Need that extra spark? Ten really cool places to find writing prompts.

Whew…its been a hot second since I’ve posted something, hasn’t it? A lot has happened in the last month-ish, but I’m hunkering down with blogging again. National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) commenced as of yesterday, and I thought – okay, what’d be a relevant topic? And so, I present: writing prompts.

Whether you’re wanting to polish up on your writing, looking to get out of that writers block funk, or you’re searching for your next story inspiration, writing prompts are a great creative source.

Below are several prompt websites and resources to help you get on your way. Oh, and happy NaNoWriMo…now get those fingers typing!

1. Photo prompts
http://writingprompts.tumblr.com/
http://get-scribbling.tumblr.com/
http://promptsforwriters.blogspot.com/

2.Writer’s Digest – (P.S. if your not already subscribing or at least checking out the prompts and contests WD has to offer, you need to.) http://www.writersdigest.com/prompts
(WD competitions: http://www.writersdigest.com/competitions/writing-competitions)

3. Story starters – I like this one because not only does it provide several creative ideas, but also prompts. Some prompts even focus on specific areas, such as; writing prompts for the study of plot or showing as opposed to telling.
http://www.creative-writing-now.com/story-starters.html

4. Creative Writing Prompts – prompts for every day of the year.
http://creativewritingprompts.com/

5. Love love love this one. A tumblr blog called “Writing prompts that don’t suck” – They’re funny, weird, and so many to chose from. http://awesomewritingprompts.tumblr.com/
Example of prompt:
“Write a science fiction or fantasy story about a new cola on the market that causes a huge stir. Does it cause a stir because its delicious, magical, deadly, unusual, unremarkable, or something else?”
Fun, right?

6. New prompts by the hour
http://hourlywritingprompts.tumblr.com/

7. Ten Minute Prompts – This site dares you to write 200 words or more in under ten minutes based on the prompts they provide.
http://tenminuteprompts.tumblr.com/

8. 100 short story/novel writing prompts – The writer who compiled this list describes them as “continue on” writing prompts – they’re first lines of a paragraph in a story,  be a short story or a novel. Its a VERY extensive (and awesome) resource.
http://www.squidoo.com/100-short-story-novel-prompts
Seriously – bookmark that puppy.

If you’re like me, and don’t typically do writing prompts, that’s okay too. I am horrible at consistently doing writing prompts every day like, so instead, I find contests or competitions. I do this for fun, to get my mind a rest from a current writing project, or simply because I want to test my skills. Writer’s Digest has a writing prompt contest each month which gives me motivation because winners get published.

Another way to practice writing is by journaling (or hey, how about blogging?). Journal about personal things and events in your life, or think of writing prompts that are relevant to you, like “what if this was the last word you ever wrote?” or “what things have you had to overcome in your life?”.  My mother has recently taken up journaling memories of her father ever since he got cancer. When he passed away, she kept writing those memories down so she’d never forget the details years from now. And who knows, you’d find a good prompt or story out of journaling.

Whatever compels you type away or put that ink to paper, write it. Prompts or no prompts. There is no wrong. Its your story to tell.

If you have other websites or ideas for writing prompts, I’d love to hear about them!

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