more creative at eleven at night.
Create an environment and schedule that aligns with your strengths. Your brain needs exercise like any other part of your body. Hitting a triple word score in Scrabble can remind you of your creative writing prowess.
0コメント